What happened Thursday night embodied every single reason why I believe Panthers head coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney will be fired at the end of the season. It will be an old fashioned fox hunt, for sure. I don’t think either will escape the inevitable conclusion and here’s why they shouldn’t:
The offense, minus running back DeAngelo Williams and receiver Steve Smith, was porous and the defense couldn’t make any stops. It wasn’t just one area that looked bad, it was everywhere. And it’s not just one week, it’s the majority of them this happens.
And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.
Miami quarterback Chad Henne, who started the season as a backup to Chad Pennington, proved that his is better at his position that Jake Delhomme. It’s a sad statement, but it’s absolutely true. And it was Hurney and Fox that wanted to keep the Cajun around a few more years.
And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.
The only reason the defense has any new players is because of the loss of a starter or two. Hurney went on record during his interview on Primetime with the Packman and stated he didn’t think you could win by signing free agents. Apparently he didn’t look at the 2003 roster when the Panthers made it to the Super Bowl. If Fox ever wanted a few new starters on either offense or defense, he didn’t make a big enough fuss about it to convince Hurney to sign them.
And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.
During the offseason, the Panthers traded away a draft pick to Miami for the services of quarterback Josh McCown. In theory he was supposed to push Delhomme for the starting spot should Jake stumble like he has. But McCown got hurt in the first game of the season and was put on IR. But to be honest, does anybody think McCown is a starting NFL quarterback that you can win with? Miami didn’t think so. Neither Fox nor Hurney brought in a real quarterback to challenge Jake and they kept Matt Moore and A.J. Feeley, two dogs, on their roster without trying to upgrade the position all the while Jake continues to throw interception after interception.
And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.
Carolina is going to have a hard time building through the draft, which hasn’t been Hurney or Fox’s strong suit, anyway. They traded this year’s first rounder so they could draft Everette Brown in the second round. Had they kept that pick, they could have traded for New England All-Pro Richard Seymour. Instead, they have to hope their late-round picks pan out. And given their drafting history, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
And for that, Fox and Hurney should be fired.
But what may be the breaking point is when the team is constantly booed on its home field. You know Mr. Richardson cringes at the sounds of that, especially when the game is played on national television and the whole country hears it. Mr. Richardson wants a respectable team. But getting embarrassed at home by an average opponent and by your booing fans on a Thursday night doesn’t exactly scream respect.
Every single Wolfpack fan I know believed with all their heart that Tom O’Brien was going to fix the ills with NC State football because of his winning ways at Boston College and his strict background. Well, it is apparent that he has totally lost this team. He upset most of the players following the Pitt win by saying the effort and performance wasn’t good enough. I still look at O’Brien as being the football version of Herb Sendek - a decent enough coach that will never win big and will always do just enough to keep his job. And to think NCSU could’ve had Pal Johnson instead. Read the rest of this entry »
North Carolina is bowl eligible, which a few weeks ago didn’t seem like it was going to happen. The Tar Heels are playing their best ball of the season and look to finish strong as they travel to Boston College this week and N.C. State next week. Read the rest of this entry »
Duke has to win its remaining two games in order to become bowl eligible and that’s not going to be an easy task as the Blue Devils head to Miami. Though, I will say this: The Canes have been slipping of late and may be primed for a major upset. I know we’re not supposed to root for anyone team over the other in the media world, but I’d kind of like to see Duke get to the postseason, and if nothing else beat Miami. I just don’t think either is going to happen. Read the rest of this entry »
Clemson stands just one win or one Boston College loss away from winning one of the two worst divisions in college football (Big 12 North is the other). And while to me it’s sort of like someone had to win that darn division, so it might as well be Clemson, it’s still a feat that Tommy Bowden was never able to get done and the ACC was just as bad during his tenure. Dabo Swinney has come into Tigertown and breathed life into a program that fans always thinks is better than it truly is. At least they will have something to finally roar about. Read the rest of this entry »
CHARLOTTE - Coming to you live from the press box here at BOA Stadium, I’m here to document all the good and bad plays by the Panthers in their game against Miami tonight. I must start by apologizing to everyone out there for not having any of my usual babe photos. Circumstances beyond my control prevented me from being able to get any fresh ones. So, again, I offer my sincere apologies to everyone.
With that said, here’s my always exciting and riveting analysis of the game.
Carolina did take the opening drive and march it to the Miami 7, but the drive stalled and Kasey booted a field goal to take a quick 3-0 lead. But that was the highlight of the first quarter as neither team managed to score the rest of the opening mark.
