A Tale of Two Cities

John White — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:53:28 +0000

Now that Peppers has signed his franchise tender, further questions or criticism no longer hold any water. Some media analysts have posited that Pep may not be received well in the locker room. Really? He is a superstar. Period. End of story. Last year Steve Smith decked a fellow teammate. Fans and sports analysts can pick apart personalities, question people’s judgement, and theorize all they want, but none of that matters when a game-changer gets back on the field. When a player is catching touchdown passes, or sacking the opposing team’s quarterback, teammates and coaches appreciate that—and a strong organization can absorb the small problems. Ask Jon Beason if he’s worried about Peppers in the Carolina locker room…He might laugh at that notion.

Just as Carolina affirmed itself as an organization last year during Smith’s incident, they provided another textbook example of how things should be done this year with the Peppers situation.

And if you think I’m just a fan looking for reasons to praise Carolina because I like Carolina, then take a moment to juxtapose Carolina’s 2009 off-season alongside Denver’s off-season. Contrasting Denver to Carolina is truly a “Tale of Two Cities” kind of football story. Go ask a Denver Broncos fan how secure and certain he or she feels about the team. Ask a Broncos fan to give you a number on a scale from 1-10 on how they would rate the Denver front office as far as being composed and steadfast when the going gets tough. Denver’s front office behaved as emotionally and erratically as any crazed fan would this off-season. Be glad that Carolina remained a football team.

While most of us saw this coming, especially once the draft came and went, I am happy that it is (almost) official Peppers will be taking the field with Carolina in the fall. Probably though, on a bigger scale, I am thoroughly impressed with Carolina as an organization for how they handled the situation. Carolina fans have good reason to have a lot of faith and confidence in their team…Their team has a lot of faith and a lot of confidence in their team.

A Win-Win Situation, Don’t you think?

John White — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:38:47 +0000

In the 2007 draft, I remember when Carolina drafted Dwayne Jarrett in the second round. That move, clearly, was a message from the front office to the team and Keyshawn Johnson. A few days later, Johnson was released.

During and after the 2008 draft, Jarrett certainly must have noticed that he’s received a similar message to what Keyshawn received. 6 words: Mike Goodson, Larry Beavers, Jamall Lee…And to add to the pressure, Ryne Robinson and Jason Carter are returning, and both have probably been sharpening their teeth over the past year by studying and focusing on the cerebral aspects of the game.

I wondered a lot last year why Jarrett did not get more playing time. It seemed, despite how sparingly he played, that every time he had a chance he made a catch for a 3^rd down conversion. So, I don’t think athletic ability is the question. It’s more about how much has he been studying, and how often he’s been in the film room. Apparently, thus far, Jarrett’s studying and preparation has not been great, or else he’d be in a uniform more often.

This is a big year or bust for Jarrett. I have liked him from the get-go; but, for whatever reason Carolina has been stocking up on recievers and possible return guys, with Robinson and Carter on the roster.

There is a long list of Wide Recievers in Carolina now, and half of them won’t be active on game day. I have a strong feeling this list will get shaken up too. The list is exciting; and some will lose; but for Carolina, it appears to be win-win situation.

Steve Smith
Muhsin Muhammad
Dwayne Jarrett
Ryne Robinson
Jason Carter
Mike Goodson
Larry Beavers

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A Tale of Two Cities

A Win-Win Situation, Don’t you think?