In his latest edition of Hashmarks, Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com mentions five NFL teams that could surprise this season.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Coach John Fox spent much of last year saying he didn’t like to make excuses and then turning right around and telling anyone who would listen how tough it is to win without your starting quarterback. That part was painfully true as David Carr flopped and Vinny Testaverde fossilized after Delhomme went down in Week 3. The bright spot was the play of undrafted rookie quarterback Matt Moore late in the season, but he remains a project.
Yasinskas also lists the Eagles, Jets, Cardinals and Raiders.
Aren’t the Panthers always listed in these types of write-ups? Ever since they went to the Super Bowl in 2003, the Panthers have been everyone’s “sleeper” damn near every year. SI.com is absolutely infatuated with them and rarely has them missing the playoffs. This team gets more love than Hugh Hefner.
