Kerry Collins / Carolina's 1st Ever Draft Pick

He is the Nittany Lion in winter.
Thirteen years removed from Penn State, Kerry Collins will be back in his customary role as interested bystander Sunday when the Titans play Carolina.

At this point in his NFL career, Collins is a valuable insurance policy. In a perfect world, Vince Young takes every meaningful snap for the Titans, Collins hardly plays.
But the NFL is an imperfect world.

2 weeks ago, with Young nursing a leg injury, Collins played every offensive down in the Titans' 38-36 comeback at Houston. His completions of 17 and 46 yards to Roydell Williams set up the last of Rob Bironas' eight field goals.
"I had a blast," Collins says.
After working his last-minute magic at Houston, Collins simply steps aside, Young is healthy....it's his team.
Collins will watch and wait.

"Don't get me wrong. I'd love to keep playing," he says. "But this is my role and I'll continue to support Vince. If I'm needed again, I'll be ready to play."
This is the confounding job description of a No. 2 quarterback in the NFL. One week, you throw more passes, notch more completions and accumulate more yards than Young has managed in any game this season.

The next week, you're on the bench.
Is the grass greener ?
It comes with the turf, this is why Collins was re-signed in the offseason.
He is the ideal No. 2 quarterback — which is something of a back-handed compliment.
"He's got a wealth of experience," Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. "He's a competitor, and he has still got the arm. He sees well and makes good decisions."

And he doesn't live in a vacuum. Collins can't help but glance elsewhere around the league and see that as many as one-quarter of the NFL teams would love to have him as their quarterback of record right now.
Consider AFC South rival Jacksonville, which must put the ball in the hands of unproven Quinn Gray while David Garrard recovers from a sprained ankle.

And what of the situations in Miami, St. Louis, & Carolina ?

With a durable physique, a live arm and a helmet full of experience, Collins would be a significant upgrade over what those teams are lining up at quarterback and he knows it.

"I think it's only natural to think about those things, about maybe being a starter somewhere else," he says. "But those opportunities didn't present themselves when I was a free agent after last season. That's why I'm here."
Regardless of the season, the lion still has a bite.

Not Another Predictions Column! Week Eight

Not Another Predictions Column! Week Eight

WEEKLY UPSET GAME: Indianapolis 6-0 @ Carolina 4-2

Dwight Freeney vs. Julius Peppers
Dallas Clark vs. Jeff King
Steve Smith vs. Marvin Harrison
DeAngelo Williams/DeShaun Foster vs. Joseph Addai/Kenton Keith
Bob Sanders vs. Chris Harris
Peyton Manning vs. Vinny Testaverde

One of the biggest matchups of Week Eight happens to be the undefeated Colts coming off a short week to travel to Carolina and take on the well-rested division-leading Carolina Panthers. Fresh off a timely bye, the Panthers are looking to knock off the defending world champions in order to set a tone for the rest of the season – namely, that despite being kicked whilst down, the Panthers will not roll over and play dead but rather rise to the occasion. There is nothing being mailed in this year from Carolina – and that is why they are sitting at 4-2 atop the NFC South. Above is a list of some of the key matchups in the game this week, listed in no particular order. Here follows a quick run-down of each:

A) Freeney v. Peppers

As alluded to in an article posted earlier this week by Eddie “Catzilla” Quinn, this game features two of the best defensive ends in the NFL. The consensus is that Peppers is the more well rounded end who can do anything whereas Freeney is a ferocious pass rusher who has one goal: GET TO THE QB. Both, though, are gamechangers and demand a double team on every play. Peppers was often termed as a sleeping giant early in the season because he was really not producing at all – rumors have abounded he was suffering from Mono – but in his past two games he has started to return to his Pro Bowl form. Look for him to continue to perform well this Sunday. Freeney is also on a hot streak – recording the first safety of his career last week against the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Both are major headaches for defensive coordinators, and it will be interesting to see who has the better day. Right now I give Peppers the advantage merely because he is also a force in stopping the run.

B) Dallas Clark v. Jeff King

The two featured tight ends in this game are Clark and King. Clark has been one of Peyton Manning’s favorite targets this season with the same number of touchdowns as Steve Smith, namely, six. King started the season doing very well under Jake Delhomme but has faded off a little bit with the quarterback struggles of the Panthers. However, he woke up under Testaverde against Arizona. All King does is make a play every time he touches the ball. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Clark does. Clark has the advantage over King.

C) Steve Smith vs. Marvin Harrison

Right now, I believe the advantage has to go to Smitty – Smitty is younger, with fresher legs, and Harrison is still a little slow from his injury. However, Harrison is one of the best receivers of all time and certainly a major threat any time he lines up. He is a crafty veteran receiver and he will do everything he can to beat the Panthers’ secondary. Nevertheless, he may not play as much this week to recover a bit more before the Colts-Pats matchup on November 4. UPDATE: Marvin Harrison will not play this week, but Reggie Wayne will be there, and Wayne is also an elite receiver. Smitty still has the advantage over Wayne, though.

D) Williams/Foster v. Addai/Keith

The Panthers’ two tailbacks have combined for nearly 700 yards rushing on the season and have propelled the Panthers to the NFL’s eighth best rushing attack. Conversely, the Colts’ two tailbacks have combined for 803 yards rushing. Kenton Keith has been a pleasant surprise for the Colts – but frankly, almost anyone should be able to put up good rushing statistics for the Colts simply due to the respect that has to be paid to the passing game. Joseph Addai, hampered by an injury, returned to action on Monday night vs. the Jaguars and did well in limited action. It was obvious he was still in a great deal of pain, though, as he pulled himself out of the game several times. Perhaps he, like Harrison, will not play the whole game against Carolina in order to rest up for the New England game. The advantage has to go to the Colts’ running game, though.

E) Bob Sanders v. Chris Harris

Two very good young safeties are playing in this game – Antoine Bethea is also deserving of a mention, but Bob Sanders is the heart and soul of the Indianapolis defense. On the other side, Chris Harris is a new face for the Panthers defense this season but he is doing quite well this season, being a defensive playmaker and making receivers alligator-arm passes across the middle of the field. Harris is quickly becoming a stalwart link in the Panthers’ chain, and Sanders proved last year that without him the Colts defense falls apart. Since Carolina’s defense circa 2007 has not been seen without Harris, no one knows if it would fall apart for sure, but considering he has been forcing fumbles left and right, and been a defensive leader, likely it would suffer a great loss. Due to Sanders’ injury history, I am going to have to declare the impact of both Harris and Sanders as even.

F) Manning vs. Testaverde

Manning is in his prime – Testaverde? Apparently, he happens to still be in his prime as well. However, it is clear that Manning is the greater talent. Nevertheless, Testaverde is a wily, crafty veteran who has seen everything. Look for him to be solid in this game. As for Manning? He is 0-2 lifetime against Carolina, and though he is one of the best quarterbacks of all time, he will be 0-3 against the Cats all-time after Sunday. Panthers win the shocker.

Detroit 4-2 @ Chicago 3-4

Well, Chicago found a quarterback for this season, apparently. Frankly, had they listened to me last year, they may have won the Super Bowl. Brian Griese has 1203 yards passing and 8 TDs – though he does have 6 INTs – and was the conductor of that incredible no-timeout 97-yard drive orchestrated by himself alone to defeat the floundering Philadelphia Eagles. They still do not have much of a rushing attack, and back-up Adrian Peterson is averaging almost 1.5 yards more per carry than Cedric Benson. How long before he starts to get more carries in their offense? Speaking of running backs, Detroit’s star tailback Kevin Jones played well last week with 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. Drafted at #2 overall, Calvin Johnson, wide receiver from Georgia Tech, showed one of the reasons he was drafted that high by flashing his strength and speed on an end-around he took nearly 40 yards for a touchdown against the Buccaneers last week. I had been planning to take Chicago this week, but since the Lions took care of business last week and knocked off the Bucs for the Panthers as I requested, I will “keep the faith” as Jon Bon Jovi said and pick the Lions to win on the road.

