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.

Replacement Referees and everything else that happened in week 3

         
          Welcome to the latest episode of "Jackasses dressed as Zebras." The picture above says it all. This is the last straw. The last argument that anyone had, that the replacements hadn't cost anyone a game, is gone. They blew the final call in the Green Bay vs. Seattle game. Yes, a simultaneous catch goes to the offense, BUT THERE WAS NO SIMULTANEOUS CATCH! The only thing Golden Tate caught was the defender! I am appalled by the atrocity that we have been forced to witness. As Rick Reilly said, this game is the Mona Lisa and the replacement officials are painting a mustache on it. The fact is that the replacement officials last night, one of whom was a high school referee in California, changed the outcome of the game last night. I think that Goodell and whoever else is involved in these negotiations should have got up this morning, put on their fancy Italian suits and shoes, hopped in their BMWs and gone to work on negotiating a deal that the referees obviously deserve. I read somewhere that the sides were only separated by as much as $60,000 on some issues. $60,000? After the fines that the NFL will likely levy after this weekends debacle They'll have more than 60 grand in the bank to spend on the referees. This league is the greatest in the world, but there's only so many times you can drive a Ferrari through the mud.

Just in case you didn't get it the first time

         
          OK now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I can move on to what else happened this weekend. The Panthers got demolished, so we're going to try and forget about that as soon as possible. the final three unbeaten teams are the Texans, the Falcons and the Cardinals. Wait, did I just say the Cardinals? That's right, the Cardinals, who have won 11 out of their last 13 regular season games, are now 3-0. Are they the best team in the NFL right now? Hell no, but they're pretty tough to beat in close games. The Patriots are below .500 in week three for the first time in what seems like an eternity thanks to an incredible performance by Torrey Smith less than 24 hours after losing his 19-year-old brother in a motorcycle accident. I said this before, but if that kind of performance doesn't give you some sort of goosebumps then you should check your pulse. The Saints go marching in at a shocking 0-3. The Saints are sharing the basement with the Cleveland Browns, the only other team without a win this season, some pretty bad company.
          The other two undefeated teams deserve every bit of credit they're getting. The Falcons are a serious contender. Their defense is potent, and this could be the year that Matt Ryan elevates his status to be considered a top tier quarterback. Then there are the Texans. Picked by many last season as a Super Bowl favorite out of the AFC, with a star quarterback in Schaub, a great running game with Arian Foster, a freak of nature Andre Johnson at wide receiver and a solid defense, they should be a favorite again this year. Had they not lost Matt Schaub at the end of last season they may have made a deeper run in the playoffs, so if he stays healthy they should be in the picture when the playoffs roll around.
          Barring a player strike against the debacle that the replacement refs have created, I'll be back next week with more insight on the unfolding NFL season.

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-

Cam Newton takes badass pictures

          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-

"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. 

"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!

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!

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

Weekend Wrap up: Peyton's decision, what's left of everyone's bracket, and what's left of Kendall Marshall's wrist

"Hey... I just took your job"

          Alright so we have a lot to discus so I'll try to get to the point. Decision 2012 has come to a conclusion, Peyton Manning has joined John Elway in Denver and simultaneously stomped out Tim Tebow's dreams. The NCAA tournament has been beyond insane as usual and there are ZERO perfect brackets remaining on ESPN, and Wrist Watch 2012 has begun in Chapel Hill.
          Peyton Manning lands in the mile high city. If anyone has read my last post, I didn't really see this as a fit. And I'm still not sure it is. Apparently no one in the league wants to play in Miami, one of my reasons for Manning potentially landing there, Brandon Marshall, got out of town as soon as he could. Manning wanted no part of that. I actually saw San Francisco being a good fit. Great defense, decent wide receiving corps with the very dangerous Vernon Davis and hopefully up and coming Michael Crabtree (not to mention the 50/50 chance that Randy Moss is still fast enough to burn defenses) and a great running back in Frank Gore. But alas he has chosen the blue and orange. I think this team is missing the offensive weapons that we are used to seeing on Peyton Manning teams of old. Decker and Thomas are far from the Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne that we are used to seeing line up beside Manning in the past. I think that he will find a few of his old teammates joining him in Denver, specifically Dallas Clark his old tight end and one of his favorite targets. Also another ex-teammate of Manning's is Brandon Stokley. Stokley was a Bronco for a while and could be a valuable fourth option as a possession receiver should the Broncos give him a call. There's also a chance that Jeff Saturday, Manning's long time center, could join him in Denver as well. There are definitely some moves left to be made, but if Peyton Manning is even 80% of what he used to be, Denver is easily the favorite to win the AFC West, (a division that has long been sub par at best) and a team that no one wants to see at any point during the season. Also there's a regular season matchup against the Patriots and my beloved Panthers. It should be fun to watch.
          Now where will Tebow end up? I heard an analyst say earlier today that no one really wants him on their team, and I couldn't agree more. Everyone in the league has seen that he does not have the skill set to lead an NFL style offense. There really isn't a team in the league that wants to baby him by making their offense as simple as the Broncos made theirs last season. Now what I have heard is this, owners will take a shot at him. They want to bring the circus to town to drive ticket and jersey sales. My first thought is Jacksonville. Shad Kahn the new owner of the Jaguars has gone on record saying that he would have drafted Tebow if he had the choice, now let's see if he'll put his money where his mouth is. Then there's Miami. No one wants to play in Miami, which makes it the perfect spot for Tebow. but honestly no one is going to give up much for a quarterback who can't complete 50% of his passes. Then there's a wild card. The New England Patriots. I've heard multiple times today that Tebow is a "Belichick type of guy" and he could come in and run some plays as an H-back or a tight end. That would shock me, because we have no idea whether the kid can catch a football or run a route. His days as a quarterback in the NFL may be running short right now, he needs a lot of luck to get another chance.

