If the Carolina Panthers keep playing like this, people will stop predicting they will lose by 50 points. Then, they won't be able to pass the newspaper around to get motivated for the game.
But for now, such things have become more motivation for the expansion Panthers."The papers around here said that we were going to lose 56-7," rookie quarterback Kerry Collins said after Carolina's 20-17 overtime victory Sunday over the New England Patriots.
"Don't think that wasn't a part of coach (Dom) Capers' motivational speech," Collins said. "Don't think that didn't make us mad. That's just showing that they didn't have any respect for us."
John Kasay's 29-yard field goal atoned for two misses as the Panthers, who blew a 17-3 lead, ended it on their second possession of overtime. Collins threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns and Derrick Moore ran for 119 yards as the Panthers (3-5) extended their winning streak to three games, a record for an expansion team.
The Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints all won three games in their first year. Carolina's expansion partner, Jacksonville, has won three so far this season - but not in a row.
Even after winning two straight, though, the Panthers didn't seem to inspire fear around the NFL because they had only beaten the Saints and the Jets, two of the league's worst teams.
"All week, all I heard (about playing an expansion team) was `a team like this . . .,' " Patriots linebacker Vincent Brown said. "But a team like that just kicked our rear. So what does it say for us? What kind of team are we?"