Falcons kicker clowns Carolina Panthers with savage ridicule after Week 6 loss

If any remaining blind optimists were expecting the Carolina Panthers to turn around their fortunes and get this season back on track, they should be long gone after another disappointing loss on home soil. Dave Canales' men were undone by the Atlanta Falcons. They couldn't stop a nosebleed on defense and went away from the ground game in a crucial moment en route to a fifth defeat in six regular-season contests.

The Panthers are among the bottom-feeders once again with another losing campaign on the immediate horizon. This is not what Canales had in mind in Year 1 of his head coaching tenure. There were too many problems to solve in one offseason, but their woeful start is a strong indicator of how much hard work remains to get this once-proud franchise back to respectability.

Kicking the Panthers while their down seems to be a popular trend around the league right now. They are the whipping boys and everyone's get-right game. They've received almost constant ridicule among the media and from opposition players. Another example came following their reverse to the Falcons at Bank of America Stadium.

Younghoe Koo ridicules Carolina Panthers with savage two-word statement

Atlanta's dependable veteran kicker Younghoe Koo twisted the knife into the Panthers as he left the field. The statement was picked up on by Carolina Blitz. It can best be described as two-word savagery.

This was about the Keep Pounding mantra, albeit with a new twist. 'Keep Stanking' is a wild statement from an NFL professional to make. It's also a sign of how this organization is being perceived in league circles despite the supposed positive changes throughout the offseason.

Koo - and everyone else, for that matter - know they can say whatever they want about the Panthers from a critical or ridicule standpoint. This was the concerning narrative Canales wanted to change during his first season at the helm. There have been some positives, but this season is rapidly descending into more of the same for a franchise going nowhere fast.

To make matters worse, Sheena Quick from FOX Sports Radio revealed that Koo was arm-in-arm with Falcons owner Arthur Blank whilst making the jibe.

They're not a good football team right now. One can blame the injuries to a certain extent, but it's a roster devoid of genuine quality. Until that changes, the Panthers just have to take their lumps and try to move forward with a sense of positivity.

Getting clowned by an NFL kicker is a new low. The Panthers find a way to reach lower depths of despair weekly. General manager Dan Morgan wants the Carolina logo to be feared across the NFL once again. That's not going to happen unless they become more competitive and find a way to limit the self-inflicted wounds that occur in key moments.

Koo was in the heat of the moment and might walk back the statement when probed by the Atlanta media later this week. This should hurt those in the locker room. They should feel embarrassed. Some significant soul-searching is needed to salvage some semblance of pride from the campaign.

More Carolina Panthers news and analysis