BY CORY SPIERS
coryspiers@gmail.com
On this day 24 years ago, the Carolina Panthers were born.
On Oct. 26, 1993, NFL owners unanimously selected Carolina as the 29th NFL franchise, fulfilling Jerry Richardson's dream of bringing football to the Carolinas.
The Panthers became the first expansion team since 1976 and joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as the newest teams in the league starting play during the 1995 season.
Since joining the league, the Panthers have played in two Super Bowls (losing one to New England and another to Denver), have won the NFC South five times and have made seven playoff appearances.
The team has also employed some talented players over the years. It's not easy to pick the best of the best, even for a team that has only existed for a shade over 20 years, but let's try our best and pick an all-Panthers team in celebration of the team's birthday.
In the interest of not having a super-long post, I won't include backups, just my opinion on the top pick for each position followed by a short argument for why and perhaps some quick honorable mentions.
OFFENSE
QB: Cam Newton
The Panthers haven't employed many quarterbacks with significant longevity but Newton is easily the most athletic and dynamic one they've put behind center.
Drafted first overall out of Auburn in 2011 after an abysmal 2-14 season with Jimmy Clausen at the helm, Newton burst onto the scene as a rookie and garnered Pro Bowl and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors that season.
Newton helped the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl berth in 2015 and earned league MVP honors while doing so. He is the only Panther to earn the honor.
Since his MVP season, Newton hasn't looked quite as sharp all the time but his athleticism and game-changing ability is still unmatched by any quarterback the Panthers have fielded.
Newton leads the franchise in passing yardage, passing touchdowns and 300-yard passing games.
Jake Delhomme is a good honorable mention here. He is second behind Newton in most statistical categories and also led the team to a Super Bowl during the 2003-04 season.
Delhomme's swift fall from grace and his lack of athleticism make Newton the first choice here.
RB: Jonathon Stewart, DeAngelo Williams
A handful of great running backs have made their way through Carolina, so this one is tough, but the best one-two punch the team has consistently fielded gets the nod.
Stewart and Williams are comfortably first and second in franchise history in most major rushing categories (except rushing touchdowns, where Newton has them both beat) and when they were together, were the most formidable rushing duo the team had since having DeShaun Foster and Stephen Davis together during the first Super Bowl run.
Williams and Stewart (frequently referred to as 'Double Trouble') were a perfect combination of finesse and power running styles with Williams utilizing his shiftiness and Stewart running over folks.
The two spent seven seasons together in Carolina before Williams was let go and quickly signed with Pittsburgh. Stewart is now the primary back for the Panthers and has been since 2015. He should continue to add to his totals.
An honorable mention is the promising back Fred Lane, who had a great start to his career before his untimely death in 2000.
FB: Brad Hoover
Before there were "Luuuke" chants in Bank of America Stadium, there were "Hooo-ver" chants.
Hoover was the definition of a lunch pail, blue collar player. An undrafted player out of Western Carolina, Hoover made a living banging his body and opening up holes for Carolina's running game.
Hoover spent 10 years in Carolina and ran for 961 yards and three scores. He played in all 16 regular season games seven times in his career.
Mike Tolbert is an OK choice here but Hoover's longevity and blocking ability that made him a fan favorite also make him the choice here.
WR: Steve Smith
Since I included two running backs and left a spot for Hoover, there's enough spots for one receiver and a tight end (who is a pretty obvious choice).
The choice at wide receiver is easy, too. Smith is the most fiery, competitive player the Panthers have employed and leads the franchise in receiving yards (12,197), receiving touchdowns (67) and 100-yard games (43).
Muhsin Muhammad (9,255 yards and 50 touchdowns) is a great second choice and Mark Carrier is a good honorable mention but Smith stands alone as the best receiver to wear black and blue.
TE: Greg Olsen
Carolina's trade to acquire Olsen from the Bears for a third-round pick in 2011 looks genius now.
Olsen, a Miami product, has surged past Wesley Walls for the honor of best tight end to play for Carolina.
Olsen leads all tight ends in franchise history in receptions (428), receiving yards (5,384) and 100-yard games (nine).
LT: Todd Steussie
Steussie spent just three seasons with Carolina but he started every game during that span and helped the Panthers to their first Super Bowl appearance during the 2003-04 season.
Steussie is a mountain of a man at 6-6, 310 and he spent 14 years in the NFL.
LG: Mike Wahle
Wahle, a long-time Packer, spent three seasons with Carolina and started 45 games, missing just three.
He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2005, becoming the first Panthers offensive lineman to garner such honors.