Gee, 0 is the same number of wins Duke got in the tournament this year too

          And then there were Sixteen. If your bracket isn't busted by now, you probably let a 3-year-old pick your winners in crayon. It had been 11 years since a 15 seed had upset a 2 seed, and within 3 hours on Friday it had happened twice. The Missouri loss KILLED me, I had them in the Final Four, but the Duke loss made me forget all about my bracket. I loved watching the Blue Devils from down the road flounder at the hands of C.J. McCollum and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Truly a thing of beauty. Quick rundown of the Sweet Sixteen: Kentucky is on course to be in the national title game no sweat, and now they get a rematch against Indiana. The Baylor highlighters get a matchup against Xavier. Ohio State is playing great basketball and they're matched up against a very physical Cincinnati team. Syracuse is surviving without their center Fab Melo (hopefully he's home studying), but now must face a tough Wisconsin team. Kansas survived a very tough Purdue team and an offensive show from Robbie Hummel and will now face a very hot NC State team that still feels it has something to prove. Marquette gets Florida and Louisville will meet Michigan State. Last but not least, UNC will face upset minded Ohio. I'm not making any predictions anymore, because we all saw how that ended up (Thanks a lot Missouri and Florida State).

          Kendall Marshall's wrist has become the instant talk of the nation. He fractured the scaphoid bone in his right (non-shooting) hand with 10:56 to go in the game against Creighton. He played through the pain, but was rushed to the x-ray machine after the game. The entire team was instantly downtrodden, and Marshall and Williams had to choke back tears when they delivered the news to the media. Marshall underwent surgery Monday morning, with the slim chance that he could heal and be ready by Friday's game. Tarheel nation can only hope and pray that we can have our engine back. My dad told me during the ACC tournament that Marshall was the leader of our team. At that point I wasn't so sure that was true. Tyler Zeller had just been named the ACC Player of the Year, and he had lead us through so many tough games that I was sure it was Zeller. They say sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone, and I think that may be the case here. His new found scoring has definitely been a valuable addition to our offensive juggernaut. And now he may be gone. He is truly the one player on our team that can't be replaced. I said last night that if I could I would give my right wrist to Kendall Marshall, my left wrist to John Henson, my right ACL to Dexter Strickland, and my left ACL to Leslie Macdonald. That was truly the sentiment all around campus today. The rain this morning was really a reflection of how we felt after we heard our point guard had gone down. But we remain hopeful, this tournament is far from over, and while we may be down right now we are certainly not out. We all just wish Kendall a speedy recovery.
          Well that's that for now, so until the weekend comes around and college basketball commences again take this time to catch your breath and prepare for the next installment of March Madness!

