Panthers 2010 Season

[Urbanity]

Saw there was a 2009 Panthers thread but none for the coming season so I thought I create this one.

Starting post:

Panthers get Clausen in Draft!

espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/22504/panthers-take-the-plunge-with-clausen

[AuLukey]

I'll be interested to see if we have a repeat of the 2003 season when Fox started Rodney Peete without even hinting his job was in question. Then at the first sign of trouble, they took him out and replaced him with Delhomme halfway through the first game of the year. They went to the Superbowl that year. I'm hoping that the Panthers can trade up for a decent #2 receiver (or find a way to get one in a trade) or Clausen will be as effective as Chris Weinke was way back when. Then, as long as we have a decent defensive tackle, we'll at least be in playoff form. Time will tell. Attending practice camp could be pretty entertaining this year with a 4-1 (record as a starter) QB vying for his starting position with a QB who was originally rated at 5th in the draft.

I'm not a huge Clausen fan (I was in the Tebow camp,) but I think the Panthers got extremely lucky with this pick. Second round means a lot of room to work with our salary cap rather than if we had picked up a first round pick.

EDIT: after reviewing their following picks, the Panthers got two WR's in the third round: Brandon LaFell from LSU and Armanti Edwards. If Edward's name sounds familiar, that's because he was Appalachian State's QB. I'm a little baffled by this choice (and the fact that he's now a wide receiver.) Being optimistic, this could actually give the Panthers an interesting option should he end up being semi-productive as a WR.

[RugbyPike#11]

Don't forget Tony Pike in the sixth round, who was another pretty good college QB. I also liked the Greg Hardy pick in the sixth round. This guy is a big time player when he's 100%, which unfortunately, hasn't been very often the last couple of years.

[AuLukey]

Not huge news, but worth noting: Thomas Davis has already recovered from his ACL surgery that put him down last November. He ran a 40 yard dash in 4.47 seconds (his all-time best is a 4.42,) according to the O.

Article

[HopHead]

Not huge news, but worth noting: Thomas Davis has already recovered from his ACL surgery that put him down last November. He ran a 40 yard dash in 4.47 seconds (his all-time best is a 4.42,) according to the O.

Article

Unbelievable. Just hope he doesn't come back too soon. We need a healthy Thomas Davis this year!

[HopHead]

Thought this was interesting... On Oct. 23rd, the Panthers Purrsuit will be held. It's basically an "Amazing Race" type of event: "Fans compete as two-person teams in a citywide quest to visit local destinations, complete social media challenges, and connect with other fans -- all while competing for Panthers Purrsuit points and prizes." Entry fee is $20 per individual. It seems like a good way to see a lot of different things around Charlotte.

More info: Panthers Purrsuit

[cltheel.sdl]

I went to the Panthers game here in Seattle...it was a lot of good fun. I had a guy ask me if the Panthers stadium was in NC or SC...seems like some people aren't quite sure where the Panthers play.

I almost got in a fight with a Seahawks fan - he came up to me out of nowhere and started harassing me. Overall the Seahawks fans were pretty mild. Too bad we lost, but we're just that much closer to the number 1 overall draft pick!

[atlrvr]

I saw a couple of fans in Panther jerseys on TV and I thought of you. Glad to hear that you were there representing.

[cltheel.sdl]

So, you may very well have seen me (I was in an oversized blue Panthers sweatshirt in the Hawk's Nest triangular portion of the stadium behind the field goal on the "downtown" side of the stadium) and boy, do I have some fun stories for you. First, let me mention that the only reason I was able to go was because a buddy from work gave me his ticket that he wasn't going to use because he was out of town. So, I was going alone without any other Panther fans to join me.

I took the light rail up to the stadium and didn't see a single other Panther fan until I actually got to the stadium vicinity. A kid asked me what state the Panthers played in, so that might give you an idea of how much people actually know about the Panthers/Charlotte. My plan was to find random Panther fans and start tailgating with them...it was pretty tough. I saw a guy wearing a Beason jersey in a parking lot near the stadium so I walked over and introduced myself. He was born in Houston and had been an Oilers fan before they moved to Tennessee, so he decided to pick up the Panthers and has followed them ever since. He was with some of his Seahawk buddies though and didn't seem like he wanted to talk, so I moved on to an area near the Alaskan Way Viaduct (the elevated highway along the Seattle waterfront that could crumble at a moments notice). I met some really cool Panthers fans in one of these lots. They were originally from Greenville, SC but moved to Portland and drove up to the game because one of their cousins works for the Panthers and they got sideline passes. I was only able to speak with them for about 15 minutes before they had to head in the stadium to use their passes.

At this point, I had about an hour left before the game, so I went to the Hawk's Nest Bar to kill some time. A few jaeger shots and PBRs later, I was making friends with all the Seahawks fans around me. Overall, the Seahawks fans in the bar were really cool and nice. I also met a random Bears fan in the bar...he was really enjoying Julius Peppers.

I made my way up to my seats in the Hawk's Nest area of Qwest Field just before the start of the game. The Hawk's Nest is the hardcore Seahawks fan section and they were not too happy having a Panthers fan in their midst. The guy beside me (who looked like one of the fisherman from Deadliest Catch) kept telling me how I needed to "Watch out" because I was about to be brutalized. Overall he was good natured about it.

The harassment wasn't so bad for the first bit. We went up 7-0 and I was being pretty obnoxious about cheering for the Panthers, but all I got were a few glares.

Once we had scored our second touchdown, the Seahawks fans were getting quite flabbergasted and taking out their frustrations on me. I was probably being super-loud and obnoxious, so that didn't help my cause. When we scored, I remember yelling, "Woooooo GO PANTHERS!!!" and jumping up and down. Of course everyone was just silent and glaring at me, so I continued, "Anyone? No one? Anyone? Go Panthers?" while looking around to see the response I would get. I turned around and a couple of rows back some girls and their boyfriends were giving me the bird and cursing up quite the storm, so I returned the favor. I may or may not have added some colorful language, and that's when a super obese lumberjack of a Seattlite came up to me and tried to fight me. He was trying to get in my face, but try as he may, he couldn't get closer than a foot to my face because his belly was so large. I put my arm around him and started egging him on, blowing him some kisses and calling him "baby cakes". This did not win me any fans in the section, and seconds later security showed up. They tried to break us up, but I wasn't leaving my seat. The lumberjack had come from several rows away and I wasn't leaving the seat I was assigned on my ticket. Security told me they needed to move me down "for my own protection". After much befuddlement, I consented and was moved to seats that were closer but had a mediocre view. Luckily, a girl from work was at the game and I met up with her in the lower level.

So, that's the main fun from the game...I do remember betting the girl from work that the Panthers would score when we were on the 1-yard line of the Seahawks...of course we got a penalty and I lost $5. Pretty typical Panthers this year. I wasn't heckled much after I moved down closer.

I took the train back home and woke up with quite the headache the following morning. All in all, it was a great time even though we lost!