C: Ryan Kalil
Kalil's health has waned over the past couple of seasons, but at the height of his powers, the Panthers haven't had a wiser, more solid starting center.
A second round pick of the Panthers in 2007, Kalil is a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro.
The 11th-year man has 125 starts, all in Carolina.
RG: Trai Turner
Turner is in just his fourth season with the team and already has become a staple of the line with 48 starts.
The former LSU Tiger has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and was rewarded with a four-year, $45 million contract extension before the 2017 season.
RT: Jordan Gross
Gross was a big part of Carolina's offensive line for a long time.
Gross was Carolina's eighth overall pick in 2003 out of Utah and he spent 11 seasons with the team and earned Pro Bowl honors three times and was named first-team All-Pro in 2008.
Gross became the first Panthers play to start in a Pro Bowl when he did so in 2008.
Gross started all 16 regular season games eight times in his career. He ended his career with 167 starts.
DEFENSE
DE: Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson
They're No. 1 and No. 2, respectively on Carolina's list of all-time sack leaders and they're the most efficient pass rushers the team has fielded.
Peppers was the second overall pick by the Panthers out of UNC in 2002 and after spending time in Chicago and Green Bay, returned home to play for Carolina prior to the start of this season.
Peppers has 150 career sacks, 87.5 of those in a Panthers uniform, and 11 interceptions.
Johnson is right behind Peppers with 67.5 sacks.
The two have combined for 35 multi-sack games in Carolina.
Mike Rucker is a good honorable mention and Greg Hardy was brilliant in Carolina before running into off-field issues.
Kevin Greene also had a short and successful run in Carolina and Mario Addison has been good.
DT: Kris Jenkins, Kawann Short
Short and Jenkins have combined for 46.5 sacks and nine multi-sack games as Panthers.
Jenkins was a key part of Carolina's stout defense during its first Super Bowl run. He was a second round pick by Carolina in 2001 and played seven seasons for the team.
Short was locked up to a five-year $80.5 million deal before the 2017 season. The former second round pick out of Purdue was a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.
LB: Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Dan Morgan
Kuechly and Davis are still with the team and are the franchise's two best linebackers.
Kuechly has struggled with concussions over the past couple of seasons and Davis worked his way back from three torn ACLs.
When 100 percent healthy, however, they're the greatest one-two punch at linebacker the team has had.
Kuechly has racked up 100 or more tackles in all five of his seasons in Carolina since being drafted in the first round out of Boston College. He has 13 career interceptions.
Davis, a 13-year veteran, has 712 career tackles and 27.5 sacks to go along with 13 interceptions.
Kuechly and Davis have combined for six Pro Bowl selections.
Morgan was a brilliant linebacker when healthy but also struggled with concussions before the injury eventually ended his young, promising career.
Morgan, a product of Miami, never played in all 16 regular season games but showed flashes of his potential between injuries.
Morgan came the closest to playing a full season in 2005 when he played 13 games and racked up 101 tackles, two sacks and a pair of interceptions.
Morgan played just 59 games over seven seasons. He appeared in just four games over his last two seasons in the league (2006, 2007).
The late, great Sam Mills (who established the Keep Pounding mantra) is a fantastic honorable mention. However, Kuechly and Davis will one day be in Canton and Morgan's colossal potential make them the picks here.
CB: Chris Gamble, Eric Davis
Gamble, an Ohio State product and longtime starter in Carolina, still holds the franchise record for interceptions with 27.
Josh Norman was quite good in Carolina, too, but Davis played with the Panthers from 1996-2000 and helped give the team a shot in the arm during its infancy stages.
Davis needed just five seasons in Carolina to rack up 25 interceptions (still second in franchise history behind Gamble) and he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time All-Pro while with the Panthers.
S: Mike Minter, Kurt Coleman
Minter is third in franchise history with 17 interceptions and he returned four for touchdowns.
Minter anchored Carolina's secondary from 1997-2006.
Coleman is in just his third season in Carolina but he was a key part of the team's defense during the latest Super Bowl run, racking up seven interceptions.
Coleman has 11 interceptions including two returned for touchdowns in Carolina.
SPECIALISTS
K: John Kasay
Kasay is the franchise leader in points scored by a long shot.
Kasay was an original Panther, joining the team as a free agent prior to its first season.
Kasay spent 17 seasons kicking for the Panthers. He made less than 80 percent of his field goals in just four seasons in Carolina.
He accounted for 1,482 points while with the team.
P: Todd Sauerbrun
Sauerbrun had a big leg.
He spent four seasons with the Panthers and posted per-punt averages of 47.5, 45.5, 44.6 and 44.1. He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 113 times while with the team.
