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Tonight, UNC and MSU will face off on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson in what is coming to be known as the "Carrier Classic." I don't know about anyone else, but I think this is the coolest thing ever done in college basketball, and possibly in sports history. What a great way to honor our troops on Veteran's Day. This should be a really great game tonight between two teams with the utmost respect for each other, and a history of meeting each other in the NCAA tournament.

There is a complete photo gallery here with some really great pictures of the setup and the teams getting used to playing outdoors. Both coaches seem absolutely tickled by the opportunity to play in the unique setting, and who can blame them? This is college basketball history in the making. 7,000 military service men and women will be in attendance, as well as President Obama.

I think the edge here clearly goes to UNC for several reasons. They have the best front-court in college basketball, the better talent, and their heavy focus on inside shooting and fast breaks will give them the edge with the possibility of gusty winds in play. MSU is no slouch however, as they bring a physical team that is always willing to fight for the ball, and a coach who is one of the best in the game in Tom Izzo.

I give the edge to UNC 62-51 in a low scoring affair, as both teams shake off the rust and meet a little resistance from the outdoor conditions.

So what do you think Panther fans? Will you be watching tonight? Tip-off is at 7pm, and it is a national broadcast. Who you got?

With the Penn State scandal all over the news, the release of Albert Haynesworth from the Patriots, and the dismissal of Carolina LB Lawrence Wilson for a Marijuana related incident, the conduct of players, coaches, and administrators in sports is being brought to the forefront of our minds. While many people are divided on the handling of these issues, one thing is certain, you are better off keeping your nose clean than having cameras and microphones pointed at you demanding answers.

But how deep do the issues stemming from poor personal conduct run? Who is affected? In the long term, is it more important to be talented than behaved? There are plenty of examples to point to, and I will go in depth to see just how much effect conduct has on sports...

after the jump...

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This is something I started working on during the offseason, but was never compelled to finish it. But now, with our list of needs in next years draft getting longer by the minute, it seems like a valuable tool that we could use. With Thomas Davis and Jeff Otah's future both very uncertain, we have positions that went very quickly from strengths to weaknesses that we might need to address in the draft. But what is our MOST necessary area of need? I have developed a simple system to decide.

I will warn you all that it is a bit subjective, as just about everyone will have a different opinion of the quality of a player we have, and even more so about the quality of player available in the draft. This system is designed to be a general guide of where we should look in a balance of need vs. BPA.

Have a look at the system... After the jump.

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A lot of us can relate to the feeling of nostalgia. We feel it anytime we visit our home town, watch a football game at our old high school, or even dig through the trinkets of times gone by. So one could imagine the feeling that Ron Rivera gets when faced with playing the team where he spent 9 seasons as a player, won a Super Bowl, then went on to become a defensive coordinator. Yes, one might be inclined to think when he takes a look down at that Super Bowl ring that he might do a favor for his old city by losing the game on Sunday...

That one, seriously disillusioned individual, would be horribly wrong.

Rivera wants to win this game more than any other, and I'm sure there are some other players on the roster that would too.

More after the jump...

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The Charlotte Observer has just published a long and fairly revealing interview with Jerry "Ultra-BAMF" Richardson. JR goes in depth about the off-season, and how he is very happy with the team's progression so far, but what might be the most interesting part of the article is him firing up the bus and mowing down the old coaching staff several times. When asked if he was comfortable going into this season with either Cam or Jimmy as the starting QB, he had this to say:

"I feel very comfortable. They have to be coached and they have to have time. I don't expect them to play like they've been in the league three or four years. But the coaching staff will coach to the strengths of the men. They won't say, 'This is the way it is, do it,' and then go to (general manager) Marty (Hurney) and say, 'He can't do it.' "

"This is the way it is, do it" refers to former head coach John Fox, whose contract wasn't renewed after the 2010 season ended. I reported on opening day last season that Fox, now the head coach in Denver, was out. The longer the season went, the more dysfunctional the Richardson-Fox relationship became.

Ouch! Seems like Foxy fought the law and the law won. These aren't the only disparaging words JR has for Fox and his staff in the article, more on that after the jump...

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The name "Armanti Edwards" rings different in the ears of almost every Panther fan. You have the camp that loves him, after seeing what he did at the collegiate level. You have the camp that likes him because of what he is capable of, but doesn't like what we gave up to get him. You have the camp that doesn't like him because they don't think he has a place in the NFL transitioning to WR from small school QB, and you have the camp that hates him for several reasons topped off with him ending up being the 33rd pick in this years NFL draft.

