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Looking at the regular season, game by game, it's not hard to be optimistic...

Samuel L. Jackson

By Samuel L. Jackson,
in Carolina Panthers

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Samuel L. Jackson Newbie

Samuel L. Jackson

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So I was looking at the schedule again, and based on what we know right now, I am pretty excited about our chances this year...

1st half of the season

(second half to follow)

@NY Giants:

The G-Men are a team that hasn't scared me in a while. Eli Manning is not his brother Peyton, and I feel he is one of the most overrated QBs in the league. Sure, he is better than average, but I would go so far as to say that about Jake Delhomme at times in the past.

Brandon Jacobs is worn down, and they only really have one WR that bothers me. Our defense should have no problem keeping Eli in trouble, both with our young pass rush and our hawking secondary. If we can keep their ground attack in check, and control the clock, this game should be a W.

I won't slight their defense, because they have some talent there, but honestly, the Giants don't scare me at all...

Worst case scenario is that we haven't gotten our poo together during the preseason and they have, and we come out and lay an egg for a first game.

Chances of victory: 75%

Tampa Bay @ Carolina:

LOL wut? This is like an extra bye week as far as I am concerned. The Bucs may have improved slightly, but it won't be enough to escape, at best, a 5-11 record.

They have a lot of young players on offense and some inconsistency at the QB position. I expect this home opener to be a brutal beat down. We should have no trouble on the ground or in the air, nor stopping anything they try to do.

Chances of victory: 99%

Cincy @ Carolina

This game will be a real test for us. I'm glad it is at home so we can have a slight advantage.

Cincy's offense, if everyone stays healthy, could be one of the best in the league this year. Not only are they stacked at WR, but they have a pretty decent ground game too. Their defense is also pretty young and fast, so we may see some trouble on that front.

I expect this game to be a shootout, but I am hoping for some home field magic of some sort. I will give us the slight edge, but this could very well be our first loss.

Chances of victory: 51%

@New Orleans

If Cincy didn't deal us our first L, I am thinking that the Saints might...

Not only is it pretty early in the season, but we'll be in Nawlins against a team we beat up a little last year... in both games...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of the Saints, and they can be beaten... But, their offense is still going to be good, and their defense is going to be good again also...

Last year was the first year in a long time that we lost in their house. I will call this the Curse of Delhomme, and chalk it up to some voodoo magic that someone cast on us that basically made Jake's last game there, and the Panthers' for a few years to come, that much tougher...

I don't think we'll come out of the gate at 4-0, so who more noble to drop our first L to than the defending champs, and our division rivals? It should be a close game, but in the end, I will give them the slight nod...

Chances of victory: 49%

Chicago @ Carolina

Julius Peppers will always be a Panther in my heart... I don't care what any of you say, but he never left... and I think he'll be back one day... even if it is only for one day...

With that out of the way, Jay Cutler is a joke... Instead of always having a solid/stout defense, Chicago could do a lot for their franchise by going out and getting some stars on offense...

Sure, they have Matt Forte and people like Devin Hester, but as a whole, they are still slightly above average at best on offense... If not for Steve Smith, our record breaking running back duo, and one of the best offensive lines in football, I would say the same about us...

Their defense will be stout, and Pep will get his "revenge" most likely, but I think we will beat them in a surprisingly defensive game... Our D should be able to rattle Cutler and their average WRs, and stop their mediocre ground attack...

I won't say it is a guarantee, but I think that our chances here are good... especially with the rabid Pep haters being there making a lot of noise...

Chances of victory: 75%

San Francisco @ Carolina

San Fran is a pretty young team similar to us. The difference is that our offense is a lot better talent-wise, and our defense has a lot less "star power"... Plus, Mike Singletary is the polar opposite of John Fox...

We will likely go into this game as a favorite by over 7 points, but it is our first "trap game" of the year in that respect...

The 49ers defense is young, fast, and hungry... and they have made a lot of investments in it in the past couple years... The easily have one of the top linebacking corps in the league, and are led by Beason's nemesis Pat Willis...

Alex Smith is more up and down than g5jamz on a conservative website's virtual cock, but when he is up, he looks good... They have some young/fast receivers in Crabtree and Ginn, a superathletic Tight End, a workhorse RB, and could play "trap team" to a lot of folks this year...

I'll probably underestimate our chances here, but my midichlorians are troubling me on this one...

