Carolina Panthers: Too Much Salt, Not Enough Peppers

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Panther fans, it’s okay, we’ve been here before. 

Don’t throw in the “Growl Towel” just yet. There is still time to tighten the strings of this Carolina guitar before Sept. 13.

Only two games into the 2009 preseason and some fans around the Carolinas are claiming mutiny on John Fox.  It’s not even the regular season yet! 

Yes, the Panthers have looked every bit as terrible as that treacherous day back in January when the wheels came off and they got embarrassed by the Arizona Cardinals. 

However, Panther fans keep forgetting three things:

A) That was a tremendous loss, not just for the 2008 team, but for the entire franchise. The loss will not easily be overcome, and it will take a major win for us to get over it.  (If Peyton Manning can get through Bill Belichick, we can get through this.)

B) The Panthers have never had back-to-back winning seasons. This season is going to be an uphill battle. (The Panthers have the second toughest schedule in the league.) We are literally going to have to claw our way up to make history.

C) The Panthers haven’t had their entire A-squad out there yet. WRs Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad have both missed time; so has RB Jonathan Stewart, and the defense seems to be playing a rigorous game of roulette, so there’s still time to get this team together. 

There are a few bad things that the Panthers need to be careful of. In order of importance:

1)  Starting DT Ma'ake Kemoeatu is out indefinitely. Starting SS Charles Godfrey just broke his hand and had surgery but could be ready for the Philadelphia Eagles opening weekend. The same goes for Stewart and Pro Bowl LB Jon Beason.  

There is no timetable for Stewart, and Beason is out for up to six weeks with a sprained knee.

Carolina has to find someone to step up and fill these voids if the starters can’t return in time. 

The Panthers have one of the league’s most feared starting lineups, but it gets thin after that. Especially on the offensive and defensive lines.

2)  The Panthers need to hold onto the ball—especially on special teams. Special teams can easily be the difference between Ws and Ls, anytime, anywhere.

In the past two preseason games against the Giants and the Dolphins, the Panthers have turned the ball over seven times (six fumbles, one INT).

That’s not good, even for a practice!      

3)  Peppers is obviously phoning it in. We all see it, and it is unfortunate for everyone involved. 

The fact is: Peppers hasn’t registered so much as a whiff of anyone in a game, and he proclaimed afterward “Preseason doesn’t matter,” and then told reporters that management needs to get someone to fill Kemo’s shoes quickly.

Where does he get the nerve? 

Sign a deal that frees up some cap space so the Panthers aren’t so strapped for cash and then complain, $18+ million per game? 

Really, Peppers?  Who are you anymore?

Some other notes about the Panthers' first two preseason games:

RB Mike Goodson was supposed to be our “steal” of the draft. His throat-slashing gestures and fumble-prone running are showing fans that while he is very fast, he needs a lot more work.

Keep an eye out for these names on Sundays in Carolina (preseason stats): S Quinton Teal (in one game, 3 tkl, 1 ast, .5 sack, 1 INT) (fellow CCU alum, Go CHANTS!), LB Dan Connor (8 tkl, 6 ast), LB Jeremy Leman (8 tkl, 3 ast), and TE Gary Barnidge (3 rec 19 yds).

With Godfrey and Beason out, Teal and Connor will have to step in quickly. Both could prove to be very valuable if given the opportunity. 

Leman reminds me of a young Dan Morgan (leading hits with his head and all). He may be fighting for a roster spot, but if he doesn’t get one with us (which he should), he’ll be playing for someone—he hits that hard.

Barnidge can block, stretch the field, and give Delhomme an out when he’s in trouble. The Panthers haven’t had a TE like that since Wesley Walls. (Oh Wesley, how we miss you so.)

There’s a bright side, Panther fans. We have two games left to get the kinks worked out. Games against the Ravens and the Steelers are exactly what the doctor ordered. 

We should feel privileged to go up against two of the premier defenses in the league before the games begin to count.

There are one of three ways this will end.

The Panthers get stomped and this season turns into a disaster (2004 all over again).

The Panthers get stomped and realize that they are not even close to being a contender, after which they pick themselves up and play with the heart that Panthers fans have come to love and pray it carries them to the playoffs.

The Panthers play a decent game against the Ravens to show enough progress for a third preseason game, and then show the Steelers we’re ready for the 2009 NFL season.

Some say preseason doesn’t matter, but these next two games may quietly set the tone for Carolina this season.

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