The Carolina Panthers Are So Bad, They're Preparing As If Sunday's Matchup Against The Cowboys Is An Away Game
Just when you thought the Carolina Panthers’ season couldn’t get any worse, head coach Frank Reich reminded us that’s not true.
During a Friday press conference, a reporter asked Reich how he plans on handling the potentially high amount of Dallas Cowboys fans on Sunday. Reich said that one of the measures his team took in preparation was instituting a silent count on offense.
"I think everyone knows how well Dallas travels,” Reich said. We have a great city that other teams' fans like to come to. ... We're prepared either way."
The questions and comments begin at roughly the 8:43 mark of this video.
What is a “silent count,” you may ask? It’s a predetermined signal initiated by an offensive lineman when the quarterback wants to begin the play. Usually, a guard will tap the knee of the center, or the center will briefly shake his head to signal the start of a play. Most teams do this to circumvent the challenges presented by an opposing team’s crowd.
Hardly any team worries about this unless they’re on the road. But Reich and Carolina are so worried about Cowboys fans outnumbering their own, they’re preparing as if Sunday is an away game. That’s when you know the state of a franchise stinks.
Carolina Panthers Fans Haven't Had Much To Cheer About this Season
Honestly, it’s hard to blame him. The Panthers are 1-8 and in line to get the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. Carolina has yet to be good at anything football-related, besides losing games.
In fact, fans are so disappointed in their team’s performance that they organized a protest demanding they play better earlier this year. During a vacant Sunday after playing on Thursday Night Football (don’t ask me how that happened), Carolina fans held the “March on Mint” rally to (peacefully) voice their frustration with the team.
Winning on Sunday would sure help the Panthers fans buy back into their team. But that seems like too big an objective to tackle.