Carolina fans enjoy smoked Eagle

The State ^ | Jan. 19, 2004 | ELLYDE ROKO

[aomagrat]

Supporters from North, South Carolina look forward to big game

By ELLYDE ROKO Staff Writer

North or South? Either one.

Panthers or Eagles? Careful what you say.

For the NFC Championship game Sunday night, it didn’t matter if you were from North or South Carolina. As long as you were a Carolina fan.

At Bailey’s Sports Grille, fans gathered to watch the game. While some people continued playing pool or chatting once the game began, the die-hard Panthers fans congregated in a back room.

Their ringleaders, Irmo resident Lance Wright and Charlotte resident Perry Jackson, reserve the room with side-by-side big screen televisions for every Panthers game.

“We’re having smoked Eagle tonight,” Jackson said.

Both Wright and Jackson have been Carolina fans since the franchise started. They wear the jerseys (a No. 90 Julius Peppers for Wright and a No. 30 Mike Minter for Jackson), they sport the hats and they can name the players — offense and defense.

They try to get together for every game, hoping to find more die-hard fans to join them each time.

“All I’m concerned about is the Panthers,” Wright said. “The further into the season, the more full the room gets.”

While Jackson drives down from Charlotte for games, he admits that the fan base in North Carolina is a little stronger.

“I’m disappointed with the support here,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t even find a jersey.”

Unfortunately for Wright and Jackson, the only other jersey in the room was for the wrong team.

Sitting across the table Sunday was an Eagles-clad Tom Crocker.

Crocker, who now lives in Irmo, was born and raised in Philadelphia.

“I gotta represent my team,” Crocker said.

Of course, that was before the Panthers scored their first touchdown.

The Panthers fans jumped out of their seats, hollering and slapping each other five.

“You’re going to be home before halftime,” Jackson told Crocker.

Crocker didn’t stand a chance. The Panthers kept their lead for the entire game, meaning the team is headed for the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

Now the Columbia-area Carolina fans can reserve that back room one more time before the season ends.

But the group might have to watch the game without their ringleaders — Wright and Jackson could be in Houston.

Reach Roko at (803) 771-8409 or eroko@thestate.com.

[lizbet]

The Panthers....how sweet it is! Go Panthers!

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Way to go Panthers. Thanks for beating the Evils. Now there's the question of who to cheer for in the Super Bowl.

[theDentist]

In the meantime, up North, the Patriots used a Vinitari shotgun to put down the colts.

[Dog]

And the Pats are going to smoke the Panthers....

[cwb]

"Carolina fans enjoy smoked Eagle"...with a side of over-exposed McRibbs.

[Cboldt]

And the Pats are going to smoke the Panthers....

"See you" then. I hope it's a good game. Go Patriots!!

[shiva]

LOL..make them Mc Ribbs charcoal grilled

[Lee'sGhost]

I just want to be on the record as being a Carolina Fan before it was cool.

[dc-zoo]

Eagles reduced to "endangered feces".

[HighWheeler]

An oldie but an appropriate goodie:

Mother Nature - Animal Kingdom - Bald Eagle

One day there was a man who was walking through the forest and got
lost. He wandered around for over a week, and was beginning to
starve.

He spotted a Bald Eagle who had just caught a fish and chased it,
hoping to get it to drop the fish so he could eat it. Then he saw
the bird land on a tree stump not far from him, so he picked up a
stone to toss at it--hoping the bird would be frightened and fly
away without the fish. But, weak as he was, his aim was off and he
hit the poor bird square on the head, and killing it.

"Well," he thought to himself, "no sense letting it go to waste,
if I leave it here it will just rot, and it could save my life if
I eat it."

So, he built himself a little fire--using a couple of stones and
cooked the eagle to eat. While it was cooking a ranger stumbled
upon the man, and when he saw what he was up to, he immediately
arrested him--because as you know, that is quite illegal!

The man told the ranger what had happened, and asked for a trial
so he could explain the situation to a judge.

So, the day of his trial he told the judge, "Please your Honor, it
was a life or death situation! I was lost and starving, and I
didn't mean to harm the bird--I only wanted the fish! And when I
accidentally killed it, well, I felt terrible but couldn't see any
reason to let it go to waste!"

The judge listened to the man's story and deemed him, "Not guilty,
on the grounds of extenuating circumstances."

The man was very grateful, and thanked the judge for his fairness.

Then, the judge leaned over and quietly asked the man, "Just
between you and me, what DOES a Bald Eagle taste like anyway??"

The man comtemplated this for a moment and then spoke, "Well, it's
kind of hard to explain... but, I would say somewhere between a
California Condor and a Spotted Owl."

[Tacis]

Gee, I haven't heard ANYONE say, "Rush was sure wrong about McNabb!" I mean, really, doesn't three times make him truely a loser?

[Snowy]

Eagles reduced to "endangered feces".

Ouch! Take it easy! Do you know how hard it was to be an Eagles' fan last night? If you think we Philly fans are obnoxious now, you just wait until we start booing our own team next year!

[dfwgator]

Two keys for Carolina, can they run the ball, and can their secondary shut down the New England receivers. If they can do those two things, they'll have an excellent shot. I don't think Carolina's pass rush will be nearly as effective against New England as it was against Philly. The other reason I like the Pats is Vinitieri, in a potentially low-scoring game, he could be the difference maker.

[Teacher317]

The lesson learned in yesterday's playoffs? DEFENSE wins championships. SB 38 will be won by a dominating defense (those two won yesterday), and not a tricky and/or talented offense (those two lost yesterday).

As a Colts fan, I loved Mike Doss as a draft pick last year. Hard-hitting, and changes the personality of the defense by himself. I want them to take LB Vilma from Miami this year, and give Warren Sapp a one-year contract. That kind of pure physical intensity at all three levels of the defense might go a long way towards getting Peyton and the gang into SB 39.

[Teacher317]

I don't think Carolina's pass rush will be nearly as effective against New England as it was against Philly.

I agree. The Pats passing game is comprised almost entirely of short and quick dumps. Philly was all about giving McNabb time to find a WR or make a play. Sadly, SB 38 will go to the Pats: 20-13.

[fnord]

no way that Sapp could fit in with the Colts ... they are of a team mentality (no glory hogs to be seen) and furthermore, they haven't had a criminal rap in 2 years !

[NCC-1701]

The Pats and Cats in Super Bowl 38. Has a nice ring to it, eh? The Eagles has now joined the Raiders, Cowboys, and one other franchise to have lost three straight championship games. Donovan McNabb has taken the mantel that Danny White has had for 21 years as the starting qb for a three-time NFC championship game loser. Wear it proudly. It's great that someone else is now sporting it. This should be an interesting SB. Both the Pats and Cats are playing a lot better than their opponents in this tournement. It's a shame one of them will be brining the Lombardi trophy home. I just hope that one of them has a big enough lead so a bogus call won't tilt the game to one side. We've had enough of that. I didn't give the Panthers much of a chance in Philly, but they surprised me.
This may have been that last time for a long time to come the Eagles get this far. Salary cap and other issues will tear them apart. Sorry about that but that's life in the NFL.