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please enlighten me...

beastson52

By beastson52,
in Carolina Panthers

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beastson52 Newbie

beastson52

Posted
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start off with a little background. I became I panther fan at the young age of about 6 in about 95-96. My uncle tried to get my dad into football at told him the first step was choosing a team to root for. my dad being from mexico had never really understood america football but for some odd reason he chose the Panthers.  The passion ensued..... 

 

 

 

I was to young to understanding the Sam mills, Wesley walls, biakamutuka etc..... of this team but.... I would like to hear from older folks what made them so great. how do they compare to luke and Olsen  and other present players. My football comprehension really kicked in in 2003. Ever since then I know this team inside and out. But I want to hear about the things before then? Sloop I say again, please enlighten me.

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coralreefer_1 Newbie

coralreefer_1

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The only thing that made the team great back in those days was that they were OUR team. Hell, I didn't even watch football until we scored the franchise. The only reason I cared and became a fan was because we had a "home" team!

 

And ohh yeah...Fred Lane! I used to love hearing "Fred Lane up the lane for ___ yards~"

 

 

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KillerKat Grand Master

KillerKat

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I guess 4 years really makes a difference at that age. I was 10 in 1995 and remember how great those guys were. Walls was a dependable receiving threat. Especially in the endzone. His TD celebrations were some of my favorite. Mills was the heart of the Panthers from day 1. Always around the ball, making hard nose tackles. Tshmunga Biakabutuka was fast and always fell forward. If he didn't suffer those injuries, he could've still been our best RB ever or at least top 3.

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VerticalThreat Newbie

VerticalThreat

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I was 9 when the Panthers started playing. I didn't live in Charlotte at the time ( I grew up in the Thomasville/High Point area), so surprisingly the team wasn't THAT big of a deal to some folks. I think the team was a big deal to Charlotteans, but a lot of the rest of the Carolinas already had teams and really didn't know how to react to HAVING their own team in THEIR state. So, as a 9 year old it was tough to stay up-to-date with all of the ins and outs of the team...we had dial-up AOL and there wasn't a Huddle or heavy sports coverage (kids these days have it so nice).

 

From what I remember of the team, we were a lunch pail team. They weren't the fastest, biggest or the most skilled, but they brought it. It really was a TEAM. Each person played a part to the type of football we wanted to play (still think that rings true today as our identity, but some of the pieces are markedly better).  Like most, I remember the Linebackers and Wesley Walls. I really liked Michael Bates. Dude was a BURNER. i thought it was so cool that we had a gold medal Olympian on our team. He was only here for 5 years ('96-'00) but he went to the Pr* B*wl each year. I know, it's the Pro Bowl, but that's still pretty impressive for a guy on a team that's been around for 5 years to make it consistently.

 

I think the biggest thing, and it's something that others have touched on, was that it was OUR team and they made us proud because they played hard (Little Engine that Could-esque). We might get beat 45-7, but every guy was going to go at it full speed. I think people really appreciated that.

 

Just my 2 cents. Nice offseason thread. Keep Pounding.

 

Here's a nice article about some of the more underrated guys that we've had and they call some overrated as well not sure I agree with those:

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000209732/article/carolina-panthers-alltime-underrated-overrated-players

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mc52beast Grand Master

mc52beast

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Basically as far as philosophy the team is the same now as it was in the beginning, a hard nosed.bunch of guys who left/ leave everything on the field. It seems that no matter who we have had as a coach they have all looked for the same on-field/ off-field qualities. With the exception of a few sour apples like Carruth our guys have been easy to support.

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Johnny Rockets Rookie

Johnny Rockets

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A fun year was the team's 2nd year in existence (96-97 season). They won the NFC West, had a first round bye, beat the Cowboys at home and eventually lost soundly in the NFCG to the Packers up in Lambeau. Anthony Johnson was the RB, Kerry Collins the QB, and Mark Carrier and Wesley Walls were the main receiving threats. Moose was a rookie that year and didn't play much I don't think.

 

It was quite the impressive run for a team in their 2nd year in the league. I remember I was getting on a cruise ship in Miami right before kickoff and went straight to the sports bar to watch the game.

Capers won coach of the year and J Richardson said Capers had a "lifetime contract" to coach the team......but he was fired 2 years later.  :)  

 

Also have fond memories of Steve Beuerlein who replaced Kerry Collins after he literally benched himself and left town. He had one of the best years ever for a QB at that time and I think it was in 1999. He is also famous for the "Carolina Draw" when he did a designed QB draw from the 5 yd line against the Packers to win the game with no time left. It was hilarious because he was about as mobile as a cinder block but no one expected it. Look it up - it's an entertaining story.  George Seifert eventually ran him out of town for no good reason.

 

Patrick Jeffers had his 15 mins of fame year that year with 10+ TD's and over 1,000 yds receiving. He never did much before that and never was heard from again. I forget what happened to him. 

 

Having greats like Reggie White and Kevin Greene on the team were early notables as well. 

 

Guess I really dated myself with this post. 

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beastson52 Newbie

beastson52

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The nerd in me believes that Dan Morgan is like the Anakin Skywalker to Luke Keuchly.

Since Morgan was ruined by injuries the football force re-manifested his midichlorians into Luke Keuchly. Luke is everything Morgan was supposed to be.

That.....was......deep.... still can't believe Morgan became a saint :(

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Johnny Rockets Rookie

Johnny Rockets

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The nerd in me believes that Dan Morgan is like the Anakin Skywalker to Luke Keuchly.

 

 

Since Morgan was ruined by injuries the football force re-manifested his midichlorians into Luke Keuchly. Luke is everything Morgan was supposed to be.

 

 

and here Morgan is one game away from winning his second Superbowl ring. 

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