It was tough. It was physical. It was a battle.
It was everything it had been hyped up to be.
And in the end, Cam Newton outplayed Tom Brady when it mattered most. A year ago most people would have laughed at anyone who wrote that. No one outplays Tom Brady in the clutch. Definitely not Cam Newton. He's immature, he pouts, he whines. He will never outplay the legend, the golden boy, Tom Brady.
Then he did.
But there was a flag. And if you've watched any NFL game in the past, you're well versed on the way this thing works. Penalty flags are as imprecise as the men in stripes who throw them. Depending on who you ask, it was the right call and the wrong call and the last call for alcohol. My opinion? Not touching it. I just think that perhaps the football gods are showing the Panthers some love after years of watching Jake Delhomme's old ass drive the team into the ground and Jimmy Clausen's goofy ass keep it there.
The storyline of the night was unfortunately written in the final three seconds of the game. The headlines in the papers tomorrow will focus entirely too much on one play, when the real story was written by Cam Newton on the Panther's final drive of the game, and punctuated with Ted Ginn's touchdown catch.
You could almost feel it. We've all seen it before. Cam Newton does just enough to lose by a touchdown. And when Tom Brady took over with three timeouts and about a minute left, it was already being written again. But when that final pass was intercepted in the endzone, and Tom Brady didn't win, everything felt right. Cam Newton won a big game against a big team on a big stage, for the second week in a row no less. San Francisco was a big win, but we all know that beating the 49ers with another young quarterback pales in comparison to taking down Tom Brady. Tom Brady beats Peyton Manning on a regular basis, and I'll go on record saying that Manning is the greatest of all time, but even Brady manages to outduel him.
Tonight was the biggest win in Cam Newton's career, and I'll venture to say the biggest Panther's victory since they beat Donovan McNabb and the Eagles to get to the Super Bowl in 2003. It was a regular season game, I get it. But for a team that has mired in mediocrity for oh so long, this means a lot. More than can really be quantified in words I think.
The Monday Night Football stage lights shined bright tonight. But when time ran thin, the star that Cam Newton has become shined brighter than them all.
Showing posts with label Carolina Panthers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carolina Panthers. Show all posts
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Panther Potential
The Panthers have all the potential in the world. A stable of 3 running backs that would start on damn near every team in the league. An all star wide receiver that is as explosive as any player in the league. An athletic big body tight end that presents a matchup nightmare for linebackers and defensive backs. A defense that has budding stars at the linebacker position and on the defensive line. And it's undeniable that Cam Newton is a star, and will only get better with every passing week. But potential has never won a Super Bowl.
Cam Newton fumbled a ball today on a run that would have all but sealed victory for the Panthers against a Falcons team that many would agree is one of the best in the NFL. Instead, the Falcons got the ball back (after a punt) and Matt Ryan shot a gaping hole in our very weak secondary with a bomb to Roddy White. The Falcons would eventually score the game-winning field goal and sink the Panthers to 1-3. They have damn near every piece of the puzzle now, it's just like they can't quite figure out how to put them together all at once. It's incredibly frustrating. They did it for the Saints game. They were a well-oiled machine that was pretty much unstoppable. Whenever they manage to put all of those pieces together for an extended period of time, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later.
Cam Newton fumbled a ball today on a run that would have all but sealed victory for the Panthers against a Falcons team that many would agree is one of the best in the NFL. Instead, the Falcons got the ball back (after a punt) and Matt Ryan shot a gaping hole in our very weak secondary with a bomb to Roddy White. The Falcons would eventually score the game-winning field goal and sink the Panthers to 1-3. They have damn near every piece of the puzzle now, it's just like they can't quite figure out how to put them together all at once. It's incredibly frustrating. They did it for the Saints game. They were a well-oiled machine that was pretty much unstoppable. Whenever they manage to put all of those pieces together for an extended period of time, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later.
Monday, September 17, 2012
NFL Week 2: The Panthers and 5 things to know from around the league
Week two of this NFL season is (almost) in the books, and I have to say that I'm rather impressed with a lot of things. I also have to say that I'm pretty unimpressed by other things, and we'll get to those as well. From this point forward, I'd like to do game analyses for the Panthers while also commenting on five other things from around the league on a weekly basis. Without further ado, welcome to week two.
Let's begin with the Panthers, who have been both atrocious and outstanding so far this year. Week one couldn't have been more disappointing. Losing to the Buccaneers while amassing only 10 rushing yards was downright embarrassing. Granted, the Buccaneers have proven to be a good team, taking the Giants to the wire yesterday. But come on, 10 rushing yards for a team that has four very capable ball carriers? Pitiful.
