It's Official
Posted December 18, 2006, 2:23 PM ET

The official time is 37 to 3.

And, this just in...the Panthers' 2006 season is officially finished. What a disaster. The Panthers rolled over and played dead in their final home game of the season. At least the tens of thousands of Steeler fans who stayed around for the second half enjoyed the action. The Panther fans left in droves at halftime in order to make it home in time to write a check for Jerry Richardson's home playoff game. For the record: the rapacious owner last week extended the home playoff ticket deadline for all PSL'ers to mail in their ticket deposits.

I wonder what home playoff game Richardson keeps pimping? The guy is so out of touch it is pathetic...just like his football team. If Jerry Richardson had a clue, he would give back the playoff ticket money, and for good measure, he should refund every Panther fan the money they wasted watching the home team get pounded 37-3 in the final home game of 2006. But I can guarantee you that the former "Hardee's Honcho" is too busy counting his newly deposited PSL playoff cash and trying to figure out a way to slip another ticket increase for the 2007 season to his  hostages ...err, I mean PSL'ers.

I know Carolina fans had to live through the 1-15 season in 2001, but I truly believe this is the most disappointing season in the history of the Panthers' franchise. The expectations for this team were at a record high....every major football magazine selected Carolina as being Super Bowl-bound. The Panthers were clearly the trendy pick by nearly every national broadcaster...even Panther players felt good in the preseason days in Spartanburg, knowing that everything looked to be in place for a championship run.

I bit....I really thought this was the team to win the Lombardi Trophy. Boy, was I wrong. If this team fell short of making the Super Bowl, it would be a bummer - but not sniffing the playoffs is totally inexcusable.

This team has so many problems, it is tough to find a starting place...but, let's be honest: it starts at the top. John Fox did a miserable job with this unit. His comments after the drubbing on Sunday said it all....Fox stated "We're just not a very good football team right now, and it showed today."

Brilliant insight. No kidding, Fox. You think the team isn't playing well "right now"? ...When has this team played well this season, Coach? Nice job, taking the preseason Super Bowl champ and turning them into the biggest bust of the 2006 NFL season...that really takes talent and great coaching.

There have to be some changes with the coaching staff, and that is true regardless of the outcome of the last two games of the season. This team did not respond from the opening week of the season....another ass-kicking loss at home. By the way, I wrote a blog entry in August about the Panthers' capacity to suck at home, and I really thought the team would have to be a dominating force at home, to be the Super Bowl team that everybody predicted.

The loss and putrid effort against Pittsburgh sealed the Panthers' home record in 2006 to an awful 4-4. Amazingly, the Panthers are now 44-44 all-time at home in Charlotte. That is brutal.

A change with the staff must happen in 2007. Status quo is no longer good enough....even Jerry Richardson can come down from his Ivory Tower and his bank vault and figure out that something is not right with this franchise. Marty Hurney and John Fox were close to getting this team to the promised land, and now they have taken some major steps in the wrong direction.

Can it be fixed? I think so, but there are going to be some very difficult decisions to be made about some players that have been very loyal to the franchise. The team is a few million under the cap and they will have to restructure some deals to free up some cap space, but tough calls are on the immediately horizon both on the staff and in the locker room.

In the meantime, Panther fans will head into the holiday season feeling like Dan Morgan..."What just happened?"

Jerry Richardson thanks you again for your support.....Bah, humbug.