He made the Pro Bowl three times while with Carolina.
coryspiers@gmail.com
On this day 24 years ago, the Carolina Panthers were born.
On Oct. 26, 1993, NFL owners unanimously selected Carolina as the 29th NFL franchise, fulfilling Jerry Richardson's dream of bringing football to the Carolinas.
The Panthers became the first expansion team since 1976 and joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as the newest teams in the league starting play during the 1995 season.
Since joining the league, the Panthers have played in two Super Bowls (losing one to New England and another to Denver), have won the NFC South five times and have made seven playoff appearances.
The team has also employed some talented players over the years. It's not easy to pick the best of the best, even for a team that has only existed for a shade over 20 years, but let's try our best and pick an all-Panthers team in celebration of the team's birthday.
In the interest of not having a super-long post, I won't include backups, just my opinion on the top pick for each position followed by a short argument for why and perhaps some quick honorable mentions.
OFFENSE
QB: Cam Newton
The Panthers haven't employed many quarterbacks with significant longevity but Newton is easily the most athletic and dynamic one they've put behind center.
Drafted first overall out of Auburn in 2011 after an abysmal 2-14 season with Jimmy Clausen at the helm, Newton burst onto the scene as a rookie and garnered Pro Bowl and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors that season.
Newton helped the Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl berth in 2015 and earned league MVP honors while doing so. He is the only Panther to earn the honor.
Since his MVP season, Newton hasn't looked quite as sharp all the time but his athleticism and game-changing ability is still unmatched by any quarterback the Panthers have fielded.
Newton leads the franchise in passing yardage, passing touchdowns and 300-yard passing games.
Jake Delhomme is a good honorable mention here. He is second behind Newton in most statistical categories and also led the team to a Super Bowl during the 2003-04 season.
Delhomme's swift fall from grace and his lack of athleticism make Newton the first choice here.
RB: Jonathon Stewart, DeAngelo Williams
A handful of great running backs have made their way through Carolina, so this one is tough, but the best one-two punch the team has consistently fielded gets the nod.
Stewart and Williams are comfortably first and second in franchise history in most major rushing categories (except rushing touchdowns, where Newton has them both beat) and when they were together, were the most formidable rushing duo the team had since having DeShaun Foster and Stephen Davis together during the first Super Bowl run.
Williams and Stewart (frequently referred to as 'Double Trouble') were a perfect combination of finesse and power running styles with Williams utilizing his shiftiness and Stewart running over folks.
The two spent seven seasons together in Carolina before Williams was let go and quickly signed with Pittsburgh. Stewart is now the primary back for the Panthers and has been since 2015. He should continue to add to his totals.
An honorable mention is the promising back Fred Lane, who had a great start to his career before his untimely death in 2000.
FB: Brad Hoover
Before there were "Luuuke" chants in Bank of America Stadium, there were "Hooo-ver" chants.
Hoover was the definition of a lunch pail, blue collar player. An undrafted player out of Western Carolina, Hoover made a living banging his body and opening up holes for Carolina's running game.
Hoover spent 10 years in Carolina and ran for 961 yards and three scores. He played in all 16 regular season games seven times in his career.
Mike Tolbert is an OK choice here but Hoover's longevity and blocking ability that made him a fan favorite also make him the choice here.
WR: Steve Smith
Since I included two running backs and left a spot for Hoover, there's enough spots for one receiver and a tight end (who is a pretty obvious choice).
The choice at wide receiver is easy, too. Smith is the most fiery, competitive player the Panthers have employed and leads the franchise in receiving yards (12,197), receiving touchdowns (67) and 100-yard games (43).
Muhsin Muhammad (9,255 yards and 50 touchdowns) is a great second choice and Mark Carrier is a good honorable mention but Smith stands alone as the best receiver to wear black and blue.
TE: Greg Olsen
Carolina's trade to acquire Olsen from the Bears for a third-round pick in 2011 looks genius now.
Olsen, a Miami product, has surged past Wesley Walls for the honor of best tight end to play for Carolina.
Olsen leads all tight ends in franchise history in receptions (428), receiving yards (5,384) and 100-yard games (nine).
LT: Todd Steussie
Steussie spent just three seasons with Carolina but he started every game during that span and helped the Panthers to their first Super Bowl appearance during the 2003-04 season.
Steussie is a mountain of a man at 6-6, 310 and he spent 14 years in the NFL.
LG: Mike Wahle
Wahle, a long-time Packer, spent three seasons with Carolina and started 45 games, missing just three.
He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2005, becoming the first Panthers offensive lineman to garner such honors.
C: Ryan Kalil
Kalil's health has waned over the past couple of seasons, but at the height of his powers, the Panthers haven't had a wiser, more solid starting center.
