Everybody always yearns for the '03 Panthers, look at the key players from '03

[Sam Mills Fan]

Jake Delhomme: Free agent signee (starter)

Stephen Davis: Free agent signee (starter)

Ricky Proehl: Free agent signee (slot receiver)

Brentson Buckner: Free agent signee (starter)

Jeff Mitchell: Free agent signee (starter)

Todd Steussie: Free agent signee (starter)

Kevin Donnalley: Free agent signee (starter)

Terry Cousin: Free agent signee (starter)

Reggie Howard: Free agent signee (starter)

Rod Smart: Free agent signee (last guy to return a kickoff for TD in team history)

Shane Burton: Free agent signee (key rotation guy on the d-line)

Al Wallace: Free agent signee (key rotation guy on the d-line)

Greg Favors: Free agent signee (starter)

Karl Hankton: Free agent signee (special teams ace)

Rodney Peete: Free agent signee (backup quarterback)

Jermaine Wiggins: Free agent signee (starter)

I had been meaning to post something like this for a while but forgot about it until the Houshmanzadeh debacle. The best two teams in Panthers history, '03 and '96, were dominated by free agents all over the place.

Free agents aren't a bad thing, they're a good thing. Teams that win Super Bowls do so through a mix of both their own draft picks and free agents. So stop demonizing the entire concept of free agency just because J-Rich and Furney have arbitrarily decided to do so after having success with it in the past.

[Mother Grabber]

Who's everybody? I'm yearning to watch the 2010 Panthers.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

Build through the draft...stick with what you got...

[Jackofalltrades]

I yearn for similar results, not the players.

[Sam Mills Fan]

If we had used this year's strategy back in 2003, we wouldn't have made the Super Bowl. That's a fact.

The two best teams in franchise history had a ton of free agents contributing all over the place. That's another fact.

[magnus]

this list isn't biased at all, given that it lacks, oh, I dunno, most of the decent players on defense, and they were drafted. I mean, sure, Kris Jenkins was an all-pro, and Mike Rucker was defensive player of the month for September; Julius Peppers isn't anything compared to Terry Cousin. Dan Morgan wasn't the guy who had 25 tackles in the Super Bowl, Mike Minter never mattered to this team. Our starting receivers are chumps.

[DickolausJ]

Some Free Agents pick ups on Our Team Now:

Matt Moore

Wallace Wright

Tyrell Sutton

Charly Martin

Louis Leonard

Jamar Williams

Tyler Brayton

Marcus Hudson

Jordan Senn

Derek Landri

Ed Johnson

Nic Harris

Tim Duckworth

Jason Baker

Aaron Fransisco

You Know whats cool about that list? Only one of those players is 32 and he's a Punter.

[Dpantherman]

the players that we've drafted have been better than the free agents for the most part. but those guys against our draft picks. Not to mention we DO have free agents on this team. But since they aren't named TJ, TO, etc...people get pissed off

[SorthNarolina]

In 96 we were just 1 year removed from an expansion season.

03 we were 1 year removed from the team going 1-15.

Both of those years the teams didn't have time to put in the philosophy that is in place now.

[Mother Grabber]

Both of those years the teams didn't have time to put in the philosophy that is in place now.

Which is why they were actually good teams...

[Cyberjag]

Jake Delhomme: Free agent signee (starter)

Stephen Davis: Free agent signee (starter)

Ricky Proehl: Free agent signee (slot receiver)

Brentson Buckner: Free agent signee (starter)

Jeff Mitchell: Free agent signee (starter)

Todd Steussie: Free agent signee (starter)

Kevin Donnalley: Free agent signee (starter)

Terry Cousin: Free agent signee (starter)

Reggie Howard: Free agent signee (starter)

Rod Smart: Free agent signee (last guy to return a kickoff for TD in team history)

Shane Burton: Free agent signee (key rotation guy on the d-line)

Al Wallace: Free agent signee (key rotation guy on the d-line)

Greg Favors: Free agent signee (starter)

Karl Hankton: Free agent signee (special teams ace)

Rodney Peete: Free agent signee (backup quarterback)

Jermaine Wiggins: Free agent signee (starter)

I had been meaning to post something like this for a while but forgot about it until the Houshmanzadeh debacle. The best two teams in Panthers history, '03 and '96, were dominated by free agents all over the place.

Free agents aren't a bad thing, they're a good thing. Teams that win Super Bowls do so through a mix of both their own draft picks and free agents. So stop demonizing the entire concept of free agency just because J-Rich and Furney have arbitrarily decided to do so after having success with it in the past.

I'll take your "key players" and put them against my "key players" from that squad any day of the week.

Julius Peppers - Drafted

Kris Jenkins - Drafted

Dan Morgan - Drafted

Steve Smith - Drafted

Mike Rucker - Drafted

Mike Minter - Drafted

Moose - Drafted

Hoover - UDFA signee

Jordan Gross - Drafted

Will Witherspoon - Drafted

Kris Mangum - Drafted

Jeno James - Drafted

DeShaun Foster - Drafted

Ricky Manning Jr. - Drafted

Dante Wesley - Drafted

Nick Goings - UDFA signee

Lester Towns - Drafted

Deon Grant - Drafted

[Jase]

Go ahead and close the thread down.

[Jangler]

How are the deadskins doing with the "FA philosophy" ? FA players and coaches have gotten them how many Superbowl appearances??

[Sam Mills Fan]

this list isn't biased at all, given that it lacks, oh, I dunno, most of the decent players on defense, and they were drafted. I mean, sure, Kris Jenkins was an all-pro, and Mike Rucker was defensive player of the month for September; Julius Peppers isn't anything compared to Terry Cousin. Dan Morgan wasn't the guy who had 25 tackles in the Super Bowl, Mike Minter never mattered to this team. Our starting receivers are chumps.

When did I ever say that playing your own guys was a bad thing? The whole f'ing point was that a MIX of both was the best.