Ugh. Only 2 of the 10 playoff games this year have been a one possession game. In the previous five seasons, there was 5-6 every year.
NFL 2016-2017
- Thread starter Grayhead
- Start date
There is no way they gave up what they did for Julio with the anticipation of firing Mike Smith. They overpayed to get Matt Ryan a weapon. It's worked out this year, again, because they have managed to stay healthy.
Historically, of course...the Panthers have only been around since '95. But to think that Carolina isn't rivals with Atlanta and Seattle right now only means you're not paying attention.
i didn't say that, not directly anyway.
mike smith was defensive guy, they fired him because they couldn't win a big game and couldn't stop anyone...they hire the seahawks d-coordinator and he's drafting and building a defense similar to seattle; they can run and tackle.
all i'm saying is the blueprint they have now is better than under smith...now they have the most dominant receiver, two really good backs, and a qb that is in his prime.
What's funny is Falcons fans don't really consider the Panthers a rival at all. They consider the Saints their big rival.
Also totally agree with @Blue2010 that they gave up too much for Julio. They've caught lightning in a bottle this year and have had no injuries.
Also totally agree with @Blue2010 that they gave up too much for Julio. They've caught lightning in a bottle this year and have had no injuries.
That makes sense... they both came into the league ~50 years ago, and have always been in the same division. The Panthers have only been around 20 years so they are still the new kid.
I'm sure the Seahawks fans could care less about the Panthers, but for the last few seasons at least (up until this year), it seemed they were always in the Panthers way in the playoffs. So, in the mind of a Panthers fan, the Seahawks are hated for that reason.
Way too many injuries during the game for a team already decimated. But thats how the game rolls. Falcons played awesome.
The Bucs - because they have sucked for so long. It'll come, though, if Jameis Winston keeps improving and they keep their core intact.
New Orleans -- I'm not sure, to be honest. I can't stand them, but I stream WFNZ all the time and the general pulse of Carolina fans is just complete vitriol towards Atlanta. I think it has something to do with Matt Ryan being a "pretty boy" image and the media drools over him...while Cam Newton is lambasted for every little thing he does. Part of me says that just comes with the territory and he needs to get used to it -- but from a fan's perspective, the hatred for Atlanta has just evolved over the years.
And with Seattle -- it has EVERYTHING to do with Russell Wilson. Carolina has played Seattle every year for the past 6-7 years, and multiple times in the playoffs, and the majority of those games were very close and down to the wire. That naturally breeds some level of a rivalry.
The feeling I have gotten from the Seattle side is that they believe Carolina is trying to copy their formula. Carolina fans consider 80% of Seattle "fans" to be bandwagon (and I fully agree). Pre-Russell Wilson, you couldn't find a Seahawks fan anywhere. Now they seem to be coming out of the woodwork, and it drives us crazy. But to be fair, Carolina is beginning to get the same treatment.
The Falcons this year are very similiar to Panthers last year.... Everything lined up schedule wise, most of the bounces went their way and they stayed mostly completely healthy... Hopefully that continues 1 more game for Atlanta this year then it did for Panthers last year
Good point. On the NFL schedule, when you win your division, the next season you are scheduled to play all of the other division winners -- they purposely make your schedule tougher. This is one of the nuances that the NFL has created to generate parity.
Even with everything Carolina dealt with this year -- injuries, letting Josh Norman go, tougher schedule...etc. They still lost 6-7 games by less than a touchdown. They were very close to being a playoff team again, in that sense, but they just couldn't string together 4 complete quarters in a game. Even the games they won were ugly-at-best.
Well the only way this SB could be worse would have been Pats/Cowboys. Guess I'll hold my nose and root for the Falcons, partly because #NeverPats and partly because they have ECU's Justin Hardy on the roster and
This is funny coming from a panthers fan.
Really? Maybe outside of Seattle, but they have always had a very strong fan base in Seattle.
Nope. I don't even follow the falcons.Ah...beginning to make sense now. I feel we have a Falcons fan among us.
GTH.
Same. I do think it's funny that the Panthers consider the Falcons a rival. That's a completely one-sided "rivalry" lol. Falcons consider the Saints their rival, then like...well down the list is Tampa and Carolina. There is no #2.
#1 Saints
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#7a Bucs
#7b Panthers
Yeah, I think if you are going to use a college rivalry comparison for Falcons-Panthers it would be UNC-ECU, not UNC-duke/moo.
...and it's not close. Easily the worst postseason in sports I've ever gone through. This entire year has been excruciating.
It's not disrespect... I'm just giving you information. Falcons fans don't really consider the Panthers a "fierce rival." If anything, it's a compliment to the Panthers' fans. Falcons fans hate the Saints mostly because their fans are annoying AF and... like half of New Orleans moved to Atlanta immediately after Katrina.
That's fine. This year is a fluke...those two can have fierce battles going forward for which team can snag that 3rd spot in the division.
The silver lining in this terrible season if the Panthers now will (a) get healthy while (b) grabbing a top 10 draft pick on top of that. Falcons better win this time around...they'll be coming back to Earth shortly.
Again, I don't like the Falcons (I hate them actually), but a Panthers fan talking shit is pretty amusing.
And in case anyone cares, my hatred for the Falcons has nothing to do with their current roster (although Alford is a douche); it has everything to do with the way that organization is run. @tarheel0910 can attest to this I'm sure.
The Falcons market to one and only one customer "group." Not that hard to figure out which one that is. It is blatant and it's annoying.
The Falcons market to one and only one customer "group." Not that hard to figure out which one that is. It is blatant and it's annoying.
Because the Panthers are far more likely to suck than they are to being good. History is not on your side.
And because the whole division is kinda seen as a joke division... the whole worst team last year finishing first this year thing that was happening for awhile.
But really, I don't care lol. I don't see how NFL fans get so worked up about their team being good or bad.
I believe the temperature outside was 2 degrees colder than the historical average. Just to get a little natural deflation in the ball. Also, the moon is closer to Earth than usual for this time of year - exerting unnatural gravitational pull on Boswell's botched extra point. You damn well better believe Belichick had his hand in both of those.
xfilesmusic.mp3
Red Flag #1 -- No offense, but many bandwagon fans share this sentiment. Not an accusation, just saying...
Point #2 -- the whole "this division is weak" argument in the NFL is a myth and just, frankly, uninformed. The NFL is built to produce parity. Every so often, you have a year in which a division underperforms...then, if you notice, that division as a whole quickly rebounds. The NFC West was a prime example when the Rams made the playoffs with a 7-9 record...and then a few years later, you have the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, the 49ers making a Super Bowl, etc.
The NFC (L)east is another example with teams sitting at 7-8 playing for a playoff spot during Week 17.
The NFC South went through this two years ago with Carolina making the playoffs at 7-8-1, but what you miss is that this was the year Atlanta was decimated with injuries, New Orleans had no defense, and Carolina was reloading -- they decided mid-year to play (essentially) all rookies to get them experience and they wound up finishing the year on a winning streak, Josh Norman emerged as a power CB, etc.
Again...no offense, man, but stick to music critique. We all have a lane to stay within.
Thankfully, history is irrelevant in the NFL. Three of the 4 teams that played in the final weekend last year did not even make the playoffs this year.
