Falcons Soar Past Panthers

This was a very tough game to watch. My wife and I were cringing the entire game. While screaming and cheering at the screen, it seems that Carolina never really showed up to play football. Which was unfortunate for us because we wanted to watch a football game.

The first quarter was all Atlanta, with a 23-yard field goal from Jason Elam as well as a 7-yard rushing touchdown from Harry Douglas. This put Atlanta up 10-0.

FUN FACT: The Falcons have outscored opponents 88-24 in the first quarter in 11 games in 2008. They were outscored 105-71 in the first quarter of 16 games in 2007.

FUN FACT: Atlanta kicker Jason Elam has scored at least 1 point in 246 straight games, the second-longest streak in NFL history.

The Falcon's Michael Turner romps in for an easy 1-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Carolina moved into field goal rang for the first time and capitalized with a 23-yard field goal from John Kasay. Carolina was on the board 3-17 before the half.

Carolina woke up long enough to score 10 unanswered points in the third quarter with a DeAngelo Williams 5-yard run and a 21-yard John Kasay field goal to being the Panthers within 4 points, 13-17.

The fourth quarter was a back and forth brawl until the final minutes. Atlanta quickly scored with a 4-yard Michael Turner rush. Jake Delhomme showed off his wheels as be barrels in for a 12-yard run with a DeAngelo Williams rush for a Two-Point Conversion. Carolina gets within 3, 21-24.


The Falcons answered back with a Michael Turner 1-yard rush then added with a Harry Douglas 61-yard punt return. It was little too late as Muhsin Muhammad caught a 16-yard touchdown pass From Jake Delhomme. Michael Turner's 16-yard rushing touchdown sealed the deal at the Georgia Dome, winning 28-45.

NFC SOUTH FACT: The Falcons hold a 17-11 advantage in the all-time series against the Panthers, but Carolina has won five of the last eight.

Jake Delhomme went 21-of-35 for a total of 295 yards. Steve Smith had 8 passes for 168 yards. DeAngelo Williams rushed for 101 yards on 19 carries. Penalties killed the Panthers as they had 8 for 48 yards. It's hard to win if you give up free yardage.

Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme commented on the loss, “We need to start faster. We need to have that edge, that sense of urgency when we come out. For some reason the last couple of weeks it was slow. And we need to get it because it doesn’t get any easier from here on out. It’s disappointing. We gave ourselves some manageable situations and we didn’t convert. You are down 17-0 before you wake up and start playing some football. We dug ourselves such a hole. It's frustrating. We should start better."

Carolina defensive tackle Damione Lewis responded, “I know I’m angry and I think everyone on defense is. We all try to make the adjustments and try our best to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The defense feels like we let the team down. We fought back and gave ourselves an opportunity to come back and have a chance to take the lead and we didn’t. It’s hard on us. A great defense won’t allow a team to score points like that and we gave up the most points today we’ve given up all season.”

“We can’t continue to spot a team 10 or 17 points every time and expect to come back and win. Not against a team like that,” said cornerback Ken Lucas.

Panthers coach John Fox said, "They had a lot of personnel groupings and did a good job hiding their substitutions. It caused us to be a little bit behind on defense."

This was a must win for Carolina. Unfortunately the loss dropped the Panthers to 8-3 that forced a tie for first place in the NFC South with Tampa Bay. The Bucs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker so if the season ended today, the Bucs would win the division and the Panthers would be a wild card team for the playoffs. Carolina cannot afford to keep suffereing losses like this if they want to live and see the playoffs.

Overtime's Not for Everyone

I'm sure by now we've all heard about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb overtime brain fart. For those of us who don't remember, please allow me to remind you.

NFL RULE: If an NFL game is tied after four quarters, the teams play an additional quarter lasting up to 15 minutes. In an NFL overtime game, the first team that scores wins, this is referred to as sudden death. In a regular-season NFL game, if neither team scores in overtime, the game is a tie. In an NFL playoff game, additional overtime periods are played, as needed, to determine a winner.

This means CLEARLY, that regular season games can end in a tie after one quarter of overtime is played but the Super Bowl and postseason games cannot. I believe that McNabb should have known this. All players and coaches in the NFL should be aware of this rule. In fact, this rule was adopted in 1974, and only 17 games have since ended tied.

McNabb said, "I never even knew that was in the rulebook. It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to the next opportunity to get out there and try to win the game. I hate to see what happens in the Super Bowl, and I hate to see what happens in the playoffs, to settle with a tie."

Is he insane? What would he think would happen if a playoff game ended in a tie? How would anyone advance to the next round? Come on Donovan, let's not get stupid.

McNabb went on to plead his case, "I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book. It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it. Should I have know that rule? Yes. But, there are a lot of rules in that rulebook that a lot of us don't know, and we ask questions."

