[cwstech]

January 1, 2007
Brett Borden
Panthers.com





The weather outside Bank of America matched the mood inside it Monday as the Carolina Panthers met for the last time before their off-season strength and conditioning program begins in March. The rain drizzled down on players as they hauled their belongings out to their cars, some probably for the last time.

The way the NFL is today, roster changes are inevitable. Even Super Bowl champions lose a handful of players every year. Those teams who have disappointing seasons tend to tinker with their rosters a little more.
Safety Mike Minter, the Panthers all-time leader in tackles, forced fumbles and interception return yardage, has made the unceremonious walk 10 times now. He was asked if he believes the team will make wholesale changes to its defense.

“I don’t think so,” said Minter, who has started more games than any player in team history. “When you finish seventh in the League (in total defense), it’s not like you finished 31st. When you finish in the top 10, that’s nothing to shake your head about. Now granted, it’s not what we want to be. We always want to be Number One. But to be seventh in the League, I don’t think you’ll see that many changes, because we’re a good defense.”

The 2006 defense actually finished with a higher ranking than the 2003 Super Bowl team, which finished eighth. So what happened to a season that held so much promise back when training camp began in late July?
“I always go back to that four-game stretch from Washington to Pittsburgh,” said Minter, referring to the four-game losing streak that left the Panthers at 6-8 with two games remaining. “We win two of those games and we have a bye this weekend. That’s how close it is.”
Minter said head coach John Fox’s message to the team on Monday was brief and simple.

“He said that we didn’t want to end up this way, but at the same time, we’re not too far away from where we need to be. What separates football teams is commitment. The commitment starts in the off-season.”
For the 2006 Panthers, that off-season got here a little too quickly.

I disagree. We need help!

[Carolina Panthers News]

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Panthers Have Plenty Of Offseason Questions To Answer
WXii 12.com, NC - 22 hours ago
(Sports Network) - The Carolina Panthers' puzzling 2006 season was officially stamped a disappointment this past Saturday, when the New York Giants knocked off the Washington Redskins to completely eliminate the Cats from the NFC postseason picture.

New Year's Eve got a little better for the Panthers, when they hung a 31-21 loss on a New Orleans team that assumed Carolina's expected mantle atop the NFC South Division, although the playoff-bound Saints had basically subbed out all of their meaningful players by the second quarter.

That relatively meaningless win squared the Panthers' overall record at 8-8, which clearly fell short of the Super Bowl expectations bestowed upon the franchise that had reached the NFC title game 11 months earlier. But contrary to the beliefs of many of Carolina's followers, as well as those who cover the Panthers on a regular basis, it's not time for an overhaul. Just a fine- tuning.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:41:00 GMT

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[Lefty Noob]

So where do you start? What's the most urgent need in Carolina?

[cwstech]

A Quarterback for starts. Delhomme is 32 and Weinke is about to be 35. Basanez is a rookie and a backup at best. So we def need a young stud qb to start preparing. We also need a tightend that is a playmaker to help with the passing game. There are some needs on defense as well. We need. At defensive end opposite of Peppers, Rucker is 32 and so is his backup Al Wallace. Then just various other positions where guys are getting older. But those are the main positions I see for now.