We Must Protect This House!!!!!
By John White
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.
To break it down, since 1998 the Panthers have posted a combined 36-44 home record. Simply not good enough. Their road record is even worse, actually. That’s a combined 35-45. Again, not good enough.
One thing that separates great teams from good teams is the home record. Over that same ten-year span, only one Super Bowl Champion, the ’07 New York Giants, won the title with a losing home record. (3-5) No other Super Bowl winner since 1998 has posted a home record worse than 5-3 while five teams boasted an undefeated record in their own house.
The upcoming season looks promising at home. Carolina will face only one team with a winning record from last year in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All of the remaining seven home games next season will feature opposition from teams with a combined record of 44-68 from ’07.
At the end of the team’s final Summer School session, the Panthers broke their final huddle with a collective chant of “Tampa!” This signified their goal of reaching Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. If they are to achieve their lofty goal, the Carolina Panthers Must Protect This House – no matter who is in the stands.