What I would like to see after a very successful offseason

[musicman]

is the negativity and pessimists to slow it down and ALL panthers fans to rally behind the team. Here's why;

We had a near perfect off-season with limited money and almost accomplished all our goals even with cap limitations, unlike some teams.

We improved in almost every area (yes on paper) except maybe FS, but we have to wait and see and we can't expect everything. Hurney and Rivera deserve a lot of credit for what they did this year.

If things falls right, with the lower expectations this team could and should sneak up on a lot of teams. Yes we have to stay healthy, new players have to learn a new system and guys on the lines have to gel. But if they do start to take shape then we have a team that will not only have a real good year but could go deep into the playoffs. 

The things Tepper and the new way the team is operating is going to bring more energy and excitement to games which needs the loyal fans to not sell their tickets to visiting fans, show up and be loud at the games. That's all that could be missing in a magical season.

I also think this team is being built to stay competitive for years and that's another reason to be positive. I may be a homer but I see more positives. There's always gonna be a question or a concern, but every team has them. Let's give it a chance and that starts where fans can make the biggest difference, at games, being loud and give us home field advantage at BofA stadium. Let's try and do what the Roaring Riot does, promote energy and excitement from the fans in support of the team. 

[Moo Daeng]

The people who whine 18 hours a day online don't go to games. It's all good.

[Lumps]

This usually happens after a successful season. See 2009 playoffs, 2013 playoffs 2015 playoffs etc. massive support from fans in the stadium and city.

But that’s not the issue. That’s a given it’s going to happen. It always does.

But then the Panthers go on the next season and and destroy their fan base momentum. And not even a little. They’re so awful in their next season that fans believe their good season and purely a fluke. Their play and records are atrocious. An anomaly. 

It’s the Panther own fault for the negativity. I understand teams like the Browns have die hard fans regardless but personally I’d like to think we don’t stoop to that level. To be so happy we even out, or score a TD, or hell just be excited we showed up to play the damn game. The Browns don’t deserve their fans.

I feel we should not be one of those teams. We should strive for more and to be better than that. You know what I want to see? Back to back winning seasons and momentum building a fan base towards a consistent winner. A fan base envied because of constantly being one of those teams you see post season. I want to see us own the south. 

It’s a two way street and what you’re asking for already happens. But it’s not permanent because the Panthers aren’t consistent, and that’s on them. The Panthers need to deserve their fans.

[Cam's New Arm]

[Sgt Schultz]

This is a chicken or egg discussion: which comes first.  The organization has had no consistency on the field throughout its existence.  At some point the expectations are tempered.  As the saying goes, the number one cause of disappointment is unrealistic expectations, and fans are deal with that after an extended period of ups and downs.  Cubs fans used to always approach success with the underlying expectation of the team screwing it up.

However, there may be light at the end of that tunnel.  The light is not from the offseason, that is just a symptom.  With new ownership, there is hope (based on the new owner’s track record in his other endeavors) that the commitment is to consistent and long-term success.  We saw an offseason filled with buying (drafting) and renting (FAs) players to that end, strengthening the roster.  But, it is still a paperwork exercise at this point.

That is where my optimism lies.  I don’t think a playoff season is unrealistic, but I also have no expectations from the Panthers or anybody else in June.  Even the most stacked roster in the league could be decimated by injuries as 2019 unfolds. 

One more note: I grew up in St. Louis, and I will always be a Blues fan.  I’m still on cloud nine over their Stanley Cup championship.  However, watching the NHL playoffs unfold, 50 years of watching fits and starts made me extremely cautious as their run went on.  If you follow hockey, they were tied at 2 games each in the first round vs. Winnipeg and scored the game winning goal with :15 left, in Winnipeg, to take a 3-2 series lead.  I had mixed emotions, because I thought Winnipeg was a contender (and I have no animosity toward them) and it was just a matter of time before the Blues did what the Blues always did.  I was pumped by the goal, but there were those but there still were those buzzards circling overhead.  Those mixed feelings went away as the playoffs progressed and they made other plays at critical times, and the wins piled up.  I began to buy into the fact that they could 1) actually reach the finals, and 2) possibly even win the thing if they did.  Truth is, I was happy they just got to the finals, as were most Blues fans that I know.  Call them tempered expectations based on history.

I’m not sure my feelings at the time, which are probably now forever changed, are all that different from what most Panther fans feel.

[LinvilleGorge]

Wins. Wins are what I would like to see after a very successful off-season.

As of right now, we're just speculating that we had a very successful off-season. I like our moves too, but ultimately the W-L record this upcoming season will determine if that was actually the case. Many of us (myself included) thought that the addition of Poe last year would at the minimum offset the loss of Star. Didn't exactly play out that way on the field.

