So What Happens After the Chicago Game

[Chaos]

It's depressing to think about how long this next off-season will seem.

[Guest]

It's depressing to think about how long this next off-season will seem.

Esp. since, for all intents and purposes, the off-season has already begun.

[LA_Panther]

Unless our defense or special teams scores, the Bears defense may shut us out...If we win, that will make my day man

[Wyank]

I will be celebrating Falcons loss to Eagles. Hopefully celebrating Bears loss to the Panthers as well after the Bears game.

[hepcat]

I actually have a lot of money down on the Bears this week because let's just admit, it's not going to be pretty. If the Panthers were a good team with a good coach that had been under-performing, they would come out and play their best game of the year and probably win - ala the John Fox teams of the mid 2000s. Catch Chicago on a short week, probably overlooking a down team. But a bad team with a bad coach that has been performing right where they should will just perform worse, given the situation (clueless coach, demoralized team, several key veterans on IR).

The Bears have the most opportunistic defense in the NFL. They will wreak havoc on Cam Newton, force multiple turnovers, and destroy whatever hope was left for the Panthers in 2012. I might pass on even watching this game.

To answer your question, after this game, many Panthers "fans" will turn in their fan cards because this one will be a massacre.

Nothing would make me happier than to see the Panthers rebound and upset the Bears on their home field. Confidence would be running high and maybe they could turn it around. But let's be real here, it's not going to happen. Harp on me for being negative but WTF do we have to be positive about right now? At least I can make a few bucks knowing how consistently bad this team is.

[Wyank]

I once won money betting against the Panthers. Dirtest money ever in my pocket. Won't do again.

[hepcat]

I once won money betting against the Panthers. Dirtest money ever in my pocket. Won't do again.

sure does make the losing go down easier, my friend

[BeasonBeastingBacks]

We prepare for next week

[Wyank]

sure does make the losing go down easier, my friend

Mine was an office pool for 2003 playoffs. Picked every winner right but Eagles vs Packers. For a whopping $100. Thinking was no one else was going to have Panthers in the SB so I can pick their opponent to win it all and win it either way which was the case.

Rather be down the $10 to get in and got hammered celebrating the victory.

[Carl Spackler]

We'll lose 27-17, Cam will complain and be passive-aggressive in the post game presser again, Rivera will make 0 adjustments and one facial expression, somebody we kinda need will get hurt with what appears to be a minor injury only to go on I.R., Chud will continue to run the option, DeAngelo will retweet complaints and Johnson will bitch to more hater fans online.

In short, what happens every week.

[Peppers90 NC]

I see four possibilities:

1- bad morale and we get blown out

2- we continue playing as we had and lose a close, low scoring game

3- we have a one week motivated game, come out winning but then go back to losing ways

4- actually use this as a turning point in the season and players and coaches get their ish together and we play to our potential for most of the remaining season

2 and 3 are most likely with 4 being the least likely.

[fjblair]

As a note to my OP I just find the timing of this move by JR to be very interesting. It obviously had to be done but now? Others have commented that Rivera may have lost this team and the players may view Hurney as a victim of bad coaching. Yeah they are professionals and need to give their best every game, blah, blah but there is a lot of drama around this move. I have no idea what team is going to show up against the Bears. It might be the wake up call everybody needs and be a brilliant stroke for JR, or it could get much worse.