Monday, October 11, 2010

Jerry Richardson...Master Thief

I just wanted to give a shout-out to the Carolina Panthers fans I know (this means you, Jamaal) and apologize for the abomination you are witnessing this season. I have lived through many a pathetic Jets season and can empathize fully with what you're going through. Although, I don't know if I've seen quite the circumstance that Carolina fans are dealing with currently.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson gained notoriety this offseason with an impassioned speech at the owners meeting. The speech outlined how the owners had been screwed by the players during the last collective bargaining agreement and how they weren't going to pay a lot for this muffler during the collective bargaining negotiations to come. He then proceeded to act like he had no money in the offseason, letting his best player, perennial All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers, walk to Chicago without any compensation in return. He also refrained from buying any pieces that would actually help the team win in 2010.

Richardson then had the audacity to raise ticket prices on the season ticket holders, making them pay more for an inferior product. To top it all off, he traded a future second round pick to move up in the third round (huh?) during the draft to take Appalachian St. QB Armanti Edwards, who had no chance at being a pro QB, but rather a converted receiver.

The third round is no place to draft a project, but this is how stupid Richardson thinks you are, Panther fans. He must have figured, "Edwards is a local guy, my ignorant fans will show up to cheer on their college hero even if it takes 3 or 4 years to develop him, if it even works out at all. I can afford to burn this high a pick on a marketing scam, putting additional pressure on a long shot at paying off." I can't even begin to describe the pure hatred he must have for Carolina fans as a whole. For Richardson to figure he can placate the local fans by taking a local guy, even if he has no chance to contribute to the team's success for years to come, takes enormous stones. Onions, even. This is the same type of reasoning that allowed the Charlotte Hornets to draft J.R. Reid 5th overall, thinking it will draw in the college fans who aren't sold on the pro game.

As long as the Charlotte-area owners think like this, there are no local pro teams with a chance at success. So...be pissed Panthers fans. And don't spend any money on this team if you can help it. I feel like a dumbass for picking this team to have success this year. If I were you, I wouldn't spend a dollar on this team. If Richardson won't, why should you?

2 comments:

  1. This is an awesome post and I must admit I cannot wait for Jerry Richardson to die. I know it sounds harsh but as you pointed out he has royally screwed the Panthers and I smell an 0-16 1-15 season in the making (the one being the Rams, but who knows at that point in the season the Rams may have a few wins, as in 5) but I still go to the games since my dad had already renewed his season tickets but now no one wants to go to the games. Even if they wanted to rebuild, why not get rid of Fox too & start all the way over. Here's the funny thing, Sunday it was packed in the stadium, like close to sell out packed, granted there were more Bears fans than Panther fans, but packed none the less. I understand a team looking to the future but how long in the future were the Panthers looking. Ok I'm done venting now, btw the J-E-T-S look like they are for real & the have LT circa 2002 - 2003. Sanchez may be better than decent.

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  2. I understand your frustration, they've been hard to watch all year, like a drunk guy making a scene at the unemployment office (really, any uncomfortable scenario will suffice). They have a chance this weekend against the Niners. The Panthers are going to get a shot at an impact skill position guy at the top of the draft. Hopefully, they guess right, because they have no playmakers on the perimeter when Steve Smith is out.

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