In 2009, when Carolina Panthers played at the Giants Stadium, the game had a meaning for them as it was held in the regular season. Hope was there that they would win the game, a miracle could happen.

Now, this is a preseason, and it means no grand scheme of things. Well, need to check the starting lineup.

Last week when the Panthers clashed against Baltimore Ravens, overall it looked good, though not impressive. In fact it looked better than what most of us thought of.

Jets are just like the Ravens, to give a tough challenge to the Panthers.

However, one positive thing to take note here. Cornerback Chris Gamble is back in the Panthers to assist defensive secondary. Running back Jonathan Stewart is also returning back along with receiver Matt Moore.

The defensive line has been rebuilt this season to a reshuffled linebacker corps corps. The match did disployed bright spots from each unit in the Thursdays 17-12 loss in Baltimore.

The four in front provided some consistent pressure and forced 3 turnovers. As expected, they did not yield much big plays.

Tyler Brayton, defensive end, said: ”
It’s just the first preseason game. It’s never as good as you think, it’s never as bad as you think, it’s just a place to start. Hopefully we can build on it from the.”

Linebacker Jon Beason said, “I was excited guys flew around and made some plays,” linebacker Jon Beason said. “First preseason game, it was good with a lot of new faces and a lot of young guys making some plays…”

The group had ranked 8th in total defense in the league, 4th against the pass and 9th in points this offseason.

In 2009 Carolina Panthers suffered a disappointing 8-8 season and the team managed to get to .500 by winning there final three games only.

With the end of the season it became apparent that owner of Panthers, Jerry Richardson, was not going to fire coach Fox, but he would also not extend the contract. So, after this season Fox is free to move on and according to the current speculation, he will do so.

During the time of Fox the Panthers have lost a large part of their history.

In 2010 it will have nine new starters at least. Moreover, it is to be noted that QB Jake Delhomme is gone. Also defensive end Julius Peppers has taken huge free agent money and have gone to Chicago.

Delhomme and Peppers were the two most visible and popular players apart from receiver Steve Smith.

President of Carolina Panthers, Danny Morrison said: “Our goal is to serve the entire fan base of the Carolina Panthers. As the local and regional Hispanic populations have continued to grow, it is great to now have the opportunity to add our Spanish flagship station – 106.1 La Raza – to the broadcast.”

Both, the North Carolina as well as South Carolina have been ranking consistently since 1990 as two of the fastest-growing states. According to research, the NFL is very popular among both the local and also with the national Hispanic communities.

Morrison said further, “Everyone at Norsan Multimedia is proud to be associated with the Carolina Panthers. We look forward to a successful season that will be shared by the many football fans in the local Hispanic community, who will now experience first-hand the excitement of this great sport. We’ve had many inquiries from customers and listeners about broadcasting the Panthers’ games. Now we’ll be able to fulfill their request,” said Norberto Sanchez, Norsan Multimedia’s CEO. “Our staff is passionate about sports, and we are pleased to transmit our elation to our audience.”

When Steve Smith was asked by the presenter of the show that whether Carolina Panthers need to hunt for a better complementary receiver than what they have Muhsin Muhammad who will be playing alongside him, then he replied by saying, “I would like a younger guy to come in and eventually take my spot. I don’t want to be a No. 1 anymore. I don’t want to be a guy who can’t let go of something he’s got to let go. I would like to be a guy that can play in the slot all day … .”

Smith also added further in the radio interview that honestly speaking for the next five years he is believing to enjoy the playing and till now he has not really enjoyed playing because he has goals such as ‘I want this’, ‘I want that.’ He mentioned that in this process of demand “I kind of forgot that I’m playing my dream. So I just want to settle down and fade away in a good way, not in a bad way.”

Ask any football fan, : Can you imagine John Fox in a situation when the Panthers are down 10-6 in a big game, calling for an onside kick to open the second half ? If u can, then well imagination is the only way you will see it. But according to some, maybe once in a while Fox should play it a bit safer.

The Saints, as you saw, put up a real show. Their upset win over Indianapolis was filled with aggression. They caught out Peyton Manning habitually, and ultimately it was Manning interception that was run back for a touchdown to seal the tie 31-17, in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Cleveland owns The Panthers’ sixth round as a result of the trade for DT Louis Leonard. The 16th picks for both, the second and seventh rounds, are held by the The Panthers, as well as 14th and 6th picks of third and sixth rounds respectively.

Would that I were the person calling the shots for the Carolina Panthers, I’d have made the aforesaid selection.

One news is that Marty Hurney and John Fox has been asked to return in this year.

Even though there has been some panic fans blowing things up and starting again after a disappointing season, the fact is that when someone takes emotion out of the equation and tries to look to the roster, then the Carolina Panthers are one of the most talented and also the most well constructed teams in the league, of course when they are healthy.

In 2009 the Panthers underachieved as many injuries, turnovers and poor execution. Apart from all these they were also a little weak in few areas.

There is a consolation hope for the fans of Carolina Panthers that may 2010 be a good year for them.

Well, though they may be the team that streaked to a 13-0 start, but the Carolina Panthers know they played that one quite well.

Even though it was the one that slouched to 2 straight losses, but the Carolina Panthers believes that the Saints is having something to prove.

The New Orleans have already clinched the home-field advantage till they are in the NFC playoffs. On the other hand the Carolina Panthers knows that the Saints would love to play better football than they did when they lost to Dallas and Tampa Bay.

In other words, the prudent play may be to keep starters safe, but Sean Payton, the coach of Saints, said that he at least would start his regulars.

The Payton said, “If someone tried to draw an analogy to the preseason, the reason it’s different is that you’re not sitting with a preseason roster of 75 or 65 guys.”

He also added further, “We are going to play all of our starters. We are going to be smart about those guys that are nicked up.”

Here are some of the best questions that can be asked by the fans to the Panthers.

1. In what manner Jake Delhomme respond to last year’s playoff debacle?
2. Is it that Julius Peppers will be a distraction?
3. What will in fact happen if a starter on the offensive line goes down?
4. Will the defense of Ron Meek work in Carolina Panthers?
5. Will Dwayne Jarrett be taking the next step and emerge as the No. 2 receiver?
6. Will the long snapper problem be an issue?
7. Who will become Panthers nickel cornerback?
8. Who will return punts and kicks?
9. How does Everett Brown fit into the team’s plans?
10. Will Carolina Panthers buck history and make the playoffs?

Many more questions may be there, but we stick to only the above ten. Lets see how the Panthers make fans happy.