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January 11, 2009
Panthers get another crack at Cardinals
The list of Panthers' opponents for next season has been released. On the schedule: A game against the team that beat them Saturday in the NFL playoffs -- the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
In addition to games against the NFC South, the Panthers' inter-conference games are against the NFC East and AFC East. They'll have home games against Buffalo, Miami, Washington and Philadelphia, as well as NFC North champ Minnesota.
They'll be on the road against New England and Dallas and have two games at the Meadowlands against the Jets and Giants, as well as at Arizona.
The schedule, with dates, will be released this summer. -- David Scott
Posted by Observer Sports on January 11, 2009 at 10:59 PM | Permalink
Comments
John Fox I have a question. If you are such a good coach, then why in the world didn't you put Jake on the bench. Jake is the worst and yet you didn't put in one of your other quarter backs. We are PSL owners but never do I want to see the Panthers play. It is your fault that you let one stupid player completely destroy the whole game.
So what kind of a stupid coach chewing your chewing gum could not make a simple decision to jerk Jack out let him rot on the bench. Your offensive corordinator, Jake, and you all need to be fired. You should have more respect for the Richardson family to desire to win. All your fans made many sacrificeds to see the game. Respect to the whole team is expected. Jake is the most inconsistant quaterback anyone has ever seen./ I hopw the richardsons get rid of him, send him back to where he came from we don't need him in NC whinning he will never be worth anything for the Panthers.
I am sure these comments you will never see and even if you do how many people are happy do you think to loose bringing another playoff game to charlotte.
Why don;t you let you corordinator & Jake & you call a replay on the game.HA So even if the Panthers won all their home games big deal. Picked by 10 points to win Sat. 11. game stinks. I could not possible vent all my fustration on this. I am sure this will make history.
Posted by: richardson | Jan 11, 2009 11:39:46 PM
The NFC Central?? What conference is that?
I'm guessing you meant the NFC North. Whatever the case, Those 2 divistions are 2 of the best in the league. Just to add to that, we still have to play our own division!! this year is going ot be scary.
Posted by: JED74 | Jan 12, 2009 12:04:43 AM
i'm a true fan since 93 when we weren't even tangible yet. i say that to say this-Jake is finished,34 and weak arm....period.o.coordinator needs to be repremandid for a horrible game plan, and j.fox even look at it?! sorry Jake,you have been decent but it is time for a change.
Posted by: the slaw | Jan 12, 2009 12:11:13 AM
richardson - obviously to chicken put your real name down.. News flash bozo, this is football not BASEBALL, you don't bring a relief pitcher/QB in when your behind in a game.. This was a bad game period, Panthers had a Great season, way above expectations.. All the experts including alot of the fair weather fans, didn't give the Panthers, any chance to win this year.. Tampa Bay and New Orleans were projected to be in the playoff's, and the Panther were rebuilding.. Guess what, they won 5 more games then last year, and set several Team records.. we are the 4th best team in the NFC, based off this past weekend.. Several other Great teams lost also... SO GET OVER IT.. Next year they will retool.and get better.. Jake is fine, he had one bad game..period..!! Go ahead and jump off the Bandwagon...!!!
Posted by: Catsnmbr1fan | Jan 12, 2009 1:04:38 AM
thank you Catsnmbr1fan. very well put. the only thing you left off was him whinning about people whinning.
Posted by: c boss | Jan 12, 2009 2:36:22 AM
thank you Catsnmbr1fan. very well put. the only thing you left off was him whinning about people whinning.
Posted by: c boss | Jan 12, 2009 2:37:32 AM
Jeff Davidson and Mike Trgovac need to be fired.Poor game plan and poor coaching by Fox against the almost worse team in NFL the CARDINALS.They hardly even made the playoffs this year thanks to the sorry teams like Rams,49ers and Seahawks.
Posted by: Beni | Jan 12, 2009 3:45:41 AM
"All your fans made many sacrificeds to see the game."