Pittsburgh 4-2 @ Cincinnati 2-4

The Bengals appear to be stuck on a downswing this season, no matter how hard Carson Palmer is trying. Palmer has passed for over 1700 yards and thrown 13 touchdown passes but he cannot carry the team solely by himself. It is clear that the Bengals just do not have a capable defense right now. Young cornerbacks Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph need more time to develop, and their safeties have been suspect after allowing Kevin Kaesviharn to leave in the off-season. The Bengals’ linebackers have also suffered big time with the loss of Brian Simmons in the off-season and injury problems. The Bengals need defensive help so badly that it is rumored that after the season they will look to trade star wide receiver Chad Johnson for help. Conversely, their opponent, the Steelers, has a good defense and a well-balanced offensive attack. The Steelers put up a hard effort against the Broncos last Sunday night but unfortunately fell short when Broncos kicker Jason Elam hit a 49-yard game-winning field goal. Running back Willie Parker has 600 yards rushing but only one rushing touchdown. He averages an extremely respectable 4.2 yards a rush, but his back-up, former Packer Najeh Davenport, is averaging an astonishing 7.2 yards per carry on 30 carries and has three touchdowns. The Steelers’ offense overmatches the Bengals defense, and the Steelers defense is good enough to slow down the Bengals offense. Steelers win on the road this week, since they failed to do so last time around.

New York Giants 5-2 “@” Miami 0-7 (technically in London)

So, there is a Miami, Florida; a Miami, Ohio; and now, apparently, a Miami, London. This is like Alexander the Great naming cities after himself. Of course, he actually was worth having that done. At any rate, this is not football related, and this column IS supposed to have something to do with football. Both teams are on streaks – the Giants have won five games straight, whereas the Dolphins, unfortunately, have lost seven straight to open the season. It just keeps getting worse for the Dolphins as Trent Green was placed on IR, starting safety Renaldo Hill was placed on IR, and phenomenal running back Ronnie Brown tore his ACL trying to run down Randall Gay after he intercepted Cleo Lemon. He is now on IR. Some part of me is now rooting for the Dolphins, hoping that they will overcome this adversity and win a few games this year. Really, I hope they win this week over the Giants, but there is no way I can justify picking them. Giants to win in London.

Philadelphia 2-4 @ Minnesota 2-4

Let me know when I tire out the IKEA joke – the non-IKEA employees managed to give up a 97-yard touchdown drive at the end of the game to the Bears when Griese had no timeouts and no radio link with the coaches on the sideline. This drive gave the Bears the go-ahead score, and the Bears won. Now the Eagles get to play a team with an extremely good rushing defense but a not-so-good passing defense, the Minnesota Vikings. Since the Eagles do not appear to have an effective passing attack, that happens to be an even match-up. The Eagles do have a strong running game, however, so it will be interesting to see what they do. Nonetheless, the Eagles’ defense will be hard-pressed to slow rookie running back Adrian Peterson down, and I am going with the Vikings to win a thriller this week.

Cleveland 3-3 @ St. Louis 0-7

The surprising Browns had a bye last week and are now well-rested to travel to Missouri and play the hapless Rams. Derek Anderson has thrown 14 touchdowns in five starts and has nearly 1500 yards through the air. He has evenly divided roughly 1050 of those yards between Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, but Winslow has only two touchdowns whilst Edwards has seven. Frankly, Derek Anderson deserves, shockingly, a Pro Bowl berth if the season were to end now. On the other side, the Rams’ much-vaunted offense has done next to nothing this season as the offensive line has dealt with injury issues, and both the quarterback position and running back position have seen injuries this season. Their defense has not been much to write home about either. Hopefully they will end up winning a couple of games down the road, but that will not happen this week. Browns win to improve to 4-3 and a possible share of the AFC North lead.




Oakland 2-4 @ Tennessee 4-2

Well, I mentioned last week that kickers would prove to be a factor in the Tennessee – Houston game. I was right, as Rob Bironas set a record and kicked eight field goals for the Titans including the game-winner. Bironas’ leg must have been tired after the game, but whether or not he actually felt that is suspect. To be fair, Raiders’ kicker Sebastian Janikowski is doing well and leads the NFL in touchbacks with 16. That and Lamont Jordan’s resurgence are about the only bright spots for the Raiders right now. The Titans are finding ways to win – they have a stingy defense and a tough running game, and their passing game is improved with Kerry Collins under center, much as I hate to say it. The Raiders will have a hard time scoring this week, but I expect the Titans to find it easier. Titans win at home to improve to 5-2.

Buffalo 2-4 @ New York Jets 1-6

I have a quick fantasy football hint for my readers this week – start rookie tailback Marshawn Lynch. I smell a big day for him against the Jets’ poor rush defense. Kenny Watson rushed for 130 yards or so plus three touchdowns last week, and I expect the rookie Lynch to rush for at least 100 as well. Poor Chad Pennington – he plays his heart out for his team, but just cannot get them over the hump. He did his best last week, but interceptions killed him. Thomas Jones, though, has nearly 500 yards rushing on the season for the Jets, and Laveranues Coles has caught six touchdown passes. Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards out of Stanford is doing fairly well and continues to start in place of JP Losman. That smells like a quarterback controversy to me. No matter what one says about this game, at least the AFC East will get a win from someone other than New England, barring a rare tie. Look for the Jets to win at home and double their season win total.

Houston 3-4 @ San Diego 3-3

What an almost-comeback by Houston last week as Sage Rosenfels and the Texans scored 29 points in the fourth quarter to end up falling short by two points due to a field goal off the leg of Rob Bironas. Houston is definitely putting up valiant fights this season but more often than not they are ending up on the short end of the stick. My prayers and condolences go out to all who have been affected by the wildfires in California. LaDainian Tomlinson is only four rushing touchdowns away from tying Walter Payton for third all-time in the NFL. Tomlinson is absolutely scintillating and easily one of my favorite players in the league. Quarterback Philip Rivers has struggled a little bit this season, but is still playing well with an 83.8 passer efficiency rating. This game should be a good, close game, but I expect to see a number of points scored this game. In point-scoring, the Chargers are better than the Texans. Charges win it at home to improve to 4-3 and drop the Texans to 3-5.

Jacksonville 4-2 @ Tampa Bay 4-3

The Buccaneers were upset last week by the Detroit Lions, just as I predicted. Jeff Garcia still has not thrown an interception on the season and has chucked seven touchdown passes in seven games for the Bucs. With the addition of Michael Bennett via trade, Garcia should have more of a running game to lean on this week. However, the Jaguars have a very tough, opportunistic defense. That will be what keeps them in this game, and they will notch Garcia’s first interception this week. Disaster, though, struck the Jaguars last week as starting quarterback David Gararrard, who, incidentally, has also not thrown an interception yet, was injured and could miss up to a month. Back-up Quinn Gray is decent but not good enough to be as effective as Garrard. The Bucs also have a strong defense and they will be bringing the pain all day long against Gray. Gray is much more prone to mistakes then Jeff Garcia, however, and that is why the Jaguars will lose this week.

Washington 4-2 @ New England 7-0

What can I say about the Patriots that has not already been said this week? They are good, and they know it. They will not stop until they lose the Super Bowl to Carolina this year, either. Since everyone knows about the Patriots, I shall talk about the Redskins right now. Wide receiver Antwaan Randel El has more receiving yards than Clinton Portis has rushing yards. The Redskins pass defense has been amazing this year, holding opposing quarterbacks to an average passer rating of 67.7. Their secondary consists of four former first round picks, and safeties Sean Taylor and Laron Landry are having amazing seasons. Taylor leads the NFL in interceptions with five. However, the Redskins’ defensive backs have not faced a group of receivers with as much talent this year as they will this week. It should be an interesting match-up, to say the least. The Redskins’ offense is capable of putting up points, but it is not an overpowering offense, relying too much on the big play. Expect the Redskins to hang tough with New England for awhile, perhaps even into the early fourth, but in the end, the Redskins’ offense is not good enough to stay even with the Patriots when it comes down to scoring points. I will say one thing, though. Tom Brady might not have as much luck throwing into double coverage this week as he did against Miami. Patriots win it, though, to go 8-0.

