Happy Tuesday

Have been getting e-mails about the Panthers coaching situation after this season. Who will be the coach, what happens to the staff, etc. I'm not smart enough to figure out who it will be, but there is talk about Jim Harbaugh from Stanford, or even Brian Schottenheimer being candidates. Those are rumors, of course, and the reality about rumors is this:they can get around the world twice in the morning, before the truth even opens its eyes.

I will say this, and I know it's not original, but John Fox won't be back next season. It's time for a split., and it's sad it has come to this. It's been a solid 9-year run, but all good things must come to an end. Fox and most of his staff will likely be elsewhere, and there are players that will likely finish 2010 as a Panther and not return. It's the nature of the game.

I do not, however, subscribe to the notion of tanking the season for the first overall pick in the draft. That's just dumb. It's bad enough the team was put in a tough spot to being the year, but to then tell those players that are grinding it every week, to lay down so the franchise can land the number 1 overall pick? Talk about setting a bad example for future potential players. This season can be chalked up to ownership going cheap and young to try and set and example for other owners in the league with the CBA expiring, and the threat of a lockout looming.

Heisman balloting is closed, I got my votes in, and I went with Cam Newton, then Kellen Moore, followed by Andrew Luck. Newton was far and away the best player in college football, and it wasn't even close. I based my vote on the body of work, and not the talk of wrong doing. Between the lines, he was the best player in the nation, period. I didn't hold Boise State's schedule against Kellen Moore. Bottom line, you have to produce to get results, and he did that for Boise. Andrew Luck is only scratching the surface of how good he can be. Problem for Stanford is he'll figure out the rest of it in the NFL.

FYI, 18 days until Christmas. 75 days until the Daytona 500.

Mike Solarte

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