But week two brought redemption for the Cardiac Cats. They beat the Saints 35-27 in a thrilling game where the Panthers steamrolled the defense for more than 200 rushing yards and Williams, Stewart, Tolbert AND Cam all scored TDs. It wasn't just the running game that thrived, as Cam had 253 yards through the air as well, including 104 to the always explosive Steve Smith. With such a perfectly balanced offense, the Panthers present an incredibly difficult matchup for any team. Another key stat, SuperCam had zero interceptions. Last year, the Panthers were undefeated when Cam didn't turn the ball over. I've said repeatedly that he doesn't have to make more hero highlight plays this year for the Panthers to go far, he just needs to make fewer bad decisions and the Panthers will be in the playoff hunt. The offense gets an A-
Despite giving up 27 points, the defense actually played pretty decent. Godfrey made a great play on the pick six (though it was mostly a gift from Brees) and our defense was able to put pressure on Brees for most of the game. The Saints may be without Head Coach Sean Payton, but that offense is damn dangerous, and being able to force Brees into two interceptions and holding him to only 63% completion percentage and one TD is still quite a feat. Bravo defense, B-
Let's begin with the Panthers, who have been both atrocious and outstanding so far this year. Week one couldn't have been more disappointing. Losing to the Buccaneers while amassing only 10 rushing yards was downright embarrassing. Granted, the Buccaneers have proven to be a good team, taking the Giants to the wire yesterday. But come on, 10 rushing yards for a team that has four very capable ball carriers? Pitiful.
But week two brought redemption for the Cardiac Cats. They beat the Saints 35-27 in a thrilling game where the Panthers steamrolled the defense for more than 200 rushing yards and Williams, Stewart, Tolbert AND Cam all scored TDs. It wasn't just the running game that thrived, as Cam had 253 yards through the air as well, including 104 to the always explosive Steve Smith. With such a perfectly balanced offense, the Panthers present an incredibly difficult matchup for any team. Another key stat, SuperCam had zero interceptions. Last year, the Panthers were undefeated when Cam didn't turn the ball over. I've said repeatedly that he doesn't have to make more hero highlight plays this year for the Panthers to go far, he just needs to make fewer bad decisions and the Panthers will be in the playoff hunt. The offense gets an A-
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| Cam Newton takes badass pictures |
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| "Hey! Don't let those guys hit me again!" |
5 Things around the league that caught my eye:
1. Rookie QBs: 5 rookie quarterbacks have been handed the starting position this year, a record, and it has everyone talking. In week one only RGIII was able to come up with a win, and they had more turnovers as a group than total TDs. That was a bit discouraging, but week two provided a different result. 10 total TDs to only one turnover and a combined 3-2 record. It's still way too early to speculate on how the rest of the season will play out, but this is a good sign that it won't be a complete disaster.
2. Has anybody seen Chris Johnson? Titans RB? Mr. 2,000 yard season a couple of years ago? He may as well be on the back of a milk carton, because he is completely absent from the football field. 19 carries for a whopping total of 21 yards. That's twenty-one. He has less yards than his starting QB Jake Locker. He also has less yards than Browns QB Brandon Weeden, Tim Tebow, and the 90-year-old lady in the retirement home down the road. Johnson is on pace to hit the 100 yard mark in week 10.
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| "Wait... So I'm supposed to carry the ball forward?" |
3. Replacement Referees suck. We want the real ones back. Pay up Goodell, seriously.
4. Eli Manning won yet another game in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. I never thought I would consider him elite, I was too big of a fan of Peyton to admit Eli was elite. But it's true. Eli Manning, despite missing a few chromosomes here and there, is an elite quarterback. Two impressive Super Bowl winning drives and a near 5,000 yard season last year prove it. His 510 yard performance in a win against the Bucs, which also included a game-winning drive, is just further proof. He is undoubtedly the best 4th quarter QB in the game right now.
5. Time for three disappointments. Joe Flacco looked more like Joe Flaccid yesterday when the game was on the line. He has to start winning games in crunch time if he wants people to call him elite. Gostkowski AKA Shankopotamus blew it for the Pats while Vinatieri is still kicking 50 yard game-winners in Indy like it's child's play. And finally the Eagles opponents, who forced them into 9 turnovers in the first two weeks and allowed them to escape with wins both times. I expect Cleveland to blow games like that, but the Ravens? Come on man.