New Orleans 2-4 @ San Francisco 2-4

As far as I know, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith is expected to return to action this week. That will be something of an improvement over Trent Dilfer. Whomever starts at quarterback for the 49ers should be able to have a good day passing as the Saints’ pass defense is not very good at all. This is a game that should be a shootout, as neither team has a defense that is all that. Rookie linebacker Patrick Willis for the 49ers is making a good case for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and he looks forward to introducing himself to sensational running back Reggie Bush in this game, surely. In a shoot-out, which is what I think this will be, the Saints ought to win. However, I have a hunch that the 49ers may win this game. That hunch is not enough for me to pick them, though. Saints win it.

Monday Night Football: Green Bay 5-1 @ Denver 3-3

I had been looking forward to watching this game all week. I was under the impression that it was the Sunday Night Football game. Then I realized that there was no Sunday Night game this week. So then I thought I’d enjoy watching Monday Night Football with Pat Sumerall and John Madden. THEN I realized I had football practice Monay night, so I figured I would tape it and enjoy the game on Tuesday night. Then, I remembered something. Monday Night Football no longer has Sumerall and Madden, it is no longer on ABC, it is on ESPN, I do not have cable/satellite, so I cannot watch ESPN, so I cannot tape this game and play it back later. Due to being annoyed with this, I do not feel like discoursing upon this game aside from saying the following: Brett Favre kicks rear, and he will find a way to win this week. Thanks for reading!

Last week I went 11-3 and am now 66-37 on the season.

By Robert “RingLeader” Gilbert

[Comments Will Be Taken In The PantherCoalition Forums]

Peppers VS Freeney / Who's Really The Best ?

So, who really is the best ?

Peppers can play almost anywhere on ''D'', Freeney is your classic bull rushing DE and thus far has proved himself to be worth the big bucks by breaking the bank in Indy.

Peppers had been silent....that was until the Arizona game in which he returned to his ''All World'' status as arguably the premiere DE in the NFL.

This Sunday's game is almost guaranteed to be a ''Smackdown Fest'' of DE's.

Your best bet is that Julius, more than any other game this year had this date marked on the calender even he may not admit it though !

It matters not that he is silent and soft spoken, the competitive Peppers will always win out !

With 2 different rushing styles in play it makes for an interesting battle for both men in the trenches, Freeney is gonna stay on end, while Peppers will shift around from time to time.

The only way Julius doesn't show up for this game is if Trgo calls the wrong schemes in which Peppers can't do what he does that allows him to display his big play ability.

On ''O'' we must frequently use the TE , set up screens as well as keep Foster & Williams fresh to compliment Steve Smith if we are to have any success whatsoever......and above all, DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER !

Sunday will be here before you know it, the Panthers are coming off a bye week while the Colts just dismantled Jacksonville at Alltel Stadium 29-7 on Monday Night to improve to 6-o

Can the Panthers ''Shock The World'' & beat the World Champs at the BOA ?

Most will agree it's not likely, BUT you play the game to win, I refuse to believe that our Panthers won't go down without a fight !

I'll drink the Kool-Aid no matter who's pouring as long we get the ''W'' !

Every team wants to take down the reigning champion, this Sunday in Charlotte is Carolina's opportunity to do just that.....believe in them or not.

Article By Eddie ''Catzilla'' Quinn

Admin / PantherCoalition.com

Not Another Predictions Column! Week Seven

Not Another Predictions Column! Week Seven




Baltimore 4-2 @ Buffalo 1-4

Some key offensive players are hurting for the Baltimore Ravens heading into this matchup with Buffalo. Tight ends Todd Heap and Daniel Wilcox are both listed as doubtful with thigh and foot injuries respectively. In addition, defensively, Trevor Pryce is out and cornerback Chris McAlister is listed as doubtful with a knee injury. That said, whatever nervousness anticipation the Ravens fans may have is nothing compared to the trepidation likely felt by Buffalo’s faithful. After Buffalo’s six turnovers forced against Dallas last week on Monday night, followed by a late collapse allowing the Cowboys to win anyway, those fans must need a steady supply of defrillabrators for their hearts. I would like to think Buffalo will come out fired up to win this week, but I do not know what Buffalo has left. Of course, the same can be said for Steve McNair and the Ravens’ offense, but I like the Ravens to win it this week.

Atlanta 1-5 @ New Orleans 1-4

I was afraid the Saints would win by some miracle last week – it just seemed like it was bound to happen sooner or later, and what better target than the up and down Seahawks? Unfortunately, trust is not something that I give to the Saints in large quantities, so I went with the Seahawks last week. The Falcons made a move at the quarterback position this week, benching Joey Harrington and declaring Byron Leftwich, late of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the starting quarterback. Frankly, I am not sure what to make of this. The Falcons’ offensive line is being plagued with injuries, so they go to one of the most immobile quarterbacks in the NFL who also happens to have the slowest release in the NFL? This move does not make all that much sense. Do not expect Leftwich to do much as a starter for the Falcons – maybe a good week every now and then. The Falcons do have a running game, however, and that is something that the Saints are still trying to find. Neither team has much of a defense, so points may be put up in bunches in this game. Atlanta was blown out last week 31-10 by the Giants, but the Saints are coming off a road victory and are now at home, where they will want to please their fans with their first home victory this season. Thus, I say the Saints win this week.

Arizona 3-3 @ Washington 3-2

The Redskins, despite playing well statistically last week, still managed to find a way to lose to Green Bay – a forced fumble returned by Green Bay’s Charles Woodson for a touchdown won the game for the Packers. Journeyman quarterback Tim Rattay is looking to start against Washington for Arizona in place of the injured Kurt Warner, though that still seems up in the air. For Arizona’s cause, if it is Rattay they start, then they better hope Edgerrin James, JJ Arrington, and Marcel Shipp can create a running game this week. Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald leads the NFC in yards and receptions with 545 and 40 respectively. Speaking of receivers, Santana Moss of the Redskins has not been playing well this season with only 12 receptions for 199 yards. Even the Panthers’ Keary Colbert has 16 receptions for 205 yards. Moss pulled himself out of the game against Green Bay with a hamstring injury but will play this week. For another week, Cardinals MLB Karlos Dansby will miss a game due to injury, which means the Cardinals will be down a key component in their defensive scheme. This is a hard game to pick, but I go with Washington to rebound at home.

San Francisco 2-3 @ New York Giants 4-2

The Giants have won four games straight, putting them one game behind the Dallas Cowboys, who lost to the Patriots last week. Their quarterback-wide receiver tandem of Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress has been electric – Burress, despite missing loads of practice time with a sprained ankle, has eight touchdown receptions in only six games. Their offense is quite capable of scoring points – something the 49ers have shown little ability to do. The 49ers have the NFL’s 32nd ranked scoring offense. They may receive a slight boost this week as injured starters Alex Smith and Vernon Davis may return. However, even with the two of them their offense was still anemic. To mention wide receiver Keary Colbert again – he ties Darrell Jackson, the Niners’ number one receiver, in receptions and is only 5 yards behind Jackson. Neither team appears to have much of a defense, although the Giants have a ferocious pass rush. Look for the Giants to put up more points than the Niners. It IS that simple. Giants win to move their winning streak to five straight games.

New England 6-0 @ Miami 0-6

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady has 21 touchdown passes in 6 games thus far on the season. Right now Brady looks likely to break Peyton Manning’s single-season passing touchdown record of 49 touchdowns. There are some interesting subplots in this game – for one, wide receiver Wes Welker had been a productive Dolphin for some time before the Dolphins traded him to New England in the offeseason. Now Welker is having a home-coming of sorts. For another, Patriots running back Sammy Morris used to play for the Dolphins, and so this is also a homecoming for him. Thirdly, Tom Brady has historically struggled a bit on the road against Miami, with only two victories in six attempts. However, the Dolphins are only making it harder on their offense to do anything against the Patriots as they traded off their number one receiver Chris Chambers to the San Diego Chargers for a 2nd round draft pick. Yes – that means that in the same year the Dolphins have traded off both their best receivers. Apparently they must really like the rookie Ted Ginn, JR. At any rate, the Dolphins are struggling right now – an understatement, I know. However, running back Ronnie Brown continues to have a phenomenal season with 526 rushing yards and nearly 400 receiving yards. This could be a prime upset game selection – but I am not daft. New England to win and continue on to 7-0.



