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Grantland: Cardiac Cats 10 Years Removed

The_Light_Brigade

By The_Light_Brigade,
in Carolina Panthers

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TheRed Newbie

TheRed

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A decade ago, Jake Delhomme was part of the first team John Fox took to the Super Bowl as a head coach. But the 2003 Panthers were far from a record-smashing powerhouse. At the time, they were the most unlikely team ever to play for a championship — a group closer to average than great, and one that needed more than a little luck to get to Houston. Including the playoffs, Carolina played in five overtime games that season. Fourteen of its 20 games were decided by a touchdown or less. The Panthers’ penchant for late-game craziness brought with it, as memorable runs can, a nickname for the team. They were the Cardiac Cats, and they were nothing if not exciting — all the way till the end.

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SpeedOFLight Collaborator

SpeedOFLight

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As I read this article, I visualized all the plays. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I loved that TD Jake threw when he turned to a defensive player with a smirk and yelling something. That was a magical ride. I remember the blocked FGs in Tampa and how Sapp called out Jenkins saying he hasn't "taste pineapples" yet.(Talking about the Pro Bowl) Those are good times to be a fan. It brings me up to date, now is a great time for us. We have a young core and a great QB, we will be back in the Superbowl soon. We haven't seen anything yet..

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CatMan72 Enthusiast

CatMan72

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If I'm being really, really honest with myself...

 

I still haven't forgiven John Kasay for shanking that kickoff.

 

Me neither, and to all those who say "the Pats would have scored anyways" it sounds like Proehl doesn't necessarily agree...

 

 

Now in a Panthers uniform, it was Proehl who grabbed Jake Delhomme’s pass in the end zone — with 1:30 left. “What are the chances of that happening?” Proehl says now. “They were kind of reeling, to be honest with you. I felt like if it goes into overtime, we could win this game. Then when John kicked it out of bounds … I’m still sick.”

 

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball left John Kasay’s foot and bounced out of bounds. With just over a minute left, Tom Brady needed only 25 yards to get into Adam Vinatieri’s field-goal range. On a third-and-3 from Carolina’s 40, Brady threw a strike to eventual MVP Deion Branch for 17 yards. And with that, Vinatieri trotted out on to the field hoping to finish off Proehl’s twisted déjà vu.

 

Now, you can argue we wouldn't have been there in the first place without Kasay's clutch FG kicking in all those close games, but it doesn't change the fact that his out of bounds kickoff probably cost us a Lombardi trophy. There's a huge difference between having to drive 45 yards for a FG vs. 25 yards for a FG... no way around that. 

 

I'm not trying to open old wounds... this article did that and I'm just giving my 2 cents. 

 

On another note, it got "lost in the sauce" as DG would say because we lost and because things didn't end well with DeShaun, but this really is an iconic SB moment: 

 

foster-super-bowl-getty-images.jpg

 

The best evidence of this might be the fact that to this day in the Madden video game, if you choose to dive into the corner of the end zone, this is the animation you get... it has transcended. 

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prowler2k8 Newbie

prowler2k8

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I can't just pin that lost on Kasay. Yeah he kicked it out of bounds, but our front four wasn't all that effective in the game. If I am not mistaken, after Kasay kicked it out of bounds, didn't the Patriots get a penalty that took them back 10 yards? I could be wrong

 

I agree...and the failed 2-pt conversions on consecutive TD drives didn't help either. Fox outsmarted himself on those.

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updownsigma Rookie

updownsigma

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I agree...and the failed 2-pt conversions on consecutive TD drives didn't help either. Fox outsmarted himself on those.

 

Does anyone else remember the line "Unlike Justin Timberlake, John Fox decided to go for two" (or something similar) appearing somewhere after the game, or did I just imagine that line in the years since?

 

Edit: or maybe it was "Fox should have taken a lesson from Timberlake and just gone for one."

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Port City Cat Fan Newbie

Port City Cat Fan

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 I loved that TD Jake threw when he turned to a defensive player with a smirk and yelling something.

i asked jake one day at training camp what he said to rodney harrison at that moment. jake gave a classic response, " i just asked him how his day was going thats all"

 

i still want to know, i have tried to read his lips and it looks like some bad words were being said. love jake. the guy had the fire to win at all costs.

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