Tom Talks

Panthers will bring Hurney, Fox and Fox's staff back next season

   Carolina Panther general manager Marty Hurney, head coach John Fox and Fox's entire coaching staff will be offered the opportunity to return next season, the Charlotte Observer has learned.

   Fox, whose contract will expire after the 2010 season, will not be offered an extension, however. Sources say he is scheduled to make about $6 million next season.

   The return of the general manager and coaches could be a reward for upset victories the last two Sundays of Minnesota and the New York Giants.

   Another factor, however, could be a potential lockout after the 2010 season. Contract negotiations between owners and players is expected to be bitter. If the owners lock the players out, teams might reduce expenses to prepare for the economic fallout.

  

  

Jimmie Johnson easy choice as AP Male Athlete of the Year

   Heard some debate about Jimmie Johnson begin selected by The Associated Press as its Male Athlete of the Year. The concern was that race car drivers are not athletes.

   But they are. There's no question they are.

   Anybody who has attended a race knows this. Athletics are a testament to many qualities, among them stamina, endurance, quickness and hard work. One of the most athletic moves I have ever seen was delivered by Jeff Gordon at Daytona International Speedway.

   Two cars spun and wrecked in front of Gordon. Looking down from the press box, I could see no way for Gordon to escape. But relying on instinct, and his spotter, Gordon found an opening where none appeared to exist. He approached the torn metal like a too-quick point guard setting up his man off the dribble. Gordon eluded the carnage and sailed through.

   Gordon was great. Johnson is the best driver I've ever seen. He was won an unprecedented four straight championships. His sustained excellence lifts him to the top of his sport, and nobody in any other sport has been as effective as he is.

   Johnson is an athlete, and a champion, and he's worthy.

  

  

Ochocinco, the NFC South and not playing for pride

    Looking back at Sunday:

   The warmest moment of the day, and of the season, was offered by Chad Ochocinco's after he caught a 49-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer. He dropped to both knees, looked up and touched his heart. The gesture was a tribute to fellow Cincinnati receiver Chris Henry, who died in Charlotte three days earlier.

   Only one NFC South team lost this weekend -- New Orleans. Carolina, a 9-point underdog, beat Minnesota. Tampa Bay, a 7-point underdog, beat Seattle. And Atlanta, a 3-point underdog, beat the New York Jets. But the Saints, a 7-point favorite, couldn't sustain the South's honor at home against Dallas. The Cowboys beat them 24-17.

   Somebody asked the Panthers what they had left to play for, now that the playoffs no longer are a possibility.

   I hate the question. I know that football is a rough game and motivation is required. But why wouldn't a team play hard? If football is your job, why wouldn't you do it as well as you could?

Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring

    On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me -- an offense. Give me an offense. The Panthers need an offense. This offense is the reason alcohol is sold at games.

Horns

   I saw more horns outside Bank of America Stadium Sunday night than I have since the Panthers began playing in Charlotte. Fans of the Minnesota Vikings seemed to work their way into every tailgate, parking lot and pregame party.

   The crowd -- Carolina fans as well as Minnesota fans -- was remarkably festive. Give fans a few hours head start and they forget their team is 5-8. Maybe they were just happy to be here. This was by far the toughest Panther ticket of the season.

The true meaning of Christmas

   I usually love this time of year but have struggled the last few weeks to embrace the spirit. I don't why. It's been an interesting year.

   I ought to be happy. I stick a dollar in the pot of every bell ringer I encounter. I buy presents for kids who might not otherwise get any. I buy my mom her annual present, a subscription to the Charlotte Observer. My older kid is flying down for the Vikings' game. And still I don't feel right.

   And then I went to two Christmas parties -- Ric Flair's and John Boy and Billy's.

   I'm telling you, if spending time with Ric one night and John Boy and Billy and the gang on another does not get you in a festive holiday mood, nothing will.

   I understand now, for the first time, what the holidays are all about.

   And after 10 or 15 cups of coffee, I will act on it.