Well this post isn't about any of his past accomplishments or failures, it's about the clear progress he has made as displayed at training camp so far. Armanti has already wowed the coaching staff, including BAMF himself, as well as made a pair of highlight reel grabs. More on this after the jump...

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Hello again Panther fans. Now that the combine is slowly coming to a close from a workout perspective, all 3 Appalachian State Mountaineer prospects have run their drills and for the most part have each improved their stock. The three players from App are LB D.J. Smith, FS Mark LeGree, and OL Daniel Kilgore (yes, you say it KILL-GORE). LeGree had a particularly impressive combine, finishing as one of the top performers of all safeties at the combine in several categories.

I will give a short breakdown of each of their performances after the jump..

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Normally, this would be fanshot material... but I was so amazed by the accuracy in the arm of this kid, I had to make it a Fanpost to make sure everyone sees this video.

This is Uconn 3rd string QB Johnny McEntee doing some amazing "trick shots" with his arm. Some of the throws he makes are just incredible, and he clearly has some strength in that arm given the distances. I don't understand why he isn't on the field for Uconn, although I'm sure it is possible all this talent doesn't necessarily transfer to good on-field play.

Johnny Mac Trick Shot Quarterback (via HardcoreHuskies)

Pretty amazing, right?

Editor's note: This really is a pretty amazing video. It's a curiosity like an amazing street baller dunking, doesn't necessarily transfer... but there's no reason not to be impressed with the display of accuracy. I deleted some posts to clean up the sidebars. Thanks for posting everyone!

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Hello Panther fans! Well, now that the season is officially over with the Green Bay Packers winning Super Bowl XLV, it is time to really kick the draft watch into high gear. We have talked ad nauseum about what we are going to do with our first round pick, with team Fairley vs. team Green butting heads on a daily basis. There is also a contingent of people hoping that we can trade back for more picks, make Patrick Peterson the highest drafted DB in decades, or even reach for a QB.

What we haven't talked about to much are those magical late round picks that Hurney keeps turning into gold. From David Gettis and Greg Hardy in this past draft to Mike Goodson and Captain Munnerlyn in the last one, Hurney sure knows how to pick a diamond in the rough. Well as you can see above... this late round prospect already comes wrapped in gold. I submit to you Mark Legree, FS, Appalachian State. He is projected as a 7th round pick or potential UDFA, and he may be able to provide us with some crucial depth in our secondary.

More on LeGree after the jump...

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One of the hot topics lately (and most all season) has been about the Panthers re-signing DeAngelo Williams. James has already posted an article based off a tweet from Darin Gantt that reads as follows:

"DeAngelo Williams said keeping RB coach Jim Skipper would be a factor in his offseason decision-making [...] Essentially, DeAngelo was lobbying for Skipper to stay. Was sending message that keeping the veteran assitant would be an enticement for him [...] DeAngelo loves Skip, trusts him. Whether the new coach would want to keep Skipper would be up to the new coach. [...] The other thing to remember that if Skipper doesn't stay, he's likely to go wherever Fox goes."

Some new information has been posted via the Asheboro Courier-Tribune which in ways affirms what Gantt has tweeted, but also sheds some new light on exactly where D-Lo's loyalties lie... more details, including the first time I will ever express my opinion on this matter, after the jump...

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4/23/10 - It was a cool spring night. I was on my way to Asheville for a weekend trip with my girlfriend. Round 1 of the NFL draft was in the books, and the text had already come in that the Panthers selected Jimmy Clausen with their 2nd round pick in the NFL draft. I was fairly indifferent to the pick, seeing as though my other college team is Tennessee, and we aren't particularly fond of the youngest Clausen boy (he backed out of his commit to UT to attend ND). Nonetheless, I thought it was good value, and though I didn't like him personally, I could not deny his ability at QB. So, after receiving the news, i slid the phone back into my pocket and turned up the tunes, content to wait for the later rounds of the NFL draft the following day.

A short time later, the world turned on its head...

I was bombarded by phone calls and text messages from my Appalachian brethren that the Panthers had moved up in the draft to select the one... the only...

via blueridgeblog.blogs.com

... The Armanti.

"With the 89th pick in the NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers select... Armanti Edwards, Quarterback, Appalachian State"

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Great!

via media.heraldonline.com

You have just taken the first step in what will hopefully be a long and fruitful journey with your new companion! Many coaches have turned to rookie quarterbacks over the years to do many things, such as ignite a struggling offense, boost the morale of a fan base, and even save their own necks! However... rookie quarterbacks often can be tempermental and volatile creatures, prone to becoming underdeveloped journeymen, or worse, sizzurp sipping junkies. So take heed of the advice in this guide to make sure your rookie will grow, in time, to be a full grown veteran quarterback!

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