To heal a wound....

[Kurb]

I sat quietly in a sports bar in Wilmington NC. KingKlong was sitting next to me, Biscuit might have been there as well. We watched the Arizona/Carolina playoff game.

 

On the first drive, Jake Delhomme and the Panthers running attack smashed their way down the field and scored. The Cardinals answered and on the following possession the Panthers went 3 in out in the most amazing display of FOXball I had ever seen.

 

I don't know if KingKlong remembers, but I looked to him with a sad smile and said "It's over"

 

Little did I realize what really had occurred or better yet what was occurring. A deep wound was beginning to be slashed through the very soul of a fanbase, one that has just now begun to heal.

 

To heal a wound, depending on the type and depth of course, some of several actions need to be taken.  Some more painful than others.

 

To his credit and to his disgrace Jerry Richardson made some good moves and some really bad ones in what would become a 5 year healing process.

 

The first step:  Remove anything that might cause infection.

 

Infectious objects had formed in this franchise. Obviously they were not always this way.   John Fox and his insistence on both style of offense and lack of grooming younger personnel. Marty Hurney and his later round picks and contract messes.  Even leaders like Jake had to be removed before we could start stitching up our wound.

 

Hurney proved to be the long staying infectious agent, his contracts of 2010 (likely by JR's order) pushed our healing further back, but like all things, with time he too was forced out by a body trying to heal.

 

Then in 2011 the first stitch came in the Form of Cam Newton. As a fanbase we were locked in a delirious fever from our infections. Beasons injuries (a leader lost), Cap Hell, a dismal 2010 season all these things slowly started to fade away when Cam did this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpPTNarjG7w

 

We had a leader (one that had a way to go obviously as an adult and teammate ((by his own admission))) but we had an Icon, a Entertainer, BY fug SAKE WE HAD A fuging QUARTERBACK. and tho we only managed 7 wins, something stirred that had been silent for 3 years, and the first real healing began.

 

2012 came. During a rehabilitation process a setback is not uncommon. Chud lost his fuging mind, Hurney made poor decisions, Kalil overstepped himself, but still that stirring remained. Yet more stitches began to seat themselves. Hardy, Luke, TD, Cam, and others started to shine again.

 

Then 2013, this season began. We were tired. He had fought out injury for so long. Through setback after setback. Some of us even questioned if it was worth going on. To die as a fan.   

 

A new GM was brought in. A new Doctor for our injured souls. He identified our issues and began to correct them. He got our team mind back to winning football games and playing with purpose. He brought more stitches to close the wound with Star, and Ginn and on and on.

 

Ron Rivera awoke and began to coach like a man who had played instead of a man who was reading a "Coaching for Idiots" book. He trusted his instinct and trusted his team.

 

Cam learned who he was as a player and likely a lot about himself as a man.

 

Luke, Thomas Davis, Kraken, CJ and others began some unGodly engine of destruction.

 

Thus things seemed almost back to normal, yet to me we were not "back". Something was holding us back as a fanbase. 

 

The date was Dec 22 2013.  

A kind benefactor gifted me with some prime seats to what could turn out to be the biggest game the Panthers had played since 2008.

To hell with MNF and Niners. A win against the Saints could establish something. Homefield was within this teams grasp.

I stepped into the stadium, down to my seats just rows from the field, sure I was surrounded by Winers/Cheezers and something strange started to appear to me.

 

Young people and old people alike talking like this "I'm gonna get loud, can you keep up?" "We are going to rock this place right?"  I see teenagers with Cam jerseys, Luke Jerseys. I feel an electricity start to hummmm over the buzzzz of the field lights.   

The player intro's begin, the crowd seems louder than usual..

 

Defense takes the field...wait no one is sitting....

 

Then it hits me, the injury, the wound is closing right before my very eyes.

 

The game was going like so man. The offense was somewhat stagnant, the Defense was playing out of their mind, an excellent ballgame. 

 

Then it began to rain......and NOT A fuging SOUL MOVED.

Infact the stadium began to shake. 

 

As each stitch is removed it's best to wash the wound clean one last time and as those drops feel around us, the 70000 plus we roared.

 

We roared for the losses we had endured like @95KeepPounding who sits in the heavens every Sunday screaming like a mad mad.

