On Monday, September 12, 2011, a very strange thing happened in the Carolinas. There was a noticeable absence of “Monday Morning Quarterbacks”, and this after a tough loss the previous day. There has to be an explanation for that phenomenon. But what is it? Could it be that because the Panthers opened on the road with a new head coach, and a Honeymoon period was being granted from the rebellious Keyboard Killers. Could it have been because of a rookie quarterback starting his first NFL game – one who was denied all the off season training that every other rookie quarterback in the last decade enjoyed? Is that why the Moon-shining Mafioso decided to cut them some slack? If you drove around the Carolinas, you’d have noticed that no sounds of crying and wailing could be heard along Interstates 85, 95, 40, and 77. If you read the paper, you’d have not seen any written threats of retribution and boycotting in the comments section of the Charlotte Observer or The State.
Those MMQs are a sneaky and devious sort, so perhaps they were just sulking and waiting to attack? However, ‘Au contraire mon Bubba’, Panther fans were absolutely thrilled with the teams play against the victorious Cardinals. Some say it could have been a full moon that caused it, but no, that’s not it either.
It was hope that caused it. Finally they saw hope. As Panther fans longingly peered down the darkness of the “John Fox Commemorative Panther Dungeon of Doom”, they suddenly saw a glimmer of light. No, wait. There was more than one light. There were three lights. The loyal Panther fans brought out their most powerful telescopes in hopes of seeing more clearly. At first the lights hurt their eyes, as they had lived far too long in the darkness. Three lights being carried by riders on horseback, were approaching . Yes, it was a triumvirate of modern day Roman Generals leading their legion of 53 gladiators. Excitement began to grow as the riders came closer. Yes, there they are. Look! Do you see them? They were bringing the light. And with the light would come hope. The three Generals – Rivera, Chudzinski, and McDermott were coming to save the Panther franchise from the bowels of hell. Palm fronds and rose petals were laid in their path. Yes, even a few silent prayers were given. Now there was hope.
In the first game directed by the new Field Generals, Carolina could’ve – would’ve – and should’ve won, but they didn’t. So what. The good that came out of that game gave them all more hope. Honestly now, come on and admit it. Isn’t it hope that brings you back smiling and laughing even after a tough loss. I believe, as Rivera says “we have a mountain to climb” and he and his Generals are just the men to blaze the trail ahead. What a great feeling it was for the Panther faithful to look back at a game and know they should have won it. It gave them a good feeling until they turned around to look at the next team the Panthers face. Think cheese-heads and frozen tundra here, and a chill goes up your spine.
This weeks game against Green Bay serves as a good early barometer for the Panthers. The barometric reading they get against the reigning Super Bowl Champions will be accurate and all telling. Good or bad, it’ll be an honest grade. It won’t be a seasonal reading of how they’ll do this year, because they are so young and so new that continued improvement is a given. It will only be a reading of right now in time. A dot on a graph of how far they’ve come. A dot that will show how far they have to go in order to be competitive against the elite teams of the NFL.
How do they learn from their mistakes?
1.) Special teams needs to improve the most. (89-yard punt return by the Cardinals Peterson, for the go-ahead and eventual winning touchdown) Without that, the Panthers would have been tied and then their last drive would have been a chip shot Field Goal for Mare.
2.) The Panthers had two good drives going, that got no points on the scoreboard. Both were into the Cardinals side of the field and both were stopped by cheap and silly penalties. Carolina had 10 penalties in all, and 4 or 5 of those were on those two drives for potential scores. Carolina players will get more familiar with their new program and those mistakes will cure themselves.
3.) That last pass from Newton to Goodson to tie the game was caught, but short of the goal line. If you look closely, Olson was open and in the end zone directly behind Goodson. Cam will continue to improve the speed of going through his progressions and the next time he’ll be quicker to recognize Olsen coming open, and already being in the end zone.
On the Green Bay side of the ball, nothing needs to be corrected. They are that good. Hey, they are the reigning Super Bowl Champions, and for good reason. The good reason is that they have no weaknesses. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They won’t. On the schedule this looked like an unfortunate misfortune for the Panthers. It’s not. It’s actually a blessing. The blessing is the true barometric information it gives Carolina.