Favorite Era

[SwagAces9030]

TD was a Fox pick, Stewart was a Fox pick, Charles Johnson was a Fox pick, arguably the best center in the league in Kalil was a Fox pick... All massive contributions to our success now were under the Hurney and Fox regime. Now everyone talking consistency needs to rethink that statement. We were 7-8-1 last season, and caught the NFCS at a vulnerable time. I remember many 7-9 and 8-8 seasons under fox. Also people will say we went 4-0 down the stretch and were worthy of that playoff appearance (which I agree), but under Fox in 2004 we made a very similar run after a 1-7 start. (Vicks hover board into the end zone still stings) Obviously this team today shows no signs of slowing down in the near future, but it is the NFL and things can change on a dime. It's very difficult to remain consistent in the NFL, but we do have the corner stone pieces to do it. My biggest question comes with Gettlemen and how he will manage the cap when KB, Short, Star, Norman etc... All need to get paid. That said, I trust in Gettlemagic. 

[SwagAces9030]

1 hour ago, MechaZain said:

The underdog mentality is the one thing that I think has been carried through every era. Feeling disrespected and with something to prove is an attitude that's been ingrained into the franchise and when I hear these guys mention it every week it reminds me of the past rosters. It's so deep that if we go all the way I thoroughly expect fans and players to still feel underrated next year when not everyone is treating the Panthers as the next football dynasty. 

Team and community chemistry is at an all-time high so the current roster is probably my favorite. Between TD and Peanut and Braylon and the Sunday giveaways among a ton of other stuff it's hard not love this group. There's a lot of great stories here and guys you want to see succeed. That's huge for a franchise whose biggest star for the longest was notorious for being kind of a detached from the community (Peppers). 

Mike Minter, and Mike Rucker were two of the most stand up community members this league has ever seen... There were plenty of good guys on that regime to mask Peppers detached attitude. 

[Even Janitor]

For me, the current Panthers are easily my favorite.  It's hard to describe exactly, but the whole franchise seems to have a different persona now, and it's no doubt due to being Cam Newton's team now.  The whole franchise has taken on his personality.  The end zone dances, giving away the TD balls, the 2 minute warning team photos, it all shows a fraternity built around their general on the field.

In their early successes, the team had more of a mercenary feel -- veteran free agents playing out their last years.  The current team feels more like a team built and developed in-house, it's truly a Carolina Panthers team, and not simply the beneficiary of skilled veterans whose tenures with their last teams had come to an end.

Another thing for me is that this team is genuinely entertaining to watch.  I'm all for whatever it takes to get Ws, but Fox-ball was often dull to watch.  Having a top tier QB makes a big difference just from a spectator's perspective.