  

It's not Wayne's World, it's Roy's

   I was walking down the street and a guy told me I ought to write more about hockey and I said hockey doesn't interest me and he said I was practicing censorship. If I were North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams, I would have asked security to remove him. But I'm not. So I kept walking.

   I was driving down the left lane of I-485 and the car in front of me was driving more slowly than I was and I flashed my brights but the driver, who clearly doesn't understand how a freeway works, refused to move. If I were Roy Williams, I would have asked security to have the driver towed.

   I was at the coffee shop and the woman at the front of the long line didn't think about what she wanted or how she was going to pay for it until she reached the counter. She finally decided on a glorified milk shake with many colorful items and then reached for a credit card and couldn't find it and couldn't find sufficient cash, eitehr. If I were Roy Williams, I would have called security and had her arrested.

   There are times I wish I were Roy Williams. But without the sweater vest. 

Great work by the Bobcats

   If you saw the Charlotte Bobcats play for the first time Wednesday, and knew nothing about their record or their history, you would have said, "This is a good team."

   They were smart and unselfish, never backed down and beat Denver 107-95 at home.

   And everybody contributed. Center Nazr Mohammed took only seven shots yet scored 15 points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot.

   You know that guard Flip Murray is going to shoot. Guy is a scorer. He scored 10 and hit a huge shot late.

   Point guard Raymond Felton scored 14 on only seven field goal attempts and hit two huge driving layups late. They were tough shots, but even if he missed you want your point guard missing from a foot, not from 22.

   Early this season Felton was tentative; it was as if he was aware of his pending free agency, and lack of a contract, every time he went to basket. He played as if he was afraid to make a mistake. He is running this team now, making big shots and playing loose and playing well.

   Gerald Wallace might be the world's best 6-7 rebounder. He grabbed a game-high 16 last night, five offensive. He also scored 25 points and went to the line 11 times.

   Stephen Jackson did everything. Somebody would hit him with a pass and he'd get the rid of the ball so quickly it was as if it hurt his hands. He finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one huge testament to his leadership -- he volunteered to guard Denver scorer Carmelo Anthony.

   In the fourth quarter, he rarely allowed Anthony, who scored 34, to get the ball where he wanted it.

   Jackson has had the impact this season that Boris Diaw and Raja Bell did when Charlotte acquired them last December. But the Bobcats made the trade for Jackson almost a month earlier than they did the trade last season for Diaw and Bell.

   Jackson already has been assimilated and already has markedly improved this team. What the Bobcats need, he provides.

    The Bobcats are two games below .500, a viable playoff contender and they're entertaining.

Who's No. 1? Your guess is as good as theirs

   Some of the bowls are interesting. I like undefeated TCU and undefeated Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. I like Florida and undefeated Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl.

    Alabama has to play somebody for the national championship, and it might as well be Texas.

   Charlotte, as usual, got a good NIT game -- North Carolina versus Pittsburgh in the Meineke Bowl.

   But what I take away from the bowl lineup is what I always take away. The system doesn't work. If Boise State blows out TCU, or if TCU blows out Boise State, the winner can make a case that it, and not the Alabama-Texas winner, is No. 1. If Cincinnati beats Florida, it can make a case that it is No. 1.

   Most of want a champion. We don't want to guess who the best team is. We want to know.

   The bowl system ensures that we will never find out.

Good times

   I heard fans at halftime complain about the entertainment value of the Carolina-Tampa Bay game. They must not have been in New Jersey last week. Compared to the Panthers-New York Jets game, this is high drama. Compared to the Jets game, this is Georgia Tech versus Clemson or Appalachian State versus Richmond.

   Incidentally, who are the Georgia Tech and Clemson coaches kidding when they say their losses to mediocre (by SEC standards) SEC teams in rivalry games last week did not detract from the ACC championship?

   Georgia Tech's loss to Georgia and Clemson's loss to South Carolina discredits the teams and the league.