Tennessee 3-2 @ Houston 3-3

After a great start to the season, the Texans have been besieged by injuries and slumping players. This calls into mind whether or not they are as good as their early success betrayed. The running game has struggled with both Ahman Green and Ron Dayne averaging a combined 3.35 yards per carry. On the other hand – the running game is about all the opponent Titans have. If starting quarterback Vince Young misses the game or cannot go, look for backup Kerry Collins to come in and perhaps manage to spark the passing game a bit. If I were playing fantasy football this year, I would be looking at the kickers in this matchup. Field goals should be aplenty in this game. And if it comes down to kickers, the Titans’ Rob Bironas and the Texans’ Kris Brown are both solid – but Brown is having the kind of year kickers dream about, with 16 field goals made on 17 attempts in six games including a new NFL record for number of 50+ yard field goals made in a single game (4). However, I have a hunch Tennessee wins this on the road.

WEEKLY UPSET GAME: Tampa Bay 4-2 @ Detroit 3-2

Attentive readers will be thinking that I must secretly be employed by Matt Millen or something since I keep picking Detroit to win – really, it is not that. And no, the other rumor of the hit man coming to murder me for not picking the Lions is not true either. Rather, I enjoy seeing Detroit win after having so many horrid seasons of late. Unfortunately for Jon Kitna, he continues to have to lead the Lions’ offense against top-tier defenses. This week, he has to contend with the Bucs’ 4th-ranked defense. Odds are the Lions’ offense will be grounded most of the day, and their defense really is not that threatening either. So why do I think they will win? Because. And that is my only reason – just because. Besides, if Detroit wins, Tampa Bay drops behind the Panthers for the division lead in the NFC South. Certainly that is really the only thing that matters. Earlier this week before the trade deadline the Buccaneers made a move to address their need at the running back position and they traded for former Viking and now former Chief Michael Bennett, who may actually play this week for the Bucs. He will likely provide at least a minimal boost to a struggling rushing attack, but it will be too little too late this week as somehow or another the Lions pull off the upset.

Kansas City 3-3 @ Oakland 2-3

Kansas City has rebounded since their horrid season opener against Houston. Their offense has started to click a little bit more as the passing game has begun to get on track and Larry Johnson is getting himself into gear. The Raiders’ defense may give them some problems this week, at least in the passing game, however. LaDainian Tomlinson proved last week that the Raiders could be rushed upon, however. Or at least he proved that he himself could rush on the Raiders. Tight end Tony Gonzalez has now set his own record for most receiving touchdowns by a tight end and looks to keep adding to it. This AFC West is a wide-open race – every team has 3 losses and 2 or 3 wins. Every divisional game is crucial in the AFC West – and the Raiders have lost an NFL-record 16 consecutive divisional matches. That streak extends to 17 this week as the Chiefs win on the road.

New York Jets 1-5 @ Cincinnati Bengals 1-4

Now this could be a high-scoring affair. Both teams want to snap losing skids, neither team’s defense is amazing (though the Jets’ is definitely better than the Bengals’), and each team is capable of putting up points on offense. Carson Palmer has thrown 12 touchdowns on the season but it has proven to matter not because the defense cannot stop opposing offenses. Maybe if they could work out some sort of a halfway house deal with the NFL and the government they could get some of their players back and get some sort of a boost. Chad Pennington has to be wondering where, if anywhere, he will be playing professional football next year, but until then the best thing he can do for himself is to put up the best numbers he can. Against the Bengals defense, he should not have much of a problem with that assignment. I would like to pick the Bengals to win this, but I find it difficult to pick a team with a defense that allowed the Cleveland Browns to score 51 points. I also find it difficult to trust the number of road teams that I am trusting this week – last time I did that I was faced with disastrous results. However, being an eternal optimist, I will take the Jets on the road this week.

St. Louis 0-6 @ Seattle 3-3

Well, Marc Bulger is expected to give it a go this week. It seems to be forcing the issue (rib problems) to come back this fast, but perhaps after watching his backup throw eight interceptions in two starts he realized he ought to come back sooner rather than later. I apologize for mis-informing people earlier in the week – I had thought Gus Frerotte had only thrown six interceptions in two games but my information was incorrect. The Rams’ porous defense may be what the Seahawks need to get back on track after an ugly loss to the Saints last week on Sunday Night Football. Defensively, the Seahawks need to blitz Marc Bulger all day long. The Rams’ offensive line is in an offensive plight with all their injuries. Seeing as how Bulger will be playing on broken ribs, it may not take much for the Seahawks to aggravate that injury. I find it hard to pick a team, on the road, with no victories yet. Seahawks win it.

Chicago 2-4 @ Philadelphia 2-3

I was being facetious last week talking about an “Adrian Peterson Bowl” in the Bears-Vikings contest, but the Vikings rookie running back was incredible with over 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including two of 60+ yards. The Bears’ defense allowed over 300 yards rushing in that game. Perhaps not so shockingly, the Bears’ defense is now ranked down at 27th in the league. I am not sure where the Bears’ rushing offense is ranked, but it is also down there – Cedric Benson is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. The Philadelphia offense has also been inconsistent – a strong rushing game and a passing attack that should be pretty good have been failing to produce touchdowns. Since I am not an Eagles fan, this bothers me not. However, I am not a Bears fan either and so I do not know exactly what to do for this game. What the heck – Bears to win it on the road.


Minnesota 2-3 @ Dallas 5-1

Congratulations to Adrian Peterson for providing an amazing highlight reel of plays against the Bears – with a 35 yard touchdown run, 67-yard touchdown run, and a 73-yard touchdown, he was running all over the place. Adrian Peterson now leads the NFL in rushing yards. After that performance, what will he do to top it? Whatever he does, it will be exciting to watch. The way he is playing he is practically a lock for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. This may have been a good upset game choice to go with, but I did not want to put that sort of pressure upon the young rookie – he already has enough pressure being the Vikings’ only consistent weapon. The Cowboys matched up evenly against the Patriots for a while but then the Pats pulled away and ended up winning 48-27. Not to say ‘I told you so’ or anything, but I figured the Cowboys had used up too much luck against the Bills to be able to knock off the Patriots. Dallas has enough luck to defeat the Vikings though, and they will.

Sunday Night Football: Pittsburgh 4-1 @ Denver 2-3

Both teams are coming off their byes. The previous games for both teams were one-sided – the Steelers won 21-0 over Seattle two weeks ago, and the Broncos lost to the Chargers 41-3 two weeks ago. The Steelers have a slight lead over the Ravens in their division, whislt the Broncos are only a game back in the AFC West. The Broncos are 4-0 in games coming off their bye week the past four seasons, and they look to try to improve to 5-0 in the last 5 years. However, the Steelers have found a way to win that works. Willie Parker is 6th in the NFL in rushing with 507 yards rushing in five games – and the Broncos have proven unable to stop the run. With Fast Willie having a week off last week, his wheels should be ready and willing to run. This could have been an upset game selection, but the Steelers are looking good under new head coach Mike Tomlin, and I will keep rolling with them. Steelers win it on the road in what I expect to be a hard-fought contest.

Monday Night Football: Indianapolis 5-0 @ Jacksonville 4-1

Here is a marquee match-up between the two teams vying for the division crown in the AFC South. The Jaguars have been finding a way to win and have now won four games on the season. Just one game behind Indy, the Jags are now in a position where if they win they could not only break Indy’s winning streak and be the first team to knock off the World Champs, they could also be leading the division. I still do not trust the Jaguars – they have time and time again done exactly the opposite of what I expected them to do. However, I do not see how I can pick them to win this week when Peyton Manning has had two weeks of time to review film for this game and figure out how to win it. Manning is also three touchdown passes away from breaking Johnny Unitas’ franchise passing touchdown record. Anyone want to bet he breaks that record in this game? If the Colts win, they will become just the third team in history to start 6-0 for three consecutive seasons. The Jaguars typically give the Colts a good fight – but the Colts are expected to get both Joseph Addai and Marvin Harrison back this week. Colts win it to advance to 6-0 before taking on the Carolina Panthers next week.

Last week I went 9-4 and am now 55-34 on the season.

