And then there were three?

Why yes, there are just three meaningful football games left on the schedule in the NFL. Think back to the "Offseason of Discontent," and given that there was so much angst about a season possibly being missed, the 2011 season produced plenty of highs and lows to go around. Personally, I am sad there are just 3 games worth watching left. Let's look at them, shall we?

NFC - NY Giants at San Francisco

This should be a dynamite game. The Giants are rolling, and loaded with confidence after going into Lambeau and taking the Packers out. Green Bay was not sharp, perhaps the byproduct of the first round bye, but that is supposed to help teams, not hurt them. The Giants were unaffected by the surroundings, the elements, and most of all, the Packers defense.

Waiting for the G-Men in California, a 49ers team that has gone through a ridiculous turnaround. A year ago, they couldn't get out of their own way. In fact, they were one of Carolina's two victims in 2010. Enter Jim Harbaugh and a new attitude, and the 49ers were a scary team. Lots of detractors felt the 49ers were a paper division champion given the NFC West's lack of strength, but they certainly answered the bell against New Orleans, knocking the Saints out of the playoffs with their 36-32 win. That game, incidentally, has to qualify as one of the most incredible games in NFL playoff history.

Given the improved play of Alex Smith, and a defense that has been better than average all year long, what you have is a confident team that feels they can beat anyone. I am not sure, however, the Giants will comply.

This NFC title game will be a battle, but give me the Giants by a field goal late. if you like offense, this might not be the game for you. This should be a great game, with New York winning it 17-14.

AFC - Baltimore at New England

Give Baltimore credit for a wonderful effort against a Houston Texans team that would not quit. Houston never blinked, and only Baltimore's defense kept the Texans from advancing to this round. TJ Yates did not have his best game, but he is to be applauded for a darn good year. Entering the season as the #3 QB on their depth chart, he responded when injuries cost the Texans Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. A couple bad throws coupled with an opportunistic Ravens defense just proved to be a little much.

Meanwhile, New England was dialed in, and treated Denver about as rudely as you possibly can in a playoff game. Tom Brady threw for 6 TD's, and the Patriot defense never allowed Tim Tebow to breath, let alone get comfortable in the pocket. Not much more needs to be said about the Patriots win. It was complete. It was convincing.

Baltimore has to go on the road and face the Patriots for the AFC crown, and I have to lean with the home team in this one. Baltimore says nothing is wrong with safety Ed Reed's ankle, or foot (injured at the end of their win over Houston), and they better be right. The Ravens need all hands on deck to knock off the Pats, but I'm not sure they have enough hands. Give me the Pats 30-17.

One last thing. While I disagreed with UNC Head Coach Roy Williams pulling his team from the bench area with 14 seconds to play against Florida State, I understand why he did. Granted, had Carolina won that game, security would not be an issue. A couple things are in play here. First, why does the visiting coach have to fear for the safety of his team? Second, why are arenas set up to have the teams crossing one another? These are simple questions, but questions that should be addressed. It doesn't happen often, but often enough that a ranked team gets beaten on the road, causing students to rush the court. Security measures should be in place to protect the visitors. In no way would I suggest students shouldn't rush the floor--it's part of the college experience (provided they do so to celebrate, and not pick fights with the players which is uber-stupid).

In the end, Williams did the right thing in regard to safety, and that is most important. Handshakes can take place afterwards near the dressing room areas. Keeping players from getting injured by fans that get carried away is the most important thing.

Mike Solarte

Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers...or...

Rob Chudzinski is, as of Thursday morning, the Offensive Coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Panthers fans are hoping it stays that way through the off-season and into the 2012 campaign.

Thing about Chud is that he is a desirable coach to lead a team, as he has been an assistant in the NFL for 7 seasons, and the work he put in with the Panthers and their rookie QB Cam Newton is being viewed as magical. It might be, when the lack of off-season workouts and mini-camps gets entered into the discussion.

While Panthers fans are wringing their hands at the possibility of Chud leaving, keep this in mind. The Panthers would be hard pressed to pay to keep Chud away from a Head Coaching post. The money isn't there, and if that is the guy's dream, he'll chase it. Chud was interviewing in St. Louis on Thursday, and here's a bit of interesting info.

He's not the only candidate there. And by that I mean, there is someone else interviewing there TODAY. Chud was to interview in the morning, and Denver Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen in the afternoon.

