The Burger King Panthers had a successful season last year, getting all the way to the quarter-finals and just being edged out by the Cox Colts in the final minutes of the game.
The loss left a bitter taste in the Panther mouths and this year they want nothing short of a finals appearance. Jermaine Sharpe, a defensive star for the Panthers last year, commented on the end of last season’s campaign.
“We want a championship this year,” Sharpe stated emphatically, “Getting as far as we did last year only to lose hurts, but this year we’ve added new pieces, most significantly quarterback Chris Lucas and we want to take the championship.”
The Panthers have a different look this year, adding new players along with key position changes. Also they added new head coach Josh Pawlik. “Being a player last season with the Panthers, making the transition to coach has been pretty easy,” Pawlik explained, “I know these guys, I know what they’re capable of and I know what they can do, calling the plays instead of running them is going to be interesting but I’m definitely enjoying it so far.”
Pawlik’s new position on the team hasn’t fazed him a bit, “The only difference I’ve seen so far is just that I’m calling the plays instead of running them,” he explained.
The Panthers seem to have new life this year, adding new players and young, exciting athletes, “We’re rejuvenated this year,” Pawlik said, “There’s a lot of excitement at practices, we have a new look on offense and our defence is a lot stronger.”
The Panthers have had a very successful offseason, making the necessary changes and improving their squad. The championship hopeful Panthers definitely seem to have set high expectations for themselves with all this new-found talent.
“The league looks different this year,“ Sharpe added, “There are new dynamics, teams have changed and everyone has improved.”
Each team in the league has made their adjustments and improvements from last year, so goals have changed. The Panthers have a different view of their goals this year, not just your typical ‘finals or bust’ attitude, but they have short-term and long-term watermarks.
Obviously, they’ve set their sights on being two steps further than they were last year (a finals appearance) but they’ve set their own regular season goals too.
“We want to win more than half our games and grab a first-round bye in the playoffs,” stated Jermaine, “Then move onto the finals from there.”
Former Pirates quarterback and second-year player Chris Lucas has been put at the helm of the offense this season.
“We look good this year, the guys are working really hard.” Lucas said. “We’re definitely poised to win a bunch of games this season and a playoff berth is in our sights, a finals appearance is definitely realistic.”
Lucas also commented on switching teams over the offseason, “I love those guys over there, they’re all great and I had a lot of fun playing with them last season, I just felt like the Panthers were a better fit for me.
It’s a new, different scene, new guys, I’m looking forward to the fresh start on a fresh team.”
Star and all-purpose player Simon Rivers shares the same optimism with the rest of the team, “Getting knocked out in the playoffs hurt last year, our defence was our biggest issue but we’ve addressed that this offseason,” he explained, “Our offense looks good and with the new personnel, the sky is the limit for this team.”
The Panthers have undoubtedly made significant changes during the offseason, adding players across the board and addressing the issues that led to their downfall last season. 2012 has brought a different Panthers team, and only time will tell whether or not they are good enough to give the rest of the league a run for their money.
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