By Robert “RingLeader” Gilbert

[Comments Will Be Taken In The PantherCoalition Forums]

It's All American / Let's Keep It That Way

Hello Friends,

Why does the new ''comish'' feel the need to go ''United Nations'' with the NFL ? We need to keep what is an American game right here in the lower 48....before you know it the ''Thanksgiving Day'' games will be played in Cuba once Castro kicks the can simply because the NFL would make a killing with the location being so close to Florida & the new regime will accept cause they will need the money ! LOL

Seriously, here's my plan to make things right.

Move the Pro Bowl to the mainland.

Why do you think it's not as popular as the MLB, NHL & NBA All-Star games ?

It's simply because it's played in Hawaii !

Most people can't afford a trip to Hawaii unless they ''whoop out the plastic'' !

The Superbowl needs to stay right here in America....I sort of understand the need to keep it in a warm weather climate, but in all reality the NFL would make a killing even if the game was again played in a cold weather climate, for the record if the Superbowl was played in Green Bay the NFL would make a killing !

We need to put the money aspect aside a bit & place the emphasis on the FANS !

I think the Superbowl would do pretty well rotating around to each NFL city, if the NFL thought enough of a city to award a franchise to them then they should consider awarding them a Superbowl...economics is economics Superbowl or not.

For many of us that grew up without cable & satelitte TV, Sunday afternoons were all about Pat Sumerall & John Madden while our Monday nights were graced with Howard Cosell, ''Dandy'' Don Meredith & Frank Gifford....I sang ''Turn Out The Lights'' with Don each & every time. LOL

Are we going to need translators pretty soon to understand the game commentators ? LOL

Why should fans accept a worldwide league when NFL Europe closed it's doors and it was a proven farm league for the the NFL that produced & cultivated several great players ?

Let's keep what is American TRULY an American tradition.

With that being said I still can't believe that Dolphin fans are going to miss out on a home game simply because it's going to be played in London, now that my friends IMO is simply unreal & 100% uncalled for.

I hope that things change for the better, but unless we get a new ''comish'' I fear that things will change for the benefit of the NFL, not the fan.

Not Another Predictions Column! Week Six

St. Louis 0-5 @ Baltimore 3-2

Poor St. Louis – this was not what they expected to have happen coming into this season. They had such high hopes for the season, and now those hopes are being dashed against the rocks week in and week out. Gus Frerotte was able to lead the Rams to more points than they had been scoring – but his three interceptions were still game-killing. Perhaps as he plays more his interceptions will lessen. Wide receiver Drew Bennett also saw his first action with the Rams, catching a touchdown from Frerotte. The Ravens *barely* managed to defeat the 49ers led by Trent Dilfer 9-7 on three Matt Stover field goals. The only reason the Ravens have been in games is their defense, which, though a little more suspect than usual, has been able to make up for the offense’s apparent phobia of point-scoring. The offense, though 11th in total yards, is only 21st in scoring. Since the Rams defense has been prone to giving up points, they may be just the answer for Baltimore. In fact – I predict Baltimore scores two offensive touchdowns this week en route to a victory at home.

Minnesota 1-3 @ Chicago 2-3

Ah – the Adrian Peterson v. Adrian Peterson battle. Well, maybe not really since the Bears’ Peterson does not start – yet. Perhaps in another few weeks he will take what was Thomas Jones’ role in the offense and help out Cedric Benson that way. Now, the Vikings’ rookie Adrian Peterson has been having a great rookie campaign, with 383 yards on 76 attempts plus 9 receptions for 166 yards. However, he has only been able to score twice. Of course, the entire Minnesota offense has had trouble with that whole scoring thing. And the Bears – I am NOT happy with them right now. They did NOT need to ruin Brett Favre’s 16-0 season. Alright, fine, so offensive playcalling was the real issue in that game, along with not being able to find enough crazyglue for James Jones. The Bears got some lucky breaks last Sunday night to defeat the Packers, for sure. However, they have it more together than the Vikings do, and so unfortunately I am going with the Bears to win it this week.

Miami 0-5 @ Cleveland 2-3

How can the Dolphins have no victories but have a player who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage? Running back Ronnie Brown has 425 yards rushing on 83 attempts for an average of 5.1 yards per carry with 4 rushing touchdowns, and another 287 receiving yards. They will need him even more this week, though, against Cleveland, what with Trent Green’s injury. Speaking of Cleveland, if they win this game they might be tied for second in the division with Baltimore, but due to head-to-head standings the Browns have the tiebreaker and would actually be second in their division. It would not be surprising if the Browns end up with a wildcard spot this season. If so, it would be their first playoff appearance since Tim Couch led them to a wildcard berth several years back. Yes, that Tim Couch. Derek Anderson, though, another in a long list of Cleveland quarterbacks since Couch, has 11 touchdowns on the season and 1251 passing yards. Obviously, every team has a chance in every game, but the Dolphins have an opportunity here. Browns’ running back Jamal Lewis was injured last week and will be limited on Sunday, thus forcing the Browns to have Derek Anderson pass the ball. If the Dolphins can get pressure on him those passes can be made into interceptions. However, the Browns look to bounce back after losing to Cleveland and win this week at home over the Dolphins, sending the Dolphins into a 6-game losing streak on the season. Wonder how many people wish Nick Saban were still there?

Washington 3-1 @ Green Bay 4-1

Jason Campbell and the ‘Skins defense came out of their bye week on fire, eliminating an overmatched team in the Detroit Lions 34-3. Campbell had perhaps his best showing as a pro with 23 completions on 29 attempts for 200+ yards and multiple touchdowns, and the defense totally shut down Jon Kitna and the Lions. Meanwhile, the Packers came out on fire against Chicago but quickly cooled off. James Jones led the cooldown with a couple of key fumbles in the first half that took away what would have likely been scoring drives for Green Bay and kept Chicago in the game. In the second half, the Packers went away from everything that had been working on offense and did not do much of anything productive offensively. The Redskins have all the momentum going into this week – but I believe in Brett Favre and I feel that this will be a big year for the Packers. Brett wants to win. Packers take this game, but it will likely be close.

Houston 3-2 @ Jacksonville 3-1

The Texans managed to win over Miami last week, but it was pretty darn close, all things considered. It was a good week to be Kris Brown though, as he set an NFL record for the most 50+ yard field goals in a game. I would have figured John Kasay to have that record by now, but congratulations are in order for Brown, who also whacked a 57-yarder to win the game. Aside from that, the Texans have been plagued by injuries, but are still holding together. Matt Schaub will need his tight end, Owen Daniels, to step up big-time this week. On the other side, we have my long-time nemesis in this space, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Once again, they foiled me last week by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense came to play and shut almost every weapon the Chiefs have down – the exception being perennial All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez, who notched another 100 yards receiving. The Jaguars want to avenge some embarrassing defeats at the hands of the 2006 Texans by defeating the 2007 Texans – and this week I will ride on their bandwagon. Jags to win it.

WEEKLY UPSET GAME: Cincinnati 1-3 @ Kansas City 2-3

The Bengals have perhaps surprised some people this season with only one victory thus far on the year. They have been able to score points – but their ‘defense’ has been absent. As most fans know, defense is usually a bit more vital to winning games then offense, though obviously there have been major exceptions to this rule. Maybe their defense will show up against the Chiefs, who have been on-again off-again when it comes to offensive play. Speaking of the Chiefs, after taking it to the Chargers 30-16 two weeks ago, they lost 17-7 against Jacksonville last week, and it was not even close as they scored in the final few moments of the game. Maybe they’re a team that only comes on strong every other week, and if that’s the case, this is their week. However, look for Cincinnati to bounce back strong after their bye week and defeat the Chiefs on the road as my upset pick this week.

Philadelphia 1-3 @ New York Jets 1-4

Now here are two struggling teams. The Eagles lost to the Giants in spectacular fashion on Sunday Night Football two weeks ago, allowing twelve sacks, including six to star defensive end Osi Umenyiora. Yes, IKEA (unfortunately for Eagles’ fans) did indeed return the real Philadelphia Eagles. Now, perhaps the Eagles are not as bad as they have appeared. Still, they have played some fairly un-inspired ball in most games this season. Their opponent, the Jets, have not done much better, somehow finding ways to continue losing. By all rights they probably should have beaten the Giants last Sunday, but again, they just kept finding new ways to lose. I really wish I did not have to pick either of these teams, but then, I do need to write this column, and since the whole point of the column is picking teams, I suppose I just have to deal with it. The Jets do not have much of a rushing game, and their passing game occasionally catches on fire. Their defense and their special teams have kept them in most games, however, and they will keep them in this one for a little while. However, the game will end in a Philadelphia road victory, keeping their hopes somewhat alive for a postseason berth.