Could mean the Rams are doing their due diligence in leaving no stone unturned. Could mean Chud is a front-runner for the job. Until someone talks, we won't know for sure. My questions: Why the Rams? Why is the Broncos DC interviewing the week of an NFL playoff game that his team will be playing in? And what is going on with Jeff Fisher?

First, why the Rams. The Rams would be attractive to Chud for a couple reasons. Sam Bradford, the #2 pick in the April draft, and lots of cap room. The Rams would be unattractive with that 2-14 record they posted in 2011. Chud reclaimed a stagnant offense in Carolina after a 2-14 campaign, so would he want to go through that again?

As for Allen interviewing on the Thursday of a AFC playoff matchup with New England, I am stunned. How John Fox signed off on this is beyond me. Maybe he had no choice because it would be a promotion for Allen if he gets it, but during a playoff week? Might have been a foregone conclusion, but give me the Pats big this week. Like 24 points big over Denver. Call it "distracted defense."

Jeff Fisher is throwing the whole thing out of balance because he's stringing along bot the Rams and Miami Dolphins, the two teams he's reportedly interested in. There are some stories out there saying he is heading to the Dolphins, others say he is truly torn between the two, and more still that had him in St. Louis all but locked up. Fans are the impatient ones when it comes to Fisher, as they just want to know how the other dominoes will fall. Fisher is the key to making them move when it comes to Chudzinski and others. In reality, there is no real rush.

For me, I would think Chud stays with Carolina. Even if Fisher goes to the Dolphins, the Rams job isn't all that its cracked up to be. Yes there are positives as identified above, but is that the place he wants to go? I admit, I don't know Chud as well as I would like to get a read on his personality, but if he is the kind of guy that likes to finish what he starts, Carolina is the place to be at least for one more season. Better Head Coaching posts will open next season, and a trip to the playoffs with Carolina would look good on his resume, especially since his body of work in Carolina is somewhat incomplete. If he was that good on a short time frame, what can this offense get done in normal circumstances?

Mike Solarte

Pepp's gone, what's next?

We all knew it was coming, but Panthers GM Marty Hurney made it official Tuesday. Defensive end Julius Peppers will be an unrestricted free agent, as the team won't franchise-tag him again. Peppers will be free to sign with any team, at whatever price he, and his agent Carl Carey, agree to.

It was time.

$20 million dollars for one season is just ridiculous. In fact, the $18.5 they paid him last season was fairly ludicrous as well. In fairness, they were on the hook for $16 million, but when Peppers was named a starter in the Pro Bowl, that kicked in an additional $1.5 million. Still, it all adds up to incredibly dumb.

On February 9th, Peppers was a guest on the "Mac Attack" show on WFNZ-AM 610 in Charlotte. He said in his interview that there was no communication between the Panthers, and his agent. He said that repeatedly. On Tuesday, Hurney lauded the open lines of communication between the team and the agent. Who is telling the truth?

My guess is that Hurney is. Here's why. Think back to this time a year ago. The "magic list" of teams was leaked, that Peppers only wanted to be traded to 4 teams in the league. The word in the papers and internet was all coming from the players side. The Panthers stayed out of the media with their negotiations, stayed out of the mudslinging. Fast forward to this recent stretch, and it was Carey telling media at the Pro Bowl that Peppers was going to be unrestricted, that he hadn't heard from the Panthers, etc. That side wanted to get in front of a tape recorder, or a camera, and claim they were being wronged by the team. There is something to be said for taking the high road.

In the "fish, or cut bait" world, the Panthers took out the pocketknife, and are moving on. Doing so won't be easy, as Peppers, when he wanted to be a part of the defense, was a tremendous force. Problem was, in spite of Peppers claims that "people don't know his responsibilities from play to play," he wasn't an every down kind of player. His drive, and willingness to go hard on every snap was in question back in his college days, and that reputation followed him, and stuck in the NFL.

Interesting statement from Peppers came from his agent last night. After all was said and done, this was what went out:

"Last night, I learned that the Carolina Panthers would not restrict my
availability during the upcoming free agency period. I feel good
about having the opportunity to visit with other teams. My goal will
be to find the right match for my skill set. I am thankful for the eight
seasons I have spent in the National Football League thus far;
and am looking forward to beginning this new phase of my career."

What's missing there? No mention of the team by name, or the owner, Jerry Richardson. Typically, when a player leaves on what they refer to as "good terms," there are plenty of thanks to go around. Not so much here.

It was time to find a new name to go on the back of jersey #90.

