How does our franchise get "established"

[Awesomeness!!]

Yesterday someone posted a thread about how we're looked down upon by the rest of the NFL, and how the Media could not care less about us, and this has been the case for a while now. Look around the league, and we're probably just a hair ahead of the Jags when it comes to being an established NFL franchise. My question is, how does an NFL team get established? How did the Cowboys and Steelers and Pats get to where they're are right now? Obviously winning can't be enough, because we're won our fair share of game, and the Cowboys have won one playoff game since I've been born..or something like that. What can we, as fans do to become an established NFL franchise?

[mwright350]

Time.

There are generations of fans of older teams that were born and raised as fans of those teams. The first fans born while the Panthers were in Charlotte are just now getting old enough to really make noise and most can't even do so without their parents being around yet. The majority of Panthers fans had another team before the Panthers even existed.

As there are fans born into it and the fanbase gets more entrenched the team will start to matter more than it does now.

I don't buy that market size is the most important thing in the world - but it does make the process slower.

Basically I guess the more history and age we have on the team the more it is likely to "matter".

[Brooklyn Bully]

Um...we haven't won our fair share of jack poo. Four winning seasons in 16 years GETS LOOKED DOWN UPON. The Steelers, Cowboys, and Pats have rings and big name players. If we can get a big name QB here, and win...we'll get more respect than we've ever had. We will never be like Dallas, however, until we can obtain multiple rings...or hell, at least have a back to back winning season lol.

[Jangler]

Win. and I hate to say it...but a franchise QB. Nobody talked about Indianapolis before Payton.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Championships, and a QB who can get them there.

[KillerKat]

I think mediocrity has made the national media not like us. When the media picks us to do something great during a season, we end up having a bad year. Happens every time. Plus we keep beating their darling Cowboys in the playoffs. I also think Jake Delhomme had been a joke to the national media for a long time. All we gotta do is keep winning consistantly year after year and also a Super Bowl victory.

[PantherBrew]

Natural Disaster.

[ElkinPanthersFan]

Natural Disaster.

You forgot the missed calls in the Minny game so that the storybook ending could happen!

[Awesomeness!!]

Ahh what a feel good story that was!