Prediction:The 2009 Carolina Panthers will have a losing record and Fox will be fired

[Cyberjag]

Never underestimate what a solid run game can do.

QFT

Quit acting like a bunch of damn pussies

Fixed. You need to call it like it is.

[CharlotteBeer.com]

I predict we start slow with a few mediocre performances by Jake. Matt Moore gets the start midway through the season and leads the team to a 9-7 playoff berth.

Fox's job is safe, yet again.

[robtrox0]

We have so many 7-9 seasons and we are gonna have another one coming up.

[PantherDFense]

<-------thinks you're wrong..

The Panthers have unfinished business..i'm sure the voices in their head will talk all summer, and they absolutely HATE the way this season ended. After all we did go 12 - 5 this year, can't see an 8 - 8record next season, especially with all the "off season" noise it appears the organization will make....Carolina now more than ever..has something to prove.

[panthers1789]

How many of you predicted we would go 12-4 this season?

[outlaw4]

Good grief...this board is full of drama queens. The Panthers just went 12-4 and have one of the best running games in the league.

Quit acting like a bunch of damn babies already.

Care to sign my petition to change the name of the board to "Carolina Maternity Ward"?

I predict we're NOT going 16-0 or 0-16. I can't predict how the team will perform next season but neither can I predict how OTHER teams will fare as well. What may look hard may be easy and vice versa.

That is all.

[Kevin Greene]

Extremely tough schedule, but the offense will do their job with an excellent running game and the usual assortment of big, clutch plays from Smitty. Moose will do his part.

A TRGO based D will be ripped by many of the upper echelon East teams. 9-7 ish, no playoffs and the entire staff blown out. Start over time in 2010. It is what it is but it's something to look forward to.

Hopefully a football philosophy along the lines of the Pennsylvania teams.

[hank pimple butt]

i say we go 11-5! our ground game is gonna be better than last seasons! bet on it.

and why all the hate on fox? we went 12-4!

[Baschski]

Don't worry about it guys. Our starting QB isn't out, we don't have a bunch of injuries to our top players...we're bringing back a VERY talented team that will win several games simply because of how good our offense is. Think about it this way...Trgo knows that if he screws up as badly next year as he did in the second half of this season he's going to get the can, so there's a good chance he turns it around to a degree. No, we won't have a top 10 defense, but it will be decent, mark my words.

9-7 at the very worst. Double Trouble can't be stopped my friends. Have faith.

[bleys]

Haven't seen anyone state the obvious yet, so here goes:

- We have the second hardest schedule in the league next year. No more playing the AFC and NFC West like we've been able to do the past two seasons to make our teams look better than they are with their final win total for the season. Brutal games all over the place. At New England with Tom Brady, at the Giants, at the Cowboys, at the NFC Champs, home games against the Eagles/Vikings/Dolphins (playoff teams all), a game against the Skins (a team we historically struggle playing against), AND our division games. We were 12-5 this season, but only 4-5 against teams that ended with winning records. And that was with the supposed "greatest Panther team of all-time".

Teams change DRASTICALLY year to year. I have to call bullshit on your "superior knowledge" on this one..

- Our quarterback is only going to get worse as the years go by. He's 34. You might not realize it, but that's going to make him younger than only the starting QBs for the Jets, Bucs, Titans, and Cards. And there's a chance that Favre, Garcia, and Collins will all be retiring this offseason. Think about that. Jake Delhomme could be the second oldest starting QB in the NFL next season. He had 16 touchdowns to 17 interceptions on the season. That isn't exactly great. He was at his worst late in the season too. He threw eight picks in the final five games of the season. Oh and did I mention his six fumbles?

His defenders will point out his 4th quarter comebacks, but I think it's obvious that most of those comebacks wouldn't have happened without Smith on the team. He's an aging quarterback that doesn't have much left.

Goes from being one of the top 3 or 4 QBs in the league during the playoffs to the sky is falling. Granted he screwed up that game.. So we might as well put a hex on him for all his future games, nevermind his past successes. Of course there are better QB's out there, unless you were under the impression he was a top 5 QB of all time, then you're not pointing out anything new..

- I think we're having more turnover amongst the assistant coaches than we've ever had. New defensive line coach, new linebackers coach, new QB coach...and we might not be done yet. Not good for continuity.

So what you're saying is (which is consistent with this post and many others), you're finding a shitload of reasons to be extremely pessimistic. Sure, I give you all the reason in the worst to be dissatisfied with our playoff games and the 2nd half of the season, but having a turn over in coaching staff can be just as much a blessing as it is a curse. So perhaps we'll just go with glass half empty here.

- We're losing our franchise defensive player. I'm not a big Peppers fan, but replacing 14 sacks is going to be hard to do, especially when your other ends are Brayton and Johnson.

Cannot dispute this much at all. But a move in FA to replace Peppers isn't out of hte question, I think you're pulling the trigger too early on this one.

- To top it all off, we don't even have a first-round pick right now. Hopefully that will change with a Peppers trade, but who knows if Hurney will even be able to trade him. Hurney was the genius that got us into the mess of having half of our Pro Bowlers having their contracts expire in the same offseason, so who knows what this mental giant will do with the Peppers situation.

---------------------------------------

This rosy prediction has been brought to you by SMF!

Rosy, perfect, all fulfilling, and blistful are all good words for this post...

Interesting...

[Chubbs McGee]

Haven't seen anyone state the obvious yet

We have very different definitions of "obvious." I like mine better.

[magnus]

why do people want to fire parts of our staff and still expect continuity?

why suggest continuity matters in the same breath as wanting/expecting the entire staff to be fired in one year?

[pantherclaw]

nice prediction. will enjoy bringing this one back up in a year.

[Jangler]

:idea: I predict a couple of 90 degree days in training camp.