Deangelo has that look in the eye. See Jonathan Jones' latest.

[Jangler]

Got milk, bread and peanut butter. need some fluff...

 

 

brb

[top dawg]

People love to call stories fluff, but there are real players with real feelings and talents beyond your fluffy perceptions.

 

 

 

As for me, I've seen what D-will can do, and his game is more than fluff. I think that Chico learned that lesson well.

[Cape Fear Cat]

I like everything that you said, but, to me, everything that you said lends to the notion that unless we bomb (like go less than .500), Rivera should get that other year regardless. So some of the signals that he and especially G-man are displaying with this win-now mentality are just a wee bit disingenuous or counterproductive, especially when you look at some onlookers' perceptions of this O-line situation.

But, you know, what else are they going to say (especially amidst an anxious and critical fan base)?

 

Well obviously none of us know what will constitute a job-saving season for RR. That is something that JR and Dave will have to decide, of course. For me, if he can get us to 10-6, I say give him the keys and let him take us for a spin a while longer. I think the indications seem to be that the players like working for RR, and perhaps the mindset that Deangelo is bringing to the new season is an acknowledgement that if he is to stay - and the team is to avoid starting things from scratch again with a new HC - then they all need to bring it this year. I do concur with what seems to be your assessment, that another middle of the pack, break even season will not be good enoughto sustain the status quo.

[Cape Fear Cat]

Besides my original posting to this thread, though, and speakling more broadly, I have no problem witht he "Just Win" attitude that seems to be the mantra somany Panthers players and coaches are embracing this year. To me, it says they recognize that excuses are just that, and that regardless of how it is done - through Cam having a standout seaon, an as-yet unknown #2 receiver stepping up, special teams finally showing up, and/or the defense finally putting the breaks on the other team's ability to score on us - all that matters in the end is getting the "W".

[panthers55]

I am glad the Panther players are talking about winning.  Lord knows that is the elephant in the room.  We had the talent to win last year and didn't.  Rumor had it that players expected to win and make the playoffs and took winning for granted. I don't know why they would do that, really. It isn't as if most of the players on this team have really had that much success. Sure longtime vets like Smitty, Gross, were a big part of the winning seasons and know how to win but most homegrown players on the team  have either had the 2008 season (which ended ugly) or haven't had a winning season in their career. Other guys like Ginn, Hixon or Nakamura have been on winning teams but weren't major contributors (other than special teams). So really the majority of the players haven't experienced that much success in the NFL.  

Posters saying that the players don't need to talk about winning, they just need to do it, assume that the players have the right mindset, the confidence, and the experience to not have to talk about it since it has been ingrained into their psyche and is something they just do.  That might apply to teams that have won together regularly and have a strong tradition of winning.  But what about ones that haven't?  Don't you have to talk about it in order to get everyone on the same page?  And isn't declaring your intention in public one of the best ways to make you committed to follow through on what you said.  

Sure Kalil wrote the superbowl letter and published it last year, and we failed to live up to the expectations, but the problem was thinking that all it takes is talent to win and we hadn't put in the hard work.  Now the players know that isn't the case and that it really is win now or get ready for lots of changes.  I am sure Williams knows this is a do or die year for him.  Cam knows that the only knock on him to this point is the team's losing record whether far or not.  Most folks know that this is Rivera's last year if we don't have a winning record and there is speculation that might not be enough if we don't make the playoffs.  Players know that there could be potentially big changes with a new regime which might not include them. So they want Rivera to be here and they want to be here which will only be assured if we win this year.

 

Maybe one year we will be mature and confident enough not to have to talk about winning because we want fans to know that they want the same thing we want and that their priorities are the same as ours.  Will it doom the team if we say we want to win and then start slow again?  Yeah it will, but not because we talked about it and then had an early losing streak.  It will be because if we don't win early this year we will have an upward climb the rest of the way as the schedule only gets tougher as we go.   We won't have a winning season and won't be going to the playoffs almost assuring big changes.  So if there appears to be an air of desperation, it might be true.  And what's wrong with that.  After enduring the late collapses the past 2 years I am a little desperate myself.  I am desperate for  a winning home record which means I get to march out of the stadium to the chants of GO PANTHERS instead of cheers for the opposition while I stew inside. Hell Yeah I want to win and want to win now!  I am glad the players get it too.  It has to be now.  If not, while I will still be a Panthers fan, I won't know which players from this team will be here outside of the obvious and more importantly neither will the players who are going to have to show up big time if they want to assure themselves of being here. That starts with the secondary and continues with the receivers. Onto to the line and even special teams.  There are so many players who need us to win and need to be big contributors in order to resurrect their careers.  A Win -Win situation for everyone.  And isn't that what it is all about?

 

Winning?

 

 

Yeah lets all proclaim it.  Or just sit back and wait until it happens, because we don't want to get disappointed.  For me, I am expecting it. Then again, I did last year as well.  So obviously my wanting it has no bearing on what happens.  But I still am going to go into every game expecting to win and will be surprised when we don't. Yeah I hate losing especially after being there yelling and screaming for my team.  I want my team to respect their fans who come to the game and hate to disappoint  me and the 72,000 other fans there.  I want them to  find a way to win and don't care how they do it.  I want the "We Must Protect Our House" to be the war cry of every player.  Then work on winning in their house.     

[Ruff]

a wild wall o' text appears.

 

it used Blind!

 

it's super effective.

[SauceBoss]

EXACTLY been hearing for too damn long with no results. Plus I don't get how someone can get that "look" during practice. Get that look in a game (and not the preseason) and run for 140 and 3 TDs against the Seachickens. We will know game one what to expect, and no time prior.

Its a nice feel good read, but.... This team doesn't do itself any favors anymore by talking themselves up in camp and preseason.

 

Produce on game days and win games. No talking required. That is the only way to win back the fan base.

 

[TheRed]

People love to call stories fluff, but there are real players with real feelings and talents beyond your fluffy perceptions.

Yeah guys, fluff needs loving too. Have a heart.

[Oldmanrivera]

a wild wall o' text appears.

it used Blind!

it's super effective.

Lol'd all over the placed

[Oldmanrivera]

a wild wall o' text appears.

it used Blind!

it's super effective.

Lol'd all over the placed