Rivalry dead?

   I was pondering tonight for a while after watching some highlights of the NFC south duking it out and it got me wondering who was the Panthers biggest rival? Who is our arch nemesis?  Which team is just more sweet to beat than any other? Surely it's someone within the division right? I did alittle research on this and watched some highlights and I guess its all a matter of opinion.

  I found that when the Panthers came into the league they were in the NFC west. In those days the panthers were always pitted against the Jaguars because they came into the league at the same time and they are only a couple states apart. And maybe because they were both named after big cats? I digress. Anyway in this time they also developed a friendly rivalry with the 49ers, since they were in the same division. But then in 2002 they realigned the divisions and put Carolina in the NFC South.

    So within the the division we have New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa bay. All four teams are very tough and geographically they are basically neighbors. There have been some great games within this division and the Title in the south is always up for grabs. But which games seem much more intense than the others? I hate to be the one to say it, but until last year the Saints never really posed much a threat in the South. The three other teams just kinda beat up on them every year. Props to them for winning a superbowl but you cant argue with facts. So between the other two teams it goes like this;

 Tampa bay is a mere state and a half away from Carolina. There has always been tension between these clubs and in 2008-09 season they had a great battle to clinch the division on Sunday Night Football I believe. They had a great running attack just as Carolina had "Double Trouble".  And we all remember the echo of Dante Wesley's shoulder pad on Clifton Smith's helmet last year, and the resulting brawl that left Wesley ejected and the refs running out of flags and throwing there hats to signal penalties. That's pretty intense. Both clubs had rough years last year but the ferocity in the games was always there.

  Then we come to Atlanta. A mere 250 miles from Carolina. Flashback to September 5th 1995; where Carolina loses their very first regular season game  23-20 in overtime in Atlanta. Skip to the next year. The clubs meet in the first outing of the year again and Carolina defeats Atlanta 29-6 in Carolina. Sounds kinda like the start of somthing? The past few years the Atlanta Falcons have had excellent quarterbacks and a solid run game. They have always been right there in the race. In 2006 they met in the season finale and the Panthers embarassed the Falcons 44-11, but for the most part these games are always very good and i have alot of respect for the Falcons.

    So which club is it? Which team feels especially good to beat on Sunday? I personally think its the Bucs. But thats my opinion and its a biased one at that because I have a friend thats a Tampa Bay fan and it feels oh so good to call him on sunday and give him an earful. But looking at the Falcons it raises alot of questions.  Or it could be another team. I have to say it felt especially good beating the Arizona Cardinals this season in a mirror game of the playoff blunder from the year before. And it has always felt good to beat the Rams ever since that divisional playoff game in the 03-04 season. So which team do you think it is?