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We're going to the Superbowl!

Fan01

By Fan01,
in Carolina Panthers

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Fan01 Enthusiast

Fan01

Posted
Posted

We're going to the Superbowl!

 

Yea, I said it.  We're on the cusp of greatness.  Buckle up and enjoy the ride.  How many people foresaw the Panther run in 2003?  I didn't see it then but I see it now.  Here's why.

 

First up, we got rid of Chud.  I loved his innovation but Chud was his own worst enemy.  He wanted to be progressive to a fault, ie. read option and gimmik plays.  We need to be more balanced and use our running game to it's potential.

 

Rivera is now experienced and ready to lead his team.  People today don't want to go through the growing pains or to let someone develop.  People have been calling for Rivera's head from the beginning.  I think he's learned how to be a good head coach.  I think last year the run we went on at the end of the year was Chico putting his foot down and dictating how it was going to be instead of letting the assistant coaches coach. Letting coaches coach is probably what he was used to from when he was a coordinator.  Now, I think he realizes that he has to do a lot more steering himself instead of letting different people take the wheel. 

 

There are dozens of cases where head coaches needed time to figure it out and also needed the right people/players in place to succeed.  Rivera and McDermott have made this defense into an elite unit.  "Potentially" the best we've ever had.  On offense the first year Chud was that mastermind and it worked until it became overkill.  It's like when you want to impress a girl, you keep trying harder and harder instead of just being yourself.  In the second year Rivera saw no reason to change the offense because of how successful Chud had been in his first year.  By mid-year he could see the wheels coming off and stepped in to lay down the law.  There's no way I could see Chud wanting to go more conservative unless Rivera and/or the players made him.  I think it was both.  We all heard about players grumbling and by that time Rivera's hotseat was a roaring flame.  

 

Call me crazy but I think everything is set up for a Superbowl run this year.  Tons of guys are getting ready to break out. 

 

Cam Newton - Cam in his third year and he has an OC who knows him and will run a balanced attack.  The Lebron James of the NFL is here.  We've seen it and now he'll prove it to the rest of the world.  He's been the best QB of any QB in his first two years.  The only thing he's lacked in team wins.   

 

Brandon Lafell - His stats are very similar to Moose's in his first three year.  In year three Moose broke out.  I think the same thing happens here but maybe not to the extent Moose did just because we have a lot more weapons.

 

Edwards - Contributs.  Consistantly.  Third down chain mover.  This is another example was fans expecting ready made elite NFL players. 

 

Ginn - He says he's been looking for a home.  Carolina is a great place to live, my friend.  Welcome to the family.  This guy will blow the top off off the coverage.  This guy is going to open up passing lanes underneath and help with the run game by drawing safeties. 

 

DeAngelo - Will return to greatness being a bell cow. 

Tolbert - Will actually be used.  This guy is a goal line and short yardage monster, not to mention he great catchign out of the backfield.

 

And holy crap, our linebackers and D-line is seriously nasty.  Who out of that front 7 would you trade for anyone else at their position in the entire NFL.  Norman is on the cusp.  We got a very solid safety in Mikell.  Suddenly that secondary doesn't look like a weakness.

 

There's always the Pats and the Packers that will contend but year in and year out we see teams come out of nowhere, only it's not really nowhere.  Most only see a great team after it erupts but I see the Panther mountain already shaking and it's getting damn hot around here.

 

After we roll Seattle I just hope we have a big enough band wagon to hold everyone.

 

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j2sgam Collaborator

j2sgam

Posted
Posted

Ive been throwin the phrase "cusp of greatness" around for a while now. Good choice of words...

 

I appreciate your enthusiasm, I just want to watch my team playin in January. After that happens, we'll see how far they go. Gettin to the postseason is the 1st step.... We have potential power, I want apparent power...

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