I Don’t Understand the Pessimism

I listened to Charlotte sports radio a good amount this past week.  I rarely listen to it, so forgive me if I am describing a familiar occurence.  There was hysteria amongst Panthers fans.  Everyone was freaking out, hating all of our offseason moves, and basically giving up on the season…before the preseason has even started.  I don’t like to give too much weight to what a bunch of Gastonians who call in on sports radio think, but this was still very disturbing.  I don’t understand the pessimism.  In fact, this is the most excited I have been for Panthers season in recent memory.  I mean it; I’m even more excited than when we were coming off winning seasons.

The reason for my excitement is the air of change in the organization.  How refreshing will it be to see the first team break the huddle with Matt Moore as its leader?  How exciting will it be to see the new and young faces fighting for a multitude of roster spots?  We are the youngest team in the league.  Guys like Everette Brown, Bradon LaFell, Sherrod Martin, Charles Godfrey, Charles Johnson, Tony Fiammetta, and Dan Connor will be counted on to step up big this year.  The next Steve Smiths and Jon Beasons are on this roster; we just have to find them and let them play.  Sure, there are risks with our predicament.  We could suck this year, but can’t we be excited in early August?  I am excited to see how these guys handle their roles.  I want to see them grow and develop into the future of this franchise.

While all the talk about the young guys is good, it’s not like our cupboard is completely bar.  We still have a bunch of A-list stars.  Jon Beason, Steve Smith, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Jeff Otah, Jordan Gross, and Chris Gamble form a pretty solid core that a lot of teams envy.  Those guys should keep us in most games (especially with an easy schedule) and should serve as great mentors to the young guys.  So, with the first preseason game right around the corner, what should you look for (if you can stay awake through the entire game)?

Special Teams:  The recent Charlotte Observer article said it all.  Click the pull down tab on the side titled “how the mighty have fallen.”  The Panthers have always have good special teams play in their winning seasons.  They will need it again this year, but there is a lot of uncertainty on the special teams.  Both punt return and kickoff return spots are in play.  Also, keep an eye out on how Jason Baker handles kickoffs.  Losing Rhys Lloyd was huge; we enjoyed a huge advantage when he constantly forced teams to start at their 20.  John Fox’s style of football usually means that we will be in most games.  Therefore, a big return or special teams turnover can be the key that gives us the extra boost to victory in a tight game. 

Jimmy Clausen:  I know it’s firmly Matt Moore’s job (and I’m glad that it is), but we haven’t had a big name QB around here in a while.  We haven’t even drafted a QB in years, let alone a highly-rated one.  It’s only natural to want to see him play, even if it is on second team.  That may be what gets me through the second halves of these preseason games.

D-Line:  Are we executing?  Are we stopping the run and getting some pressure on the QB?  It may be tough to tell in the preseason because most teams normally run some very vanilla plays.

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