UPDATE START OF SECOND QUARTER
The second quarter started with Carolina dominating the total offense category, but had nothing but three chintzy points to show for it.
Then Miami put together a very long drive and finally scored a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead.
The back breaker came on a third-and-16 at Carolina’s 36 when Miami was all set to settle for a field goal. The Dolphins handed it off to some no-name named Lex Hilliard out of Montana up the middle and he gained 18 freaking yards, which ultimately set up the touchdown.
After another three-and-out by Carolina and a solid punt return by Miami, Ricky Williams scored a few plays later to give the Dolphins a 14-3 advantage.
Two things have become perfectly clear, Julius Peppers isn’t playing on first and second downs and as a result, Miami has been passing a lot on those downs because it knows the pass rush will be much less than with Peppers.
The other glaring thing is that the Jake Delhomme that we all grew to love since last year’s Arizona game has returned. Jake, we missed ya!
As the teams headed to the locker room, the fans rained boos onto the field. God, it’s great to be a Panthers fan.
START OF THIRD QUARTER UPDATE
The Panthers got deep into Miami territory thanks to a long DeAngelo Williams run, but alas the drive came to an abrupt halt when Jake threw an awful interception on a Steve Smith post route.
We’ve already welcomed the return of the real Jake Delhomme back, which made me think of the theme song to one of the most underrated TV shows of all time. Enjoy the flashback. WELCOME BACK
END OF THIRD QUARTER
Well, the best drive of the Panthers in that quarter came at the very end. And if you’re not watching the game on TV, then you’ll have to wait until the next update to see how they did.
BTW, who would you rather have, Chad Henne or Jake Delhomme?
FOURTH QUARTER UPDATE
Once again the Panthers get inside the Miami 10 and have to settle for a field goal and trailed 14-6. I’m just going to make the same point I made last game and that it seems awfully strange that Williams does all the work as the running back to get the Panthers into scoring position and then they take him out for Stewart, and ultimately the drive comes to a screeching halt. LEAVE DEANGELO IN THE STINKING GAME!!!
Miami answered with a field goal of its own to make this a two-score game. The Dolphins ate up more than six minutes on the drive and with just over seven minutes left, Carolina trails 17-6, which means it’s Jake Delhomme throwing time. WoooHooo!!!!!
UPDATE WITH 5:18 LEFT TO PLAY
Steve Smith makes an insane touchdown catch and Williams runs for the two-point conversion to make it a 17-14 game with 5:18 left to play. We have ourselves a game. Now the question is can the Panthers defense stop the Miami offense. God, I thought I’d never have to ask that question.
TRUE STORY - The two guys sitting directly in front of me on press row are sleeping. I swear to everything that is holy in this universe that I’m telling the truth.
UPDATE WITH 3:55 LEFT TO PLAY
On third-and-11, Henne completes a big pass for a first down. The very next play, Ricky Williams bolts up the middle for a 46-yard touchdown run. I guess that answered my previous question. Williams has 122 yards rushing.
UPDATE WITH 1:41 LEFT TO PLAY
Kasey boots a 48-yard field goal to make it 24-17. All the Panthers need now is a to recover the onside kick and have Jake Delhomme win it with his passing. Piece of cake.
UPDATE AT END OF THE GAME
Folks, this game is over and Carolina has lost 24-17.
We learned a few things tonight about our beloved Panthers:
1) Chad Henne, who started the season as a backup, is better than Jake Delhomme.
2) The Panthers still suck in running the two-minute offense. Apparently they don’t understand that you have to do more than run 7-yard routes that aren’t anywhere near the sidelines.
3) Carolina fans continue to leave at halftime, even when the game is close.
4) Carolina is like too many girlfriends I’ve had, nothing but a big tease.
5) One more loss and the Panthers will unofficially be eliminated from the playoffs.
Key Additions: SF Ari Stewart; SG C.J. Harris; PG Konner Tucker.
Key Losses: G Jeff Teague; G Harvey Hale; F James Johnson.
Top Out Of Conference Games: Purdue; Gonzaga; Xavier; Richmond.
Can’t Afford To Lose Games: Jan. 12 vs. Maryland; Feb. 9 vs. Boston College; March 7 vs. Clemson.
Must Improve: Postseason play – Wake Forest always seems to get into the NCAA Tournament only to fade in the opening weekend.
Intangibles: Something to prove – With their top two stars having left for the NBA, the remaining players have a chip on their shoulder because many experts believe the Deacs can’t win without them.