Lastly I'd like to give a game from next week to look forward to. All of them. If football is on TV it's worth watching. So grab the remote, grab a beer, plop your lazy butt on the couch in front of the biggest TV in your house and enjoy!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Football is Back!
Friends hear the good news! The days of watching countless hours of mindless television are over. No longer will we be forced to watch golf on Sundays, praying for a magical shot from Tiger. Baseball will not grace my television anymore (especially since the Red Sox just shipped everybody on the roster out the door). Gone are the days of marathons on the Discovery channel watching sharks eat the shit out of little seals. In one week and two days, on Wednesday September 5th it will be official. Football is back.
And I don't mean this half-assed preseason nonsense, I'm talking about games that actually matter. Games that don't feature John Doe from the local bakery trying to get a roster spot. We're talking about the games with all of the overpaid players on our favorite teams who we love to worship, and all the players on the other teams who we love to hate.
The day has come when Peyton Manning is once again a starting quarterback, Rex Ryan has yet another cluster in New York, and Cam Newton takes the hopes and dreams of Panther nation on his back as he tries to deliver us to the promised land. Another season begins where 32 teams have a chance. Everyone is undefeated, and nobody has made a mistake. Except Ochocinco, he forgot that marriage is not a contact sport.
With the season starting, Tim Tebow will now return to the spotlight.. Oh wait that never ended. Well at least he's a starting quarterback now.. wait no he isn't. Hey at least he's not on the punt team.. Oh.. yeah actually he is. I thought I'd never see the day when I actually felt bad for Mark Sanchez, but I stand corrected.
The new era has been ushered in, both in Washington and Indianapolis. Andrew Luck has the shadow of Peyton Manning to get out of, while RGIII just has to overcome the shadow of the approximately 37 different starting quarterbacks that the Redskins have had since '05. Both will become either saviors or scapegoats in 16 games, and it will all happen before our very eyes.
An interesting headline on the field not involving world class athletes is the lockout of the refs. Yeah, remember those guys we HATE and spend every Sunday criticizing? While they may suck, their replacements suck even worse. And hey, at least the real guys know to spot the ball between the hash marks and can face the correct direction when making a call. So please, I'm begging you Ed Hochuli, bring your huge biceps and long winded explanations back. We miss you.
From the rookies to the refs, from the veterans to the over-the-hill stars who think they still have it (I'm talking to you T.O.), and from every highlight to every bonehead mistake, NFL fans we can rejoice in unison because football is back!
And I don't mean this half-assed preseason nonsense, I'm talking about games that actually matter. Games that don't feature John Doe from the local bakery trying to get a roster spot. We're talking about the games with all of the overpaid players on our favorite teams who we love to worship, and all the players on the other teams who we love to hate.
The day has come when Peyton Manning is once again a starting quarterback, Rex Ryan has yet another cluster in New York, and Cam Newton takes the hopes and dreams of Panther nation on his back as he tries to deliver us to the promised land. Another season begins where 32 teams have a chance. Everyone is undefeated, and nobody has made a mistake. Except Ochocinco, he forgot that marriage is not a contact sport.
With the season starting, Tim Tebow will now return to the spotlight.. Oh wait that never ended. Well at least he's a starting quarterback now.. wait no he isn't. Hey at least he's not on the punt team.. Oh.. yeah actually he is. I thought I'd never see the day when I actually felt bad for Mark Sanchez, but I stand corrected.
The new era has been ushered in, both in Washington and Indianapolis. Andrew Luck has the shadow of Peyton Manning to get out of, while RGIII just has to overcome the shadow of the approximately 37 different starting quarterbacks that the Redskins have had since '05. Both will become either saviors or scapegoats in 16 games, and it will all happen before our very eyes.
An interesting headline on the field not involving world class athletes is the lockout of the refs. Yeah, remember those guys we HATE and spend every Sunday criticizing? While they may suck, their replacements suck even worse. And hey, at least the real guys know to spot the ball between the hash marks and can face the correct direction when making a call. So please, I'm begging you Ed Hochuli, bring your huge biceps and long winded explanations back. We miss you.
From the rookies to the refs, from the veterans to the over-the-hill stars who think they still have it (I'm talking to you T.O.), and from every highlight to every bonehead mistake, NFL fans we can rejoice in unison because football is back!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
NFL Draft: What did the Panthers do?
Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first NFL action of the season. Ok, so most of you wouldn't quite call it action, but to football geeks like myself the NFL draft can be quite exciting. The Carolina Panthers had the 9th overall pick in the first round, along with many other picks throughout the draft. Now I won't sit here and pretend that I could foresee who we would pick, nor will I pretend to know everything about everyone we picked, but what I will try to do is give a little insight on who these people are and what kind of contribution they will make to our team next year.
With the ninth overall pick the Carolina Panthers selected Luke Kuechly (rhymes with "weakly"), an inside linebacker from Boston College. Honestly this one confused me, we already have a solid linebacking corps, with John Beason and Thomas Davis returning from injury, playing alongside James Anderson. We also picked Dan Connor pretty high in a recent draft and he plays inside linebacker as well. So in my opinion we needed a defensive tackle more than we needed a linebacker. However this may be a case where a team picks the best player available regardless of need. Kuechly is certainly a tackling machine, he had 191 tackles in his last season at BC, bringing him to a whopping 532 for his three year career. He won the Bronko Nagurski trophy as the national defensive player of the year, the Butkus award as the nations best linebacker and many other national honors. He's a great football player without a doubt, I just wonder what our motives were when picking him. Here's a video filled with Kuechly chasing people down set to some pump up music.
Amini Silatolu, (pronounced... well I'm not even sure) is a guard out of Midwestern State, and the Panthers selected him with the eighth pick in the second round. Almost 6'4", 311 pounds, he's a big boy. Stats for offensive lineman don't really exist, so I really am just taking a shot in the dark here with this one. There's always room for depth on the offensive line, especially with Jeff Otah being as fragile as a teacup and Jordan Gross constantly getting the most inopportune penalties possible. I've really got nothing more to say, considering offensive lineman aren't really the flashy guys who get all the glory.
Now it gets interesting. The Panthers pick up two players back-to-back in the fourth round, Frank Alexander, a defensive end out of Oklahoma, and Joe Adams, a wide receiver out of Arkansas. Alexander was the Big 12 defensive player of the year as voted by the Associated Press, and led the Big 12 in tackles for a loss in his senior season. He is a versatile lineman, not just a pass rusher or a run stuffer. He should be a great addition to our defensive line. Now, here is a pick that I am truly excited about. Joe Adams from Arkansas is a PLAYMAKER (yes these caps are warranted). Check out this video...
...Now tell me those caps weren't warranted. The kid is a highlight reel. While the Panthers have said that they are happy with Pilares at kick returner, Adams could certainly replace the anemic Armanti Edwards as a punt returner, especially since he was the SEC special teams player of the year after returning four punts for touchdowns. He will also be a nice addition to our receiving corps, which already boasts the explosive Steve Smith and the upstart Brandon Lafell, along with Greg Olsen at tight end. This offensive is certainly not short on talent anymore.
Our last three picks are no doubt names that won't really ring a bell, so I'll run through these rather quickly. Fifth round pick Josh Norman is a cornerback from Coastal Carolina. He will add depth to our secondary, and he had two interceptions last year. His sophomore year he had eight interceptions, which shows that he is capable of making plays on the ball. He also had 138 career tackles in four years, so he isn't just a cover corner. Brad Nortman was the Panthers pick in the sixth round. The punter out of Wisconsin was honorable mention on the all Big Ten team, and had a career average of 42.1 yards per punt (which is pretty good). He's a punter, that's about all there is to say. Finally we have D.J. Campbell, safety out of California. The Panthers seventh round pick, a fifth year senior, Campbell was a decent college player. Not really someone who made huge plays every game, but he racked up a career high 71 tackles in his senior season. Again, not much else to say other than he will add depth to our secondary, which is always good to have.
Well that's about it, no huge moves for the Panthers. Just several solid players that should contribute in one way or another, whether it is on the field or on the practice squad. I hope all you Panthers fans are just as excited as I am to see these new players join the Panthers for what is sure to be an exciting 2012 season! This Cam Newton commercial should get you pumped
With the ninth overall pick the Carolina Panthers selected Luke Kuechly (rhymes with "weakly"), an inside linebacker from Boston College. Honestly this one confused me, we already have a solid linebacking corps, with John Beason and Thomas Davis returning from injury, playing alongside James Anderson. We also picked Dan Connor pretty high in a recent draft and he plays inside linebacker as well. So in my opinion we needed a defensive tackle more than we needed a linebacker. However this may be a case where a team picks the best player available regardless of need. Kuechly is certainly a tackling machine, he had 191 tackles in his last season at BC, bringing him to a whopping 532 for his three year career. He won the Bronko Nagurski trophy as the national defensive player of the year, the Butkus award as the nations best linebacker and many other national honors. He's a great football player without a doubt, I just wonder what our motives were when picking him. Here's a video filled with Kuechly chasing people down set to some pump up music.
