Carolina Panthers preview
Carolina Panthers 2008 Preview ReportJuly 14, 2008
The pattern was snapped last season. When the Carolina Panthers failed to finish above .500 for the second year in a row. John Fox’s team has always followed a trend: toggle in mediocrity, then surge by winning 11 games and making some noise in the playoffs. Then, catch your breath the following season with another seven or eight-win campaign. Then, fully energized, come back and have another fruitful run. Look at Carolina’s history: 2002…7-9; 2003…11-5 (reached Super Bowl); 2004…7-9; 2005…11-5 (reached NFC Championship); 2006….8-8; 2007….7-9. Oops.
Order broken. It doesn’t take much to figure out why. The Panthers started four different quarterbacks last season. The only one capable of excelling was Jake Delhomme, and he was lost after two games. You need pitching to win in pro baseball, goaltending to win in pro hockey, a large home market to win in pro basketball and quarterbacking to win in pro football. It’s simple, really.
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