Catholic Guilt

Hey JDG - not only did I listen to the game but I was there! I forget how much Jim Kelly tore up the league his first year. Oh what about a guy named John Elway? Do you remember his rookie season? He was horrible! They wanted to run him out of Denver. Don't believe me, check out his stats. | Year TM | G | Comp Att PCT YD Y/A TD INT | Att Yards TD | +----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | 1983 den | 11 | 123 259 47.5 1663 6.4 7 14 | 28 146 1 Here is your buddy JP Losman Year TM | G | Comp Att PCT YD Y/A TD INT | Att Yards TD | +----------+-----+---------------------------------------+-----------------+ | 2004 buf | 4 | 3 5 60.0 32 6.4 0 1 | 2 15 0 | | 2005 buf | 9 | 113 228 49.6 1340 5.9 8 8 | 31 154 0 | Last I checked John Elway won TWO Superbowls and is a lock for the hall of fame. There is your scant example.

UGH here we go again... I watched the game on our local Carolina station and former quarterback Steve Buerelin was raving about Losman and his play making abilities in the third quarter. I was at the game. The kid is going to do well. He JUST NEEDS TIME TO PLAY!

Excellent point I forgot to mention. He had two horrible punts in the game. I'm on the JP bandwagon. Let the kid play - the reads will come.

I KNOW!!! My wife noticed the same thing! People this is a football game NOT daycare. It will be tought to return to my nosebleed seats up in section 545.

Yes we did thanks. A rare night out with two toddlers at home and a third on the way.

I agree. Carolina is a unique animal because the team started while I was living here. I love NFL football. It's like your cousin. They are still family but not like your brother or sister. Most Sundays I stay home, give the tickets to my brother and watch the Bills. I sat in front of a douche bag who grew up in Corning as a Bills fan. He announced to all his buddies that I lived in Charlotte 15 years and hasn't switched over yet. Blah blah blah. I calmly told him if the Bills were good this year he better not try jumping back on the bandwagon. One reason I don't care much for Panthers fans, a majority are very fickle.

You gotta be kidding me. It is way to early on a Sunday morning to be drinking.

Davis did have a catch in the third quarter. Nothing outstanding.

Remind me to tell you a story about the RBC center marketing people that happened to me last week.

Anything is an upgrade from Shaud Williams. My prego wife can run faster.

Don't forget hockey!

Offense was pretty, but defense still gritty SCOTT FOWLER The Carolina Panthers only heightened their great expectations Saturday night against Buffalo. When Carolina's first-teamers played in this preseason opener -- and that was just during the first quarter -- the Panthers looked scary. They looked unstoppable. They looked like they would win two Super Bowls in the same season. Take a deep breath this morning, Panthers fans. It was just an exhibition, no matter how much they charged you for the tickets. Buffalo will be one of the worst teams in the NFL. That game didn't mean anything. Nevertheless, if you're reading the sweet tea leaves here, that was an awfully good start. Nobody got hurt and when the Panthers played their starters, they were virtually perfect. The starters departed with a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The reserves frittered all but one point of that lead away, which means two things: Carolina won the game, 14-13, and the Panthers better not get a lot of starters hurt this season. For the game's first quarter, every 30 seconds some Panther was doing something great -- especially on defense. If it wasn't Julius Peppers sacking the quarterback, it was Maake Kemoeatu stuffing a play up the middle. Or safety Shaun Williams showing up nicely in run support. Or, most notably, Ken Lucas jumping on a short route, picking off hapless Buffalo quarterback Kelly Holcomb and running the ball back 23 yards for a quick touchdown to give Carolina an early 14-0 lead. Said Peppers: "We are right on track to where we should be headed." While Panthers fans who were at the game will talk more this morning about Jake Delhomme leading a gorgeous opening drive for a touchdown, don't forget where this team's bread is buttered. Defense. The first-team defense played four series Saturday night, allowed zero first downs and scored a TD. You can't do much better than that, although the Panthers players didn't seem terribly impressed with it. "We had a sack and a touchdown," Mike Rucker said. "The first quarter was pretty good." Pretty good? It was fabulous. Yes, Buffalo is headed straight toward a 4-12 season and has no quarterback. But the Bills do boast a fine running back in Willis McGahee and a couple of other decent offensive threats. Didn't matter. Carolina was the NFL's No. 3 defense last season, and it showed Saturday night it has a real chance to get to No. 1 this season. The offense? The Panthers' second string wasn't impressive, including rookie running back DeAngelo Williams (eight carries, 21 yards). But the first stringers rocked. With Steve Smith sitting on the sideline with a hamstring pull, Delhomme threw his first pass of the night on a slant to Keyshawn Johnson. Johnson gained 18 yards and spun the ball on the ground like a top after he was tackled. It was a move Smith perfected a couple of years ago, so I'm thinking Keyshawn's move was sort of a tribute. Then Delhomme started spreading it out -- twice to Keary Colbert, again to Keyshawn and later a strike between three Buffalo defenders to Drew Carter for a 14-yard touchdown. Seven plays, six passes, five completions, one TD. Then coach John Fox sat Delhomme down, which made perfect sense. It didn't look like Delhomme needed a bit more work. Of course, the preseason can be deceiving. Carolina could look horrible next week. Ultimately, neither that game nor this one counts. But the first impression of the Panthers -- at least their first-teamers -- couldn't have been much better Saturday night. Scott Fowler: (704) 358-5140; sfowler@charlotteobserver.com.

