The Carolina Panthers are playing like one of the worst teams in the league, and their fans are letting the players hear it. The home crowd booed the Panthers during their 21-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and free agent signee Miles Sanders didn’t appreciate it. When asked about the booing after the contest, Sanders didn’t hold back with his thoughts on the matter.
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Miles Sanders: “It’s Not Cool” For Panthers Fans to Boo Team
Speaking to reporters after the game, Sanders said “[the booing is] not cool. It’s not cool at all. Especially at home. It’s not a good feeling.” Sanders is obviously entitled to his own feelings on the issue, but it’s hard for him to blame the crowd for their actions. After all, the Panthers are one of two winless teams left in the league, and their offense has looked dismal throughout the year.
Every single Carolina Panthers fan out there knew that they were not going to win the Super Bowl in 2023. With yet another new quarterback and head coach leading the charge, the entire fanbase knew that this was a rebuilding year and there would be some growing pains. However, nobody thought it would look THIS bad. It’s obviously early, but first-overall pick Bryce Young looks like the worst of the three first-round quarterbacks selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Additionally, the offensive-minded Frank Reich has done nothing to help his rookie quarterback. The Panthers receivers are probably the worst in the league, so he admittedly doesn’t have much to work with, but his scheme is not helping anything.
For what it’s worth, Miles Sanders is also not living up to expectations. Signed as a free agent from the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders received a four-year, $25.4 million deal in a depleted running back market. Despite the heavy investment, Sanders is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry and hasn’t done much of anything in the passing game. Basically, this is just one long way of saying that Panthers fans have every right to be frustrated by the on-field product.
The Worst Stretch In Franchise History
Obviously, starting 0-4 is not ideal, but fanbases can learn to deal with a bad start. Unfortunately for Panthers fans, this terrible start is just par for the course. The Carolina Panthers have been around since 1995, and while they haven’t fought for a Super Bowl every single year, they’ve never had an extended stretch of play this terrible.
Since Cam Newton injured his shoulder all those years ago, the Panthers have yet to find anything even remotely resembling sustained success. The team hasn’t recorded a winning record since 2017, and they only have two seasons with more than five wins over that stretch. This has never happened in the history of the Panthers franchise, so Miles Sanders shouldn’t blame fans for getting frustrated.
Perhaps what makes this even more frustrating is that ownership appears to be doing everything they can to turn this ship around. Over the past few years, the team has circled through multiple quarterbacks and head coaches, but they just keep striking out. Every year brings some reason for hope, and yet time and time again, the team continues to come up short. Perhaps Miles Sanders and the 2023 Carolina Panthers can surprise everyone and turn this around, but until then, the team shouldn’t be surprised to hear more boos.
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Main Photo: Jim Dedmon – USA Today Sports
