I absolutely love that, for several reasons. First of all, Pro Bowl center Kalil is stepping out on a limb here in a very public way, issuing a call not just to the fans to support the team but also a reminder to the veteran players about what they better be doing in training camp.
I've heard many Panthers over the years more or less predict that the team was going to win the Super Bowl. It's a common story in every NFL training camp every year. It's natural to be optimistic, just like it's natural for every Olympian to think a gold medal is in their grasp right about now. The games haven't started yet. In the NFL, no one has lost a game in at least six months.
So naturally optimistic players like a Jon Beason or a Thomas Davis or a Muhsin Muhammad are always going to think their teams can run the table.
But to put it in a full-page ad? To put text with it, going back nearly 20 years to when Panther fans first financed the stadium with PSLs?
Kalil took this to a whole different level. This was the NFL center's version of Joe Namath sitting by the pool guaranteeing a Super Bowl III win, or Muhammad Ali spouting poetry to predict in which round he was going to knock out his opponent.
Also, another reason I love it: Full-page ads cost a lot of money. The newspaper can always use ad revenue -- that pays the majority of the salaries around here, including mine. Thanks, Ryan! Come back anytime!
Do I think the Panthers will actually win the Super Bowl this year? Well, no. But I think they have a shot, if the defense gets up to the offense's level of play in 2011, to be really good. And really good always gives you a chance.
Bottom line: This is a no-lose for Kalil. OK, if the Panthers go 6-10 again, he'll be very publicly wrong. But no one's going to say it was a "Kalil Jinx" that did the Panthers in.
And if he happens to nail it?
He'll be legendary.
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7 comments:
The best center in the NFL who protects an All-Pro QB. Gotta love it! New QB+new coach+new logo+new attitude=winning. Panthers may not win the SuperBowl, but will have a solid chance, and the record will be no worse than 11-5 and will win the NFC South. Just sayin'
I love Ryan Kalil. So much so that I'm going to retire my #55 Dan Morgan jersey and buy a Kalil jersey! You're the man, Ryan!
I'll say the same thing I said on profootballtalk.com - the idea of this team winning the Super Bowl isn't all that far-fetched. The Rams were 6-10 the year before they won. The 49ers were 3-13 2 years before they won their first Super Bowl. The team they beat, Cincinnati, was 4-12 2 years earlier. The Steelers, Packers and Giants all have won recent Super Bowls as the #6 seed in their conference.
With Beason, TD, Ron Edwards and Brandon Hogan starting out healthy, and rookies Kuechly and Frank Alexander hopefully bolstering the front 7 further, it's almost impossible for the D to be anything but much-improved. We have another offensive weapon in Mike Tolbert. We have much better special teams players. We were winning at the start of the 4th quarter in 13 games last year, going 6-7 in those games. Win 3 more and we're in the playoffs. Once you're in the playoffs, anyone can win.
Kalil "puts himself out there" - so what does Scott have to do? Insist they're not going to win the Superbowl. Thanks for sharing. Every year you make negative predictions and think you're so sophisticated to not be a "homer" and pull for the Panthers. Professional journalism of truly unbiased reporting has gone completely by the wayside - Foxnews & talk radio on the right, network news & print on the left. But you insist on trying to be the consummate sportswriter by being a "realist", but in reality you're just being a wet blanket. You can be supportive and optimistic without "selling out", and should consider using your skills to project optimism even if it needs to be couched euphemistically. In short - build team spirit and let the city have its dreams. If the record doesn't bear out the positive expectations no ones going to come back and criticize you for being upbeat. Not asking you to crown us SB champs if Newton goes down and Clausen steps in - but given TODAY's team - just go with the flow and let the city dream.
"All-Pro" he isn't. But maybe someday.
And I like this too.
Love the talk; hope to see the walk. Vegas doesn't give us much respect though at 35:1 in a 32 team league!
No you don't. I have no affinity for fools....
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