We roared for the taunts from those who hang onto fail franchises (cowboys) who raise their NC Born little ones in the wrong jerseys, for the times we scrubbed the filth away from the days of ATL and TAMPA fans invading our home. 

We roared for the questioning of our QB, the disrespect, the racist hate, the attempts to smear a young mans name to get someone to click your poo blog.

We roared for the times we would rather nap than watch a 2010 Jimmy Clausen game.

We roared for the fuging DRAW PLAY fug YOU FOX on 3rd down when you are up only 4 points on an Arizona team that would go on to destroy a QB's career, a coaches job and the hearts of a fanbase.

We ROARED for OUR GODDAMN TEAM bludgeoning one of the 3 golden boys of the NFL, Drew Brees and his annoying fuging dance he does that he stole from some Marines off dying in Afghanistan while he doesn't please his hot as fug wife every night.

 

WE ROARED to the Heavens above as the rain washed away our doubt, washed away out pain, washed away those 5 years and with that roar we helped this happen.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcdRTB95vLA

 

and in that glorious moment, a fanbase was born again.

 

The rain was washing away the last evidence of that wound from so long ago. 

In that rain, we began to believe again. As fans, as supporters, as the member of a team that a fanbase can be.

To me, as much as Cam's arm willed that ball to Hixon, our hearts our souls pushed it there as well.

 

So I leave you with this. The end of my TLDR.

 

Tomorrow, BELIEVE 

 

Be inside that stadium before the ball is kicked. 

and when the first kick is received you best ROAR.

 

Influence the fate of this game. Release your energy. 
Look back into your heart, remember the pain of the past 5 years of fandom and ROAR

 

ROAR to the sky that it will never happen again.

ROAR you believe.

ROAR that you are a PANTHERS FAN and this is not BOA, this is our HOME....................

 

 

..................least you be wounded with the knowledge you didn't do all that you could to keep from being wounded again.
ROAR my brothers and sisters, ROAR

 

 

 

 

TLDR: Be loud k?

 

[Kevin Greene]

Soon, it will be a fading scar that we can smirk at and tell the tale of redemption and victory.

[Dex]

*crying clapping gif*

[Dex]

Not sure if this applies but my dad always told me the bigger the scar the more pussy you get when you show it off.

[Jangler]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JZAP0uDOI

[5158Poundin]

We have the scars but I roared at the New Orleans game and Kurb is right….the torrential downpour washed 5 years of angst and pain away and I roared.  It was the best crowd I have ever been part of ever in BOA.  I have been to many games since the days back in Clemson…I felt the years of frustration wash away in that game and it was a healing.  

 

I believe.  I will roar from afar but I will roar!!!  GO PANTHERS!!!!  #KEEPPOUNDING!!!

[jayflip]

Dat's my Huddle Mod

(Insert crying TO here)

[Chaos]

Sorry, you knew it was coming.  Great post btw!

 

[Leeroy Jenkins PhD]

That should win best poetry. Well written sir

[Rules&Regulations]

A sports bar in Wilmington? Lies!

To heal the wound, you gotta BEAT the wound. Wooo!

[boo7382]

I just cried.....and got goosebumps of excitement at the same time.

Very beautifully written Kurbz, no one could have expressed all that comes with my frustrations over the past 5 years and as a fan in general better!

On point ;)

[5158Poundin]

Yup…tears were flowing as I read this…he put in words what has been at the core of Panther Nation hearts…slow clap….

[rayzor]

i had that same feeling that it was over when you did that night against the cards. but when i mean "it's over" i didn't just mean for that game, i meant for that era. that was our last chance in the fox/jake era and i knew it. we all knew that window was closing and we were lucky to get that last moment squeezed in there. the team was old. it's players were old. it's philosophy was antiquated. when we lost, that was the end.

 

what's cool about this game is that this is just the beginning. no matter what happens tomorrow, this team led by cam, keek, and rivera is just getting started.

 

i feel like tomorrow will be a win for us, but if it isn't it will hurt, but not nearly as bad as '08 because i know that this team will be back and will be back better, angrier, faster, stronger, and more violent than before. what we have seen this year is only a glimpse of what is to come for the next 5-10 years, of that i am convinced.

[CarolinaNCSU]

Not sure if this applies but my dad always told me the bigger the scar the more pussy you get when you show it off.

 

It's shaved and ready for us? Too far?