I got an email yesterday from the boss…again!  This time, he was wishing all of us in his employ a fun and happy Fourth of July weekend.

That reminded me.  It’s the Fourth of July.

See, I’m the oldest of the Fan Sided bloggers and I tend to forget things.  All these young guys (or punks as I refer to them) are planning a weekend of rabble-rousing, alcohol consumption, partying and generally being available to give the police something to do.

I, on the other hand, will be at home reading my new copy of Reader’s Digest.  At least, that’s what they think.  I ain’t that old.  Oh, yeah, and I ain’t dead yet either.  Those of us on this side of forty might show a little gray but we still know how to have a good time that doesn’t involve cow tipping.

So, the old man wants to wish you a happy Fourth of July weekend.  Please celebrate safely.  Be careful with the fireworks.  Don’t drink and drive.  Oh, yeah, one more thing - stay away from Pacman Jones’ house.  That’s just trouble waiting to happen right there.

Seriously though, this is the greatest of all the holidays this side of Christmas and Easter.  This is THE holiday.  This is a nation born as an idea, a concept that men are born to be free to do, think and write what we want.  And thank God that our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness can include writing a blog!  Without that I might not have anything to do.

It doesn’t matter what your politics are.  There’s no rule about what team you pull for.  Get out and celebrate this weekend.  Just do it safely!  And save a little time to check back here and read some stuff written by the old man the rest of the bloggers think is old enough that he was there when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

There is a debate to end all debates brewing on the Charlotte Observer’s blog.  It’s an argument concerning the types of fans that inhabit Bank of America Stadium.  Are they the wine and cheese crowd, the frat crowd or just the uppity, rich banking crowd?  (The stadium does bear the name of a bank, afterall.)

Whoever it is that makes up the bulk of those in attendence at Carolina Panthers games, they have witnessed a lot of losses over the last ten years. Continue Reading »

I’m not saying that I consider Pro Football Talk a road map.  I don’t see them as a news organization that I trust above all others.  What I will say is that they are reporting something today that, if true, could be absolutely enormous.

They’re a cute little website but it seems to me that they’re just hungry for some attention.

They report that Brett Favre privately wants to play for the Carolina Panthers.

Agent Bus Cook has been yapping a lot over the past several months regarding the future of his star client, Brett Favre.

Most recently, we heard that Cook had been telling people that Brett still wants to play.  (Two days later, it was widely reported that Brett is telling people that Brett still wants to play.)

We’re now hearing that Cook is privately saying that Favre wants to play for the . . . . drum roll, please . . . oh, wait, it’s in the headline . . .Carolina Panthers. Continue Reading »

A very interesting story appeared today on Pro Football Weekly.  The Carolina Panthers are reportedly negotiating with Julius Peppers to keep in him the fold for the long haul.

Negotiations on a long-term contract extension for Panthers DE Julius Peppers are ongoing, the way we hear it. Sources in Carolina say the team is in wait-and-see mode with its freakishly athletic star pass rusher, who had a career-high 13 sacks in 2006, and talks could heat up if Peppers comes to camp in good condition and shows the ability to shake off last year’s puzzling 2½-sack campaign. Peppers, 28, is in the final year of his rookie contract. Reports from a year ago said he wanted to become the highest-paid defensive player in the league, and Carolina seemed willing to oblige. Word is, despite his baffling decline last season, the Panthers aren’t expected to make Peppers a significantly lower contract offer than the one that was discussed last offseason. They still hold him in high esteem, as head coach John Fox has made clear in statements throughout the offseason, and slashing money out of the offer would be a hit to Peppers’ psyche right before the start of the season. He is known to be sensitive about such matters, and such a tactic would become distracting.

Does anybody know what happened to Julius last year?  Anyone?  Whatever it was, it sure put a hurt on his production.  That simply wasn’t the J-Pepp we’ve all come to know and love.

The team isn’t letting that one season impact their decision-making process or their negotiating.  How much they give him and the length of the deal are big questions and we all know that Marty Hurney isn’t in the business of reporting contract details.  We may never know.

Adam Best, one of the lead writers at Arrowhead Addict and Fan Sided boss man, gave some of his underlings an assignment - name your dream sports day.  It had to be at least slightly conceivable - you know, logistically possible.

I thought about it.  I mulled it over.  I spent many sleepless nights thinking up a scenario that made sense.  What you can read after the jump is my dream sports day. Continue Reading »

Why are you still wearing that old rag of a hat?

Don’t you need a new one?

The Fan Sided Network has announced the latest addition to the lineup - a fan shop.

There you can shop for just about any article of clothing emblazoned with the colors of your favorite college and pro teams.

Check it out!

Our countdown of the biggest moments in Carolina Panthers history is rolling right along.  We’re up to number four.  (Like nobody was looking at the headline of this story.)

Thus far, we’ve covered great games and great performances.  There have been franchise-changing moments.

The number four moment was exactly that - a moment that would set into motion change that would forever alter the course of two teams. Continue Reading »

It’s time to begin the second half of our countdown of the greatest moments in Carolina Panthers history.

We’ve covered some very memorable moments thus far.  Now, it’s time to cover what really is a collection of moments.

The decision here to include this as the number five “moment” was made because what we witnessed was one of the great individual performances in team history and perhaps one of the greatest in league playoff history. Continue Reading »

Interesting tidbit in the Charlotte Observer Monday concerning the negotiations, or lack of them, with the Carolina Panthers’ rookie class.

The Carolina Panthers are in the early stages of signing their rookie draft choices. General manager Marty Hurney said Monday there’s nothing yet to report on the team’s two first-round picks — running back Jonathan Stewart and offensive tackle Jeff Otah. Hurney did say he expects an agreement to be reached this week with sixth-round choice Nick Hayden, a defensive tackle from Wisconsin.

Not that I’m keeping score or anything but we have 24 days to the start of training camp.  Does anybody remember a holdout last year by the team’s top pick Jon Beason?  It didn’t last long but holdouts are never the most welcome thing for rookies.

Keep in mind that Jonathan Stewart got very little work on the field because of that ignorant NCAA rule barring him from working out until his classmates back in school are free for the summer.  Also, Jeff Otah got limited reps due to a bad ankle.

Holdouts would not fit too well with a team with so many new faces.  They are expecting big things from these two guys.  Let’s hope Hurney gives us his normal, “We signed Fill in the Blank to a contract but we won’t release the details because it’s team policy,” routine very soon.

You might think that somewhere in the media somebody might have a little faith in what the Carolina Panthers are capable of this season.  Okay, maybe not.

Could there be somebody in the blogosphere who could throw a little love our way?  If only it were true.

Daniel Evans at NFL Mocks has put together his latest power rankings.  This one has really gotten my hackles up.

Not only does he have the Panthers ranked 23rd, he shows an improvement in his ranking this week by one position.  Yes, he had them ranked twenty-fourth last time around!  Twenty-fourth!!

It boils down to this - if the Panthers are going to get any respect in ‘08, they are going to have to earn it on the field.