Amini Silatolu, (pronounced... well I'm not even sure) is a guard out of Midwestern State, and the Panthers selected him with the eighth pick in the second round. Almost 6'4", 311 pounds, he's a big boy. Stats for offensive lineman don't really exist, so I really am just taking a shot in the dark here with this one. There's always room for depth on the offensive line, especially with Jeff Otah being as fragile as a teacup and Jordan Gross constantly getting the most inopportune penalties possible. I've really got nothing more to say, considering offensive lineman aren't really the flashy guys who get all the glory.
Now it gets interesting. The Panthers pick up two players back-to-back in the fourth round, Frank Alexander, a defensive end out of Oklahoma, and Joe Adams, a wide receiver out of Arkansas. Alexander was the Big 12 defensive player of the year as voted by the Associated Press, and led the Big 12 in tackles for a loss in his senior season. He is a versatile lineman, not just a pass rusher or a run stuffer. He should be a great addition to our defensive line. Now, here is a pick that I am truly excited about. Joe Adams from Arkansas is a PLAYMAKER (yes these caps are warranted). Check out this video...
...Now tell me those caps weren't warranted. The kid is a highlight reel. While the Panthers have said that they are happy with Pilares at kick returner, Adams could certainly replace the anemic Armanti Edwards as a punt returner, especially since he was the SEC special teams player of the year after returning four punts for touchdowns. He will also be a nice addition to our receiving corps, which already boasts the explosive Steve Smith and the upstart Brandon Lafell, along with Greg Olsen at tight end. This offensive is certainly not short on talent anymore.
Our last three picks are no doubt names that won't really ring a bell, so I'll run through these rather quickly. Fifth round pick Josh Norman is a cornerback from Coastal Carolina. He will add depth to our secondary, and he had two interceptions last year. His sophomore year he had eight interceptions, which shows that he is capable of making plays on the ball. He also had 138 career tackles in four years, so he isn't just a cover corner. Brad Nortman was the Panthers pick in the sixth round. The punter out of Wisconsin was honorable mention on the all Big Ten team, and had a career average of 42.1 yards per punt (which is pretty good). He's a punter, that's about all there is to say. Finally we have D.J. Campbell, safety out of California. The Panthers seventh round pick, a fifth year senior, Campbell was a decent college player. Not really someone who made huge plays every game, but he racked up a career high 71 tackles in his senior season. Again, not much else to say other than he will add depth to our secondary, which is always good to have.
Well that's about it, no huge moves for the Panthers. Just several solid players that should contribute in one way or another, whether it is on the field or on the practice squad. I hope all you Panthers fans are just as excited as I am to see these new players join the Panthers for what is sure to be an exciting 2012 season! This Cam Newton commercial should get you pumped
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Jonathan Stewart/Deangelo Williams
Now that I've finished final exams and recovered from cramming my brain with useless information, I'll take some time to analyze the thunder and lightning combo in the Panthers backfield, Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams. It's only right that I take a look at these two together, because they compliment each other so well.
Williams is the elder of the two, hailing from the University of Memphis, and Stewart comes from the high-powered offense of the Oregon Ducks. I have to say from all of the high draft picks that I can remember the Panthers making that I didn't like, I was ECSTATIC about Jonathan Stewart. As I've mentioned before, I'm very partial to offensive football, and Stewart comes from a superb offensive school. Williams came out the same year as Reggie Bush, so he was pretty overshadowed by Bush's potential (Cough cough, bust), but if my memory serves me correctly Williams was the second runningback taken that year and I'll take Williams career so far over Bush's any day.
Stewart is a horse. Plain and simple he is a horse. Anyone who wants to try and tackle this guy, be my guest because I'm going to pass. He's the more powerful of the two, and is quite a compliment to the speedier Williams. He packs quite a punch, and tends to deliver a hit to his tackler rather than the other way around. He and Williams are the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season and honestly I think either of the two could start for the majority of the other NFL teams. With these two in our backfield, the Panthers and Panther's fans get the gift of watching one of the most dynamic running combinations in the emtire league, and that is neglecting Cam Newton's incredible running ability. I'll go ahead and let everyone in the league know that the Carolina Panthers are a SERIOUS playoff contender next season, look out NFL here we come.