Outlook: Even though Jeff Teague and James Johnson both bolted for the NBA, the Demon Deacons still have all the makings to be one of the top teams in the league. The return of sophomore forward Al-Farouq Aminu is all the difference in the world. When he opted not to turn pro, which shocked most NBA insiders, Wake Forest once again became a team to be taken very seriously. Senior Ishmael Smith is one of the main factors in how well this team does. He’s moved into the starting role at point guard and he loves to run. However, for him to be truly effective, he has to do better at scoring than he’s ever done. Scoring just 6.2 points per game won’t cut it. The success of Wake Forest also hinges on the development of sophomores Ty Walker and Tony Woods. Both were highly sought after in high school and now is the time to live up to their potential. If they do so, this will be one of the best interiors in the country, especially with Chas McFarland and David Weaver added to the mix. Expect freshman Ari Stewart to get ample playing time at the wing spot and if his outside shot continues to improve, he very well could crack the starting lineup.
By The Numbers: 10 – Number of double-doubles Al-Farouq Aminu had last season.
N.C. State head football coach Tom O’Brien has been informed by Doug Rhoads, head of ACC football officials, that his team was horribly wronged by the replay officiating crew.
The play in question came in the third quarter with Clemson leading 24-14. C.J. Spiller took a handoff to the left side of the field and ultimately fumbled. The ruling on the field was that Spiller was down by contact before the ball came loose.
O’Brien challenged the play and after a replay official looked at it for several minutes, it was determined the ruling on the field was correct, even though the announcers and any person with even a half of a good eye could clearly tell it was indeed a fumble.
Now, it’s likely that even had the Wolfpack gained possession and ultimately scored that they would have lost regardless. It’s kind of hard to win when you can’t stop any body from scoring. Nonetheless, this is just something else for the Wolfie fans to moan about on why they have a losing season.
Duke defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre has been named the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), announced by the organization on Wednesday. Read the rest of this entry »
The annual competition to select the top senior college quarterback in the nation has been narrowed from an original field of 22 to five finalists for the 2009 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. And among those five finalists is a senior that plays for the Duke Blue Devils.
The football season is winding down and the bowl positioning is well underway. However, this past weekend saw four ACC teams eliminated from postseason play. With that said, here are how my rankings for the conference are set heading into the final two weekends of the regular season. Read the rest of this entry »
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the following game times and networks for Nov. 28:
Saturday, Nov. 28 Wake Forest at Duke, RAYCOM, 12 pm
Clemson at South Carolina , ESPN, 12 pm
North Carolina at NC State, ESPN2, 12 pm
Miami at South Florida , ABC, 3:30 pm
Virginia Tech at Virginia, ESPN, 3:30 pm
Florida State at Florida , CBS, 3:30 pm
Boston College at Maryland , ESPNU, 3:30 pm
Georgia at Georgia Tech, ABC/ESPN2, 8 pm
Duke offensive guard Mitchell Lederman and quarterback Sean Renfree will miss the remainder of the 2009 season due to injury, announced on Monday by Blue Devil head coach David Cutcliffe.
Lederman, a 6-7, 305-pound redshirt junior from Brodhead, Wis., suffered a fractured toe on his right foot against North Carolina. On Monday morning, he underwent surgery performed by Dr. Tee Moorman and Dr. Mark Easley of the Duke Sports Medicine Center. In 2009, Lederman played in nine games with seven starting assignments at left guard.
Renfree, a 6-3, 210-pound redshirt freshman from Scottsdale, Ariz., suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee this past week against Georgia Tech and will have surgery performed by Moorman at a later date. As Duke’s top reserve at quarterback, Renfree appeared in five games this year and completed 34-of-50 (.680) pass attempts for 330 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. His best game came at Army in week two, coming off the bench to hit on seven-of-eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns in Duke’s 35-19 come-from-behind victory.
Duke travels to face Miami this week (12 noon; ESPNU) before hosting Wake Forest on November 28 at Wallace Wade Stadium (12 noon; Raycom Sports).
Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu has been named ACC Player of the Week while Miami’s Durand Scott garnered ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
Aminu, a 6-9 sophomore forward, averaged 24.0, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals and shot 64 percent from the floor (16-for-25) as the Demon Deacons opened the season with victories over Oral Roberts and East Carolina.
In Friday’s 76-56 win over the Golden Eagles, the Norcross, Ga., native posted the 11th double-double of his career with 25 points and 13 rebounds. In an 89-58 victory over East Carolina Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum, Aminu led Wake Forest with 23 points and nine rebounds.
In his collegiate debut against North Carolina Central Saturday, Scott, a freshman from New York, had four points, two steals and handed out a game-high 10 assists with zero turnovers as the Hurricanes opened their season with a 83-53 victory. The 10 assists were the most by a Miami player in exactly three years, since Anthony Harris finished with 10 assists versus Alcorn State on Nov. 14, 2006.
