It's July! Football's Coming Soon! FRONT FOUR Edition

Brethren: Three days into Training Camp, and I’m in hook, line, and sinker. On a car trip back from Charlottesville to DC yesterday (after a most wonderful drunken weekend of tubing, crushing the Virginian, and hitting the Mediocre Restaurant Heaven that is Cville), I spent a solid two hours on my buddy’s iPhone reading all the updates from Chaz Chandler and the Charlotte.com boys I could get my hands on. I have to say: I like what I’m hearing so far. The Thomas Davis quote about the Thunder/Lightning combo of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams brightened my day. Reading the story about Jake doing his fiery Cajun thing and yelling at O-Linemen after a busted play got me excited. Seeing Steve Smith blatantly voice his dislike of training camp even got a rouse out of me. All of it sounded good to me.

Then I saw Chaz is reporting that this team has a positive vibe going for it, that they’re loose and excited to be playing football. That’s when I knew: let’s keep this momentum going.

So, I’m back at the helm today, sitting down to break down maybe the most significant unit on all the team: the Panthers D-Line. Once feared and revered, the Front Four needs to answer a lot of tough questions this 2008 season. What the fuck happened to Pep last year and can he come back? Are we going to miss Kris Jenkins more than we expected? Is having Mike Rucker not around going to affect us? Has Maake eaten any babies recently?

We attempt to answer these questions, and more, desde:


Brethren (cont’d): As I mentioned Saturday, the Fox/Hurney Era has been about making a claim for a dominant Front Four. Some years, it’s more bark than bite, but cotdamn, they try to go big or go home every year. What’s the 2008 edition look like?

The Starters
Julius Peppers, RDE: I don’t think there was anyone who summed up last year more than Pep. After a huge stastical 2006 campaign, he mysteriously disappeared in 2007. 2 ½ sacks? Are you kidding me? He’s a phenomenal athlete, and he claims he wasn’t sick or injured and refused to give excuses.

Well, what the fuck then, Pep? What gives? Your double-teams waned as the season went on and the production wasn’t there, in terms of stats. And any explanation we get is that stats don’t tell the whole story; that’s the company line from Pep, Hurney, and Fox. Well, they know more about football than me, so when they say that Pep’s still affecting the game, that he contains the outside, can force a running play inside, and limits the other team’s playbook with his presence, I’ll believe them. On the other hand, stats might not tell the whole story, but they tell a pretty damn big story, because they reflect production, as much as any piece of measurement can. So while I love the big fella and I rock his black #90 jersey every week, I want to see him making Pep plays and having Pep stats this year.

I want to see him bat a ball mid-air, pick it off, and stiff-arm a fullback on his way to the end zone. I want to see two blocked kicks in one game. I want to see him run down a LDT-type back. I want to him to single-handedly save a victory for us.

So yes, those are my expectations. He was the #2 draft pick, an athlete unlike any other to come through Charlotte. And it hurts that much more when he doesn’t meet them because we all know he can do it. We’ve seen it before; we want more than anything to see it again on his way to taking us to the Promised Land.

But better yet, the past two days have seen reports floating out of camp that Pep looks better than ever, that he looks on the verge of breakout year. He isn't talking to the media, and he's got a sick beard. I'm convinced: Make it happen, Pep. As you go, we go. Put us on your back, Big Cat.

Maake Kemoeatu, DT: One of the largest Panthers ever. I have enjoyed his presence, depsite never knowing how much he actually affects the game. He's not a pass-rushing DT so he doesn't pile up the sacks, but he takes up a lot of space, so I'm down with that.

Damione Lewis, DT: The returning sacks leader for the Panthers, Lewis is reported to have taken on a more vocal leadership role now that Jenkins is gone. I don't know really know what that means, but hey, I'll take it. Maybe more vocal means more production? Sure.

Tyler Brayton, Charles Johnson, and Stanley McGlover: The three dudes fighting it out for Peppers' old Left End spot. McGlover's got the crazy long hair, the Panthers hope Johnson becomes the next Mike Rucker (even with the Georgia lineage) and Brayton's an athletic dude. Of course, it won't really matter if Peppers has the crazy year we all want him to have, then the other guy should have some great opportunities.

From there, we got some rookies and others. But seriously, the time is now for Peppers to take over the D-Line. He's in his 7th year and it's time to start owning this line.

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It's July! Football's coming soon! D-BACKS EDITION

Nacho: About a month ago, I went to see a production of "A Chorus Line" in downtown Los Angeles. Ostensibly, I was there because a fellow former Hawk was in the show, but afterwards, I found myself thinking quite deeply about the show.

Let me abundantly clear: "A Chorus Line" is the gayest musical I've ever seen. If you had absolutely no experience with live theater, and went to see "A Chorus Line" you would undoubtedly walk away with the certainty that everyone involved in the arts is damaged, gay, and obnoxiously emotional...which is pretty much what you can say about a football fan during the summer.

Except the gay thing. I love boobs.

So, without further ado, lets move onto Training Camp. First practice starts today, and if there's anyone in Spartanburg singing "Got I hope I get it. How many boys does he need?" it's definitely, the D-Backs.

