Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, representing both North Carolina and South Carolina in the National Football League (NFL). They are currently members of the National Football Conference (NFC) South Division in the NFL. The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, began play as 1995 NFL expansion teams.
The Panthers conduct summer training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Fox Era: 2002-present
After being turned down by Steve Spurrier and Tony Dungy for the head coach job, the Panthers hired New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox as the team's third head coach. Fox was known for defensive discipline and it would be needed to improve a team that had finished in the bottom of the defensive rankings the previous year. Fox looked to the 2002 NFL Draft to begin revamping the franchise, starting with the second overall pick: Julius Peppers. Peppers was a dominating defensive end at the University of North Carolina and he was a solid fit for Fox's defensive plan. The Panthers also picked up linebacker Will Witherspoon and running back DeShaun Foster in the draft. Peppers combined with fellow defensive end Mike Rucker and defensive tackles Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins to form what many football experts called the best defensive line in the game. Meanwhile, Mike Minter anchored the secondary, while Witherspoon (affectionately called "Spoon" by fans & teammates) and Mark Fields led the linebacker corps. Fox's defense-first philosophy worked well as the Panthers improved to 7-9 and posted the second-best overall defense in the league including allowing a league-low 3.69 yards per rushing attempt.

2003 season: "The Cardiac Cats"
The 2003 season began with the Panthers drafting several young prospects, including Ricky Manning, Jr. out of UCLA at cornerback and Jordan Gross at offensive tackle. In addition, quarterback Jake Delhomme, running back Stephen Davis, and wide receiver Ricky Proehl were signed in the off-season, making additions to an offense that needed to complement a top-ranked defense. The team was not without tragedy, however, as it was revealed that former linebacker and coach Sam Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer; additionally, linebacker Mark Fields was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. The team used their struggle as inspiration, and started the season 5-0, after Delhomme replaced Rodney Peete at halftime of the season opener and led the Panthers to a fourth quarter comeback, thus winning the starting job. Delhomme eventually led the team to an 11-5 record, the NFC South Division title and a playoff berth.
In the playoffs, they easily defeated the Cowboys 29-10 in a home Wildcard game before facing the St. Louis Rams in the divisional playoff game in the Edward Jones Dome. Carolina had an 11-point lead in the last 3 minutes of play, but a touchdown from Marshall Faulk, a successful two point conversion, and an onside kick that led to a field goal tied the game and sent it to overtime. Both John Kasay and Jeff Wilkins missed potential game-winning kicks in the first overtime, and Carolina had the ball at the start of the second overtime. In the first play of the 2nd OT, however, Jake Delhomme hit Steve Smith with a 69-yard touchdown pass to win the game, 29-23, and send the Panthers into the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, led by Donovan McNabb, were in the NFC title match for the 3rd year in a row, but had lost the previous two years. The Panthers made it three in a row for Philadelphia, as they shut down the Eagles offense and, with a 14-3 victory, headed to their first Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
Super Bowl XXXVIII may have been remembered more for the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show with Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction", but football fans will agree that the game was one of the best-played games in Super Bowl history. The first quarter was scoreless, and neither team scored until near the end of the first half. However, 24 points were scored in the last 5 minutes of the first half, and the score going into halftime was 14-10 New England. The third quarter was also scoreless and it wasn't until late in the game that things heated up once again. The teams traded leads numerous times in the highest-scoring fourth quarter in Super Bowl history, including setting a record when Jake Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammad for an 85-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. That pass made the score 22-21, Carolina and went down in the record books as the longest offensive play in Super Bowl history. After New England responded with a touchdown of their own and a 2-point conversion to make it 29-22, Carolina would storm right back to tie the game with a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:08 left in regulation, opening the possibility to the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. However, John Kasay's kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball on their own 40-yard line. Adam Vinatieri, who had won Super Bowl XXXVI two years earlier on a last-second field goal, repeated his heroics, connecting on a 41-yarder with four seconds left, even though he had already missed two field goals in the game. This gave the Patriots their second Super Bowl win in three years. The multiple close games, won either in overtime or with a slim margin, gave way to a new nickname for the Panthers: the "Cardiac Cats".

