Jim Szoke's Sports Blog

Cheap Gas and Boiled Peanuts

The NFC South suddenly does not look so congenial as the Falcons are showing some fight and New Orleans is simply too talented not to contend.  Now, here comes (2-1) Tampa Bay to Charlotte as they look like they have turned the corner with Jeff Garcia in at quarterback and a trio of running backs to throw at the Panthers.  The Bucs defense is coming off an impressive showing, with St. Louis scoring just three points on them Sunday.

What was Falcons coach, Bobby Petrino thinking?  He left cornerback DeAngelo Hall on the field despite a drive in which he was hit with a 37-yard pass interference penalty and two 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.  The second one came after Atlanta had forced the Panthers into 4th down, but Hall continued to jaw-jack with the referees until they threw another flag.  That allowed the Panthers to finish off a touchdown drive and go on to victory. Hall has a long history of being burned by Steve Smith, and this time was mentally beaten instead of physically.

Panther quick hits from the Atlanta game...Steve Smith catches one pass for 10 yards, and the Panthers still manage 27 points is a very good sign...second year tight end Jeff King is already the second best we've ever had that position...Jeremy Bridges return to the offensive line plugged a major hole in the middle of the line, and helped pave the way for 175 yards rushing...too many missed tackles in the secondary, especially by Marquand Manuel and Ken Lucas...three weeks in and still waiting for a decent kick or punt return...we do have the touchback and fair catch signals down though.   

Wofford beat Appalachian State, once again proving the Sports Illustrated cover jinx is alive and well.  The Mountaineers were of course on the national cover after upsetting Michigan opening weekend.  The Terriers were viewed as the second best team in the Southern Conference, so maybe it should not be viewed as a total surprise.  I know that Mountaineers live in Appalachia, but are Terriers roaming free throughout the Spartanburg-Greenville area of South Carolina?

My wife Sandra drove with me to the Panthers-Falcons game in Georgia.  We saw gas as low as $2.49 a gallon of I-85, but I didn't stop because I was afraid I'd blow the budget on fireworks and boiled peanuts.  I sped up and distracted Sandra with sparkling conversation as we passed the outlet stores in Gaffney and the Coach factory outlet.  Now that I think about it, maybe she was actually sleeping during my snappy banter.

OJ: "If I Did It, Part Deux"

O.J. Simpson was back in handcuffs again, after being charged with seven felonies and one gross misdemeanor.  This time for being part of an armed group that was allegedly trying to retrieve what he says was stolen memorabilia from a Las Vegas casino.  Maybe he's part of the cast filming for Ocean's 14.  Or maybe he needed more material for the next book in his "If I Did It" series.  Even convicted felons must question O.J.'s apparent lack of good judgement.  Simpson says he didn't call police to help get his stuff back because they've been unresponsive since that whole Nicole/Ron killing thing.  Ya think?

The Panthers are hit and miss with the second receiver spot.  At times, Drew Carter and Keary Colbert look the part, but too many times they fail to come through.  Colbert dropped three catchable balls, while Carter had a perfectly thrown deep pass go right between his hands.  On a brighter note, second year tight end Jeff King is showing good hands and has the size to play all the parts required of his position.

Thanks to Gene Courtney for loading me up with a bag of his delicious barbeque sandwiches to take up to the broadcast booth for the guys Sunday.  I saw Gene of Courtney's Barbeque fame at the Hummer of Independence tailgate party prior to the home opener.  Gene has lost over 100 pounds by walking a marathon every Sunday from South Carolina to Uptown Charlotte and back.  He says he's eating more chicken than barbeque these days.

Charles Jenkin hosts a cooking show every Saturday on Newstalk 1110 WBT and makes a mean pesto pizza.  But he's got cooking competition from show host Jeff Katz and news anchor Woody Cain.  Woody was competing in this weekend's barbeque competition and Jeff has an award-winning ribs recipe.  I don't cook much, but I love to grill out and we have abandoned most sauces for dry rubs.

Great idea by the Cleveland Browns to slowly bring Derek Anderson along, under the radar while pretending to be grooming rookie Brady Quinn.  Bad idea by Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson to take a leap into the Cleveland stands during their 51-45 loss.  He got a beer shower, but he never was the smartest guy in the NFL.

I said last week that Michigan would beat Notre Dame, but I wasn't expecting 38-0.  Wonder if NBC will move their games to cable access.  Luckily, Charlie Weis only has 9 more years or so left on that 10 year deal.      

