Kirbyson

special to Panthers.com
Mick Mixon


What draws us to football? The pageantry and the excitement of game day? The vibrant personalities who play and coach? The roar of the popcorn and the smell of the crowd?

Or is football’s allure more meaningful than that? Is the game’s popularity connected to its ability to parallel life? Do we identify with the struggles of our team because of how closely a season can mirror the ups and downs of trying to make a living, raise a family and be a good person?

The game teaches us about sacrifice, endurance, confidence, cooperation and teamwork. Are we paying attention?

In the National Football League, a 12 win regular season means that you have played extremely well, stayed healthy and caught a few breaks. It also means that you have lost 25 percent of your games, and all of those losses cut deep.

When the John Fox coached Carolina Panthers lose, they seem to have a remarkable ability to bounce back. Rarely will a loss, no matter how profoundly disappointing, put the Panthers into a hangdog funk that carries over to the next contest.

Think back to September 11, 2005. With Bank of America Stadium about to burst with the excitement of opening day, the Panthers lost a heart-breaker to NFC South Division rival New Orleans. 060913_mick_inside

“It’s gonna be a long season,” cried a few.

“Not so fast,” the Panthers said, holding the defending Super Bowl champion New England to a mere 39 rushing yards, allowing just one first down rushing and converting two Patriots turnovers into 10 points in a decisive 27-17 Week Two victory.

The following week, the Panthers lost at Miami on a last second field goal. Coach Fox and the Cats responded by reeling off 5 straight wins, 3 of those on the road.

On a gorgeous 60 degree Christmas Eve in Charlotte, the Dallas Cowboys slithered down the Panther’s chimney, packed all the toys onto their silver sled and left town with a 24-20 victory. The Grinch and Bill Parcells could have been identical twins that day.

The entire region was concerned that the season was slipping away. Not Coach Fox. He somehow sublimated his own sadness and marshaled up some old fashioned discipline, courage and leadership. He coaxed his team to circle around, join hands and make a pledge to turn their disappointment into anger, their sorrow into resolve.

What transpired over the next three weeks was one of the most remarkable comebacks in the history of this franchise. With playoff hopes at stake, Carolina went to Atlanta and splattered the Falcons, then the Road Warriors from Carolina broke the spirit of two outstanding teams, the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears, making it all the way to the NFC Title game.

Under the stewardship of John William Fox, the Panthers have not lost consecutive games in a single season since November of 2004.

Does all of this guarantee a win this Sunday at Minnesota? Of course not. Does history suggest that the Panthers will get mad, practice hard and play well? Absolutely.

Whether you casually follow the team or live and die with each touchdown, penalty and turnover, remember the lessons that John Fox and the Panthers teach.

In football, as in life, it’s not always what you do. It’s what you do next.

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