Williams is the elder of the two, hailing from the University of Memphis, and Stewart comes from the high-powered offense of the Oregon Ducks. I have to say from all of the high draft picks that I can remember the Panthers making that I didn't like, I was ECSTATIC about Jonathan Stewart. As I've mentioned before, I'm very partial to offensive football, and Stewart comes from a superb offensive school. Williams came out the same year as Reggie Bush, so he was pretty overshadowed by Bush's potential (Cough cough, bust), but if my memory serves me correctly Williams was the second runningback taken that year and I'll take Williams career so far over Bush's any day.
Stewart is a horse. Plain and simple he is a horse. Anyone who wants to try and tackle this guy, be my guest because I'm going to pass. He's the more powerful of the two, and is quite a compliment to the speedier Williams. He packs quite a punch, and tends to deliver a hit to his tackler rather than the other way around. He and Williams are the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season and honestly I think either of the two could start for the majority of the other NFL teams. With these two in our backfield, the Panthers and Panther's fans get the gift of watching one of the most dynamic running combinations in the emtire league, and that is neglecting Cam Newton's incredible running ability. I'll go ahead and let everyone in the league know that the Carolina Panthers are a SERIOUS playoff contender next season, look out NFL here we come.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Steve Smith
Oh Steve Smith, where do I even begin. Smith has provided Carolina's faithful fans with highlight reel catches for years. Ever since he was drafted in 2001, He has been an explosive player capable of turning any play into a big touchdown. He has managed to single-handedly break down many secondaries and make many professional cornerbacks look like they're standing still. He is small (5'9", 185 lbs.) compared to many of his fellow NFL receivers, but pound for pound you would be hard pressed to find a better play maker around the league.
Regardless, Smith will always be a favorite of mine. His highlights will never get old to me, and I can only hope that he will be a Panther for a few years more. Because with his talent at receiver he opens up the field for our three-headed monster running game and keeps the fans in the game knowing that at any moment Smith might do something they've never seen before. Whether it is his touchdown celebrations, incredible talent, or the fact that he packs the most attitude per pound in the NFL, Steve Smith certainly should be on your list of players to watch out for every Sunday.
Smith had a career year in 2005, catching 103 balls for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led the league in all three of those categories, winning the coveted "triple crown" of receivers. He was the first receiver to do this since Sterling Sharpe did it in 1992, and no one has done it since then.
Steve Smith has always held a special place in my heart as a Panthers fan. I'm a huge fan of offensive football, so naturally a man with Smith's talent, ability and attitude would catch my eye. Not to mention the fact that he tends to find the endzone in spectacular fashion. His endzone celebrations always made me laugh too, until the NFL started cracking down on them. Seriously Goodell, when every play could be your last (unless you're Brett Favre, apparently he will NEVER have his last play), why not let them celebrate in their own special way? Outside of distasteful celebrations (Stevie Johnson that means you) what's wrong with an impression of rowing a boat when you score against the Vikings? But I digress.
Unfortunately for Smith, his numbers saw quite a dip in 2009 and 2010. Smith's talent certainly hasn't dropped, he was just stuck with abysmal quarterbacks who couldn't seem to throw the ball to the right team. Smith isn't getting any younger, and with Cam Newton coming in as a rookie starter I wasn't sure how long Smith was going to stick around to find out whether Cam is the real deal or not. Smith had been frustrated, and rightfully so. I mean, have you seen this guy jump? Just throw the ball up somewhere in his direction and he seems to come down with it every time, yet our quarterbacks still couldn't get him the ball.
This year has been different. Smith looks like his younger self this year, already eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark through 12 games which he had failed to do in the past two years. I already covered this in my last post, but in my opinion Cam Newton will be the reason that Steve Smith retires as a Panther. Steve Smith is not a Hall of Famer. Yet. I think he could play at least four or five more years at a very high level, as long as he stays healthy, and that could put him in the discussion.Regardless, Smith will always be a favorite of mine. His highlights will never get old to me, and I can only hope that he will be a Panther for a few years more. Because with his talent at receiver he opens up the field for our three-headed monster running game and keeps the fans in the game knowing that at any moment Smith might do something they've never seen before. Whether it is his touchdown celebrations, incredible talent, or the fact that he packs the most attitude per pound in the NFL, Steve Smith certainly should be on your list of players to watch out for every Sunday.
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