Good observation. That's because alot is expected of the Panthers this year and instead of selling the PSL's Panthers fans are actually going to the game. When the Bills played on a Sunday night here in 1998 with Flutie there were a ton of Bills fans. Of course the Panthers stunk. And yes Stevewin is right about the lame atmosphere.

Sorry - to clarify he punched his ticket to Hawaii with his first series against Terrence tonight.

Yeah but one throw DOES NOT make a game.

I'm with you Frez... Its like I expect failure again.

DISCLAIMER- I am a Panthers PSL (ticket) owner since 1995. I like the team, but love the Bills. The Panthers are expected to reach the Super Bowl this year and everyone in Charlotte is on the bandwagon. They are a very good team. With that said... It was a great night for a date with my wife. I got great seats behind the Bills bench in the club level which made for some interesting observations. 1. KELLY HOLCOMB IS HORRIBLE! He needs a job in the arena league. He strikes no fear in the heart of any defense. What you might not have seen on TV is his reaction to the crappy throws. He would chew out recievers after every pass. Gesturing his hands in the air like a damn puppet. The experiment is over - put the kid in and give him some experience. 2. BILLS RUN DEFENSE IS MIA - First teamers looked like jello. Not a good omen. 3. TERRENCE MCGEE IS TOAST - He was getting picked on like the nerd in gym class. One the first series, his man Keyshawn Johnson looked like a Pro Bowler. Speaking of which Bills fans - Can anyone explain why he didn't return ANY kicks tonight?Thank god Steve Smith didn't play tonight. 4. MATT BOWEN IS A STUD - #41 in your game programs was all over the field. The only first stringer on defense worth a damn. Luck would have it Matt was carted off the field in the 1st half. 5. PLEASE RUN WILLIS TO THE OUTSIDE - The Panthers interior is huge. Why did they insist on running straight up the gut? OOOOOOH Holcomb was in. Nevermind... 6 LINDELL LOOKED STRONG - Remember two years ago we wanted him cut? His kicks were dead-on. 7. JP LOOKED BETTER AS THE NIGHT WORE ON - THe kid got comfortable. I couldn't believe on one third down in the first half he was almost sacked twice, ran to his left incomplete. Very impressive in person. He did miss a wide open Sam Aiken for a TD in the 3rd. I want to see more of this kid and I'm glad Jauron played him most of the game. 8. THE CLUB LEVEL SEATS AT BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM ARE UNREAL - Almost like you aren't at a football game. My wife noticed all the Bills fans would look at each other and quietly nod. She thinks we have a secret code. 9. PRESSURE ON THE QB? Is anyone else concerned Carolina had all day to throw? Hope you enjoyed my rantings and found some of it useful. GO BILLS!