Tennessee 3-1 @ Tampa Bay 3-2

Well, the Titans managed to outlast Atlanta despite five turnovers last Sunday. That is either very impressive – or it just shows how bad Atlanta is. Being a Panthers fan, I would much rather believe the latter. The Titans defense has also been a playmaking machine – they are quite opportunistic in the linebackers and secondary, and All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is just dominant up the middle of the field. Their rushing attack has been quite successful, but while at times quarterback Vince Young has been a passing threat, he has also been a passing hindrance with a tendency to throw interceptions. Meanwhile, for the Tampa Bay Bucs, the injury situation just continues to worsen as back-up running back Michael Pittman will now miss several weeks worth of time due to an injury sustained against the Colts. Third-year back Earnest Graham will start this week against the Titans’ stifling rush defense. Assuming that Tennessee will be able to slow him down, it will prove extremely interesting to see if Jeff Garcia can outwit those aforementioned opportunistic linebackers and members of the secondary. With somewhat of a surprise pick here, I take Tennessee to win on the road and improve to 4-1.

CAROLINA 3-2 @ ARIZONA 3-2

Vinny Testaverde landed a new but old job this week. New, in the sense of a new franchise to be a member of – Old in the sense that he is still playing quarterback. Give it up for the 43-year old gentleman, people. And give the man some respect, he can still play ball at this level. At the beginning of this week it was learned that star Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme would be out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his throwing elbow. Back-up David Carr also was banged up in the victory over New Orleans and may or may not see playing time this week against the Cardinals. Due to the retirement of tight end Kris Mangum in the offseason, the only quarterback left on the active roster was undrafted rookie free agent Matt Moore out of Oregon State. It was clear that Carolina needed to pick up someone with more experience than that to back up David Carr – well, they did. Someone with a lot more experience than a rookie. It is even possible that Testaverde will start this Sunday’s game due to Carr’s ailing back. However, Carr was able to practice on Friday, so that is a good sign. Since Delhomme’s injury, the offense for Carolina has struggled to find a groove. Hopefully if Carr can play he will start clicking a little better since it will be his third start and he will be more comfortable with the offense. The Carolina defense appeared to hit its turning point on the season against the Saints last week when defensive end Julius Peppers blocked what could have been a game-sealing field goal for the Saints. Arizona also has a similar quarterback issue facing itself in its own right. Incumbent starter Matt Leinart is out for the season with a fractured clavicle, and so former MVP Kurt Warner will replace him. Earlier this week the Cardinals signed Tim Rattay, and if Warner were to go down, Rattay would come in to replace him. Running back Edgerrin James of the Cardinals also leads the NFC in rushing at the moment – he has about an 81 yard lead over DeShaun Foster, who ranks 5th in the NFC but averages fewer carries per game than any of the backs ahead of him. Carolina has been unbeaten on the road thus far on the season and looks to continue that this week against Arizona, becoming 4-2.

New England 5-0 @ Dallas 5-0

Now this will be considered the marquee matchup of the week. This is pitting the current best team in the AFC vs. the current best team in the NFC. Both squads are undefeated, and one of them looks to start the season ¾ of the way to a guaranteed .500 record. Granted, it sure does not look like either team has to worry about finishing with a .500 record, but stranger things have happened. Dallas used an insane amount of luck to defeat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night despite Tony Romo’s best efforts to give the game away. People had to expect Romo to have a game like that, though. I mean, after his semi-miraculous feats against St. Louis, it only makes sense that he would struggle a bit. The Patriots were able to incorporate some of their other weapons, like receiver Donte’ Stallworth, in a 34-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. This team has now scored at least 34 points in every game thus far on the season. That is amazing. Quarterback Tom Brady is also on track to throw about 51 touchdown passes on the season, breaking Peyton Manning’s record of 49. He has 16 so far on the season – some quarterbacks barely hit 16 touchdown passes in 16 games, let alone 5 outings. Personally, while many may be predicting this to be a close game, look for New England to be ready to steamroll Dallas. I don’t know that they will, but I do expect the Patriots to win on the road this week and advance to 6-0.



Oakland 2-2 @ San Diego 2-3

Unbelievably, the Oakland Raiders are actually the division leaders in the AFC West. Their defense has been playing very well against most teams, creating turnovers. Daunte Culpepper played well two weeks ago, scoring five touchdowns, three on the ground and two through the air in a 35-17 victory over the winless Dolphins. I backed San Diego last week even when it looked like a fool’s errand, but I was correct. The Chargers picked last week to wake up on the road over the Broncos. Now, hopefully this will mean that they stay woken up, or else it matters little. This division is very tight, everyone in the AFC West is either 2-2 or 2-3. Michael Turner had a huge day against the Broncos with over 140 rushing yards. LaDainian Tomlinson did not have as many rushing yards but definitely gave the team a boost in other factors, including receiving. Tight end Antonio Gates has 40 receptions in five games, which is an average of 8 receptions a game. That is unbelievable and translates to 128 catches on the season. Since the Chargers look to have re-awakened, I’m picking them to keep on winning and defeat the Raiders this week.

Sunday Night Football: New Orleans 0-4 @ Seattle 3-2

Quarterback Drew Brees of the Saints is having a horrid slump this year with only one touchdown pass and nine interceptions. His quarterback rating is a devestatingly low 57.4 – but it is not all his fault. Several of those interceptions were tipped by his receivers, who for the most part forgot how to catch a football. He also has had little help from the rushing game, and the defense has not been able to stop the pass. Whether or not they have been able to turn things around in a week remains to be seen, but it bears mentioning that the 1992 Chargers, who started off the season by losing several games in a row, went on to the playoffs by defeating the Seattle Seahawks for their first victory on the season. Last week Seattle was demolished in Pittsburgh 21-0. Turns out it was definitely a good decision to pick the Steelers in that game. However, after playing such a horrid game on offense, the Seahawks, at home this week, will be on fire and ready to atone for their performance against the Steelers. Unfortunately for Saints fans, I do not see their season starting to turn around this week. Seahawks win it.

Monday Night Football: New York Giants 3-2 @ Atlanta 1-4

The Giants defeated the Jets last week by coming back from a 24-14 deficit. In turn, they now get a Falcons squad that despite getting five turnovers against the Titans could only manage 13 points in a loss to Tennessee. In desperation, quarterback Byron Leftwich was brought in to relieve an ineffective Joey Harrington, but he was unable to spark the team into much either. Atlanta’s offense has, in general, not been what it was with Michael Vick. However, Joey Harrington’s passer rating of 87.3 is the highest of his career and also happens to be better than Michael Vick has ever managed. The Falcons are still only a few games back in the NFC South, but a loss this week would really put them in what may be an almost insurmountable hole. Eli Manning has 3:2 touchdown/interception ratio on the season, and Plaxico Burress, his number one target, has 7 touchdown receptions on the young season. He has been a playmaker, breaking tackles left and right and streaking down the field. Right now, I am riding the Giants’ wave. Giants defeat the Falcons on the road to improve to 4-2.


Last week I went 11-3 and am now 46-30 on the season.

By Robert “RingLeader” Gilbert

[Comments Will Be Taken In The PantherCoalition Forums]

Silent Majority: Problems at Home

Want to hear from someone who's been to all but 4 games in the last 13 seasons? I'll put it all here, but it will be a lengthy diatribe, so if you really wanna know...



1. Lack of a regular, consistent fan base. The notion that PSLs will help pay for the stadium with a minimum of taxpayer burden was a great idea back in the early 90's when the Panther organization started becoming a reality. However, one huge segment of the PSL buying population is the business sector and those businesses regularly use the PSLs for their clients, entertaining, schmoozing and other various reasons- one of the reasons we often see so many fans from opposing teams.

