This fan base has absolutely checked out of this season in a way I haven't seen since 2010

[My Goodness My Guinness]

12 minutes ago, TheRed said:

The reality is even without all the questions swirling about the future at QB, the Panthers defense which is the teams identity has been trending downward the last few years. Add into that our record within the division since 2015 on top of what we are witnessing behind center, and welp, it isn't difficult to see how we've gotten here.

Yeah Ron's defense has been trending downward since the super bowl. Sad because 2012-2015 we were elite. It's weird though because 2017 we had a great defense as well but the last two years have been awful. We should have tried to hire Wilks back. 

[MHS831]

2 minutes ago, rhyslloyd said:

It's a culture of apathy built by 25 years of Jerry Richardson's poor leadership and the last 8 years of Ron Rivera's poor coaching (and Fox before him).  2015 was an absolute miracle season.  It's an anomaly.  It's hard to maintain the energy and commitment when there's been nothing to really be excited about.  We've pretty much been going through the motions as a franchise the entire time.

I agree---let's bring in a real coach---let's build an OL and get some DL.  Tepper is upset---no bones about it.  Will he make moves?  I am almost certain of it--if we do not make the playoffs, RR will not get another year as a consolation prize. 

[t96]

That happens when your starting QB gets hurt and the backup struggles

[TheRed]

5 minutes ago, My Goodness My Guinness said:

Yeah Ron's defense has been trending downward since the super bowl. Sad because 2012-2015 we were elite. It's weird though because 2017 we had a great defense as well but the last two years have been awful. We should have tried to hire Wilks back. 

Goes to show just how quickly that window can slam shut.

But if you have a competent staff in place that doesn't settle for merely coasting by on past accomplishments you can sneak back in if you know how to draft. Look at the Seahawks. Remember when people were saying they were done just a few years ago? They retooled and dug deep and now they're sitting atop the conference after defeating the 49ers. That to me is what separates coaches like Rivera from the Pete Carroll's of the NFL. That is a harsh reality fans who are still holding out hope for the Rivera regime are going to have to face.

[hepcat]

26 minutes ago, pnthrs said:

meh.  Casual fans maybe.  Real fans know this is temporary.  The only person who is affected negatively by attendance is Tepper's concession/merch sales.  If Teppers bottom line drops - he makes changes to reverse that.  We get a new coaching staff/players.  The NFL is very fickle, teams can go from the top to the bottom in a few games and visa versa.   Enjoy the low anxiety of the rest of the season and let your cholesterol levels balance out before next year.   Even if I can't see the puzzle pieces right now, I am highly optimistic about the future of this team because I know that we have an owner who is absolutely committed to excellence. 

Yes it's temporary, no team can be miserable forever (the Browns are certainly trying) but my feelings are this team is declining fast. I've watched the majority of Panthers games over the past 20 years, and I'm really nervous the Panthers are about to be a bottom dweller for a very long time.

The QB situation is extremely uncertain, and as we've seen around the league, if you're playing QB roulette, your team is going to suck. Even if you get a mediocre QB, you need a badass team around that QB to be successful. And with the defense being mostly free agents, a terrible offensive line, and the coaching staff likely out after this year, there are way too many variables for me to be confident this team will improve at all next season.

[hepcat]

44 minutes ago, Sam Mills Fan said:

Look around you. Attendance is down at the stadium. Conversation on here is down. WFNZ is getting less Panthers calls. It's really just the hardcores left playing out the string. Pretty sad. Feels like we're at our lowest point since late 2010. At least last year when we were losing 100 games in a row, we were still thinking we were going to have a healthy Cam back in 2019. This year? Outside of McCaffrey, there is absolutely nothing I'm invested in.

Yes....it's very sad that we have nothing to be excited about other than Christian McCaffrey. 

[MHS831]

3 minutes ago, t96 said:

That happens when your starting QB gets hurt and the backup struggles

It does---I would like to add that our QB is struggling because he is 23, inexperienced, and unproven.  He has struggled when he is asked to play from behind, behind an offensive line playing poorly, and featuring a defense that can't seem to get off the field on third down. 