The bus driver

Good for JP. The first team Panthers defense is pretty good. Hate to see the kid get roughed up.

Chance of rain Saturday night and a very comfortable low 80s at kick off!

A fan's guide to scoring scarce PANTHERS tickets FYI ANDREW SHAIN ashain@charlotteobserver.com WANT TO SIT HERE? Ready for some football? Want to catch a Carolina Panthers game or some regional college action? Good luck. Tickets for all the Panthers games as well as the region's top college teams' best contests are gone -- forcing fans into the murky waters of the after-market: scalpers, brokers and online traders. It's buyer beware. See what one Panther fan posted in a newspaper classified last week: "I had some jerk trying to sell me row 32 lower level tickets. There isn't even a row 32." Here's advice to avoid rip-offs, the pros and cons of ways to buy, and what you should expect to pay to watch some pigskin. Avoiding Scams Ticket exam: Inspect the dates, opponent and seat number. Look for printing imperfections. Tickets taken from a strip of season tickets should have perforated edges. (Legit Panthers tickets have a logo on back that can be revealed by scratching it with a coin.)Get a map: Have a stadium diagram handy to check seating -- and ticket authenticity. Scalping laws: North Carolina permits face value plus $3; South Carolina, face value plus $1. The laws are enforced sporadically. How to pay: Sometimes you have no choice but to pay cash. When possible, use your credit card so you can request a charge-back if something goes wrong. Never wire money. Buying locally: Agree to meet the seller in a public place. Going online: Deal only with sellers that have phone numbers and physical addresses on their sites. Refund how-to: Read policies on how brokers/resellers deal with problem or late tickets. Record check: Look at a ticket broker's history with the Better Business Bureau (search.bbb.org) and the state where it is based. Type the broker's name into a Web search engine to check for customer gripes. Ticket Sources: Pros and Cons Neighbor/co-worker/relative: Can negotiate price. Know where to find seller in case of problem. But hit and miss in finding tickets to choice games. Classifieds: Try some bargaining. Usually locals selling tickets, though watch out for out-of-town brokers you don't know. Purchase face-to-face to see if tickets are genuine. eBay: Free market on the online auction. Could find a bargain or a scam. Usually will pay price available elsewhere. Look over buyer feedback carefully. Spend only what you can afford to lose. Resellers/Brokers: Set price. Sells tickets on consignment from brokers or fans (www.ticketsnow.com; www.stubhub.com; www.maximtickets.com). Usually more pricey for more reliable service. Game-day scalper: Anything goes. Better prices usually found closer to stadium. Could get a deal or a bogus ticket. No one to contact for refunds. Asking Prices Panthers: High-demand games -- Steelers, Cowboys, Giants -- are going for more than 10 times face value from online sellers. Maxim Tickets is selling a seat in section 111 near the 50-yard-line (face value $96) for $1,235 to the Steelers game. Upper deck tickets ($38) for the Cowboys game are priced at $145 on TicketsNow. Endzone seats for the Giants game ($74) range from $250-$350 on StubHub. The Rams and Saints games are bargains at two to four times face value. This month's preseason contests are usually selling at or below face value.

Ah the Redneck Rivera! I think the waterpark got an expansion and the kids rides were updated.

I'm dragging my pregnant wife in this muggy weather to the game. I'll post more as details come available and tidbits for the out-of-towners driving in.

LOL I was a regular at the Township - great place! No the owner, Kirk Weaver sold to it in the late 1990's. They still have all the Bills stuff and kept the menu.

Screw the casino. With all the businesses wanting to move to Buffalo, they need to take a back seat.