Carolina Panthers musings

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 opi...

The Panthers have gone to Detroit and won a game just once in franchise history. And it took a gutsy effort from an unlikely hero to do it. Carolina leads the all-time series against Detroit 5-2. The team's most recent trip to Detroit in 2011 ended in a 49-35 loss. The first and only time the Panthers won at Detroit was on Oct. 16, 2005. At the end of a defense-heavy opening quarter at Ford Field, it was the visiting Panthers who drew first blood in 2005. Quarterback Jake Delhomme found receiver Rod Gardner for a 4-yard score in the final minute of the first to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead. Less than a minute into the second quarter, however, the Lions scored the equalizer after Boss Bailey intercepted a Delhomme pass and returned it 34 yards for a score. Delhomme continued an up-and-down second quarter by tossing an 80-yard touchdown to Steve Smith before throwing another pick-6, this time to Kenoy Kennedy (more on him later). The Panthers and Lions were tied at 14 a...

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com Well, that felt familiar. Carolina's thrilling 33-30 road win over the Patriots this past Sunday did more than just push the team's record to 3-1 after a flat home performance against the Saints in Week 3, it gave the team its mojo back. At least for one week. The win in Foxborough felt like it was ripped straight out of the 15-1 2015 season-- bonus content on the DVD that was never released to the public until now. For the first time in a very long time, Cam Newton played like the 2015 league MVP, rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown and throwing for 316 yards and three more scores. Much like in 2015, it was receiver by committee in the win-- six different Panthers recorded a reception and five of those players caught three or more passes. The 2015 Panthers won three games by three points. Make no mistake, an efficient and confident Newton was the difference in this game. For the first time this season, Newton had a full w...

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com The Internet is great because it allows us to hear all kinds of opinions from all over the place. Wait, is that great? When it comes to the NFL, there are a number of outlets for fans to express their opinions, frustrations and questions regarding their favorite team and their upcoming opponents. It's a battle of 2-1 teams this weekend when Carolina travels to Foxborough to face the Patriots.  Let's check out what some of the Patriots fans are saying online in advance of Sunday's game and whip up quick responses to the good, bad, funny and ugly. Pats Pulpit (SB Nation): "if this Pats defense doesn't give up 400 yards and 5 TD's, I'm going to be very disappointed. Very, very disappointed." I hate to see anyone disappointed, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this. The Patriots enter the game as the NFL's worst defense with 461 yards allowed per game through three games. They have surrendered a ...

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com When the Panthers released wide receiver Steve Smith prior to the start of the 2014 season, it was easy to get the feeling he would be counting down the days until he got a shot at revenge against the only NFL team he ever knew. Smith was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2001 Draft and spent the next 13 seasons in Charlotte. Smith stands as one of the best athletes and competitors the Panthers have employed. The 5-9 Los Angeles native had plenty of heart to make up for what he lacked in size. After a quiet rookie season that saw him suit up in 15 games and record 10 catches for 154 yards, Smith started to make his name known to Panthers fans in 2002 with 54 catches for 872 yards and three touchdowns. Smith recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season in his third campaign in 2003. He racked up 1,000 or more receiving yards in six more seasons as a Panther. Smith was at the height of his powers in 2005-- a season that s...

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com There was no storybook ending the last time the Panthers and Patriots clashed in the regular season, but there was plenty of drama. The last meeting with New England in 2013 was a big one for the Panthers, who entered the mid-November game with a 6-3 record. That season, the Panthers tripped out of the gate to a 1-2 start before an early bye week in Week 4. The team lost its first game after the bye to Arizona but then won five straight before its Monday Night Football date with New England in Charlotte. The Patriots were 7-2 and were fresh off their bye week. In front of a prime time audience on ESPN, it was the streaking Panthers who surged ahead early. Cam Newton hit receiver Brandon LaFell for a 9-yard score in the opening quarter and a 43-yard field goal from Graham Gano in the second quarter pushed Carolina's lead to 10-0. The Patriots added a field goal to cut into the Panthers lead, trimming it to 10-3 at halftime. The sl...

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com Pro Football Focus (a great site for all the things NFL statistical nerds love) has released their Week 3 grades for the Panthers and Saints. There are some really nice things to dive into on this list, so I'll help you digest some of the highlights and what they mean for the 2-1 Panthers. The Week 3 grades are worth noting, but so are the early 2017 player rankings. While numbers and statistics aren't everything (after all, former head coach John Fox would sometimes say stats were for losers), you'll love this stuff, so let's go with no further ado. Top five grades: If I told you three of Carolina's top five graded players from Sunday's loss were offensive linemen, would you believe me? Well, that's the reality. Cam Newton was sacked four times but guards Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell as well as center Tyler Larsen all clock in with 80 ratings or better from PFF. Norwell was Carolina's top-rated player ...