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True Grit

Zod

By Zod,
in Carolina Panthers

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Zod Grand Master

Zod

Posted
Posted

I have been struggling to put into words what the Carolina Panthers were missing over the past two seasons. Then, this morning, it dawned on me. It wasn't toughness, it wasn't talent...

 

It was grit. The Panthers were lacking in grit.

 

You see, grit is something you don't teach in the classroom. It can't be acquired through practices. It is an intangible that often goes overlooked in the NFL, but is perhaps one of the most important. Grit isn't toughness or talent. Grit is the ability to use those traits to persevere toward a unified goal. That is precisely what the Panthers have discovered this season.

 

I believe grit made its way into Bank of America stadium by way of Buffalo. It was the loss in Buffalo that literally put the grit in Ron Rivera's stomach...

 

"Seriously [the loss] eats at me," Rivera said. "It friggin' pisses me off to no end. And maybe that's what it took. Maybe that's the revelation I needed."

 

Since then, Ron Rivera is no longer a calculated signal caller looking to minimize risk at all cost. Rivera has reached back into his past, found his inner Ditka, and emerged as Riverboat Ron.

 

From there it has spread on to the field where Cam Newton now is able to put early mistakes aside and focus on winning. The Panthers defense is now able to close games instead of the inevitable fourth quarter collapse.

 

The 2013 Panthers have grit.

 

 

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footballisasport Newbie

footballisasport

Posted
Posted

I have been struggling to put into words what the Carolina Panthers were missing over the past two seasons. Then, this morning, it dawned on me. It wasn't toughness, it wasn't talent...

 

It was grit. The Panthers were lacking in grit.

 

You see, grit is something you don't teach in the classroom. It can't be acquired through practices. It is an intangible that often goes overlooked in the NFL, but is perhaps one of the most important. Grit isn't toughness or talent. Grit is the ability to use those traits to persevere toward a unified goal. That is precisely what the Panthers have discovered this season.

 

I believe grit made its way into Bank of America stadium by way of Buffalo. It was the loss in Buffalo that literally put the grit in Ron Rivera's stomach...

 

"Seriously [the loss] eats at me," Rivera said. "It friggin' pisses me off to no end. And maybe that's what it took. Maybe that's the revelation I needed."

 

Since then, Ron Rivera is no longer a calculated signal caller looking to minimize risk at all cost. Rivera has reached back into his past, found his inner Ditka, and emerged as Riverboat Ron.

 

From there it has spread on to the field where Cam Newton now is able to put early mistakes aside and focus on winning. The Panthers defense is now able to close games instead of the inevitable fourth quarter collapse.

 

The 2013 Panthers have grit.

 

You must be in training to work for the media. This has got to be the most deceptive spins I have ever read. Talk about doing everything in one's power to weaken the image of a player while pumping up one's team. The Receivers made way more mistakes than Cam but I guess you simply equated their mistakes to that being on Cam also. So sad.

 

Bottom-line is , the Panthers lacked real team confidence, not just grit. Individual confidence is good but when it doesn't translate on the field and as a team, it's not worth a bag of beans. This team has been downward skid since 2008. The pscyhology of the team clearly shifted from knowing how to win to simply trying to survive. They are on the road to realizing that it's not just about individual talents but a real team chemistry. And yes, Rivera did need to put on his man underwears.  

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rayzor Grand Master

rayzor

Posted
Posted

totally agreed. they've got the "it" factor right now. people have trouble saying what "it" is, well i guess in this instance "it" is grit. they've got talent and fight in them...but it isn't just fight, these guys are scrappy. 

 

the offense is still lagging behind the defense, but if the past couple years are any indicator of what is to come, i think the second half of the season we will see more from the offense. it always takes them a while to find their groove, esp on the OL.

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