I'm Back. Surely For All The Right Reasons

It wasn't long ago that I shared I had moved on from the Carolina Panthers. From someone that would appointment-watch all the games, to someone that would appointment-avoid.

Since that time, the Panthers have now gone 4-1.

Running parallel to my announcement of abandoning ship, which had honestly begun year's before, was an announced departure by the Meow Mix podcast. They attempted to change course and were almost blacklisted by former players and fans. But while they remain on hiatus, I'm here to announce...

I'm back!

My openly 'fair-weatherness' as a fan was because I saw a lengthy future that I couldn't believe in.

• A former owner that liked his employees to wear jeans so he could get a good view

• Changed to an owner that likes to meddle in things too much

• Series of questionable and erratic head coaching hires (Rhule, Reich)

• Retirement of Luke Kuechly

• We paid what for Michael Oher?!?

• Getting rid of faces of the franchise like it's no thing (Smith, McCaffrey, Newton x2)

• Trades that leveraged the franchise for what return? (Moore & the house to the Chicago Bears)

• Threats of moving the franchise and abandoned practice facilities across state lines

And not much has really changed.

Today (11/6/25), we have a quarterback in Bryce Young that feels like a gamble at best. His stature alone leaves a doubt as to whether he can endure NFL's brutality for seasons to come, and we're staring down the barrel of a fifth-year decision. Just last game, against the Packers where Young's been heralded for leading the team to a comeback, his passer rating was a 48.3. THAT, was less worrisome to me than when he was catapulted out of bounds like a baby doll.

Do I see an immensely bright future led by Young at such a pivotal position? I don't.

The Panthers are led by a coaching staff that saw it difficult to make an obvious decision. Rico Dowdle, someone whom I do have confidence in, has been the team's best player this season. And while he was churning up 7.3 yards per carry, while Chuba Hubbard was out with an injury, the staff acted like they had to play patty-cake for a couple weeks in who was a better option for them at the RB position.

Instead of fretting over these small things, what I have come to realize is that it may really not matter. Despite my lack of confidence and enjoyment in this team, I've come to realize that the Panthers just aren't going to be a pretty franchise.

The motto's got to be "Keep Pounding" for a reason.

Scores, like the 16-13 win on a last-second FG against the Packers, are still wins. They'll be the norm. This franchise will rely on handing the ball off 80 percent of the time. They'll bend on defense to let opposing teams move freely down the field, then muddy things in the Red Zone. What difference does it make? If they still find ways to win, make the playoffs, and maybe surprise some people -- I'm in for it.

At the current 5-4, the Panthers share the same record as the Kansas City Chiefs -- The Chiefs have won 3 Super Bowls since 2020. That 5-4 mark, meets or is better than half the other teams in the league.

I'm back on riding with this rag-tag bunch.

We're all broken. We're all imperfect. I've decided that Blue-collar's the way to go. And let's make it the putrid, Teal'ish Panthers Blue-collar.

Forget making things pretty. Intelligent and super pragmatic thinking is just too laborious. Let's live with what we've got and keep pounding on.

I'm back. For the right reasons? I think.