An Order of Home Cooking
Posted August 13, 2006, 9:10 AM ET

We all know that the local media is rooting for the Panthers, but if the national media and preseason magazines are right, the Carolina Panthers will be playing for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLI.

Everybody has been speculating that the off-season acquisitions have made the team deeper defensively and more dangerous offensively. Players like Keyshawn Johnson should take the team to the next level and bring a world title to Charlotte. But I think there is a bigger "X-Factor" for the Panthers. It is a factor that nobody is talking about and it starts right here at home.

I think the Panthers' home-field advantage is one of the weakest in the NFL, and that needs to change. In fact, the numbers don't lie, all you have to do is take a look and you'll see that Carolina needs a good dose of some home cooking.

Recently on my radio show, Charlotte Observer columnist Tom Sorensen claimed that the gameday atmosphere at the Panthers' stadium was electrifying. I almost fell off my chair in amazement. I don't think there is any question or debate that the atmosphere has improved 100% in the past few years, but to compare it to some of the other venues in the NFL is insane. I can't tell you how many times I've seen over 20,000 fans wearing the colors of the opposing team at the stadium in Charlotte.

The conversation on the air led me to look into the matter more closely, and the findings were very telling. Take a look at the numbers and it paints a very obvious picture...the Panthers need to play better at home.

John Fox enters his fifth season at the helm of the Panthers. Since his arrival in 2002, the franchise has turned the corner, and he along with Marty Hurney and owner Jerry Richardson deserve a lot of credit for making it happen. So for the sake of this blog, I have a listing of the top NFL teams' regular season records since the Fox era began in 2002.

Indianapolis New England Philadelphia Pittsburgh Denver Seattle Kansas City

48-16 47-17 43-21 42-21-1 42-22 39-25 38-26

The Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers are tied at the 8th spot with a 36-28 in the regular season since 2002. That's pretty good. It means the Panthers are in the upper 25% of the NFL in winning games in the regular season under John Fox.

If you take a closer look at the Panthers' record, you'll notice that they are 18-14 at home and 18-14 on the road. For a team in the upper fourth of the league in regular season wins, the identical record at home and on the road is unusual. So where do the Panthers rank at home when it comes to winning ballgames?

Of the 32 teams in the NFL, only 10 teams have a home record worse than the Panthers' 18-14 mark. Here is the list of NFL teams that win less at home than Carolina: The number of home wins is in parenthesis.

Washington (17), NY Giants (16), Cincinnati (16), Arizona (15), San Francisco (15), Oakland (15), Detroit (14), New Orleans (13), Cleveland (12), and Houston (10).

As you can see, none of those teams come close in matching the Panthers' success in the regular season over the past four years. The only team in that list of ten teams that has won more than 30 games is the New York Giants and they have a regular season mark of 31-33 over the four-year run.

There are 15 teams in the NFL that have a better record than18-14 at home since 2002, and there are 6 additional teams that match the Panthers' 18-14 mark at home. So Carolina is found in the bottom third of the league in home winning percentage since 2002.

Here is when it becomes more apparaent that the Panthers' home-field mark is arguably the weakest in the NFL when it comes to having a quailty team. There is only one team in the NFL that has a better road record than a home record since 2002. That team is New Orleans. It is a bit unfair in this discussion, since the Saints had to play every game on the road last season due to Hurricane Katrina. So let's throw the Saints out of this discussion.

There are only three teams in the NFL since 2002 that have the same record at home as they do on the road....those teams are Carolina, Cleveland and Indianapolis. The Panthers are 18-14, the Browns are 12-20 and the Colts are an amazing 24-8. Since Indy has the best record in football over the last four years in the regular season, let's throw them out of the discussion, too. They seem to win everywhere in the regular season...the postseason is a different topic.

That leaves us with Cleveland and Carolina. Let's face it, the Browns stink. Since 2002, Cleveland is an awful 24-40 in the regular season. They haven't been good in ages and the loss of the "Dog Pound" hasn't helped their cause either.

As you can see, the Carolina Panthers look to be in a class of their own when it comes to falling short at home. And in 2006, that needs to change, especially if the team and the fans expect to meet the expectations of playing in and winning a Super Bowl. In any sport, championship teams dominate the opposition at home, and the Panthers should strive for their first unbeaten home season since the stadium opened in 1996.

I don't need to remind Panther fans of the late season home collapses last year with the Tampa Bay and Dallas games. A win in either one would have meant an NFC South title and a much easier road in the playoffs. I won't waste time talking about the home opener against New Orleans last year, either.

When you consider the Panthers are 40-40 all-time at their current home, it becomes obvious that Carolina needs to establish its home more than ever before. Plus when you consider the schedule that includes visits by teams such as Dallas, Pittsburgh and the NY Giants....the last thing Panther players and fans need to see is 20,000+ fans of the opposing team cheering against the hometown Panthers.

Plus, I think we would all love to see Carolina hosting a few more playoff games...and it starts at home.