The NFL offseason may be the most political and nerve racking few months in sports. But it’s fun to watch. Teams and agents casually make deals that change people’s lives with the click of a pen. Millions are thrown around, All-Stars put on the chopping block. So with all the drama and cash being thrown around, here’s a breakdown on the winners and losers of the 2004 offseason so far.
In my previous article, I wrote about how the Bobcats screwed up the expansion draft, which they did, and how they needed to make up a bunch of ground in the amateur draft. Well, they did just that.
The year was 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, David Robinson, Karl Malone, and Christian Laettner headed a star-studded cast that easily won gold in the Olympics, finishing without a loss. Too bad players don’t care anymore.
“We’re going to the Super Bowl! We’re going to the Super Bowl! The Carolina Panthers are going to the Super Bowl!” With those famous words, the Cardiac Cats made their first Super Bowl appearance in the history of the franchise. This was the best thing that happened to the Carolinas since October 26, 1993 when the Panthers were unanimously selected as the 29th NFL franchise. Owner and founder of the Panthers, Jerry Richardson, who is a god in the Carolinas, promised a Super Bowl birth within a decade of the opening of the Panthers. Nine years later, he also looks like a prophet. Coach John Fox has led the Panthers from a 1-15 season just two years ago to an appearance in the most important event in sports. “2003 NFC Champs, it has a nice ring to it.” Right ya are coach, right ya are. Fox and the die-hard Panthers have restored pride to everyone from the Carolinas that had lost or never had it. More importantly though, the 2004 Carolina Panthers have taught everyone in South Carolina what winning in a professional sport feels like. They taught us to be fans. They taught us how to cheer, how to celebrate, how to lose with dignity, and how good it feels to have an incurable sickness, referred to by many as Cat Scratch Fever.
After the downfall of the Hornets in Charlotte, the city takes on a new NBA franchise, the Bobcats. They have gotten off to a terrible start in the eyes of fans, and will have to make up a lot of ground at the draft.