All the new news: From Peyton Manning to the NCAA Tournament

 

         
          The greatest free agent the NFL has ever seen. Peyton Manning is on the market. Words that a year ago I thought I would never speak. Denver, Miami and Arizona are all likely suitors for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. I see Miami being the best choice, for a few reasons. First, he will have a big time receiver who will actually try hard if he is there, Brandon Marshall. Marshall may not be the worlds hardest worker, but the kid has talent, and I think Manning would whip him into shape real fast. Second, the weather. Manning has made his living in a dome, so heading for pleasant weather would be a plus. Third, Reggie Wayne already said he would follow Manning to Miami if he went, and he may not be the only one (Dallas Clark is another name that comes to mind). Why wouldn't Manning jump at the opportunity to play with two of his greatest teammates? Now I understand that Arizona has a dome, and has arguably a top 3 receiver in Larry Fitzgerald, but for some reason I have them sitting behind Miami in the Manning sweepstakes. Denver is the other team that analysts have suddenly all but confirmed as the frontrunner. I doubt Manning goes to cold weather, and let's play a game, name a Denver Bronco receiver! Don't worry, I'll wait. They have NO big name receiver that Manning can make his instant favorite target. Yes, they have a great defense and I'd love to see Tebow get shipped out of town in the blink of an eye, I just don't see this being a match. Anyway, who wouldn't want to see Brady vs. Manning twice a year IN THE SAME DIVISION! I pray to the football gods that I may get my wish.
          Now If I remember correctly, UNC recently beat Duke up and down the floor, on Miles Plumlee's senior night, AND he got a faceful of John Henson's lower half. THAT my friends was a beautiful day. Then, we had the good fortune of running into NC State in the ACC Tournament. "Oh my god, the refs cheated us out of that game!" no NC State, your coach blew it when he left your best player in with four fouls and over 8 minutes to go. "Yeah, but all the calls went UNC's way!" I assure you that if calls went our way, Zeller wouldn't have watched the final minute of the game. And lastly, yeah Kendall dropped his shoulder, but your team blew the game when they turned the ball over TWICE in the last minute. We won, you lost, for the 13th time in a row I believe. With all due respect, I am glad that you made the tournament, you were seconds away from beating both us and Duke this year, and certainly were well deserving of a spot in the big dance, congratulations.

This will NEVER get old

          On that point, The Tarheels are a #1 seed, and the sun is shining. In my honest opinion, Syracuse and Kentucky both have tougher brackets than we do, and I'm not saying that because Duke is in that bracket. And honestly where does Michigan State come from?!?! Every single year they come from nowhere to be a high seed in the Tournament. Tom Izzo is literally a basketball genius. He took a team that got manhandled early this season by UNC and Duke, and turned them into a #1 seed. Unbelievable. I don't think they deserved the #1 seed though, I believe Missouri is a much better team that will make a deep run in the tournament, and I think they should have been the fourth #1. But seeding makes little difference really because it's all about execution.

          My Final Four could be called a little bit biased, but I feel like it has some credibility. I have Missouri, Kentucky, Florida State and UNC (Surprise!). Obviously this is a very primitive selection, that is likely to get completely dismantled by the end of the first weekend, but who knows. Kentucky: do I even need to explain this one? Davis and his unibrow is the frontrunner for player of the year and he deserves it. Kentucky should make it out of their bracket without many bumps, even as tough as it is. Missouri: as I said before, I think they should have been the last #1 seed, and I think they will prove it by making their way to the final four. Kim English, the Pressey brothers, and Ratliffe inside drive this team to the Final Four. Florida State: probably the team with the most momentum in the country right now, after beating Duke and UNC twice this year, and coming off back to back wins against them to win the ACC tournament, they are on fire. Very tough defensively, Snaer is a great player and probably was snubbed from the All-ACC team, and they shoot the three well. They will be a tough team to beat, and I think they make it to the Final Four. UNC: well this is as much of a pick with my head as any of the others I assure you. Kendall Marshall is the best point guard in the country, and now he's scoring the basketball too. Harrison Barnes has played well, not great, but I think he steps up in the tournament as a big game performer. Hopefully John Henson returns to the lineup by next Sunday, and is still the defensive wall that he was before he reinjured his wrist. Reggie bullock has surprised everyone by being a terrific defender in Strickland's absence, can't say enough about his effort. And last but certainly not least, Tyler Zeller. If you could have scripted the perfect senior season for Zeller, I don't think it would be much different than this one. He has been absolutely the best player on our team, the most reliable in all but a few moments, and at times he's an unstoppable force in the paint. I can't wait for the day I see his jersey hang in the rafters of the Dean Dome.

          So there you have it, my Final Four picks, with a little reasoning behind each one (a little more reasoning behind UNC, but that's me). Feel free to disagree, then we can all laugh together when a mid major busts everyone's brackets like always. Until then, everyone enjoy the greatest month in sports, welcome to March Madness!