Great Expectations

Now that the Panthers have won their opening game over St. Louis, the bandwagon is filling up quickly.  Don't worry, there is still plenty of time to jump on.  The Panthers have a favorable opening schedule with games against Houston, Atlanta and Tampa Bay the next three weeks.  While there should not be arrogance that the Panthers are a lock to start (4-0), they will be favored in each of those games and have a chance to get off to a flying start.   

Things to get excited about include the offensive line opening big running holes and not allowing a sack.  I liked Steve Smith getting three short receptions on the opening drive.  It forced the Rams to press more, which allowed Smith to run deep later, including a touchdown and pass interference call.  The running duo of  DeShaun Foster and Deangelo Williams was solid, despite each fumbling.  Defensively, the Panthers got great surge without having to blitz, as the secondary played better than expected.

The broadcast crew dined at J.Bucks in St.Louis, sitting amid the television screens filled with Michigan and Notre Dame losses.  There was also a bridal shower going on at the next table with the recipient holding up each new "unmentionable" item overhead after unwrapping.  It caused a minor distraction.  One veteran married type said those items will probably end up lost in a dresser drawer after the honeymoon.  Must have been a Wolverine fan, they can't get excited about anything right now.

Hard to believe that Michigan and Notre Dame are both 0-2 together for the first time in history.  Now they play each other, so one of them will be 0-3.  I think that will be the Irish, since they were expected to struggle.  Michigan could be the college football version of the NY Yankees, who started slowly this year then came on strong.  The Wolverines could still go 9-3 with a down year in the Big-10.

Former Buckeye, Drew Carter is on pace for 32 touchdowns this year for the Panthers, after scoring two against the Rams.  Using that kind of math, Jake Delhomme will throw 48 touchdowns and no interceptions this season.  Steve Smith has a goal of 2,000 receiving yards.  Despite 118 yards in the opener, he is actually off the pace.   

Trouble already for the defending NFC champion Chicago Bears.  Rex Grossman still stinks and two defensive starters were injured in their 14-3 loss to San Diego.  The other NFC favorite, New Orleans got splattered 41-10 by Indianapolis as Drew Brees and Reggie Bush got shutdown by what is an average Colts defense.   Detroit could be this year's surprise team as I mentioned last week.  Jon Kitna can be next Drew Brees if he keeps the interceptions under control.    

It's Go Time!

Finally, the football regular season is here.  High schools and colleges have already begun, and now the NFL jumps in this weekend.  The best part is that the NFL Network will actually allow for some games to be shown over the air to you the football fan not paying the premium of subscription service.  For Panthers fans, Mick Mixon, Eugene Robinson and me will bring you all the action on Newstalk 1110 WBT in Charlotte and along the Carolina Panthers radio network.

The Panthers open at St. Louis in a match of two teams who were 8-8 last season.  The Panthers played their final pre-season game against the 8-8 Pittsburgh Steelers.  The NFL is loaded with the teams that are right in the middle of the pack, and ready to either step up or remain in mediocrity.  Then there are the select few who seem to just wallow in despair and top the college draft each season.  They are known as the Oakland Raiders.  Usually, I would add the Detroit Lions, but this year they should finally show up.

As for the Panthers, I am asked often about how they project.  And having broadcast every single game in franchise history, I can give you a firm, I dunno.  In reality, I like what John Fox and Marty Hurney and their staff have assembled.  Offensively, the key will be the development of a true receiving compliment to Steve Smith.  Defensively, more bodies are being thrown into the secondary positions with the additions of Marquand Manuel and Dante Wesley, with Chris Harris added a few weeks earlier. If that pans out, the front seven with the additions of Dan Morgan and Jon Beason at linebacker will be exceptional.      

Speaking of high school and college earlier, Independence High School in Charlotte saw their record 109 game winning streak come to an end this weekend in Ohio versus Cincinnati Elder.  Congratulations to Coach Tommy Knotts, who oversaw most of those victories over seven years for an incredibile run.

And of course, there's Appalachian State with their remarkable victory at 5th ranked Michigan becoming the first Division I-AA team to knock off an AP Top-25 team, let alone top-5 in front of 109,000 hostiles.  One of the best parts was that 600 miles away from Ann Arbor, Michigan in Boone they were tearing down their own goalposts.