Low Expectations vs High Expectations

[hepcat]

As a fan, if you watch a game expecting the Panthers to get blown out, like pretty much every game in 2010, does it make a loss easier to swallow?

A lot of Panthers fans had high expectations going into the Giants game last Thursday. It was a big test. Nothing like beating the reigning champs in prime time to show you've arrived. But well, we know how that went.

Quite a few "experts", including the entire NFL Network crew covering the game picked the Panthers to win against the Giants. This week, those same "experts" and fans alike are expecting the Panthers to get blown out in Atlanta. Do low expectations help the fans and the team alike handle defeat better? And stretching it a bit further, does Cam Newton have too high of expectations for himself and the team?

[jasonluckydog]

Low Expectations vs High Expectations

sounds like a discussion my parents had about me...

on a serious note I always keep my expectations low so I dont get to angry after a loss.

[PhillyB]

as long as cam is our quarterback my expectations will be sky high. teams with franchise quarterbacks shouldn't be doing anything but improving.

and when we win it all the joy of it will far outweigh the disappointment of repetitive crushed expectations.

[rayzor]

i expect this team is going to break out in a big way in the near future. if it's not this week then soon.

i pretty much have that expectation all the time but if it doesn't happen then we're one week closer to it happening. losses hurt but it's not a huge deal and it doesn't really do anything to detract from my high expectations.

i'm an optimist...sue me. at least i get some enjoyment out of being a fan.

[Brooklyn Bully]

I said 9-7 before the season started so that can easily be done. I think now that I don't go to games anymore I don't have as much of an emotional attachment as I used to. So I pretty much watch the game to be entertained. If we win, great. If we lose, it no longer bothers me.

[Argus Plexus]

I used to be one of the optimists but the Panthers have disappointed me one too many times. I'm siding with the pessimists until they get their sht together, so as not to be upset every single week.

[Cary Kollins]

I had very high expectations this season, but the ineptitude shown by this coaching staff since week 1 will keep them pretty low for a while.

Cam expects to be the best QB of all-time. The MJ of football. I love the expectations he has for himself, but it's clear he does need to mature more when things don't go his way. The good news is he is still very very young and can use this adversity as a positive moving forward.

[pantherj]

I'm past the point of expecting this team to make the playoffs this season. Losses are still a bad thing and I'd rather win, but they also move us up the draft board.

[Inimicus]

I always have high expectations. Its what keeps me tuning in every weekend and paying attention when they are not playing.

However since its just a football game, and one that I can have ZERO impact on, I keep it in a proper perspective and don't get too high when they win or too low when they poo the bed.

[nobody]

For me its not the wins or losses. Until i see that the coaches dc's and gm have the same goal (other than job security) anda good plan to get there I am going to go for the low expectation side. I dont mind a loss if both sides play hard and it comes down the the wire. its one of the reasons I think the superbowl we had vs NE was the best of that decade. I cant stand the loss that comes from a lack of will or a lack of planning from staff or players.

[iamhubby1]

This is just another in a long lone of things that come under the "Cam Effect".

Fans see Cam and they just know success is on the way. Some folks can wait. Some folks are a tad more antsy.

[FastNFurious]

Low expectatrions allow you to absorb a crushing loss alot easier...

[nobody]

Low expectatrions allow you to absorb a crushing loss alot easier...

high expectations let you say I told you so

[frash.exe]

I'd just like to have enough confidence in the team to not start looking forward to the draft in the second week of October