Second part of this, I see different people around me for every game. There are the regulars, but I would estimate that 30% of my section has different people sitting in the seats every game. All those PSL owners are selling seats left and right- one need only look in the Charlotte Observer classifieds and look around the stadium on game day. Do you know how many times I've brought friends to games without tickets, knowing they would be available all around the stadium on Sunday?

Third part of this, a non-NFL experienced fan base that allows, tolerates and welcomes fans of opposing teams to come into BOA and make noise, talk a lot of smack and display a complete and total lack of respect for the home team. I have attended football games in Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Cleveland, Baltimore, New York (New Jersey, actually), Atlanta, Philadelphia, Miami, Jacksonville and New Orleans- one does not get away with acting like an idiot fan pulling for the other team in those stadiums, but in Charlotte you are quite welcome to say anything derogatory you like about the team, it's players, the fans and their mothers without hesitation or threat of retaliation.


2. This is not college, rah-rah athletics. The demographic and geopgraphic area is spoiled by, influenced by and know nothing but college athletics. People in this area are so used to hearing and seeing college basketball they are accustomed to nothing but winning and do not know how to accept losing. Put this together with #1 above and you've got a stadium crowdthat's not typical of an NFL franchise. It's still, in large part, a fancy wine and cheese crowd as well. I thought this aspect of a fan base would change over time, but it looks like it's here to stay.


3. Jumbotron, sound system, announcer and music. All basically suck. I sit on the field level on the opposite end of the stadium from the single speaker sound system and we can't hear the announcer 75% of the time. The sound system is terrible and the "Jumbotron" is tiny by today's standards in NFL stadiums around the league. The oldest stadium in the NFL has a larger screen than the one in BOA. The announcer does nothing to get the crowd involved, does not recap plays, the music is the same ol' $h!^ and the replays are useless because the screen is so small. The visuals are childish- lose the flag boys running across the field, lose the rarely used cannon and please lose all those ridiculous highlights from games past. The Sir Purr is officially old, worn out and no longer anything but a kiddie ambassador.


4. BOA is a place to be seen, not heard. It is a social gathering like no other. It is a place to be seen, a reason to buy new clothes every week, get your hair done... makes me wanna puke. I see women wearing leather and heels, freshly coiffed hair, men wearing khakis, oxford shirts and the new look- loafers without socks. This is the NFL- you know, dirt, blood, spit, hit the other guy harder than he hits you. The people I saw at the Van Halen concert the other night looked and acted more like football fans than those I see on Sundays in Charlotte.


Last week's game I had little interest left by the third quarter so I began to look around at the crowd and really take notice of what goes on in the stadium besides the game. You know, the guys and girls who are calling their friends, who are also in the stadium, on cell phones, standing up, looking around or up or wherever, waving and yelling in the phone, "Do you see me?" The two exceptionally well-dressed women 2 rows in front of me who never watched a single play the entire time they were in those seats! They paged through the program talking about the cheerleaders' hairstyles, shared nail colors and related experiences of their children's trials and tribulations at college.


Game day for us is a 14-hour experience that has become a 14-hour necessary evil. I get up at 6AM and begin filling coolers, make final preps on the food and load up the Tahoe. I wake the wife at 6:30 and we're on the road around 7AM. We arrive in Charlotte usually around 9:30. We've had the same tailgating group forever, it seems, and our 12 reserved parking spots are already filled by 10. We cook, eat and drink. We talk about the week's events and get caught up on everyone else's news. Rarely does the talk center on football- we save that for after the game. We usually wait for the traffic to clear off a little before hitting the highway home after the game and by around 8:30 or 9PM we're home. 4-5 hours of driving time, 4 hours of tailgating and 3 hours of food and friends with the usual wait times makes for a long day and, sadly, if it weren't for all the friends, I would have to question whether it's worth the effort.

By Kelly "Anybodyhome" Benton

[Comments will be taken in the PantherCoalition Forums.]

Not Another Predictions Column! Week Five

Miami (0-4) @ Houston (2-2)

All right, so apparently I over-valued the Dolphins. That defense appears to be essentially non-existent, which is probably one of the reasons why the Dolphins have star defensive end Jason Taylor on the trading block. In addition, the Texans decided to come out flat against Atlanta – making both of these teams ‘pick-offenders’ by losing their respective games instead of winning them as I told them they were supposed to do. Hopefully they will listen better this week – to punish them I should probably pick this as a tie, but that would not be the greatest of ideas if we are trying for perfection here. This Trent Green experiment that Miami is attempting does not appear to be working – after four games Green has a 60.4% completion rating with five touchdowns and seven interceptions and an 0-4 record as Miami’s starter. Rookie return man Ted Ginn is averaging 21.9 yards a kick-off return and 7 yards a pop on punt returns. There is no way I would have drafted him at ninth overall, but then again they do not pay me to make those calls. They probably should, but they do not. At any rate – Houston wins at home.

Jacksonville (2-1) @ Kansas City (2-2)

Well, the Jaguars are back from their bye. Their fans may be rejoicing, but I, the prognosticator, am not exactly pleased to be seeing the Jaguars come up on my matchup sheet again. As my readers know, the Jaguars are in a probationary period with me. I said last week that either the Chiefs or the Chargers’ offenses would come to life. I was right, but it was not the offense that I wanted to come to life. Rookie receiver Dwayne Bowe hauled in eight receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers last week and appears to be becoming a major part of the Chiefs’ offensive assault. However, this should surprise no one – after all, Tony Gonzalez worked out so well with the Chiefs, why would they not try to find Tony Gonzalez Part Two? Since the Chiefs seem to be up & coming now, I will surf the wave and pick them to win.

Cleveland (2-2) @ New England (4-0)

The Browns pulled off another upset last week, knocking off the Baltimore Ravens 27-13. Derek Anderson has thrown 9 touchdowns on the season, but has only played three games at this point. Had he started over Charlie Frye in week one, I wonder if the result of that game would have been different. His counterpart on the other side of the field, Tom Brady, has 13. Brady is actually on track to break Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown record of 49 – Brady is on track to record 52. Isn’t it amazing what happens when you pair a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback with star receivers? Running back Sammy Morris is actually out-performing Laurence Maroney in the rushing department – both backs have carried the ball 54 times, but Morris has 16 more yards and three more touchdowns. The points this team has been putting up are just insane – 38 every week before playing Cincinnati, and then 34 against Cincinnati. The Cleveland defense will have a hard time slowing down the Patriots, that is certain. Speaking of the Pats, their defense receives a boost this week with the return of safety Rodney Harrison from his league-mandated four game suspension. How does that saying go? The rich get richer? The Patriots have to be careful not to be caught in a trap game this week, but they are too focused to have that happen. Patriots win this week.

CAROLINA (2-2) @ NEW ORLEANS (0-3)

The Panthers offense collapsed last week under the guidance of back-up quarterback David Carr, mustering only a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game. David Carr looked to spark the offense early in the game with a huge leap for a first down, but all it did was serve as the Panthers lone offensive highlight in the first 59 minutes of play. Carr will be getting his second consecutive start this week and hopefully he and his receivers will have better timing. Star receiver Steve Smith needs to take it upon himself to make things happen, as do running backs DeAngelo Williams and DeShaun Foster. Defensively, the team is struggling. Ranked 21st against the run and 20th against the pass, 23rd overall, there is a distinct drop-off from last year’s 7th overall defense. The biggest issue is really collapsing in the first half. By the time the defense rebounds in the second half, the team is already in a deficit and the offense has even more pressure on itself to perform. Last year’s NFC South winner, the New Orleans Saints, have not looked up-to-snuff yet as the team is 0-3. They have had little-to-no running game, with both Deuce McAlister and Reggie Bush having less than 30 carries. Quarterback Drew Brees has struggled; primarily due to an offensive line that is, well, offensive, as they have forgotten how to pass-protect. Perhaps the Panthers are just what the doctor ordered, as the Cats have had trouble generating a pass rush on defense. The afore-mentioned McAlister was injured against the Titans and will miss the rest of the season, leaving the bulk of the rushing duties to second-year phenom Reggie Bush. As the Saints have had trouble gelling offensively, and the Panthers have had trouble on defense, this game should prove to be at least a temporary cure for one of the two. The Saints’ defense has also been porous, allowing rushing yards and passing yards galore. At any rate, this could be an ugly game, but a win is a win and I predict Carolina to win.