That gives the QB fewer opportunities, and he has tried to make plays and he is not that QB yet---or maybe ever.   For example,  Luck retires and Brissett is good--why?  They have a good OL. 

Not deflecting from Allen's play in our losses, but we lose when he gets pressure.  That ruins the timing and the QB has to improvise.  He is not a Russell Wilson or Drew Brees.  So by not playing well on both lines (Off and Def), we are putting our young QB in a hellacious mess.

[t96]

If we still have a chance at making the playoffs, I would never be checked out. And even when it looks dire like this year now, I will always enjoy watching our younger players develop as well our superstar(s) ball out, even in losses. Nowhere near the same as winning but I still enjoy watching the team regardless of record or how we’re playing.

[Mr. Scot]

Remember too that there was a lot of hype about the defensive changes last offseason. People were excited to see what the switch to a 3-4 would look like. Then we added to that hype by using our first round pick on a talented defensive player.

And heck, it looked pretty good early. We were leading the league in sacks and all that. People thought we were returning to our defensive glory days.

And then, the 49ers.

And then, the Packers.

And then, the frigging Falcons (a division rival, mind you)

To top all that off, we didn't really even switch to a 3-4 anyway.

There are few things that demoralize a sports fanbase so much as realizing you're not as good as you thought you were. And that's happened to us for two straight seasons now.

Again, this really shouldn't be that shocking.

[thefuzz]

3 minutes ago, stbugs said:

Yeah, the whole if you aren’t fully in on a team that appears to be shitting the bed like last year is kind of funny.

We are something like 2-11 against the Falcons and Saints since 2015 (ignoring the game where NO sat Brees, which cost us a 3rd to move up for Little). We are only 4-4 against the supposed basement of our division.

That in division record is disheartening and when one of our 3 easy remaining games (2 versus a 2 win and 1 versus a 1 win team) becomes a 26 point loss at home, you can’t expect people to keep tuning in. 

"We had one of the worst collapses in NFL history, we aren't changing a thing, please remember to grab a hotdog on your way to your seat."

Kinda reminded me of the "we signed 21 of 22 starters from last year claim back in the day.  Yea, we signed all those players, and we were a basement dweller last season....yay.

[Cary Kollins]

Count me as feeling as checked out as I've been since 2010. I remember in 2010 driving down I-540 in Raleigh listening to Panthers radio calling a Jimmy Clausen game and just being so apathetic to the crap product that was being relayed. I haven't felt that feeling since we drafted Cam, until now.

I'll keep up with the games going forward, but I'm not going to go out of my way on Sundays to watch any specific part of it.

 

[Newtcase]

2 minutes ago, t96 said:

If we still have a chance at making the playoffs, I would never be checked out. And even when it looks dire like this year now, I will always enjoy watching our younger players develop as well our superstar(s) ball out, even in losses. Nowhere near the same as winning but I still enjoy watching the team regardless of record or how we’re playing.

^This.  First and foremost the Panthers are a 3 hour entertainment event for me weekly.  Only one team lifts the trophy a year and if that's the standard you need to enjoy watching football then you're rarely going to enjoy it.  I appreciate great football, playoff football, and most certainly Superbowl football.  But even in down years, I'm still getting my 3 hours of entertainment every week.  I can find something to enjoy, even if it's just "the comedy of terrible football" we saw this past Sunday.

[Mr. Scot]

20 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

I agree---let's bring in a real coach---let's build an OL and get some DL.  Tepper is upset---no bones about it.  Will he make moves?  I am almost certain of it--if we do not make the playoffs, RR will not get another year as a consolation prize. 

I've said it before, and I'm not the only one to say it, but I won't feel like the Jerry Richardson era of Panthers football is truly over until we move on from the people he left in charge.

[bigdog10]

fans are tired of the same old 25 year song and dance (sans two or three seasons). 
 

we’re going to be just bad enough to miss the playoffs and just good enough to not really add any top talent in April. 
 

We’re in football purgatory. Hell, we don’t even get the satisfaction of being able to beat our divisional opponents year to year, because Quinn and Payton absolutely own Rivera.