Hello Panther fans. It was a rough weekend for me personally. Before the Panthers lost on Sunday, on Saturday, I saw the tenure of the greatest player in Appalachian State history come to a close. Playing in sub-zero temps, hard winds, and heavy snow, the Mountaineers lost to Montana 24-17 when a last second pass from Armanti to Brian Quick was dropped in the end zone. Had the catch been made, pending the PAT, the game would have gone into Overtime. In fairness to Quick, the conditions were hardly ideal... but when greatness hits you right in the hands like that, you have to will yourself into making that catch.

Regardless of the harsh conditions, Armanti compiled 404 yards of total offense (353 passing, 54 rushing) and came just one drop shy of leading another brilliant comeback.

via cmsimg.citizen-times.com

But now, Armanti is officially on the market... having graduated from App State in just 3.5 years of study...

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Hello Panther fans and welcome to the latest Armanti Edwards update. Your source for news on the most dynamite player in FCS I-AA football. Appalachian State has moved into the "Final Four" in the NCAA Championship tournament on the wings of an incredible 4th quarter from AE and his mountaineer troops. App State had their work cut out for them in snowy conditions up in Richmond, VA making the field a slushy and muddy mess. Not exactly the kind of day where you are seeking to throw a laser accurate TD pass to win a football game.

Or IS it?

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So here is the setup... my place of employment can be a very stuffy place. I am by far the youngest person working here, amongst a bunch of people about twice my age. However my boss, even though much older, is a very cool guy and enjoys Panther football. This morning, someone brought in a case of Bojangles biscuits open for office consumption. Here is the ad-lib conversation between us.



My Boss: Hey Erik, did you see that someone brought in biscuits for everyone this morning?

Me: No, I didn't that's awesome tho.

My Boss: No one ever does this, I wonder who did it and what the occasion is?

Me: *shrug* Maybe Jake Delhomme paid us a visit.

My Boss: No. if that were the case... we would only eat half the biscuits, and the rest would be on the floor or our competitors would be eating them.

LOL.

In an article published by Yahoo sports and written by Michael Silver, Jerry "The Big Cat" Richardson has been given credit as the 3rd best team owner in the NFL. Also in the article, Silver reports on some sources surrounding the resignations of Jerry's two sons. More after the jump...

via cache.daylife.com

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Finally a little respect! One of my favorite fantasy football writers, Andy Behrens from Yahoo Sports, has ranked the Carolina Panthers as the #8 most useful fantasy offense. A ranking that puts us ahead of other offensive phenoms like Dallas, Green Bay, and Arizona. He absolutely loves DeAngelo Williams and explains how our own D-Will single handedly decided fantasy football championships last year.

Read the article's full text here

via a323.yahoofs.com

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The Great Jake Debate continues. This time we have an article written by someone who is clearly a Jake hater. So for those who hate, have a read and relish in how bitter this guy is. For those who love, read it and defend him!

A little hate, on the Jake

Usually I provide some analysis of the article, but it's just another team preview. Pretty run of the mill other than all the Jake trashing. I'll spare you my (hate) opinion, because I've said my piece many times on the issue.

Jaxon has been kind enough to highlight the passage i was referring to:

Update by Jaxon: Tater must be referring to this passage:

Jake Delhomme looks like one of the Brothers Followill, talks like Forrest Gump, and throws like one of the Jonas Brothers. And yet he has signed a contract to do his job, which requires, at least, a non-Jonas performance with his arm, for eight digits of income over the next six years of his life. He’s never thrown fewer than 12 interceptions in a full season in his career, and never committed fewer than 15 combined turnovers when playing in at least 13 games. And his playoff implosion against the Cardinals was downright Favreian.

Jaxon: "That's pretty damn insulting but I admit I know not what 'Brothers Followill" refers to."

Also, I'd like to highlight this passage, which sounds to much like the grumblings of a disgruntled Panther fan to be considered in any way non-biased writing:

The last NFL QB older than 30 to start and win a Super Bowl was Brad Johnson in 2002; Peyton Manning was 30 when he won Super Bowl XLI.

Is Delhomme really the horse a team should be betting on to buck that trend?

AND....

And with their ground game and defense still both reminiscent of threshers, they have as much chance to survive the playoffs as any NFC team.

Of course, this assumes that Jake Delhomme will only throw one interception a game.

And heck.. i'll toss in an infuriating image for no reason at all.

via www.stilettosetsports.com

Finally some good news about our receiving core. Charles Robinson, a writer for yahoo sports, just wrote an article after observing Dwayne Jarrett in training camp and talking to some coaches. The full text can be read here...

Jarrett Finally Grasping Panthers Tough Love

via l.yimg.com

"He’s better – the players see it and I see it," Panthers head coach John Fox said. "We haven’t played a game in six months, but he’s way further ahead right now than he was this time last year."

There is some pretty high praise from Fox, and now we can look forward to him getting more work and PT with the 1st team while Smitty is out resting his shoulder.

"Without a doubt, I think Dwayne is [ready to step up]," Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme(notes) said. "What he’s done this camp is a big jump. Certainly from year one to two, two to three, I think Dwayne’s the one [who could have an impact]."

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via a.espncdn.com

Former Charlotte Observer writer Pat Yasinkas posted this article on espn.com...

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-13-36/Camp-Confidential--Panthers-eye-next-step.html

It is up to date as of this afternoon at 1pm, and talks about Carolina's depth issues, particularly now with Kemo out for the season on IR. It also mentions how the Panthers have never had back to back winning seasons, and how the coaching staff and management plan to change that fact in 2009.

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Matt Bowen, a former NFL player, has been writing a series of articles for the National Football Post (NFP) regarding the #1 issue each team faces heading into training camp and the upcoming season. He has finally gotten around to the NFC South, and shows enormous respect for our division as a whole. What was his #1 issue for the Panthers? What Else?

Carolina Panthers: Delhomme’s consistency
The Panthers put an end to questions about QB Jake Delhomme(notes) when they signed him to a contract extension after the season – while some thought they would start preparing for the future with a young arm at the position. Ultimately though, people need to understand Delhomme has a role in Carolina. Even more, that role must be played correctly in ’09.

I don’t believe we can judge Delhomme’s 2008 season based off one playoff performance (17-of-34 passing, 205 yards, 1 TD, 5 INTs) because he helped get the Panthers into the postseason and secure a first-round bye. But if this team wants to repeat as NFC South champs, he has to be more consistent and he has to continue to play his role. That means handing the ball off to running backs DeAngelo Williams(notes) and Jonathan Stewart(notes) and getting the ball down the field to wide receiver Steve Smith. It’s easy to look at Delhomme’s numbers and call him average (3,288 yards, 15 TDs, 12 INTs), but all you have to do when talking about this team is look at Smith’s impact (78 receptions, 1, 421 yards, 6 TDs) to see Delhomme’s value. He’s never going to put up numbers like a Brees or a Manning because that’s not they way this team plays football on offense. It’s a run-first team that uses Smith in the vertical passing game in game-changing plays.

Delhomme is still the leader of this offense, but he has to cut down on the mistakes and he has to avoid games when he comes apart at the seams. He knows his role, the team knows his role, and this is why he heads into camp with a new contract.

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via www.nflgoddess.com

One of the big stories this year for Panthers fans is going to be the development of our young wide receivers. As much as we would like to keep Steve Smith and Moose 27 forever, the reality is that Smitty is now 30 and Moose is 36. What of our youngest receivers? Will they be able to fill the shoes of their predecessors now and in the future? Let's take a look at those most likely to be making an impact on the Panthers for years to come after the jump...

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