In McNabbs defense, it seems the overtime knowledge it not known by others throughout the league. In fact other players like Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger have rushed to his aid showing their own ignorance of the rule.

A little closer to home Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox was asked in an interview how much time he spends making sure his players know the rules.

Fox commented, “We meet about them. We talk about them. We meet in the off-season. Everybody has mandated meetings with the officials. We have them at training camp. They sit in meetings and go over tape. A lot of it is just everyday stuff. As far as the tiebreakers for the playoff system and all those kinds of things, I don't really look at those as rules; those are just procedures. But as far as playing the game and situations of games, we practice those on a daily basis.”

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme said he knew regular season games could end in a tie, “I promise you, there’s some people that probably didn’t know that overtime ended in a tie in the regular season."

Jake was also asked if he was surprised that McNabb didn’t know the rules and responded, “Yes and no. .... a little bit. But I promise you, he didn’t play thinking let’s wait until the second overtime. Sure he’s getting a lot of flak over it. A lot of guys probably don’t know and are too proud to say they didn’t know.”

I guess that ignorance is bliss for those who don't know the rules. Perhaps one day, they'll be able to experience the same realization that McNabb did.

Bottom line is that there is no excuse to not know the rules. If a player doesn't know the rules, then the responsibility lays fully on the coaching staff, PERIOD!

Bishops Take Down Pride in Season Finale

It was the prefect day for football. The air was warm and the skies were sunny at kickoff. That quickly changed as the wind came roaring in and the skies slowly darkened as the game went on. Northern Nash High School’s football field was already muddy as the Bishops hosted the pride of Greensboro in their last regular season game.

The Battling Bishop football team celebrated its 2008 Senior Day during this Homecoming game. The team honored their 14 seniors before the game: Nigel Rodgers, Damian Hopkins, Matt Bass, Cliff Edmundson, Reshard Patterson, Micke'l Cahoon, Carlos Railey, Aaron Durant, Russell Rouse, Joseph Stutts, Reggie Wells, Travis Kivett, Quinderra Spellman, and Richie Wiggins.


Could NC Wesleyan keep winning streak alive versus Greensboro College? The Bishops were 6-4 coming into the game. They also have never lost to Greensboro in the program's history.

The Bishops suffered an incredibly sloppy first half of football that kept the Pride in the hunt for their first conference win of the season.

NC Wesleyan looked very strong as they scored on their opening possession in the first quarter with another touchdown in the secopnd. Even though both teams struggled in terrible field conditions, the Pride made good on a Bishop interception that led to a 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

NC Wesleyan led Greensboro College 14-3 at the half.

During the third quarter of the game, the Bishops completed a 14-yard touchdown pass then later added another rushing touchdown to end the third quarter.

The Bishops' continued their scoring in the fourth quarter with another touchdown to secure a 35-3 win.

With this win, NC Wesleyan ends their regular season, 6-4 overall, 5-2 in the USA South. This win continues the Bishops football program's third straight winning season for and ties them for second place in the USA SOuth standings with Ferrum College.

According to the Rocky Mount Telegram, NC Wesleyan coach Mark Henninger commented, “To finish the season with a winning record is huge, especially considering the start we had. I think it says a lot about this group of seniors. I told them after the Ferrum game we could either finish 6-4, 7-3 or 2-7, and they responded.

Henninger also commented about missing the playoff's, “If we do just a few more of the little things three weeks ago (against Christopher Newport) we are in the playoffs again. I think it’s good for our young guys to come so close to (a championship) but not get it. I’m excited about what I have coming back in the spring and how hungry our guys will be.”

Panthers Remain Kings of the Jungle Over Winless Lions

Carolina’s win over Detroit wasn't pretty but a win nonetheless. The Panthers are now 8-2 and have won their fourth straight game. The Panthers set a team record with 264 yards rushing. This is the first time two running backs have rushed for over 100 yards in the same game.

With this win, Carolina has surpassed their last year's win total and are still on the top of the NFC South. This win also keeps the Lions win less this season.

Coming into this game Detroit was the only team in the league to not score on their opening drive. The Lion's Calvin Johnson caught a 29-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper to produce the only score of the first quarter.

FUN FACT: Carolina has 439 takeaways, which are the most in the NFL since 1995.

In the second quarter the Lion's combined for 3 field goals from Jason Hanson.

Carolina's Jake Delhomme came alive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jeff King. DeAngelo Williams also had a 56-yard touchdown run.

Williams wasn't the only Carolina running back to score this quarter as Jonathan Stewart rushes for a 22-yard touchdown to put Carolina up at the half, 21-16.