A second round pick of the Panthers in 2007, Kalil is a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro.
The 11th-year man has 125 starts, all in Carolina.
RG: Trai Turner
Turner is in just his fourth season with the team and already has become a staple of the line with 48 starts.
The former LSU Tiger has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice and was rewarded with a four-year, $45 million contract extension before the 2017 season.
RT: Jordan Gross
Gross was a big part of Carolina's offensive line for a long time.
Gross was Carolina's eighth overall pick in 2003 out of Utah and he spent 11 seasons with the team and earned Pro Bowl honors three times and was named first-team All-Pro in 2008.
Gross became the first Panthers play to start in a Pro Bowl when he did so in 2008.
Gross started all 16 regular season games eight times in his career. He ended his career with 167 starts.
DEFENSE
DE: Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson
They're No. 1 and No. 2, respectively on Carolina's list of all-time sack leaders and they're the most efficient pass rushers the team has fielded.
Peppers was the second overall pick by the Panthers out of UNC in 2002 and after spending time in Chicago and Green Bay, returned home to play for Carolina prior to the start of this season.
Peppers has 150 career sacks, 87.5 of those in a Panthers uniform, and 11 interceptions.
Johnson is right behind Peppers with 67.5 sacks.
The two have combined for 35 multi-sack games in Carolina.
Mike Rucker is a good honorable mention and Greg Hardy was brilliant in Carolina before running into off-field issues.
Kevin Greene also had a short and successful run in Carolina and Mario Addison has been good.
DT: Kris Jenkins, Kawann Short
Short and Jenkins have combined for 46.5 sacks and nine multi-sack games as Panthers.
Jenkins was a key part of Carolina's stout defense during its first Super Bowl run. He was a second round pick by Carolina in 2001 and played seven seasons for the team.
Short was locked up to a five-year $80.5 million deal before the 2017 season. The former second round pick out of Purdue was a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.
LB: Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Dan Morgan
Kuechly and Davis are still with the team and are the franchise's two best linebackers.
Kuechly has struggled with concussions over the past couple of seasons and Davis worked his way back from three torn ACLs.
When 100 percent healthy, however, they're the greatest one-two punch at linebacker the team has had.
Kuechly has racked up 100 or more tackles in all five of his seasons in Carolina since being drafted in the first round out of Boston College. He has 13 career interceptions.
Davis, a 13-year veteran, has 712 career tackles and 27.5 sacks to go along with 13 interceptions.
Kuechly and Davis have combined for six Pro Bowl selections.
Morgan was a brilliant linebacker when healthy but also struggled with concussions before the injury eventually ended his young, promising career.
Morgan, a product of Miami, never played in all 16 regular season games but showed flashes of his potential between injuries.
Morgan came the closest to playing a full season in 2005 when he played 13 games and racked up 101 tackles, two sacks and a pair of interceptions.
Morgan played just 59 games over seven seasons. He appeared in just four games over his last two seasons in the league (2006, 2007).
The late, great Sam Mills (who established the Keep Pounding mantra) is a fantastic honorable mention. However, Kuechly and Davis will one day be in Canton and Morgan's colossal potential make them the picks here.
CB: Chris Gamble, Eric Davis
Gamble, an Ohio State product and longtime starter in Carolina, still holds the franchise record for interceptions with 27.
Josh Norman was quite good in Carolina, too, but Davis played with the Panthers from 1996-2000 and helped give the team a shot in the arm during its infancy stages.
Davis needed just five seasons in Carolina to rack up 25 interceptions (still second in franchise history behind Gamble) and he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time All-Pro while with the Panthers.
S: Mike Minter, Kurt Coleman
Minter is third in franchise history with 17 interceptions and he returned four for touchdowns.
Minter anchored Carolina's secondary from 1997-2006.
Coleman is in just his third season in Carolina but he was a key part of the team's defense during the latest Super Bowl run, racking up seven interceptions.
Coleman has 11 interceptions including two returned for touchdowns in Carolina.
SPECIALISTS
K: John Kasay
Kasay is the franchise leader in points scored by a long shot.
Kasay was an original Panther, joining the team as a free agent prior to its first season.
Kasay spent 17 seasons kicking for the Panthers. He made less than 80 percent of his field goals in just four seasons in Carolina.
He accounted for 1,482 points while with the team.
P: Todd Sauerbrun
Sauerbrun had a big leg.
He spent four seasons with the Panthers and posted per-punt averages of 47.5, 45.5, 44.6 and 44.1. He pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 113 times while with the team.
He made the Pro Bowl three times while with Carolina.
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