Am I the only one who thinks the Panthers will be even better this season?

[Eazy-E]

Yes we went 12-4 last season which was an awesome ride. It seems though that this offseason people are already losing hope. I guess because of the fact that so much from the past decade of Panthers football is gone. Maybe that makes fans uncomfortable. Fans may think that last season was a fluke, which is how most of the media seems to feel.

 

Our defense last season was scary good with a patchwork secondary yet it seems we still don't get the credit we deserve. This season it should be even better. Our front 7 is arguably the best in the NFL. Our secondary on paper, is better than what it was last season. Defense alone should give us the opportunity to win every game we play.

 

Offense is where I feel most people think we are in trouble. Yes Gross retiring is a huge loss. With upgraded play at gaurd, which a healthy Silatolu and Turner should provide, will help mask the loss. Our guard play last season was god awful. Lets pray the line stays Healthy this season and I think it will be better than years past.

 

We finally gutted the WR corp after years of us begging for it. I know most wanted it to be done while retaining Steve Smith but thats over and done with now. I am not really sure why the media acts like we lost 1500yds and 10tds. Our new group of guys including TEs should be better than what we trotted out on the field last season. I am not really sure how you can argue against that.

 

The only thing I really worry about is the return game with the loss of Ginn. You would think the coaching staff would have realized how important it is to have a true return specialist. As of now I don't even know who is going to be fielding kicks for us this year.

 

Overall I don't see how anyone would think we will not be as good if not better than we were last season. As long as the coaching staff doesn't take a complete 180 and stays with the philosophy we ended last season with, The Panthers are in a great place now and for seasons to come.

 

It's time to believe in the Panthers as top dogs in the NFL. There isn't a single team we cannot defeat on any given sunday.

[DatsMyQuarterback]

"Weeee R' the Panthers my friend, N weeee'll do the fighting til' the end... We R the Panthers, WE R' THE PANTHERS, NO TIME FOR LOSING CUZ WE R' THE PANTHERS!!!"

[The Huddler]

Not the only one. I am very hopeful. It would be nice to beat our trend as a team in a historic sense and follow up with back to back winning seasons. Anything can happen and the ball could bounce away from us, but the off season moves seem really clever to me and I'm very optimistic

[Your GFs favorite huddler]

Idk about a better record but deff a better overall team that will go further in the playoffs! 12-4 will be tough to equal or better but I don't think records are the tell all be all! I wouldn't consider a solid 11-5 or 10-6 a step back

[Montsta]

I also believe we will be better. Our D will be better. Our offensive line will be better, our WR's will be better, our coaching staff will be better.

Maybe not a better record, but we'll be a better team.

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[t96]

I think it'll be hard to be better, but we can certainly do it. We need guys to step up and improve even more like Melvin White, Carrington Byndom, Robert Lester, Bersin, KB, Nate and Bell, Trai, Klein, DeCoud, Cason, etc. If we get even a couple of them to step up and play great then we could be better. I have high expectations and hopes for this season. I think it'll be a disappointment even if we go 9-7 (though clearly a step in the right direction for the team overall since we'll be getting out of cap hell sooner than later, and would be back to back winning seasons for the first time). We have the potential to match 12-4 or even go as high as 14-2 I think. 10-6 would be fine but my expectations and hopes are for 11-5 or better.

[rscott94]

Our defense will be better and the offense has the potential to be better depending on how Bell and Chandler preform. I'm feeling a 10-6 season coming and we make the wildcard

[pstall]

So many things fell our way last year.

I will be surprised if we win 8 or more.

The wr turnover to me is the big unknown. I can see them using KB as a TE type.

I think I said 9 or 10 last yr so I'm saying 8 this.

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[Omega Atrocity]

I agree with some others that said our record will be worse, but we'll have a better team. My prediction is somewhere around 10-6. I just hope that is enough for the playoffs, which is no guarantee in the NFC.

[ickmule]

Is 15-1 better? If so, then yes, we will be better.

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[j2sgam]

No predictions, just the usual July optimism. I do think we are better, at worst the same, as last year, just a lot of unknowns. I don't but the media bullhype, bad or good...

But I also don't consider the schedule & what the other 13 teams are gonna be like. I just believe in the team. Every year there's a team doing what they didn't in previous years. Nobody thought AZ or KC were going to do what they did last season. Hell, last was our 1st winning season since 08 ('09 record slips my mind at teh moment). We are on the cusp of greatness, been sayin that since Cam showed up....

Right now, it's only Tampa Bay, worry about the rest as they come. Mitchell said last year "You have to play us..", I feel the same. Come with your best, you're going to need it....

Prob'ly drunk on miPhone using CarolinaHuddle...

[Pejorative Miscreant]

I believe in this team.  I think they are better and can repeat as NFCS champions.  Call me stupid but I think the young guys and the coach learned how to win last year.  I know cliches dont win football games but there are weapons on this team.  Many of whom are overlooked. 

[UpstatePanther]

Idk about a better record but deff a better overall team that will go further in the playoffs! 12-4 will be tough to equal or better but I don't think records are the tell all be all! I wouldn't consider a solid 11-5 or 10-6 a step back

 

i would consider 10-6 a step back. but not a far cry. my expectation is between 9 and 12 wins. i think 11-5 is the most likely, but if we have great luck again this season, 12-4 is absolutely achievable. 

 

i posted a prediction thread claiming that the Panthers would go 13-3. my expectations have been tempered a bit, but i haven't done alot of research at this point to update my prediction specifics. but the general impression i have is somewhere between 9-7 and 12-4. who knows... after some analysis i might once again say 13-3... we shall see.

 

"Game-by-Game Preview, Analysis, and Prediction (version 2.0)" coming in 33 days!

[PandaPancake]

I'll make this simple. Panthers are Galactus and the planet is the rest of the NFL: