How the national media did the Panthers dirty during last week of training camp
The Carolina Panthers received a strong reminder this week that they're nowhere close to becoming national media darlings. Carolina hosted the New York Jets for a joint practice on Wednesday (Thursday's was canceled because of weather) which means future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in town. As you can imagine, a large media […]
The Carolina Panthers received a strong reminder this week that they're nowhere close to becoming national media darlings.
Carolina hosted the New York Jets for a joint practice on Wednesday (Thursday's was canceled because of weather) which means future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in town.
As you can imagine, a large media contingent (along with a multitude of fans) showed up at Wofford College on Wednesday thanks in large part to Rodgers' presence.
And that presence helped overshadow a great day from Carolina's defense.
The Panthers' defense played extremely well against Rodgers and the Jets. And locally, that was the big story.
Nationally, however, the story was Rodgers' struggles (and frustration) without any mention of Carolina's defensive efforts.
Perhaps Rodgers was frustrated because the Panthers' defense made things tough on the Jets. And maybe that's a sign that Carolina's defense is going to take a major step forward in 2023 after finishing the 2022 season with the No. 19 scoring defense in the NFL. And maybe, just maybe, Rodgers is still an elite quarterback who struggled at times on Wednesday because he was facing an elite defense.
The Panthers don't seen to be getting any love nationally despite landing the top quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft and making some significant improvements to the roster and the coaching staff (Frank Reich is such an upgrade over Matt Rhule) during the offseason.
Carolina fans should be used to this kind of treatment from the national media by now — it's been happening since the franchise's birth 30 years ago. But it doesn't excuse it. The Panthers could be one of the best stories in 2023. And if they are, the Carolina fans who have paid close attention to this team all summer won't be surprised while the national media will be claiming the Panthers came out of nowhere. If only they had looked past Rodgers to see what was happening on the other side of the field…
Bryce Young can make Panthers history with his first snap
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young can make Carolina Panthers history with his first snap in the NFL
Featured image via Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