[kungfoodude]

1 hour ago, Sgt Schultz said:

This is a chicken or egg discussion: which comes first.  The organization has had no consistency on the field throughout its existence.  At some point the expectations are tempered.  As the saying goes, the number one cause of disappointment is unrealistic expectations, and fans are deal with that after an extended period of ups and downs.  Cubs fans used to always approach success with the underlying expectation of the team screwing it up.

However, there may be light at the end of that tunnel.  The light is not from the offseason, that is just a symptom.  With new ownership, there is hope (based on the new owner’s track record in his other endeavors) that the commitment is to consistent and long-term success.  We saw an offseason filled with buying (drafting) and renting (FAs) players to that end, strengthening the roster.  But, it is still a paperwork exercise at this point.

That is where my optimism lies.  I don’t think a playoff season is unrealistic, but I also have no expectations from the Panthers or anybody else in June.  Even the most stacked roster in the league could be decimated by injuries as 2019 unfolds. 

One more note: I grew up in St. Louis, and I will always be a Blues fan.  I’m still on cloud nine over their Stanley Cup championship.  However, watching the NHL playoffs unfold, 50 years of watching fits and starts made me extremely cautious as their run went on.  If you follow hockey, they were tied at 2 games each in the first round vs. Winnipeg and scored the game winning goal with :15 left, in Winnipeg, to take a 3-2 series lead.  I had mixed emotions, because I thought Winnipeg was a contender (and I have no animosity toward them) and it was just a matter of time before the Blues did what the Blues always did.  I was pumped by the goal, but there were those but there still were those buzzards circling overhead.  Those mixed feelings went away as the playoffs progressed and they made other plays at critical times, and the wins piled up.  I began to buy into the fact that they could 1) actually reach the finals, and 2) possibly even win the thing if they did.  Truth is, I was happy they just got to the finals, as were most Blues fans that I know.  Call them tempered expectations based on history.

I’m not sure my feelings at the time, which are probably now forever changed, are all that different from what most Panther fans feel.

Great win by the Blues. Super pumped to see you guys beat the Bruins.

[Sgt Schultz]

Just now, kungfoodude said:

Great win by the Blues. Super pumped to see you guys beat the Bruins.

I'll be 58 next month, have been watching the NHL (and NFL) for 50 of those years.  I honestly didn't think I would live to see the Blues in another Stanley Cup final.

I'm hoping some of that rubs off on the Panthers this year, although I have not resigned myself to not seeing them back in the Super Bowl before I start pushing up daisies.  In fact, back in December I would have bet that I was more likely to see the Panthers carry a Lombardi home than the Blues skate with Lord Stanley.

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, Sgt Schultz said:

I'll be 58 next month, have been watching the NHL (and NFL) for 50 of those years.  I honestly didn't think I would live to see the Blues in another Stanley Cup final.

I'm hoping some of that rubs off on the Panthers this year, although I have not resigned myself to not seeing them back in the Super Bowl before I start pushing up daisies.  In fact, back in December I would have bet that I was more likely to see the Panthers carry a Lombardi home than the Blues skate with Lord Stanley.

Yeah, I am sure that was a dream ride, especially after all those years. 

For the Panthers, I just want to get back if we win. After two SB losses, I would rather not go to the big game than experience another crushing SB loss. That poo sucked sooooooooooooooo bad. Especially the loss to the Broncos. I never expected to lose to the worst team we had faced in the playoffs up to that point. That one hurt a LOT.

[Sgt Schultz]

While I didn't take the Broncos game for granted, I certainly did not expect the Panthers to lose it, let alone lay an offensive egg like they did.  That finished Shula in my eyes.  In the words of Mr. Wonderful, he became "dead to me."  At the NFL level, failing to make adjustments and just running the same thing (unsuccessfully) over and over is unforgivable. 

I would not consider a run ending in a Super Bowl loss enough, either.  Been there, done that.

[Manther]

Last season, was almost, the greatest collapse in NFL history.  We had a relatively successful off-season,  Cam was in MVP form,  Jackson and Moore were showing flashes.  Reid was the best safety signing we had had in a decade, or so we thought.  Gano tied the record for the longest winning field goal.  We were just waiting for the defensive line to get their act together.  Then came the loss in Pittsburgh...it was like watching a slow motion car wreck.  The rest of the season was trash. 

I was surprised we weren't more negative.

We're still here hoping that next season is the season.

[frash.exe]

wouldn’t it be great if everybody had the same opinion and acted like everything about the team is amazing? *sip*

[Toomers]

[PantherOnTheProwl1523]

11 hours ago, pennywise said:

BOA will never ever be loud. There’s too many golf clappers and elderly people there on game days.