Here are the SEC Players of the Week, and as one might expect, there’s a Bulldog and a Rebel, but no Gators, even though they barely escaped Williams-Brice Stadium with a win. Once again, South Carolina shows what it’s like to be a Gamecock fan. Should’ve beaten UGA, but lost. Was right there with Bama, lost. Had a legitimate shot at Florida, but lost. This is South Carolina football. We hale thee Carolina! Read the rest of this entry »
Coming to you live from the press box here at BOA Stadium, which is about 80 percent full. The weather is absolutely perfect for what seems like could be a Carolina win over Atlanta. There’s just something about today’s game that makes me seem like the Panthers have a real shot at winning and improving to 4-5 on the season.
UPDATE WITH 6:00 LEFT IN THE FIRST
The Falcons drove the field on their first possession and wound up kicking a field goal to take a 3-0 lead, but the Panthers answered with a Jonathan Stewart 1-yard run for a score to take a 7-3 lead. On Carolina’s drive Muhsin Muhammad made a couple of big plays.
UPDATE 12:26 LEFT IN SECOND QUARTER
Carolina grabs a huge 14-3 lead on Steve Smith’s second touchdown of the season. It was a great catch as he was interfered with while making the play. I guess we’ll get a happy Steve this week. And because of the touchdown, it’s time for a nice picture from the game.
BTW, am I the only one that likes that song by Miley Cyrus, “It’s A Party In The USA”? They played it here at the stadium and now I can’t get it out of my head. I’m driving Mac and Yarbro nuts because I’m humming it.
UPDATE WITH 5:56 LEFT IN SECOND QUARTER
Atlanta scored a touchdown on a Jason Snelling run to make it 14-10. Michael Turner has 9 carries for 111 yards. But it was just announced that he has a right ankle sprain and his return is questionable.
Panthers OT Jordan Gross is down and looks to be in obvious pain. He is laying flat on his back with his hands grasping his head. They are bringing out the cart, which is never ever a good sign. They put an air cast on his right leg. It appears to be a bad ankle. They just showed the replay and several people just made a gasping noise. It wasn’t pretty, to say the least. He will not return to the game.
UPDATE WITH 1:08 LEFT IN THE SECOND QUARTER
Cornerback Sherrod Martin intercepted Matty Ice and returned it to the Atlanta 30 to set up the Panthers. A few plays later Steve Smith caught his second touchdown pass of the game and his third of the season. But on the play smith got shaken up and laid on the field for a couple of minutes. He had to be helped up and off the field. It’s difficult to figure out at what exactly happened to him.
Nonetheless, 21-10 Carolina.
And with another Panthers touchdown, it means it’s picture time!
HALFTIME: CAROLINA 21, ATLANTA 10
UPDATE WITH 5:55 LEFT IN THIRD QUARTER
Atlanta took the kickoff to start the second half and got a field goal. For the Panthers, Steve Smith is back on the field and DeAngleo Williams is running like a beast.
Carolina has its 51 yard field goal blocked, which gives Atlanta the ball at its own 41. See what happens? DeAngelo runs the ball all the way down there and John Fox takes him out for Jonathan Stewart and the drive stalls. Coincidence? I think not.
END OF THIRD QUARTER
That’s the end of the third quarter and Carolina leads 21-13, however Atlanta is getting ready to score another touchdown and this is about to be a one-point game, assuming they kick the extra point and not go for two.
And since it’s the end of the third quarter, how about we throw in another picture.
UPDATE WITH 13:44 LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER
Atlanta did indeed score a touchdown on fourth down, but the Falcons went for two and didn’t get it. Thus, Carolina leads 21-19. This is a big drive coming up for the Panthers, who need to put some points on the board. Atlanta has its offense rolling and the only way Carolina is going to win this game is by scoring more points because the defense doesn’t look capable of slowing down Matty Ice.
Will someone please tell me why in God’s name Mr. Fox insists on taking out DeAngelo every single time he does something good? Once again, Stewart comes in after a big play by DW and three plays later Carolina has to punt.
UPDATE WITH 6:35 LEFT IN FOURTH QUARTER
Atlanta just missed a chippy field goal that would have given the Falcons the lead. Carolina is just trying to hang on best it can.
Steve Smith has yet to catch a pass in the second half.
UPDATE WITH 2:07 LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER
After giving up a big punt return, Carolina intercepted a Matty Ice. A few plays later Stewart busts one for a 45-yard touchdown to give Carolina a 28-19 lead. This game is over.