This wasn't the first time that Carolina has come out sleep walking during a game. They should have never fallen behind 10-0 to a win less team like Detroit.

Nor was this the first time the lackluster Lions pounced out to an early lead.

The third quarter saw a 29-yard field goal from John Kasay as the only score.

During the fourth quarter, Detroit’s Daunte Culpepper 1-yard rush put the Lions back on the board but failed to convert the two-point run conversion to make the score 22-24 Panthers.

DeAngelo Williams sealed the game with a 4-yard touchdown romp to win the game 31-22.

Stewart rushed for a career-high 130 yards and a touchdown; Williams added 120 yards and two more scores.

Check out the NFL highlights for this game.

This win was crucial for Carolina to stay on top of the NFC South while bouncing back from an ugly performance in Oakland.

They have a tougher schedule for the remainder of the season and need to continue their winning ways to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender:

Nov. 23 @ Atlanta
Nov. 30 @ Green Bay
Dec. 8 v/s Tampa Bay (Monday Night Football)
Dec. 14 v/s Denver
Dec. 21 @ NY Giants
Dec. 28 @ New Orleans

Carolina Raids Oakland in Ugly Win

This game was UGLY from the very beginning. Oakland's punt returner, Higgins, fumbled the opening kickoff allowing Panthers quarterback, Jake Delhomme the chance to connect a 3-yard pass to Muhsin Muhammad.

On the second kickoff, Higgins runs into his own man before being smacked by the Panthers special team. This would be a long day for both teams.

In the second quarter, Carolina once again scores with a DeAngelo Williams 69-yard rush to put the Panthers up 14-0.

The third quarter was all Oakland as kicker Janikowski boots two field goals for 38-yards and 45-yards.

The fourth quarter was also quite as the only score was from Carolina's John Kasay nailing a 32-yard field goal to seal the deal 17-6.

This preserved Carolina's 3 game winning streak and improves their record to 7-2. The Oakland Raiders continues their spiral down to a 2-7 record.

NFL FACT: Teams starting 7-2 have made the playoffs 90% of the time.

“I am ecstatic that we won,” he said after Sunday’s four-interception performance against Oakland. “(But) I’m very crushed inside by the way we played offensively, and that's on me. That's how I feel. I didn't give us a chance, and it really bothers me.”

"Jake knows he didn't have a good day," said defensive end Julius Peppers, who had three sacks. "He's a veteran. We all have bad games. We thanked him last [game] for bailing us out against Arizona. We couldn't stop nobody last [game], and they bailed us out."

“Jake is a vet and he knows what he’s doing,” Peppers said. “He didn’t have a good day today and he knows that. He doesn’t need me or anyone else telling him to get going. There is always next week. We all have bad games.”

FUN FACT: Carolina has started 7-2, three times in team history.


“It’s not an ugly win,” Fox insisted in his post-game press conference Sunday. “It’s a win, not an ugly win. You can call it ugly, but I won’t.”

Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson Hospitalized

Steve Reed reported that Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is expected to be released from the hospital after having a pacemaker/defribillator inserted in his chest.

Richardson, 72, was admitted to Carolinas Medical Center late last week with an irregular heartbeat. Richardson is not expected to accompany the team to Sunday's game in Oakland, according to Dayton.

This isn’t the first time Richardson has had heart problems. Richardson underwent successful quadruple heart-bypass surgery back in 2002. Dr. Mark Stiegel performed the three-hour operation at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., and said at the time Richardson should make a full recovery. Richardson was hospitalized earlier that month with an intestinal infection and the irregular heart rhythm was detected during his stay.

A pacemaker defibrillator is a device that combines an internal defibrillator with pacemaker functions for both ventricles - the lower two chambers of the heart - is now coming into widespread use, offering new hope for thousands of patients with serious cardiac problems, according to the University of Wisconsin's medical website.

The pacing/defibrillating system was developed after years of research and clinical trials at several institutions nationwide, including the Medical College of Wisconsin. Like a standard pacemaker, the instrument is smaller than a package of cigarettes.

"It's a little larger than a pacemaker, but it has five ports in it (like the ports for small plugs on electrical equipment)", said Marilyn D. Ezri, MD, FACC, Medical College Associate Professor of Medicine said on the college's website. "Two of the ports are for the two coils for the defibrillation function; one is for the top chamber of the heart, called the atrium, and one each to plug in the right and left ventricles. So, this is a biventricular pacing/defibrillator system. It does everything."

Both "mechanical" and "electrical" heart problems are treated by the pacemaker/defibrillator.

Vice President Dick Cheney had a similar device implanted in his chest back in 2001.

Captains Come From Behind to Beat Bishops

It was a great day for USA south Conference action in Rocky Mount, NC. The Captains of Christopher Newport University sailed into town to take on rivals, NC Wesleyan Battling Bishops.

