Now that the Panthers know where they are seeded in the playoffs, where they will play and when, the remaining question is whom they will play. If Minnesota beats Philadelphia, the Vikings will be the opponent here in the second round. If the Eagles win that game, then the Panthers get the winner of the Falcons/Cardinals game. Of the three, Atlanta is the probably the one that would create the most excitement with a regional division rival. However, the Falcons are also playing the best football of the three. Arizona and Minnesota are both more one-dimensional, with the Cardinals a throwing team with Kurt Warner and the Vikings a running team with league rushing leader Adrian Peterson. The Falcons can do both with the second leading rusher in Michael Turner and talented rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, along with a strong defense up front, led by John Abraham.
The Panthers have also faced all three possible opponents in the regular season. Minnesota handed the Panthers their first loss (20-10), holding Carolina to 40 yards rushing. The Panthers rallied to beat the Cardinals (27-23) as the teams combined for 776 yards of offense. Against Atlanta, the Panthers split two games with the home team winning each time.
With a (12-4) record, you would think the Panthers fans would be satisfied. It's surprising how many continue to use the word conservative in regard to Coach John Fox' offensive philosophy. They scored more points than any Panthers team in history and scored 28 or more points in each of the final seven games. If using the NFL's most dangerous rushing attack is conservative, than so be it. You can only use the Steve Smith out-jumping two defenders play so many times in a game, and get away with it.
How is Deangelo Williams not an All-Pro? As an alternate, he could still make it to Hawaii if somebody in front of him bows out. Williams was third in the NFL with 1,515 yards rushing averaging an amazing 5.5 yards per carry and scoring 20 touchdowns, also a team record. If anything, Deangelo should be getting some MVP votes with his production and what he has meant to the Panthers improvement. The upside for Deangelo is huge with this being just his third NFL season, and first year as a full-time starter.
I would write something here about Bill Cowher, but it will be outdated before I hit "send." Yesterday he was not, then was, then was not going to interview for the Jets coaching job. He's turned down Cleveland and now the Denver job is open. I'm assuming Detroit is not what he's looking for. Mike Shanahan will be out of work for about a minute and I'm not sure that he didn't do one of his better coaching jobs this past season after all the injuries the Broncos had.
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