Panthers lose to Steelers at Bank Of America stadium to notch their fourth straight loss
Monday, 18 December 2006
(Charlotte, NC) Turn out the lights, the party’s over…..for those of us who remember the ‘good ole days’ when MNF meant, Frank Gifford, Howard Cossell and Don Meredith….you’ll remember Dandy Don’s musical refrain as the losing team slipped further into lossland. Panthers lose To Steelers 37 – 3 and slip to 6 – 8 in the NFC South, someone queue the band, Dandy Don is clearing his throat.
Like most Panther fan’s, I’ve tried to be as optimistic as possible in the midst of a lackluster season. We knew there were going to be a lot of questions to be answered.
How will the Panthers respond to challenge in the face of adversity?
Would their be a running game after Stephen Davis? After Steve Smith missed the entire pre-season with a hammy, we asked the question, can Keyshawn Johnson fill the shoes of Mushin Muhammad? When Dan Morgan & Mike Wahle went down early, yes more questions.
Well, Cat fans, we have our answer, and in the words of the immortal Delbert ‘ not too good’.
Despite all the injuries and questions there was still not a game on the schedule that looked like Mt Everest. If you look at each game you’ll see an interception, a fumble a dropped pass or a missed tackle that spelled doom for the Cats.
The Cardiac Cats have faded into Bolivian and no CPR or defibrillator is going to save them.
I’ve heard it said the true test of character is not how you face each day with the sun shining in your face and the cool breeze refreshing but rather how you respond when the breaks are going against you and all appears lost….how a team responds has everything to do with character.
There is not a single person to point the finger at. Yes, we’ll be reading a lot about who should go and whose fault it is. I would suggest that it’s not any one individual on the field but a collective loss of desire, passion and the will to win.
If any position needs to be re-evaluated it would be the OC, Dan Henning. Dan is a good guy with an impressive resume and yes, he helped get the Cat’s to the Super Bowl. Yes, coaches coach and players play but I would suggest the game plan for this season in the midst of the injuries lacked imagination, creativity and an answer. He seemed to be one game behind in all adjustments.
Sunday’s game ball goes to…the fans. We’ve endured a long and disappointing season. With two games remaining, @ ATL and @ the Saints. We can hope that 8 – 8 will be enough for a wildcard.
Somehow it seems fitting the last game of the season will be under the lights of the rebuilt SuperDome and the home of the NFC South clinching Saints who have re-invented themselves as the darlings of the NFC.
Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Sean Payton; all I can say is represent!