New York Jets (1-3) @ New York Giants (2-2)

The Jets have been a disappointment so far on the season – after securing a wildcard berth last year they appeared to be on their way up, but they have not been able to get it together on both sides of the ball, with an inconsistent offense and defense. Meanwhile, the Giants are coming off an NFL record-tying 12-sack performance on the Philadelphia Eagles. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora recorded 6 of those 12 sacks – beating left tackle Winston Justice repeatedly. As Deion Sanders said, Justice will wake up in the middle of the night screaming “Osi! Osi!” every once in awhile. This is because it is a lot harder to wake up screaming “Umenyiora! Umenyiora!” At any rate, after a defensive performance that hot, one of two things is bound to happen. Either they come out flat against the Jets, or they are fired up and come on out and do it again. I say the latter. Giants win this week, improving to 3-2.

Seattle (3-1) @ Pittsburgh (3-1)

Currently atop their respective divisions, the Seahawks and Steelers look poised for playoff runs this year. Pittsburgh suffered their first loss of the season last week, as their former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who is now the head coach for Arizona, was able to defeat Mike Tomlin’s squad with his two quarterback system, piloted by the young Matt Leinart and the veteran Kurt Warner. I have no clue how long this system will work, but former UNC head coach John Bunting tried it last year with Cam Sexton and Joe Dailey, and it did not work. Granted, Warner and Leinart have much more talent, but still. Typically, switching quarterbacks messes with an offense’s chemistry, particularly with receivers and the timing of passes. Seattle’s offense has dropped off a little bit from last year, but as Shaun Alexander’s cracked wrist heals, the offense should pick up some steam. These two teams have not met since the infamous Super Bowl XL. Said Super Bowl is notorious for several bad officiating calls, but the Steelers still won the game. If this game were in Seattle, I would probably pick the Seahawks to win, but on the road against a Steelers team coming off a loss, I will go with the Steelers to win this week. Sorry to any readers I may have from Seahawkblue.com.

Arizona (2-2) @ St. Louis (0-4)

Veteran journeyman quarterback Gus Frerotte is now starting indefinitely for the St. Louis Rams as incumbent star quarterback Marc Bulger is out with broken ribs. Tackle Adam Goldberg tore his MCL, putting him out for at least four weeks. Running back Steven Jackson is still out. The defensive unit is on its heels. What do the Rams have left? They seem to be a perfect upset game candidate this week, but I cannot bring myself to do that. The Cardinals have knocked off both the Seahawks and the Steelers, two teams with a combined two losses – the aforementioned losses to the Cardinals. Naturally, there is always a certain amount of trepidation from Rams fans whenever quarterback Kurt Warner comes into town to play against them, and as Kurt has looked good in relief of Leinart the past few weeks, there may be even more trepidation this time around. I was, and still am, a Warner fan. Cardinals win on the road this week.

Detroit (3-1) @ Washington (2-1)

The Lions are in second place in the NFC North, a game behind the undefeated Green Bay Packers. They do not have much of a running attack, but with the receivers they have and Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, they have not needed one. Last time the Redskins played, they collapsed against the Giants, allowing the Giants to win. Running back Clinton Portis is once again suffering from different injuries, but has still managed 227 yards rushing and three touchdowns in three games. As my readers know, I am monitoring Lions’ QB Jon Kitna’s prediction of 10 wins this season – so far, he is 30% of the way there. It is a little hard to pick the Lions to beat the Redskins, particularly since Joe Gibbs has never lost to them, but I will pick Detroit to win anyway.




Atlanta (1-3) @ Tennessee (2-1)

The Falcons managed to win for the first time last week against the Houston Texans – yet another pick of mine that went wrong last week. Apparently, Panthers Defensive Coordinator Mike Trgovac was giving the Titans ‘helpful’ tips on how to slow down Joey Harrington’s passing game. Tennessee has had a very strong triple-pronged rushing attack, spearheaded by running backs Chris Brown and Lendale White coupled with quarterback Vince Young. Young has also improved his passing abilities, and is continuing to mold his professional football fate. I have never been much of a fan of him, but that may be more because of the fact Mack Brown was his college coach. In the end, the Titans should be able to find running room against Atlanta, and that will be the reason they win this week.

Tampa Bay (3-1) @ Indianapolis (4-0)

Well, the Buccaneers prevailed over Carolina last week, but lost starting tailback Carnell Williams and starting left tackle Luke Petitgout for the season. The Panthers need the Buccaneers to lose in order to remain in contention for the divisional title. Even though the Bucs are beat up, though, they will still bring as much fight as they can to Indy. Speaking of Indy, the Colts are rolling at 4-0 thus far on the season. A moment of consternation occurred for Indy last week as superstar receiver Marvin Harrison injured his knee. If he cannot go or is limited this week, look for rookie wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez to step into Harrison’s spot. Gonzalez has looked like a veteran to date, making tough catches in traffic and providing a spark when needed. This would be a prime game to choose as an upset game, but I certainly do not want to give the Bucs a victory this week. Colts win it to improve to 5-0.

WEEKLY UPSET GAME: San Diego (1-3) @ Denver (2-2)

Do not even bother to ask me why I keep backing the Chargers. Maybe it is because we were spoiled on them last year, when they had coaching continuity. Maybe it is because I feel a little partial to Philip Rivers. Maybe it is because LaDainian Tomlinson is one of the classiest players in the NFL. Maybe it is because I have friends who are from San Diego. I do like Denver, and I do like Jay Cutler. Nevertheless, this week is not their week to shine. Running back Travis Henry of the Broncos faces a possible league-mandated suspension for substance abuse. This would be a blow to the Broncos’ rushing game if it happens, but the Broncos know how to run the ball no matter who is at running back. In the end, somehow the Chargers find a way to win this game and keep themselves and their season semi-alive.

Baltimore @ San Francisco

The Ravens defense has been a little suspect recently, but gets to face a blast from the past this week in quarterback Trent Dilfer, who helped lead the Ravens to a victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. San Fran’s franchise quarterback Alex Smith was injured last week and could miss up to a month. The veteran Dilfer will start in his place. Since San Francisco’s offense is the worst in the NFL, this will prove very interesting. Their defense will likely be able to slow the Ravens offense, but with their offensive woes, the Ravens D should be able to provide a win for Baltimore. Ravens win it on the road, trying to reclaim some of their dignity after being manhandled by the Browns.

Sunday Night Football: Chicago @ Green Bay

Brett Favre IS DA MAN! Favre now is the all-time leader in passing touchdowns in NFL history, and will continue to add to what is now his own record. Who knows how far he will go? Hopefully, the Packers will be able to take home one more Lombardi trophy for Favre. That is assuming, of course, that the Panthers will be unable to do that for Jake Delhomme. Brian Griese did well in moving the chains and scoring points for Chicago, but still showed proneness to turnovers as Rex Grossman did. Personally, right now I believe that is due to ‘rust’ from very little playing time over the past year or two. However, I wonder how long before Kyle Orton gets another chance? I will keep riding the Packers’ gravy train, as I pick the Packers to advance to 5-0.

Monday Night Football: Dallas @ Buffalo

Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards played well in his first career NFL start, leading the Bills to a 17-14 victory over the Jets last week. He has a tougher assignment this week – preparing to attempt to defeat the surging Cowboys, who have started off the season on fire. One-time backup to Drew Bledsoe, quarterback Tony Romo is now showing off his athleticism week in & week out as something more than a holder on kicking plays. His recovery of the botched snap last week that he turned into a first down run was just one example of his skills, or perhaps luck. I am not a Dallas fan, nor am I a Romo fan, but I have to give him kudos for not giving up on that play. He certainly deserved the 15-yard touchdown run he got later on in that drive. I considered making this game my upset game, but I do not think that the Bills will play quite well enough to win this game. I do think that it will be closer than a lot of people give the Bills credit for, though. Cowboys win it.

Last week I went 6-8 (only the second time in history NAPC! has had a losing record) and am 35-27 overall.

By Robert “RingLeader” Gilbert

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