Nacho cont'd: Currently, the Panthers roster lists fourteen different Cornerbacks and Safeties. Methinks not all of them will make the final cut. So, in the interest of boredom, lets talk about the favorites:

Ken Lucas, CB: He took over as emotional leader for the squad last year and did alright by it. He's a steady cover guy, makes tackles, and will be an great asset for the 3 rooks. I can't wait for the first time Kenny does something that makes me bolt upright from table, causing all the booze to spill.

Chris Gamble, CB: Chris lives up to his name. He's just as likely to make me spew expletives as he is to make me make some wildly irrational argument for his inclusion onto the Supreme Court. Gamble guarantees for the year: he will miss coverage, he will miss tackles, but he will be a deciding factor in at least two wins this year.

Richard Marshall, CB: Marshall's consistently shown improvement in his three years in the league. He's got some of the best pivot feet I've seen since Rik Smits and when he makes a move on a lazy pass, you can take it to the bank that he'll come down with it. His 5'11" stature hasn't been that big of a problem, but it just feels like all the receivers are 6'5" these days.

Chris Harris, S: Finally, a Safety. Chris Harris runs like a gazelle, can chase down any of the leading RBs in the league, and generally has a pretty good move on the ball. He'll cause consternation and frustration but there's hardly a better Alamo/Last Line of Defense I'd want more.

Terrence Holt, S: Terrence anchors the safety position for the Cats. He's a seasoned vet, he's a local boy from Greensboro, and I just feel better knowing at least one player on the field has sweet tea coursing through his veins.

Charles Godfrey, S: We took him in the third round, so he better cause no less than four boners this season. He had a breakout year last year and seems like a sniper. Chaz probably has the best chance to the BEASTon of the D Backs this year.

Joe Fields, Darren Toney, CJ Wilson These guys are all young, and could potentially blossom into players, but only time will tell.

Ricardo Colclough, CB: Easily the team's resident ladies' man. Just on the squad to teach Dante Wesley, Quinton Teal, Nate Salley, and Curtis Deloatch how to take down sluts.


IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE! TRAINING CAMP STARTED AND WE JUST SIGNED JONATHAN STEWART!!!!!!
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Training Camp Hath Begun or My Kind of New Year

Brethren: And oh, don't it feel good.

For the first time since I've moved to the Big Apple not a scant seven weeks ago, I felt this morning like I was back in the North Kakkalak. I woke up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and spent 30 minutes devouring the Charlotte Observer's sports section -- albeit, online. Since 1995, I might not be able to remember all the stories of each individual training camp. But I can always remember the Saturday (usually in a car ride, headed to the Outer Banks) that training camp started. I can remember it because the grass always looked greener, the sun always shone brighter, life always seemed better. And it has happened again here today, boys and girls. Oh, yes, training camp is here. And the Panthers are -- once again -- the team that can change my outlook on life.

Join me in the glory that is the Carolina Panthers, following:

Gone is my anger from earlier in the week. I have let the jealousy and the temptation of the national Deadspin spotlight eek out of me, and with my devouring of the Panthers pages of the Observer and all things Panther on these here interwebs, well, I'm back to the old late July/beginning of August me.

The me who hates when Panthers fans put down Jake. The guy's got passion and swagger that didn't exist in the Carolina organization before he came. I will continue to love and follow that crazy ass Cajun.

The me who gets positively giddy every time he sees or reads anything regarding Steve Smith and Julius Peppers. My favorite football word is "tenacious" -- if I were creating a football player from scratch based only on adjectives, I would absolutely take "tenacious" as my number one pick. I've stopped counting how many times football people have referred to those two football giants as "tenacious" -- I truly believe we have a chance any given Sunday as long as we have those two gentlemen on the field.

The me who has to have the "ya know, I'm feeling excited" convo with my dad, preferably while at the beach, throwing a football. If I knew nothing about the concept of time or seasons or anything, I'm pretty sure once a year, I'd know exactly what time it was, based solely on that convo.

It's football time. It's Panthers time.

Fuck yea.

Nacho: Training camp this year kinda reminds me of that weird psuedo-season Fox aired during the summer for "The OC". They showed, like, three or four episodes, then took it off the air, like they do with every decent program, to make way for the least thrilling specatacle in sports: effing baseball playoffs.

Like I was saying, this year's training camp feels like those first few episodes of "the OC", before school started. John Beason's totally our Ryan, with his checkered past including some antics that would make certain Panther cheerleaders proud. Jake Delhomme is our Seth, cracking wise and relatively harmless, hopelessly pining for a Super Bowl ring, his very own Summer.

I bring this up not because because I've been on vacation all summer and watched the first season in reruns. It's because I truly believe in this team. Like the Bobcats, the Panthers did the best job they could in this year's draft, filling holes and addressing weaknesses. Some help in the defensive backfield still looms, but overall I'm as giddy as a school marm. These Cats have my dander up in much the same way Marissa's drinking habits did oh so many years ago.

Not unlike the Chinese, I celebrate a different sort of New Year's than you slaves to the Julian calendar: and my annual celebration just got started.

Welcome to the 2007-2008 Carolina Panthers' season, y'all.
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