Chances of victory: 60%

@St. Louis

The Rams got Mardy Gilyard... That alone increases their chances in any game by 10%...

That said, we should whip them harder than Meat beats his moniker...

Chances of victory: 90% (Gilyard is their only hope... lol)

New Orleans @ Carolina

The rematch we were all looking forward to by the time it happens. This time, in another shootout, we get the best of them in our house.

We split the series, and hear TheSaint whine about how something was a bad call or how the refs gave us the game...

Chances of victory: 65%

This concludes the first half of the year and, the way I see it, at best we could be 7 - 1... Worst case, we lose to NO @ NO, Cincy, and drop a seemingly easy one like San Fran... putting us at 5-3...

I'll start the second half as soon as I hit submit...

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Samuel L. Jackson

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@Tampa Bay:

Much like our first meeting, this game should be a breeze... I'll give them a tad more credit in their own house, and for the fact that this could be another trap game in which we underestimate them or have some sort of Chris Simms karmic revenge...

That said, I ain't skeered... The Panthers shouldn't be either...

Chances of victory: 80%

Baltimore @ Carolina

It is time to accurately gauge the Panthers' team as a whole, as midway through the season an AFC powerhouse rolls into town.

This game could set the tone for the rest of our season and our push for and during the playoffs...

Baltimore is going to be good... on offense and defense... and they are stacked from a talent standpoint.

If we can get some success on the ground early on in the game, and get the ball to Smitty a few times to spread the field, we could hang with them pretty good.

Our pass defense will be tested again in a similar situation to the Cincy game, but I think they will hold their own. If we can rattle Flacco a little, it will help the cause.

I like our chances in this game, but the pessimist inside me wants to give it to the Ravens, so I will give them a slight edge on us... But be wary, Baltimore... If you meet us again in the Super Bowl, we will demolish you...

Chances of victory: 45%

@ Cleveland

Jake Delomme has already thrown 20 interceptions by this point in the season, and we will be glad to add 3 more... There is absolutely no way that he beats us, unless he breaks out the pictures of Fox in a S&M clown suit that he used to blackmail us into keeping him for so long...

Chances of victory: 90%

@ Seattle

The Seahawks are going to be a bad team this year. That said, this could be another trap game. My instincts tell me it won't be, and I will trust them more than I do the 'hawks' offense, defense, fans, and whatever else Seattle has to offer...

Chances of victory: 95%

Atlanta @ Carolina

Finally, we get to face the dirty birds...

Atlanta is an intriguing team to me... As with most of the teams in the NFC South, they are at least slightly better than the rest of the league's average teams every year...

I like what the current regime has done there, and Matt Ryan is a good QB for them... They have some young talent on both sides of the ball, but I still don't think they have added anything to put them over the edge...

This game says "trap" but since they are a decent team coming into our house, I give us the advantage... We could very well split this series with them, but I think we will get them both times this year... I don't know what it is, but I just have a feeling...

Chances of victory: 70%

Arizona @ Carolina

Gone are the days of Warner, Boldin, and Fitz... In are the days of Leinart, Fitz, Breaston, and Doucet...

I expect Arizona's offense to still be potent, but a lot less potent than recent history... Beanie Wells will be a good back for them, and could help keep Leinart from having to do a lot...

That said, I think we will completely demolish Arizona and make Leinart look like trash... We figured out the Cards last year and showed it, and this year it will probably be worse for them...

I don't think they will have a bad year, I just think they are going to roll into Charlotte and have a bad game...

Chances of victory: 85%

@ Pittsburgh

Could we still a late season victory from the Steelers? I honestly don't think it would be much of a steal...

They have old and average WRs, a rapist QB who might be in jail by now, and little depth of concern at the RB position...

They'll rely on their defense in a lot of games, much like years past, but it won't be enough this year...

Pittsburgh will have a lot of weight on its shoulders this year, and it will work to our advantage...

This will be a good game, but I see us pulling out a W on the road...

Just because it is the Steelers franchise and a cold night game, I will give them better chances than I would if they came to Charlotte...

Chances of victory: 69%

@ Atlanta

To make this analysis a little lest homeristic, I will give the Falcons the W at their house, but only by a point or two... ;)

Chances of victory: 49.9999%

So there you have it... Our season's forecast according to me...

Best case scenario, I think it is 13 - 3... Worst case, is probably about 10 - 6...

All in all, I see good things for the Panthers this season... regardless of your doom and gloom!

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