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September 14, 2008
Tom Sorensen's quick take on the game
- Chicago’s last chance comes on fourth and 1 from the 50 yard line with two minutes remaining.
- The Bears trail 20-17. If they pick up the first down, they have a chance to drive for a field goal to tie the game or maybe the touchdown to win it.
- Middle linebacker Jon Beason calls the players together before the play. He’s animated. The defense is his as much as anybody’s.
- Jason McKie, 247 pounds, attempts to pound up the middle. The Panthers already are there. If there’s such a thing as a team tackle, this is it. In the middle of the pile is Carolina’s Maake Kemoeatu, 345 pounds. Linebacker Na’ail Diggs also is there. It would be easier to tell you the Panthers that didn’t lead the push or make the tackle.
- They stuffed McKie, ran out the clock and came back from the dead, beating the Bears 20-17. Kemoeatu jumped up and down, up and down. John Fox ran onto the field with his arms outstretched, not as demonstrative as he was after the victory in San Diego but just as emotional. But the man who called the defense together, Beason, did the best dance, moving to the music on the sideline. He was entitled.
- Would the Panthers have won this game a season ago? To win, they needed this offensive line, this defense, a healthy Jake Delhomme and a rookie running back, Jonathan Stewart. Last season, they wouldn’t have had a chance. This season, all things seem possible.
Posted by Observer Sports on September 14, 2008 at 04:37 PM | Permalink
Comments
All I can say is the Cardiac cats are back! Wow, I never thought we would lose this game, but they sure did make us wait it out. It was a tough and physical game which is what I expected. This team seems to thrive on coming from behind. Whatever was said or adjustments made at the half obviously worked! It's all down hill from here with Steve Smith back! Feel proud and good Panther fans. This will be a great year!
CW
Posted by: Carolina Wild | Sep 14, 2008 4:45:25 PM
You administrators can kiss my arse....you suck! You let SIR PUS run his mouth in an earlier post and have the audacity to delete mine. You are as bad as SIR PUS.
Posted by: Carolina Wild | Sep 14, 2008 4:53:49 PM
How about some consitency and do your job reading each and every post instead of beating off after about 10...you are a bigger douche bag than SIR PUSSY.
Posted by: Carolina Wild | Sep 14, 2008 4:56:15 PM
Just think the offense will only be better next week with Steve
Posted by: paul | Sep 14, 2008 4:56:41 PM
I was astonished at our fans today. That was the loudest we have been since 2003, and I hope we can contain it.
BTW, I looked on panthers.com and since 2006 the only stadium BESIDES our BOA stadium that has sold more tickets to a regular season game was the Redskins. That really astonished me because of how I think we never fill the joint up.
Posted by: mike | Sep 14, 2008 5:59:21 PM
I was astonished at our fans today. That was the loudest we have been since 2003, and I hope we can contain it.
BTW, I looked on panthers.com and since 2006 the only stadium BESIDES our BOA stadium that has sold more tickets to a regular season game was the Redskins. That really astonished me because of how I think we never fill the joint up.
Posted by: mike | Sep 14, 2008 5:59:41 PM
Why did Jaken get screwed with an interception?
Posted by: BDUB | Sep 14, 2008 6:17:32 PM
Jake had a bad game, the defense was ok and the offense was ok and we still beat a good team. This was a huge win for the Panthers!
Posted by: BDUB | Sep 14, 2008 6:20:55 PM
Where are all the Panther fans? This is the biggest home win in three years!
Posted by: BDUB | Sep 14, 2008 6:22:58 PM
2 down 14 more to go on our way to Tampa in Feb. 2009 to win the Super Bowl. Stay up Panthers. Keep pressing forward. Jake 4000 plus yards this season. Peppers MVP on defense. A total of possibly 6-8 pro bowlers. 2 from the O-line.:) Get your potato chips ready"""
Posted by: PantherFan D | Sep 14, 2008 6:40:35 PM
it wasnt diggs that made the play , it was davis.that bear def is tough and we had limitations without smitty so im not going to bust on the off too much, even though they were inept in the first half.looks like weve got a playoff contender boys and girls and procton.
ps where are all the gamble haters? he was all over the field .
Posted by: ray | Sep 14, 2008 7:45:59 PM
I thought Gamble looked as good as he ever has, and thank goodness we have Chris Harris and Stewart to pound it in when they need him to, this is a real team, not just a bunch of good players and Steve Smith, it looks like a complete team for the first time since 03
Posted by: matt | Sep 14, 2008 8:00:07 PM
The Panthers played pretty badly for 2.5 quarters today, but when they woke up, OH MAMA!!!!! I hope this is the beginning of a really fun year.
