Panthers end disappointing season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Something happened to Carolina coach John Fox this season, when his patience and strength were tested by a rash of injuries and a six-game losing streak.

His hair turned completely white, his eyes grew a permanent look of weariness and he often looked sleep-deprived.

So when he showed up in jeans for his season-ending meeting, and didn't overly protest general manager Marty Hurney's suggestion that Fox head off for a Bahamas vacation, it was clear a part of Fox was relieved the schedule was over.

Of course, he would never admit it, and he absolutely would prefer to be in the playoffs trying to coach the Panthers back into the Super Bowl.

But really, getting into the playoffs was a serious long shot.

After all, the Panthers lost 14 players to season-ending injuries and a handful of them were their stars. The mounting injuries led to a 1-7 start that had other teams laughing at Carolina and calling the Panthers a "one-year wonder."

Somehow, Fox engineered a turnaround that had Carolina in contention for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. A 21-18 loss to New Orleans ended the comeback and opened the door for Fox to get away.

"As I told our football team, we picked a bad day to have a bad game," Fox said. "But for the season, I thought they gave a tremendous effort. I'm proud of what they accomplished. I thanked every one of them for their efforts. We had a lot of guys step up and do well when lesser character guys may not have.

"I'm very proud of the way they fought back this season."

Carolina (7-9) closed out the second half of the season by winning six of its final eight games. Fox was mentioned as a candidate for coach of the year for molding the turnaround.

He lost playmaker Steve Smith to a broken leg in the season opener, then standout defensive tackle Kris Jenkins needed shoulder surgery. Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster, who made the Panthers an elite team because they had two outstanding running backs, both headed to the injured list.

Kick returner Rod Smart got hurt, Pro Bowl linebacker Dan Morgan sat out with concussions, and kicker John Kasay was even sidelined.

Eventually, the Panthers were left with Nick Goings, their sixth-string running back, carrying the ball. Kindal Moorehead, an undersized defensive lineman, gamely replaced Jenkins as Carolina's run-stopper. And Vinny Ciurciu, who bounced back and forth between Carolina and Tampa Bay's practice squad, changing positions every time, took over for Morgan.

There was a single moment of comedy, though, when punter Todd Sauerbrun refused to fill in for Kasay unless Fox refunded a portion of the fines he levied against Sauerbrun throughout the season for being overweight.

Through it all, the Panthers persevered. But in falling short of the complete turnaround, some players struggled to find anything positive about coming close.

"I won't remember nothing," defensive tackle Brentson Buckner said. "There is nothing to remember. We were below.500, so there is nothing I care to remember about it."

Same goes for wide receiver Ricky Proehl, who now heads into the postseason contemplating retirement.

"It's a tough pill to swallow just because we came such a long way from where we were early in the season," Proehl said. "We were in the position to do something nobody's ever done. To come up that short, it's tough."

The Panthers must also make some tough decisions about their roster.

Proehl could retire and Buckner isn't sure what his future holds. Moorehead played pretty well down the stretch, and once Jenkins is back, he could replace Buckner on the line.

Then there's Muhsin Muhammad, the franchise's all-time leading receiver. He had the best season of his career, capitalizing on Smith's absence to become Jake Delhomme's top target. But he's owed a $10 million roster bonus in March, and unless the Panthers can restructure his contract, they'll likely let him go elsewhere for the money Muhammad has indicated he's after.

The Panthers know the cast of characters might be different next season, that everyone won't be back. But they still believe their team is as good as the one that won the NFC championship, and that Carolina will be a contender again.

"We all know where we came from and that's just something to build on," defensive end Julius Peppers said. "Hopefully we're going to get a couple of our big guns back and get some help where we need help. We definitely have the talent to be a playoff team. It's just whether or not we get it together, which I know we will.

"We have the talent on the core of both sides of the ball to come back and be a playoff team. But we've got to attack the offseason and get better."