If you're a fan of the Carolina Panthers, you better worry about today's game against Detroit. I'm not just saying this. If you're not worried, something is wrong with you. I'm serious.
“We understand how dangerous any team can be, whether it's last week, this week, the following week,” says Panthers coach John Fox. “That's what the National Football League is. As I remind everybody, we don't look at records. We look at the tape, and watch the match-ups.”
There was the match-up against San Francisco. The Lions lost by 23. There was the match-up against Jacksonville. The Lions lost by 24. There was the match-up with Matt Millen, the team's former czar. Although it didn't count in the standings, the Lions won that one big. They finally fired him. I believe he is with Oakland.
My point is that the Lions are sly. They lose and lose and lose and lose and lose and lose and lose and lose and lose and, just when you expect them to lose, there they are.
“Defensively, they have a lot of different looks,” says Carolina's receiver Steve Smith. “I think if we are not able to execute, it's going to be another difficult game for us offensively.”
Coaches insist that there are lessons athletes learn playing a game that will stay with them for life. They're right.
True story:
I was at a party once and a woman showed up wearing a dress covered with goldfish. The dress looked as if it was made from Velcro, and somebody not at all nice threw Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers at her, and they stuck. The dress was, um, unusual, and a guy bet me that I couldn't go up to her and say something nice about her dress that she would believe.
He lost the bet.
I had a secret weapon. I used to play football. Football taught me three lessons that I carry with me to this day: (1) I was part of something bigger than I was; (2) the smaller the coach the louder the whistle; (3) if you're sincere enough, you can compliment anybody.
So while it's true that the Panthers have yet to lose at Bank of America Stadium and the Lions have yet to win anywhere, don't look past the visitors.
“I know their record is not indicative,” Fox says.
The Lions rank 31st in scoring, 31st in yards, 28th in points surrendered and 28th in yards surrendered. There are 32 teams in the NFL. All but the Lions have won a game.
“You don't want to fall into that trap of looking at that 0-9 record,” says Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers. “If you look at the tape, they've been in all of their games … well, most of the games they've been in. They're playing good football. They're just not getting the wins, so you've got to take them serious and prepare for them like you would anybody else.”
It's the only chance Carolina has.
“We're going to have to play well to win,” Fox says.
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