Hello, everyone...
I'm in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area, where I'll be through Tuesday, reporting on one of the most fascinating college bowls of the season for The Charlotte Observer.
The Orange Bowl will feature Stanford vs. ACC champ Virginia Tech, which is a fine game in any case, but has the added bonus of featuring Stanford QB Andrew Luck.
Luck, for the uninitiated, is likely the No.1 draft pick of 2011 -- if he decides to come out early. The Panthers hold that No.1 pick.
As a redshirt sophomore, Luck will need to make that decision by Jan.15th. He's coached by another hot commodity in Jim Harbaugh, who has been rumored to be headed to Michigan or to one of several soon-to-be-open NFL coaching jobs, including the Panthers' post.
First of all, though, this game has to happen. Virginia Tech has won 11 straight games, whipped Florida State in the ACC title game in Charlotte and will be a formidable foe.
Stanford and Virginia Tech are both in south Florida now and practiced Wednesday. Luck and Harbaugh both talked briefly after practice and did a nice job of not saying much.
Harbaugh, when asked about trying to minimize the distractions surrounding speculation that he’ll accept an NFL position, said:
“The only time it gets asked is if I‟m doing a talk-back radio show or talking to the media or the press, but really it's not much of a distraction. When you‟re playing Virginia Tech, that gives you plenty to focus on.”
About advising Luck on his future, Harbaugh said: “I'm just going to tell him, 'Do what's best for your family. Do what's best for yourself.' Andrew's got a great, supportive family. They're very smart and they'll figure what‟s best for Andrew.”
Luck didn't address his upcoming decision after practice but did speak about several topics.
On how the team is progressing thus far:
"We've had two good days of practice so far. Beautiful weather, a beautiful setting, you know, waking up and getting to look out and seeing downtown Miami on your right and the beach on your left. It's very picturesque and we're very excited to be here and we‟re looking forward to a good game with Virginia Tech.”
On approaching this trip as a business trip:
“We'll have fun. We know we'll have fun if we win. If we don't win, this trip will be to no avail, so we‟re taking that approach.”
On dealing with the spotlight:
“I understand that if you're the quarterback of a major university that's 11-1 and going to a BCS bowl there's going to be attention and you're the face of the team in certain areas, but I don't relish it, I don't embrace it. I understand it's part of the job.”
We're moving!
9 years ago
Posts
16 comments:
Please let this happen. By the way, if we trade down then everyone should be fired and Richardson should be forced to sell the team to the city of Charlotte.
Whats with the Luck love fest? If he decides to stay in college and Cam Newton decides to enter the NFL draft. Will we have a topic or even a discussion about Cam coming to Charlotte?
Lucks people said he is going back to school most likely. They do not want him playing his first year in the NFL.
Maybe with another team who has a first string QB he will go there but clearly for a team to draft him and throw him out on the field--no way.
Panthers did it too many rookies and its dangerous cause they could get injured.
Luck goes to Indianapolis with Bill Polian and company...They groom him to be Peyton's successor..... Just like Green Bay drafted Aaron Rodgers to be Brett Favre's backup.... The Purdue backup at Indy goes back to school or to Canada to play.... ....
Can you imagine future headlines if Andrew joins the Panthers? Here’s what we’ve seen already, and he hasn’t even committed to the draft:
Clausen not worried whether Luck will be on his side
Carolina Panthers need Luck on their side
No Luck will be necessary with a few wins, Clausen says
Panthers out of Luck if Clausen wins
Is Clausen out of time, Luck?
If Clausen really is the guy, then Panthers won’t need any Luck
Here are some guesses:
Panthers roll the dice on Luck
Luck only part of 48–3 win over New England
Gruden believes in Luck
Good Luck, Bad Luck…
Richardson should be forced to sell the team to the city of Charlotte? The city of Charlotte is broke and cant even fund its own schools anymore and lost a major bank.
There are fresh rumors surfacing the Richardson sons have contemplated moving the team to JRs home in the up and coming high growth Greenville-Spartanburg metro area if they build them a new 80,000 seat stadium.
