Playing on Thanksgiving created this strange void where it was tough to write your traditional Monday Morning Optimist. Perhaps that's a good thing, because even now this season feels like a surreal fever dream of happenstance. There are times I want to look at the record and pinch myself, only to be slightly upset with myself that I doubted given the talent on this team. Today we're going to talk about talent realized, expectations shattered and the back-third of the Panthers season that is already the greatest in team history -- and yes, I'm including the Super Bowl year.
That's weird, isn't it? To say that a year where the Panthers made the Super Bowl is second to what we've seen this year. It's a different team but so far divorced from anything we've known to be Carolina football over the last 20 years. Things aren't supposed to come easily for the Panthers. They're supposed to fight and never stop fighting. Fight for recognition, fight for fans, fight for wins, fight for belief, fight for confidence, fight for the right to ... belong. Keep Pounding is more than a phrase indicative of never giving up, it's emblematic of everything Panther football is.
At 11-0 we're in a familiar position. Suddenly two states of nonplussed football fans are on board with the Panthers. This has given way to some deep frustration from those of us who were here from the beginning. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: There are no rewards for getting on this ride earlier. Your satisfaction will be greater when Carolina gets over the hump, but there's no reason to project frustration on those who just arrived. Some people buy a ticket for a movie sight-unseen, others wait for reviews to come out -- all these people did was wait for the reviews, and given the product Carolina has put on the field at times ... I don't blame them.
If the end result is a hundred people waiting on Black Friday to welcome the Panthers home, then I'm all for it. If it means the perception of Cam has changed, I'll take it. If it means Bank of America Stadium might stop chanting "LUUUUUKE!" when A.J. Klein makes a tackle -- well, shit, that's not ever changing is it?
The point is, we should all be happy we get to share this amazing ride. That this team has engendered pride in Carolina football. That kids are being shown what this team is all about and will grow up to be the future die-hard generation that stamps out the old "wine and cheese" designation from the lower levels of BoA. Love thy fellow Panther fans -- that's the TL;DR for you.
11-0 doesn't just happen. It's not a record you stumble across or luck into. If you don't like the Panthers then keep banging that drum to pretend, but you know deep down it's a lie. This team is for real. This team is one of the best in the NFL and yes ... this team could go undefeated. This is that part where you scream "JINX!" as if my words could impact the result on the field, but this team doesn't believe in jinxes, so why should we? This team doesn't believe in fate, so why should we? This team believes in one thing: Themselves -- and I believe too.
Take a look at who's left on the schedule:
Saints: 4-7, just got blown out by the Brian Hoyer-led Texans.
Falcons (twice): 6-5, just lost to Minnesota. Haven't won a game since before Halloween.
Giants: 5-6, lost to Washington, who Carolina beat by 28 points.
Buccaneers: 5-6, just lost to the Colts -- who Carolina beat.
Forget a tough road, that's barely a walk to the mailbox. It's hard to sound confident in your team without sounding cocky in the same breath -- but that's how I feel. I believe this team can win out. I think they will win out. Unless Ron Rivera decides to bench Cam Newton after the playoffs are locked up I think this can easily be a 16-0 year, and I'm not entirely sure it still can't be even if Derek Anderson starts two or three games.
None of this should make sense. None of this should be real. I'm going to stop questioning or I'm afraid I'll wake up.