2004 season
The experts all picked the Panthers to repeat their 2003 season success in 2004. Having selected cornerback Chris Gamble and wide receiver Keary Colbert with their top two picks in the 2004 draft, and not having lost any core players from their Super Bowl run, the team looked ready for their 10th Anniversary season. In addition, Mark Fields, who had missed the previous season with Hodgkin's disease, returned and was ready to go. But the team suffered major injuries early on, as Steve Smith broke his leg in the season opener against Green Bay, Stephen Davis suffered a knee injury before the second game of the season, and Kris Jenkins had shoulder problems that benched him for the season, the Panthers had problems early on. In fact, the Panthers had 14 players on injured reserve, including their top four running backs, more than any other team. This led to a 1-7 start, and people began wondering if they would repeat the 1-15 season of 2001. However, backup fullback Nick Goings stepped up to the challenge with five 100-yd rushing games, Keary Colbert played better than most rookies thrown into the #2 receiver spot, and the defense held together despite the injuries to help the team win 6 of their last 8 games, and the Panthers barely missed the playoffs after losing a close game to New Orleans in the season finale, finishing 7-9.
Among the other things the Panthers did in 2004 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the franchise, they named a 10th Anniversary All-Time Team. With the exception of tight end Wesley Walls, every offensive starter was on the team during their Super Bowl run of 2003. The only defensive players to make the anniversary team that played in the Super Bowl were the front four (Peppers, Rucker, Jenkins and Buckner), linebacker Dan Morgan, and safety Mike Minter. Pro Bowl punter Todd Sauerbrun made the squad as well. Naturally, kicker John Kasay made the team, since he has been the team's kicker since its inception.

