Could change winds be blowing in Carolina?
By "Bucky Katz"

Off-Season 2122 (Charlotte) - The franchise QB ranks 11 out of 18 starting QBs in the league in passing. The running game places 11th also. The pass defense ranks 14th. The run defense ranks 11th. The team ranks 12th in scoring. Yet they place 3rd in points given up.

After GM 'Trader' Lee Remley mortgaged most of this year's draft to win right away, the Carolina Panthers bowed out in the first round of the playoffs to a Detroit Lions team many felt they could have beaten. So the question is, given the GM's nickname, are changes blowing in the wind down south?

'The Panthers have limited options with only one draft pick this year,' John Clayton IV said on ESPN Mars last evening. 'The question is, given that, will they blow it up and start over or will they give it another go?'

The GM is more tight lipped than a politician on his past voting record.

There were some highlights last season, as the Panthers revamped defensive line placed 6th in sacks and their highly paid offensive line placed 3rd in sacks given up. Not to mention the fact the defense was stingy on points, giving them the moniker 'bend but don't break'.

The loss of several crucial veterans to retirement causes some pause of the Panthers cast of characters coming back next season. WR Max Mantle, LB Seth Shelley, and S Ray Dahl were all starters on last seasons team, and word is the unexpected retirement of last year's second round pick, DT Terance Warren, infuriated the GM.

But all is not lost in Charlotte. There are several promising youngsters such as QB Sherman Thompson, RBs Alec Smith and Barry Porter, and WR Jeff Armstrong. Add a solid veteran offensive line and some young veterans sprinkled about the roster, and anyone can see that the team's future will be a bright one.

Fans are fickle, however. They want a winner now. Will the front office be patient and plan instead for the future or will they stay with this cast and go for it once more?

Stay tuned. The offseason will tell the tale.