This game was marked one of the much-anticipated match-ups in the USA South this season. Wesleyan has won the last two meetings including their 42-32 win last year giving the Bishops their first USA South conference title in school history. The Captains were out for revenge.

The Bishops started off strong with a 23-yard touchdown run by tailback Antonio Harris. CNU answered right back with 4:33 remaining on an Ogun 14-yard rush that tied the game at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Wesleyan continued scoring in the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal by Kevin Quicker. The Captains went on top with another Ogun TD rush for 11-yards.

Wesleyan's quarterback Bo Jordan connected with Orlando Webb on a 36-yard TD pass to get them back on top. The Bishops missed the point-after making the score at half, 16-14.

Christopher Newport's 43-yard field goal put the Captains back on top 17-16. Not to be out scored the Bishops quickly scored two field goals to lead 26-17.

In the fourth quarter, the Captains quarterback Matt Long connected with T.J. Foster on a 26-yard touch down. CNU's defensive held strong forcing the Bishops to punt.

The Captains reached field goal range and knocked in the game-winning 35-yard field goal

NC Wesleyan Stats:
Jordan 21-of-39, 306 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Webb 6 catches, 101 yards
Brodie 6 catches, 95 yards
Pope 12 tackles
Wilcox 10 tackles
Patterson 1 interception
Joyner 1 interception

CNU Stats:
Ogun 283 rushing, 2 touchdowns

The Bishops out-gained the Captains 464 to 357 total yards on the day.

Christopher Newport improves to 6-1 overall, 5-0 in USA South action. The Bishops, drop to 4-4 overall, 3-2 in league play snapping a two-game winning streak.

Next Game: Wesleyan take on Ferrum College, Saturday November 8th at 1:00 p.m. This will be the Bishops last road game of the season and a must win conference game. The Bishops return home for final game of the regular season on November 15th against Greensboro College. This is NCWC's Homecoming and Senior Day.

The Take A Kid to the Game program is entering into its thirteenth year in the promotion of collegiate athletics. N.C. Wesleyan College was one of more than 200 schools across the nation that hosted a game in the campaign focused on allowing youth the opportunity to attend college football games.

In good spirits the N.C. Wesleyan Bishop cheerleaders conducted hula-hoop contests and football toss contest on the field during halftime. They were accompanied by the Chick-fil-A cows passing out more prizes as Chick-fil-A was co-sponsor for this event. Approximately 60 kids showed up to enjoy this event.

John Kasay Kickin' thru 2012

Two days after his 39th birthday, the last original Panther was signed to a four-year extension that keeps him in Carolina through the 2012 season.

"I can't say that I thought I'd be standing here," Kasay said. "I just turned 39 the other day. Announcing that I'd signed a contract like that -- I figured a few years ago that it'd probably be more of a retirement speech (at this time). But I've been very blessed and very thankful to have the opportunity to still do the very same thing that I was doing when I was 12 years old, I wouldn't have guessed it in a million years."

John Kasay was born on October 27, 1969 in Athens, Georgia. Kasay attended Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia, where he played kicker/punter. John earned an all-state selection with 37 career field goals, including a 54 yarder.

After high school, John Kasay attended the University of Georgia and graduated in 1990.

He was then drafted in the 1991, 4th round by the Seattle Seahawks. While he was with Seattle, he led the Seahawks in scoring all four years. Kasay also left the team with the highest field goal percentage in team history.

In 1995, the new expansion Carolina Panthers signed him as a free agent. To date Kasay is the only original Panthers member, just to put that into perspective, there are only two kickers who currently play for the same team they played for in 1995: Kasay and Jason Hanson (Detroit).

Kasay has a deadlock on the team's all-time scoring lead, this record is not likely to be overlapped any time soon. His closest challenger that is still playing for the Panthers is Steve Smith. At the start of the 2007 season, Steve was approximately 800 points behind.

Unfortunately is wasn't all fairy tale bliss, during Super Bowl XXXVIII where Kasay converted a 50-yard field goal and made both extra points of the game. However his final kickoff went out of bounds, incurring an illegal procedure penalty that placed the ball on the 40. This allowed the New England Patriots better field position to continue their drive for the winning field goal.

Kasay holds many NFL records as a placekicker. He is third all-time for field goals made from 50+ yards and is the only person to complete four field goals from 46+ yards in a single game.

John admits that records and statistics did not drive his decision to sign the four-year extension, even though he passed Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud this year for eighth place all-time in field goals.

"I don't get into (records)," Kasay said.

He may not get into records but his numbers are ones that anyone would be proud. Kasay is Carolina's all-time leader in points, field goals and extra points.