2005 season
Before the 2005 season even began, the Panthers were once again plagued with off-field troubles. First, in March, punter Todd Sauerbrun, center Jeff Mitchell, and former offensive tackle Todd Steussie were linked to using steroids on a 60 Minutes report. Then in April, linebacker coach Sam Mills succumbed to his battle with intestinal cancer. And it was revealed that Mark Fields, who has Hodgkin's, would miss the 2005 season as he did the 2003 season while he goes for treatment. Fields was awarded the ESPN "Best Comeback Athlete" award at the July 2005 ESPY Awards. Panther fans looked forward to repeating their Super Bowl run with a team added to by Thomas Davis and Eric Shelton. Sports Illustrated picked the Panthers to be Super Bowl favorites over the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason picks, with Jake Delhomme gracing the cover of the magazine just before the season began.
Despite a home-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints 23-20 on an inspirational field goal by John Carney, and heightened by national feelings of sympathy for the homeless New Orleans Saints displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the Panthers got revenge against the two-time defending champion New England Patriots for the loss in Super Bowl XXXVIII winning the rematch by a final score of 27-17. Despite going on the road and losing a close game to the Miami Dolphins 27-24, the Panthers managed to get a six-game winning streak going. First, they won at home on Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers 32-29. Then, they squeaked out victories in their next two games, on the road against the Arizona Cardinals (24-20) and the Detroit Lions (21-20). Coming off of their Week 7 Bye, the Panthers won their home game against the Minnesota Vikings 38-13. During that game, Steve Smith, who had already emerged as one of the league's best wide receivers, had a real breakthrough. He caught 11 passes for 201 yards and 1 touchdown, with his longest reception of the game being 69 yards. Jake Delhomme also enjoyed one of his best outings in years, completing 21 of 29 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns, giving Delhomme a nomination for FedEx Air Player of The Week. A week later, the Panthers won against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road with a final score of 34-14. Then, they won at home against the hapless New York Jets 30-3.
Their winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Chicago Bears. The #1 defense held the Panthers to just three points, as they lost 13-3. A week later, they traveled to Ralph Wilson Stadium to play against the Buffalo Bills. For the most of the game, they were held in check by the Bills' defense, as they were held to just three field goals. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers rallied and got a 13-9 win, thanks to a three-yard TD pass from Jake Delhomme to TE Michael Gaines. Then, they would go home and win against their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons 24-6. Unfortunately, the Bucs would come to town a week later and get revenge with a final of 20-10. Despite going to LSU's Tiger Stadium and winning against the Saints 27-10, they would lose a close game to the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 after a controversial running into the kicker call.
After losing to the Cowboys in the season's penultimate game, the Panthers needed a victory to secure a spot in the playoffs. They responded with a dominating New Years Day performance at the Georgia Dome, a 44-11 victory over the Falcons, making the score the largest margin of victory in franchise history. This was the first time since 1997 that the Panthers were able to beat the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. With that victory, the Panthers secured themselves the NFC's #5 seed.
The Panthers began their post-season play on Sunday January 8, 2006 at Giants Stadium against the New York Giants. After both sides failed to score in the first quarter, the trifecta of Jake Delhomme, DeShaun Foster, and Steve Smith showed dominance as they shut out the Giants 23-0. Carolina's coach, John Fox, used to be the defensive coordinator for the Giants when they went to the Super Bowl earlier in the decade. New York was the nation's number one television market, and the shutout in the playoffs was significant.
Their next opponent was the Chicago Bears, home to the nation's third largest television market, who started off the week by reminding the Panthers about their regular season victory over them. The Panthers responded with a victory, beating the Bears at Soldier Field with a final score of 29-21. Unaffected by the major media hype of the Bears' defense, the Panthers led throughout, starting with an incredible touchdown reception by Steve Smith on the second play from scrimmage. Steve Smith had 12 catches for 212 yards with 2 touchdowns in Chicago. With that victory, the Panthers advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the third time in the franchise's 11-year history. However, during the Chicago game Deshaun Foster suffered a crushing ankle injury that would keep him indefinitely sidelined. Also, star defensive end Julius Peppers re-injured an ailing shoulder. The next weekend they played against the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC Championship, but injuries and playing on the road for the fourth straight week caught up with the panthers and they came up short, losing 34-14.

The TopCat scandal
On November 5, 2005, two members of the TopCats, the Panthers cheerleading squad, were arrested for assaulting a security guard at a Tampa bar. Angela Keathley and Rene Thomas were charged in the assault after they angered patrons. It was alleged that Keathley and Thomas were having sex in a bathroom stall. Two days after the incident, owner Richardson dismissed Keathley and Thomas from the TopCat squad. Both women pled guilty and were sentenced to community service, along with denying the sexual accusations.

2006 season
Coming off a playoff season and with new acquisition Keyshawn Johnson, the Panthers sold out Bank of America Stadium fifteen minutes after tickets went on sale. An early injury to Steve Smith led to a two-game losing streak, but his return coincided with a four game winning run. However, Jake Delhomme was injured soon after and lost for three games. The team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. Following the season offensive coordinator Dan Henning was fired, and Johnson retired.

2007 season
The Panthers began the 2007 season as playoff contenders, and won their opener against St. Louis Rams for the first time since 2003. However, the next week at home against the Houston Texans the Panthers jumped ahead 14-0 but lost 34-21. In week three, Jake Delhomme was lost for the season with an injured elbow, which resulted in Tommy John Surgery. The Panthers went on a five game losing streak, including a last-minute loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Panthers got their first home win in one calendar year, beating the San Francisco 49ers 31-14. Following a 37-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, John Fox started undrafted free agent rookie Matt Moore who led the Panthers to a 13-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks at home. The Panthers finished 7-9, missing the playoffs for the second straight season. Matt Moore was 2-1 as a starter. Julius Peppers had a career low in sacks. Jon Beason, rookie, led the Carolina Panthers in tackles on defense. First year Panther strong safety Chris Harris led the NFL in forced fumbles.

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