What exactly did you sacrifice? You're first born child? Get over it. You win some you lose some. I am scottish and live in Scotland, UK. I would be appreciative that I would even get to watch a game at all. This season I got to see my team win 12 and lose 5. Great season. Thanks Foxy, Jake and the guys. Maybe next year!!
Posted by: stu | Jan 12, 2009 4:12:50 AM
The strength of the running game this year masked Jake's flaws (somewhat). He was exposed this weekend.
I'm beginning to think maybe Dan Henning was onto something. He was criticized for his conservative play calling. But in retrospect, it seemed to be more about keeping a QB with poor decision-making skills in check.
Posted by: juan | Jan 12, 2009 7:05:25 AM
Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a Panthers fan... For all the hate I'm hearing for Jake... there sure are THOUSANDS of you "FANS" that wear his shirt..
It's the same as everywhere... when he's good, you LOVE him... when he's bad, he's garbage... The Panthers have had some GREAT games this year and Jake was on point as was Steve Smith, Peppers, DeAngelo, etc, etc....
Someone has to win.. someone has to lose.. it wasnt your time and seasoned NFL fans learn to accept this...
Posted by: Ima | Jan 12, 2009 7:12:24 AM
I do not want to see Jake or Davidson go.
(notice I left out Trgovac) I think Davidson
will do better once (if) Fox lets him have more control of the situatuon. We do need a good QB to join the team this year. Jake should restructure his contract to help out with the s. cap and them try to win the starting job. If he wins the job Fox still needs to yank him in favor of his back up when its clear he is going to have one of his bad days. If Jake looses the starting job then he will be very good to have around as a back up. I know all of this is like pissing in the wind but its how I see it.
Posted by: eric | Jan 12, 2009 7:13:41 AM
I see the whinners still abound...
I don't watch football but hear about it a lot at work. The Carolina Panthers appear to be a good team that can only get better. All of them... All of them.
But you erstaz fans will be heard above the True fans and the good team you had for the '08 season will be no more. Even a non-sports person can see the potential in them.
Ya done good Panthers...
Posted by: Rev John | Jan 12, 2009 7:22:45 AM
I agree.... You win some you lose some. Thats the NFL. Anybody can beat anybody on any given week. I think Fox is an overall good coach, BUT if Cower is available I say we should make a run at him. Fox would be a good fallback coach if we don't get him. You cant get a Bill Cower everyday. So I say go for him!!!
Posted by: Adam | Jan 12, 2009 7:48:04 AM
"whinning", "you're first born child", "looses", "repremandid", "almost worse team", "sacrificeds". Our fans are so smart.
Posted by: Authority | Jan 12, 2009 8:11:38 AM
You people need to remember that george siefert couldnt do what Fox did, and he has the best record in history. Jake had a bad game but at least he owned up to it.If you think it was the worst game ever, maybe you should watch the giants get beat by KC again to refresh your memory. intil then haters should sit down, shut up, and go watch the Dallas convicts play! Maybe they are more of your style.
Posted by: JET | Jan 12, 2009 8:12:04 AM
Like I've said all year. BLITZ the QB. The Panthers finally blitzed in the 2nd half of a blowout. 27 points had to be scored before we did our first safety blitz. Cards only scored 6 points in the 2nd half. Even though Jake threw several INTs in the redzone...our defense should have made more stops. Trgovac needs to be FIRED for lacking faith in his defensive players. For the Offense..... Jake's job should have been handing the ball off to our RBs just like on the first drive of the game.
Posted by: Lloyd | Jan 12, 2009 8:57:44 AM
Charles Chandler--- you were obviously upset when you put up the grades. I do agree the work of Mark Jones may have been the only strong suit the Panthers had to offer Saturday (especially since it seemed the Card's special teams unit was gameplanning against him), but to give everyone else an F or a D when the loss really falls on one person is a bit excessive, to say the least. First of all, was the offense on the field long enough to even get graded? Jake kept turning the ball over! How can you get a fair gauge of everyone else's performance when they can't even stay on the field long enough. Moreover, to blame your coaching staff for a loss when when your QB turns the ball over SIX TIMES is mind boggling... especially when a paid professional is the one bridging that gap.
Twice, the Cards had a short field (from the get go) because of Lloyd and the one you praised, Baker. Then, Jake hands them the ball at the 20?? After that, the rest was history. In short, it's hard not to own a team when their QB gives you the ball SIX TIMES!!! Just imagine what this game would have looked like if Jacker (At)Hommme didn't play hero wannabe and it was Warner who was the one turning the ball over all the time. Even with Kurt giving up half of those turnovers, the Panthers would have dominated that game. It is that simple, and "it is what it is"---Jake is to blame for giving up the game(.)
Posted by: Keeping It Real | Jan 12, 2009 9:01:48 AM
And Juan, that's a great point. Fans always want someone fired, but hindsight is 20/20. There is a fan (or two) that suggested they should have stuck to the run. Look at the stats. They did, even in the 3rd quarter with them being down 20 points at the half(most in team history). How are they supposed to stick to what they do best though, when your QB just gives the other team the ball??? They couldn't just keep running it and chew up their own clock. They were down four scores with only 2/5 of the game left. At that point, they had no choice than to try and get points fast.
Posted by: Keeping It Real | Jan 12, 2009 9:10:35 AM
Panthers are the 2008 NFC South Champs. Thanks for a good season. I wanted us to be Superbowl Champs just as bad as the next fan, just was'nt meant to be this year. "Feelin' kind of Sunday".......
Posted by: Joe Panther Fan | Jan 12, 2009 9:19:51 AM
back off of jake...we wouldn't even had made it this far without him. worst game of his career, but still....we couldn't stop arizona no way...we wouldn't have won by running it....sorry jake for our poor fan support. watch the film, feel sorry about the loss for a while, and get back into the seat for next year. we need you more than anyone will admit...who woulda thought 3 away teams would win this weekend? no one....it hurts....but i'm sure jake is the one hurting the most. 12-4 losing in the divisional round of the playoffs is more respectable than 7-9....get off his back.
Posted by: Clay | Jan 12, 2009 9:56:37 AM
Jeff Davidson and Mike Trgovac need to be fired.Poor game plan and poor coaching by Fox against the almost worse team in NFL the CARDINALS.They hardly even made the playoffs this year thanks to the sorry teams like Rams,49ers and Seahawks. - How bout' stop being a H8TER ! Your team got worked on Sat nite .. Get over it! No run game! no passing Game ! 43 rushing attmpts for AZ ... see you next season !
Posted by: Realist | Jan 12, 2009 10:29:37 AM
I have been a Panthers fan since they were created in the NFL expansion. I watched them every Sunday including the year they went 1-15. After every game it seems that the fans are calling for someones head to be chopped off. I admit that it is very dissapointing when your team loses when you expect them to win. I admit that we need to make some changes in certain areas as in the secondary and maybe the QB position but we have to remember it was Jake who got us to this point. No team gets it right the first time around and we are in a learning process. We should learn from the mistakes made and make changes where needed wherever they may be. I will say that when your running game is as good as ours that should be what you stick to. It's what got us to this point. The offensive coordinator went away from the game plan and put the ball in Jakes hands one too many times. I must say that I still have faith in the Panthers and I will always be a devoted fan and supporter. I don't think we will have Peppers next season though.
Posted by: pbo1328 | Jan 12, 2009 10:51:35 AM
Everyone knows Jake lost this game, but the Panthers also have their defense to blame. The panthers defense was horrible at the from November till the playoffs. I think the last 6 or 7 games at least every team scored 30 points on us. They need to start thinking about a new defensive coordinator, because that defense has a lot talent. As for Jake, he at least deserves one more year. The players play hard for him, and when he has played a whole season(2003,2004,2005,2008) we have made the playoffs three out of four years.
Posted by: Roy Smith | Jan 12, 2009 11:08:46 AM
I contended almost all of last year's entire season that, John Fox (sluggo) had no enthusiasm in yesterday's game.He is supposed to be the master motivator. What the hell is his story? Yes, Jake, should go. He always, well maybe not always, looks like he's ready to cry. Same as Sluggo.It all "runs down hill". The players were flat! Who's fault is that? Same as last year; in critical downs at the goal line, they RUN the ball! The GREAT coaches, such as Don Shula, get their players ready, AND somehow got his players to play above their heads... GET WELL MR. RICHARDSON !!!
