What some seem to forget: A little perspective

[top dawg]

We have played one of the toughest schedules of any team this year, with a bunch of real and virtual rookies, including at QB. We lost one of the best defensive players in the league, as well as other key veterans (which was probably ill-advised from the perspective of the short-term product on the field, but perhaps smart from a short-term and longterm business perspective). If you look at it, of course we have gotten run off the field.

All this being said, we still have, arguably, the best potential at RB in the NFL. We also have Smitty, and though he is perhaps aging and angry, still has the ability to be one of the most exciting receivers in the league. Moreover, contrary to what some may believe, Gettis and LaFell have shown great flashes of the ability to get the ball down field if utilized properly. We also have a passing defense that currently ranks 7th in passing defense, and with some additions to our D-line, our overall unit has the seeds of becoming stout (maybe .

Looking at the future, we will be in an excellent fiscal position to make the tweaks to the O-line and D-line to get us to where we need to be, plus we will be able to draft a highly touted QB, if we so choose (perhaps the best of a generation). Plus, we will have one of the easiest schedules in football (for at least next year).

With a competent coach and philosophy, things may not be so bad.

[Lumps]

Half our problems this year are not with the team.

[FuzzyDuck13]

Any team that gets to play the NFC West has NOT played the toughest schedule.

[CRA]

have we played the toughest schedule? I thought Gantt has had a couple tweets that some of the other teams w/ 2 wins currently has us beat when it comes to SOS?

[nosuchthingasapanther]

Any team that gets to play the NFC West has NOT played the toughest schedule.

i agree.

i never understood where this toughest schedule crap came from. imo, it's been the softest carolina has seen in a while.

next season is another story...*shudders*.

[top dawg]

For sake of argument, I changed it to "one of the toughest". Let's not miss the point.

[BIGH2001]

This is just a bit too ridiculous for me. There might be a couple of positive things if you look really really hard while wearing Panther blinders. But a "competent philosophy" is not the problem with this team.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

For sake of argument, I changed it to "one of the toughest". Let's not miss the point.

i still don't agree.

[top dawg]

i still don't agree.

You don't agree with what? That there is a silver lining within this failure of a season?

Perhaps you're arguing about the schedule. If you want to say that playing four teams who are first in their division and the defending Super Bowl champions twice, the Ravens,as well as an up and coming tough Bucs team that almost beat the team that we are getting crushed by right now is not one of the toughest schedules, then go for it.

Getting back to the point, there is a little reason for optimism, IMHO.

[PhillyB]

the silver lining is that we're going to blow ass for the last couple weeks, get the number one pick, draft luck, and drop 90-yard bombs on smitty and gettis in 2011

[top dawg]

the silver lining is that we're going to blow ass for the last couple weeks, get the number one pick, draft luck, and drop 90-yard bombs on smitty and gettis in 2011

That's what I'm talking about. But we better reinvent our O-line:D...

[nosuchthingasapanther]

You don't agree with what? That there is a silver lining within this failure of a season?

Perhaps you're arguing about the schedule. If you want to say that playing four teams who are first in their division and the defending Super Bowl champions twice, the Ravens,as well as an up and coming tough Bucs team that almost beat the team that we are getting crushed by right now is not one of the toughest schedules, then go for it.

Getting back to the point, there is a little reason for optimism, IMHO.

let's see...the losers on the schedule

arizona 3-9

seattle 6-6

cleveland 5-7

st. louis 6-6

san francisco 4-8

cincinnati 2-10

and the divisional games that are usually competitive and usually swing either way but they don't not just because the opponents are that good...but because carolina is just that bad...

new orleans

tampa bay

falcons

that leaves...

new york giants

chicago

baltimore

pittsburgh

when you drop 6 divisional games and only win one of 6 against barely .500 and worse teams...

that's not a tough schedule...that's a pathetic football team.

[top dawg]

let's see...the losers on the schedule

arizona 3-9

seattle 6-6

cleveland 5-7

st. louis 6-6

san francisco 4-8

cincinnati 2-10

and the divisional games that are usually competitive and usually swing either way but they don't not just because the opponents are that good...but because carolina is just that bad...

new orleans

tampa bay

falcons

that leaves...

new york giants

chicago

baltimore

pittsburgh

when you drop 6 divisional games and only win one of 6 against barely .500 and worse teams...

that's not a tough schedule...that's a pathetic football team.

Yeah, it's a divine manifesto that divisional games are competitive, and could swing either way (like any other game), notwithstanding that one of the teams has (and has had) the best record in football for the season, and another team is the defending super Bowl champion with one of the most adept QBs and offensive attacks in the league, along with the fact that the Panthers have a relative bunch of noobs on the field playing under suspect coaching means nothing.