Greenville Spartanburg Anderson met takes in 1.5 million population and exploding in growth halfway between Charlotte and the 7million Atlanta area.
Stay tuned.
Fresh rumors at the bar you hang out? JR's boys aren't even part of the organization right now. Even if they inherit the club when he passes, this is one of the crazier theories I've heard. They have 62,000 season ticket holders right now. They'll surely lose some after this debacle of a season but there's no way they could find that many suckers again.
Should a new stadium be built in the G'ville S'burg remote northern Atlanta metro area then those who hold PSLs would prob be tranferred 125 miles southwest.
It may be more of a drive but with over 10 million within a 150 miles range it would be a much larger area for better viable success using Max Mulhmans genius marketing concept created 25 yrs ago and used by all of pro sports today.
I'm anon 9:07. The 10 mil in 150 miles is what they used to bring the team to Charlotte - which is still the geographic center of the Carolinas. I'm a PSL owner and if they did some sort of transfer, I'm sure there would be an opt out clause as well. I'm considering walking away now and would definitely turn them in if I had to drive 2 hours to see this mess.
My post was as much about these "fresh rumors" which somehow have eluded the rest of the internet.
Moving the team to Greenville is about as dumb a comment as moving them to LA. One bad year and they should be moved? We have a great fan base here. Our attendance has been way higher than Jacksonville or Tampa and they had darn good teams this year.
You're a dumbass. Greenville is tiny little town sleepy little town. BAck to what matters JR better bring us the prize we deserve after this year. Also JR lives in South Park in a mansion not greenville.
There are some stupid people posting on here. No number one pick will go to a good team, and if any team is selecting Luck at #1, it's for him to be their starting QB, so whether it's the Panthers this year, or another shitty team next year, he's not going to go #1 and sit for a year. Typically that happens with QB's selected later in the first round. The Panthers are a great opportunity for Luck. We had some injuries on the OL that didn't help our pass protection and run game this year, but Otah and Wharton will both be back next year. As long as the Panthers address the OL depth and add a veteran of FA WR, Luck would be in a perfect situation. Haters will hate, though!
JRs main residence is in Spartanburg for the past 55 yrs NOT SouthPark. What has Greenville city population got to do with it? Its the whole area of a 150 miles radius. Greenville county SC population is half a million and rising rapidly.
Actually taking into Atlanta and Charlotte and everything in-between Greenville-S'Burg is 25-30 million population much larger and denser than Charlotte/metro.
Face reality. Charlotte/Mecklenburg is broke and in the red hundreds of millions or billions. CMS is having to close schools everywhere with massive problems and will be closing many more.
Massive teacher layoffs coming. The roads are in terrible shape with potholes everywhere. Not enough money to pay police and fire services.
Banks closing as well as businesses and aitport traffic down 50% as real estate keeps sinking lower and lower with thousands of foreclosures etc.
Its only getting worse. The team will have to move and preferably to JRs up and coming area getting a lot of massive Atlanta spillover 100 miles down I-85.
Changes will come quickly. Charlotte headed for bankruptcy and already there swimming in red ink almost in worst shape than Detroit.
Stupidity and Ignorance is bliss.
Anon 9:07 again.
Why is anyone bringing up Atlanta as a market for the Carolina Panthers? They have a team, a damn good one, that gets as much support as ATL can generate. And that's not a compliment.
The Panthers have their established fan base and it's not going to grow much whether they move to Greenville or Raleigh. The new South from the Triangle to CLT to Atlanta is a mix of old and new. The old still root for the Skins and Cowboys. The new folks root for the teams they grew up with.
Big Jer was lucky that the Hornets put Charlotte on the national sports radar. This is nothing against Greenville, it just seems so far fetched that the NFL would buy into moving the team there. It is what it is and imo, that will be Charlotte as long as this team exists.
Gee thanks for the laughable kindergarten mentality. Old and new here? Wow? What a stunning revelation. Cowboy and Skin fans? Where?
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