Yes, the unlikely Cardinals and their retread quarterback, winning only their third playoff game in sixty-something years, sent our Big Cats home a little earlier than the hometown boys had planned. And this year, maybe more than almost any other year in the team’s relatively short history, the Carolina Panthers players had trouble hangin’-up the jerseys and sayin’ adios.

Coming together through a sweltering pre-season, hangin’-in through sixteen tough regular season and playoff games, the players took that team thing to the next level: “We learned how to be a family,” cornerback Ken Lucas said.

Look on the bright side, guys. After a long off-season on the world’s best beaches and golf courses, you’ll be so glad to see one another at training camp you won’t mind those two-a-days one bit. And while you guys are resting and recovering, getting’ ready for the big July reunion, we’ll be ordering our tickets for next season.

Ya know how the best day to buy your Christmas stuff is on the day after Christmas? Same thing with your 2009-2010 Carolina Panthers tickets. Best time to buy ‘em is right now as this season comes to a close. If you have your tickets for next year, season’s end won’t feel so much like saying good-bye.

Even better, really awesome seats are available right now—even a great selection of fifty-yardline seats is out there waiting for you to claim ‘em. Don’t fall for that stuff about “you see more on t.v.” You know there’s nothing like being right there in BofA Stadium, right in the thick of the action, hearing the pads collide, gamefaced and cheerin’ your heart out.

Get psyched for next season right now. Order great tickets and great prices, and then get ta brushin’ up on your stats.