Level Of Enthusiasm Going into Game 1

[45catfan]

I voted a 5.  We will be better than last year, but being better than horrible is not exactly awe inspiring.

[Chaos]

I keep feeling like I can't be less enthused than prior years, yet here I am.  Each year it gets worse and worse.  I have no idea what to expect, but the bar is really low and when the bar is low, my enthusiasm matches it.

[hepcat]

I’m about as excited for this season as I am to talk to a neighbor that I don’t like 

[DJ feed me moore]

6 because the jags are VERY mid and beatable. just gotta take it one week at a time.

[carpanfan96]

3/10. Last year was a 1/10. So we going on up. lol

[nogoodbum]

Am ready to watch some football regardless if it's college or pro. That would be a 10. Dreading the 3yr old antics on the pre-game shows & sifting through the excuses on the Huddle from some posters who end up wrong. That would be a 0. Average a 5 for me.

[PantherChris]

I would say a 6 or a 7, but I have what I feel like are realistic expectations I don't care if we win a ton of games as long as we have a product that is WATCHABLE every week.

[Navy_football]

So many unknowns. Excited to see what we really have, not what we could be - on paper. We should know by game 4. Game 1 is likely gonna be pretty ugly if I'm being honest. Hopefully Jax will be the same.

[Jackie Lee]

Maybe this will help? I dunno I'm headed to work so can't watch yet

 

[Montsta]

On 8/22/2025 at 5:14 AM, frankw said:

In terms of enthusiasm at this exact juncture it's a 5 only because regular season football is back and we are 0-0 and there is the development of some key young players that I am very interested in seeing in regular season action. That brief high will probably be knocked down to 1 by October though.

I love the time between preseason and the start of the regular season where the Panthers are not a losing team. We only get it for a short period each season but it is truly a magical time. 

[Seltzer]

10/10. We're due for some good luck, and I think this team is much better than what we've had the last 2 seasons.

Defensive injuries could derail us b/c our depth there is still questionable. Still worried about the pass rush getting pressure without blitzing.

Pleasantly surprised by the secondary and run defense. 

Dan Morgan has done a lot to resurrect this roster from the deplorable position Fitterer left it in by showing some scouting chops with hitting on these guys drafted in the later rounds or UDFAs.

Lathan Ransom & Corey Thornton both look like they fit this scheme and the NFL isn't too big for them. 

I'm as excited for the rookie trifecta of T-Mac, Scourton, and Princely as I can remember.

On paper, this offense is the most talented since 2021, maybe 2017, and maybe 2015.

None of that means this team will produce any better, but this team has offensive talent & depth like we have rarely had in team history.

If you don't believe me, go Google it. We've had some awful offensive collections overall in many years, to varying degrees mitigated by superstar talents like Steve Smith, Christian Mccaffrey, or Cam Newton. 

I honestly think the collective offensive talent in 2025 may be better, but Cam was so otherworldly in 2015 & 2017 that he covered any flaws. Seriously, though, Cam doesnt get enough love for 2017. I think that may have been his best season. In general, Cam doesn't get enough respect IMHO. Both in college and in the NFL, Cam took teams that without him would have had no chance and won. True definition of a guy who elevated his team.

To be clear, I am in no way am I saying this team will be better than 2017 or 2015.

My point is that the offensive talent is there on offense if Bryce can unlock it. 

I've been a Bryce supporter, but there are no excuses not to perform with this group. This isn't the disaster we gave him in 2023 or a new scheme like in 2024 where I think he hadn't mentally removed from his rookie season to start.

I dont know how you couldnt be excited about that. And we still compete in a division that isn't insurmountable.

I got got in 2023 like most of us in buying into the team propaganda, but in general, I think I'm pretty realistic about the team.

I knew in my heart we would be bad last year. I wasnt expecting the defense to be that bad or Bryce to start off that poorly, but I had no expectations whatsoever for making the playoffs.

And I genuinely think we will be competitive all year this season.

I think we win 8-9 games and compete for the division.

I think the ceiling is 11 wins, and the floor is 7.

The good news is after next week, we will all be proven right or proven wrong.

Keep Pounding!