PICTURE TIME!!!!
Carolina is going to win, some how and some way. Unreal. Stat of the game, ZERO picks for Delhomme. Let’s celebrate with a few pictures.
Postseason: NCAA Tournament; lost 77-54 in Boston to Villanova in Sweet 16.
Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski – 833-274 overall in 34 seasons; 760-217 in 29 seasons at Duke.
Returning Starters: (3) Kyle Singler; Lance Thomas; Jon Scheyer.
Key Additions: SG Andre Dawkins; PF Ryan Kelly; PF Mason Plumlee.
Key Losses: G Gerald Henderson; G Greg Paulus; F David McClure; G Elliot Williams.
Top Out Of Conference Games: Wisconsin; Gonzaga; Georgetown.
Can’t Afford To Lose Games: Jan. 3 vs. Clemson; Jan. 13 vs. Boston College; Jan. 20 at N.C. State.
Must Improve: Perimeter defense – It’s been several years since the Blue Devils have been able to stop athletic guards. Ironically enough, they haven’t made it past the Sweet 16 during that span, either.
Intangibles: DUKE – The name on the jersey is good for a few wins every year that they might not otherwise get.
Outlook: The definition of insanity is doing things the same over and over and expecting different results. That has held true for Duke the last few years, where nothing has changed except the leaving of players, yet fans seem to think the team will improve every year. Well, that hasn’t happened and it’s very doubtful any real change will happen this year, either. There is talent on the Duke team, make no mistake about it, but what has hindered the Blue Devils is still going to be the team’s downfall this season – defense on the perimeter and the inability to score in the post. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski will try to get his team to be more active in the post with the arrival of freshman Ryan Kelly. He will be joining the Plumlee brothers, Miles and incoming freshman Mason, who fractured his wrist earlier this week. Jon Scheyer will have all season to improve at point guard and he should be pretty good there, but defensively, that’s another issue all together as he’s yet to stop a driving guard in his career. Kyle Singler is the best player on the team, but he’s hindered defensively, too. There has been almost no athleticism on Duke’s team the last few years and it didn’t help that Elliot Williams left for Memphis. But the addition of incoming freshman Andre Dawkins, who will join the team in December, will most certainly help in this area.
By The Numbers: 8 – Number of ACC Tournament titles Duke has over the last 11 years.
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Every single Wolfpack fan I know believed with all their heart that Tom O’Brien was going to fix the ills with NC State football because of his winning ways at Boston College and his strict background. Well, it is apparent that he has totally lost this team. He upset most of the players following the Pitt win by saying the effort and performance wasn’t good enough. I still look at O’Brien as being the football version of Herb Sendek - a decent enough coach that will never win big and will always do just enough to keep his job. And to think NCSU could’ve had Pal Johnson instead.
North Carolina is bowl eligible, which a few weeks ago didn’t seem like it was going to happen. The Tar Heels are playing their best ball of the season and look to finish strong as they travel to Boston College this week and N.C. State next week.
Duke has to win its remaining two games in order to become bowl eligible and that’s not going to be an easy task as the Blue Devils head to Miami. Though, I will say this: The Canes have been slipping of late and may be primed for a major upset. I know we’re not supposed to root for anyone team over the other in the media world, but I’d kind of like to see Duke get to the postseason, and if nothing else beat Miami. I just don’t think either is going to happen.
Clemson stands just one win or one Boston College loss away from winning one of the two worst divisions in college football (Big 12 North is the other). And while to me it’s sort of like someone had to win that darn division, so it might as well be Clemson, it’s still a feat that Tommy Bowden was never able to get done and the ACC was just as bad during his tenure. Dabo Swinney has come into Tigertown and breathed life into a program that fans always thinks is better than it truly is. At least they will have something to finally roar about.
N.C. State head football coach Tom O’Brien has been informed by Doug Rhoads, head of ACC football officials, that his team was horribly wronged by the replay officiating crew. 
The annual competition to select the top senior college quarterback in the nation has been narrowed from an original field of 22 to five finalists for the 2009 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. And among those five finalists is a senior that plays for the Duke Blue Devils.
Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu has been named ACC Player of the Week while Miami’s Durand Scott garnered ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
Gators, even though they barely escaped Williams-Brice Stadium with a win. Once again, South Carolina shows what it’s like to be a Gamecock fan. Should’ve beaten UGA, but lost. Was right there with Bama, lost. Had a legitimate shot at Florida, but lost. This is South Carolina football. We hale thee Carolina!