Posted by: TP | Sep 14, 2008 9:26:35 PM
This was a Defense battle,Iv said it befor the game,It wasnt good playin for neither side on Offense,Clearly,CHI had this game by far,BUT,They lost at the end,17 unanswerd points,Sounds like Carolina a year ago,They had enough of that dark road,Carolina look like they were Shocked by the first special teams play for the first score,This is what Lovie Smith wanted to do and it seem to work for awhile,It made the whole team exspectation shift,BUT,We bounced back,So Relax everybody,Its goin to get better! GO CAROLINA!
Posted by: SPATRICK1 | Sep 14, 2008 9:57:01 PM
I forgot to mention how much I appreciated the commentators on Fox durning the game. Whether the Panthers were on a high or low, they kept it upbeat; and one in particular seemed to give the team nothing but praise. It was a relief and great change of pace. It would be great to get them on a regular basis.
On a nonrelated note, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Carolina Wild. He helped me realize just how immature people online can be (no matter which site/blog you go to). I'll try to remember that in the future and take the advice of spice and others who suggest to just skip over certain commentors or posts altogether. Thanks again.
Posted by: SYRPIS | Sep 15, 2008 12:36:13 AM
Syp - you are the person people skip over......but when Smitty gets back watch out. 200 yards a game is what we're in for. Who can beat this team (with Jake)..I swear he's in the top five QB's in the league this year. Don't think anybody thought the panthers would go 2-0 without smith, but watch out NFL...Vikes going to 0-3
Posted by: syp idiot | Sep 15, 2008 1:04:34 AM
Aladjf@aol.com
Thanks for reading my comment. Your support of my posts is what I live for.
Posted by: SYRPIS | Sep 15, 2008 1:34:49 AM
Great game boys, great game.
Im going to get a Harris jersey tomorrow...
Can anybody tell me why they didnt try for a two point conversion after they scored the touchdown that led to a 12-17 score? anybody care to explain that?
Posted by: Saint Hater | Sep 15, 2008 3:21:15 AM
Saint, after what chasing 2-pts. did for Foxy in a certain game in Houston a few years back, I doubt we see that again.
Posted by: JAT | Sep 15, 2008 5:33:44 AM
Saint Hater,
It was too early in the game to go for the 2-point conversion. If they'd missed on it, the score would have stayed 12-17. Then, later on, after we scored our last touchdown, we would have gone up 18-17 and forced to decide between kicking it for 1-point or going for another 2-point conversion. Bottom line, we could easily have wound up being ahead at the end of the game...but by less than 3 points...which means Chicago could have kicked a FG for the win if they'd gotten into range.
Secondly, I think another reason not to go for 2-points on that first touchdown is that you don't want to risk failing it and then giving Chicago new life. We had already turned momentum our way. Our defense was playing lights-out. Remember, they only gave up a FG in the first half and a TD in the second half after a costly turnover by our offense. So, I think they trusted our defense to get the ball back for us...which they did...and for our offense to score again...which they did. So it worked out fine.
Thirdly, the odds of pulling off a 2-point conversion attempt is no better than 40%. So it stands to reason we were more likely to miss on it than not. And, personally, I think the odds of missing on it were even higher considering how stout the Chicago defense played throughout the entire game.
Lastly, do you remember Super Bowl XXXVIII? We made the mistake of going for 2-point conversions multiple times in that game instead of just kicking it for 1. If we'd stuck with the conventional 1-point PATs, we'd have been up on the Patriots enough so they'd have needed a FG to tie us, not win. So sometimes these early decisions to go for 2-point conversions can really have some dire circumstances.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil
Posted by: NSpicer | Sep 15, 2008 7:39:37 AM
Actually, as far as gamble is concerned, he's having the same problems he's always had: if he could actually catch a ball, we would won by 20 yesterday.
Posted by: Wes | Sep 15, 2008 11:22:49 AM
I wish people would stop with the Gamble bashing. Wes, if he can't catch, why is he tied for second in team history for interceptions?
Posted by: T | Sep 15, 2008 11:31:11 AM
Because he gets thrown at 30 times a game. Even a pitcher screws up and hits hits Casey Kotchman's bat with a ball once in a while.
Posted by: Wes | Sep 15, 2008 11:35:28 AM
and as much as i hate to say it, go watch the replays. The bears had receievers WIDE open on nearly every play. Lucky for us, Kyle Orton blows or it could have been a blow out the other way. I thought Charles Godfrey was terrific yesterday, and I honestly mean that. Lucas and Gamble were sub par at best. Seriously, go watch the replays. Peyton manning would have thrown 7 td's yesterday.
Posted by: Wes | Sep 15, 2008 11:36:59 AM
not to mention he's the longest tenured CB the team has ever had.
Posted by: ????? | Sep 15, 2008 12:00:46 PM
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