While there may be no easy schedules in the NFL, and this may all be based off a mathematical calculation, but the Panthers have no easy stretches on this schedule, either. We weren’t done any favors. Week one brings Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks to town. The Seahawks barely got a win last season in Carolina in a nail biter. Week two sees a jaunt to Buffalo to take on the Bills, then back to Carolina for the New York Football Giants. Two out of the first three weeks of the season see us playing very tough teams. The Giants annihilated us at BofA Stadium on Thursday Night Football last season, and the Seahawks blossomed into a very dangerous team.

After a mercilessly early bye week for a team as oft-injured as the Panthers, we take on the Cardinals in Arizona and then we start the brutal part of our schedule. Adrian Peterson and the Vikings at home follow the Cardinals, then we take on the St. Louis Rams at home. The Rams? Yes, the Rams. The Rams are re-loading and I believe that Jeff Fisher has this team primed to be contenders in the NFC West. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers follow on TNF giving us a short week for a division rival. One that swept us last year.

A hop on 85 South takes us down to Atlanta for the lethal Falcons, then the 49ers in San Francisco, and then New England in Carolina on Monday Night Football. That’s a six game stretch of brutal opponents. We have to be on the winning side of this stretch just as much as we have to be on the winning side of our first three games. For us to have a shot at the playoffs we’re going to need to be 6-4 or 7-3 by the end of this tough stretch. Not an impossible task, but certainly a Titan of a challenge

The worst part of this part of our schedule is that we still have to play the New Orleans Saints twice, and the Bucs and Falcons one more time each. The Dolphins and Jets would seem like gimme games, but as previously stated, there are no easy schedules in the NFL. The cliched term Any Given Sunday comes to mind. There are just no guarantees. Another tough season looms for the Carolina Panthers. Let’s just hope that the players and coaching staff are up to the challenge.

We decided to get all dramatic with the schedule release.  There was nothing else to talk about so we put some of our opponents on the spot and asked for some smack talk to motivate the team to kick them around a little next year.  Tim Redinger of Buffalow Down, Dan Zinski of The Viking Age, Dustin Staggers of The Pewter Plank and Sean McNally of Blogging Dirty all contributed some good bulletin board material.

Then we welcomed Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart to the show.  He’s been on vacation so it was especially nice of the team’s rising star to take some time to join us for this conversation.  It’s an interesting interview.

Mike Minter was back on board this week for another installment of The Minter View.  We talked about free agency and money.  Anybody who complains about player salaries should hear this one!

And our old friend Nick Yeoman threw some knowledge on all of us in The Great Debate.  This week’s question – “Is John Beason the Best Middle Linebacker in the NFL?”  I wonder if we’ll surprise anyone with our opinions?

It’s all in the show.  Take a listen and feel free to comment below, sports fans.

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Episode Fifty-Eight: April 15, 2009

In Episode Fifty-Eight…

• The 2009 Schedule
• News
• Panther Profile – Ken Lucas
• Special Guest – Jonathan Stewart
• The Great Debate: Jon Beason Best MLB in NFL? – Nick Yeoman (Nick’s Video Blogs)
• The Minter View with Mike Minter

For a complete archive of our shows, visit our Radio Page.