Art ... Hamilton, MT
Posted by: Art Hortze | Jan 12, 2009 11:23:01 AM
Where is Procton? Where is the stalwart defense of his mancrush, Jake Delhomme?
Look, this was a great season where we once again found our identity (the run game) and we have a lot of young talent to build on.
Anyone who has been on these boards saying that Thomas Davis is no good needs to learn a thing or two about football. I mean, his season stats speak for themselves (113 tackles, 9 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 6 PDs, 2 Forced Fumbles), and last night he had another 10 tackles. The only play he blew was a big pass play to Larry Fitzgerald, but who in the hell really expects a linebacker to be able to cover arguably the best receiver in football?
Gamble is great, and for all of his haters you can jump in now, but his stats speak for themselves. What most people remember is that he dropped a lot of INTs this year, which was noticeable and inexplicable considering he showed such great hands his first couple of years and played WR and CB in college. But compare his stats through his first 5 seasons with the man who is widely considered the best shutdown corner of our generation, and maybe of all time, Champ Bailey.
Gamble: 355 Tackles, 62 Pass deflections, 1 sack, 4 forced fumbles, 20 INTs, and 2 TDs.
Bailey: 313 tackles, 80 Pass deflections, 1 sack, 4 forced fumbles, 18 INTs, and 1 TD.
Beason is obviously a beast.
Harris and Godfrey both showed a lot this season, and since Harris was almost certainly asked to babysit the rookie in his first season, I am willing to bet that next year when they come back Godfrey will be more comfortable, meaning that Harris can play more freely and put the pads on people (which is his biggest strength) instead of being a safety net.
Brayton needs to be kept on as a reserve, and Charles Johnson (6 sacks, second on the team in limited snaps) is heading into his third season, which is historically the season where young players have breakout years (will DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith, and Muhsin Muhammad please stand up? All three of them had huge leaps in performance in their third seasons). If Johnson shows improvement in the offseason, he should be given his chance to start, unless someone great pops up in free agency or the draft (not likely considering our first pick is a late 2nd rounder).
I maintain that Ma'ake fits well on the team because of his size and ability to take up 2 blockers which frees up others to make plays. However, he makes very few plays himself, which means we need to SIGNIFICANTLY upgrade the other DT position and get a playmaker who can make tackles, blow up the pocket from the inside, and has good awareness against the run.
Lucas needs to go, we need to open up competition for strong side linebacker this offseason, and regardless of what all you morons say, WE NEED TO KEEP PEPPERS. Peppers has a weakness, which is his tendency to disappear at times. However, he shows up a LOT more than he disappears (14 1/2 sacks is pretty good for someone who never shows up).
On offense, we need to keep the O-line intact, the RB situation is obviously settled, Smith is the golden boy, and Muhammad is invaluable for at least one more year. He dropped a lot of balls (actually, he and Smith both did this year) but this is uncharacteristic for them and considering the rash of dropped passes and INTs this year throughout the whole team, I am sure there will be obsessive hands training going on this offseason for many of our players.
Which leaves one area on this team which we need to focus on. Jake may have to start next year because he is the best of bad choices, but we need to get an heir apparent in place. Whether you believe he is good (I do NOT) or not, you can't refute that the man is getting old and his already suspect arm strength is getting even worse, and you can't have a weak arm and a gunslinger mentality (did anyone else watch Favre's collapse this year as the season wore on and his age started to show?) Jake makes bad decisions, and his turnovers more often than not seem to force a deadly momentum swing in the other team's favor. He is a liability, and though I agree that right now he is the best QB on the roster, we need to make it a priority this offseason to find someone else to carry that title.
Great season, a lot to build on, and all of you whiners please just stop.
Posted by: Steve | Jan 12, 2009 11:31:32 AM
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