Mike Solarte

Mike, and Mike, Break Down Panthers vs. Eagles

Panthers Mike has Carolina cruising past the Eagles in Week 1 but Philly Mike isn't so sure. The dueling sports directors battle it out while breaking down the key early-season NFC matchup.


Watch the video on news14.com

Panthers don't need Vick, so shhhhhhhh!!!

While walking the course at Wednesday’s Quail Hollow pro-am event, I couldn’t help but overhear a number of conversations from the thousands of attendees on hand. And, though I tried to tell myself I was just imagining things, I heard lots of people talking about how they believe the Carolina Panthers should go after Michael Vick.

These people were displeased with the Panthers and their recent contract moves with current quarterback Jake Delhomme. They felt that Vick, fresh out of prison and no longer fighting dogs, would be the best bet to lead the team forward after their unceremonious departure from the NFC playoffs last year.

Let me tell you why that is a stupid idea.

First of all, despite one of the worst playoff performances I’ve ever seen, Jake isn’t a bad quarterback. He helped led the team to a great record last year before falling apart in that last game. And even then, how much of that was his fault? How much fault lies on the coaching staff from going away from the ground game that much of the year had been hammering teams? Despite their increased defensive abilities in the playoffs, Arizona could be ran on.

But Delhomme isn’t the questionable part of the (Carolina +Vick) – Delhomme = Super Bowl formula. The stupid part is the section of that formula where we bring in a quarterback that, at his best, was just a rich man’s Kordell Stewart. Vick is not a good quarterback. In fact, he’s a terrible quarterback, and that was before he spent time in the slammer. I doubt he learned how to throw accurately while lifting weights in prison.

Vick is a running back who for some reason likes to throw a lot. The Panthers don’t need another running back. And they don’t need a new quarterback. People need to chill. Peyton Manning had some bad playoff games, but you don’t hear people calling for his head. And, he got over those problems and won a Super Bowl.

The Panthers, despite the pain many people are still feeling from last year, still have Steve Smith and a dynamic running game. Hopefully we can still get something out of Peppers. Matt Ryan is due for his sophomore slump, New Orleans can’t play defense and Tampa Bay is rebuilding. The Panthers ought to still win this division and make another run at the Super Bowl with Jake leading the way.

Michael Parks ~News14.com

A quick hit from Spartanburg

Mike Solarte

News and notes from Wednesday's morning practice:

** WR's D.J. Hackett and Steve Smith were injured during the practice session. Hackett with a toe, and Smith with an ankle. Head Coach John Fox says both injuries are considered minor, so don't look for them to miss too much time, with a 6pm workout scheduled for tonight. Considering both are veteran players, it wouldn't be a stretch to see them get 1, maybe 2 series of work during the preseason opener on Saturday against Indianapolis.


**Brett Basanez told me after practice he is anxious to play Saturday night, because "Matt's been in my spot too long." Seems Bas is fired up about trying to earn the backup QB role, but he is sit4ting #3 on the depth chart now, simply because Matt Moore was on the field at the end of the season, and played well. Basanez is a good guy, and a fiery competitor. We'll see how it translates in game situation.


**The D-line was getting a nice bit of work from Sal Sunseri during group drills. At one point, Sunseri asked if a certain player "had been drinking already," because he went to the wrong gap in a walk-thru drill. Suffice to say, the conversation got a little louder as Sal was "coaching him up," as they say. Sunseri was later overheard, um, loudly correcting Charles Johnson and others when they missed gaps, or jumped offsides during 7-on-7 drills. Seems the D-line is under a microscope this year, with the departure of Kris Jenkins and the retirement of Mike Rucker.

**Had the chance to speak with K Rhys Lloyd today, as well. A nice fella, who knows that he is fighting for the 53rd spot on this roster, given that Carolina does not traditionally carry 3 kickers. P Jason Baker and PK John Kasay are locks to make this squad, but Lloyd consistently bombs kicks into the end zone, an area that Carolina was horrible in last season. Lloyd has fit in nicely with this team, in terms of his personality. He's very social with his teammates, going so far as to earn the teams #2 ranking in the World Table Tennis Rankings--ok, the Panthers Table Tennis Rankings, sitting behind QB Matt Moore. The 2 engaged in a spirited battle after the morning workout, with Moore taking the victory. On a side note--Moore, originally didn't want to play Lloyd today, because he did not have his own paddle to play with. That's right, Moore brought his own ping pong paddle to camp. Hardcore stuff, baby.

**We'll have a look at camp on Sports Night, as the Panthers gear up for the Colts at Bank of America Stadium this Saturday night.