October 24, 2025 • 21 mins
Celebrate 30 seasons of Carolina Panthers football with Jim Szoke. Join him as he sits down with the key figures who shaped the past 30 seasons, reminiscing on the moments that made Panther's history. This week's guest is former Panthers broadcaster, Bill Rosinski.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Today we catch up with the original voice of the
Carolina Panthers, Bill Rizinski, still calling NFL games around the league.
You hear him, of course on PGA Golf Radio as well.
Ten years as the voice of the Carolina Panthers. We
visit with Bill about the great Super Bowl thirty eight.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Season, thirty seasons of Panther football, a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who've contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
All right, we're going to talk with Bill Razinski, our
good friend and the ten years first voice of the
Carolina Panthers when the team began, and that includes the
two thousand and three season. Bill, of course, we talk
about the Super Bowl thirty eight season. Panthers in thirty
one years have been to two Super Bowls, have not
won one. The second one super Bowl fifty. That was
(00:53):
a dominant team and was a great team all season long.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Whereas the Panthers of the take on how an alarm
going on? That was my reminder to call you.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But the Panthers of two thousand and three, that was
a surprise team. They showed improvement in John Fox's first
year of the year before and then they started out
five and oh and it kind of flamed on early
that year.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
But what were some of your.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Thoughts about how the season began for Carolina that year.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Well, I think Jenna was all about the emergence of
Jake delom as the quarterback of the team. You know,
so they signed him in the off season, and I
remember this, you know these they used to have it.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
I don't know if they still do, these Panther.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Caravan trips in the summer where you'd get some players
and some of the top Cats and staff and you'd
go to Charleston or Savannah or somewhere Columbia and you
would have a day there meeting with fans. I remember
I was on one of these before that summer, before
the three season started, and Jake was on the trip
(01:54):
and no one wanted his autograph.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
He was sitting at a table in the school.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
There are a couple other Panther players there who everybody knew,
and he's like sitting there, and I actually I went
over and talked to him for a couple of minutes
to make him feel good. And I didn't know much
about the guy. But as the season got underway, and
of course it was all about that opener against Jacksonville.
Rodney Pete was the starting quarterback, and I believe it
was seventeen nothing at the half. The offense was doing nothing.
(02:20):
And the next thing I know, you and I are
in the booth along with Roman and here comes Jake
Delone and I think Jim the rest is history. He
rallied the team that day and the Tampa win was
goofy because we had blocked two field goals? Can we
block an extra point which would have won the game
when they scored at the end, we block it?
Speaker 5 (02:40):
And you said they started five to zero.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
And I think for me the key early that season
that I thought this team was going to be really good.
We went to Indy and beat the Colts with Peyton Manning,
and I think we did it with the Sean Foster.
I think the running back Stephen Davis was banged up
that day and I think Foster came in and had
a big day. But that that to me was like, oh,
I think we're gonna be pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah, that was definitely one where you thought, okay, this
is you know, at that time, those are talking about
the quality teams and to be able to go on
the road, and you mentioned the Tampa Bay games. So
you win two in overtime, then you win a third
one against New Orleans later on in overtime, and lose
one in Atlanta. But the three and one in overtime
games and had a lot of close games along the way,
So I think that was important too. But to your point,
(03:24):
like about Jake the love, like for all we do,
he's gonna be Matt Moore right at that point, Like
who knew that that he would go on to be,
you know, such a big part of Panthers history as
he would go on to be from that point.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
Yeah, and I credit him. I think he literally over
the next So that's three and through. I believe eight.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well, I think I think in eight they Panthers might
have had their best team in that in that run
with John Fox when they had double trouble, and I
think they went twelve and four during the regular season,
that might have been their their best team. You and
the Arizona beat him in a playoff game here in Charlotte.
But to do Loom, you know, you're right, nobody was
(04:02):
thinking this guy was gonna do anything. He'd been a journeyman,
he'd been you know, he played for the Saints. I
think the Cowboys are interested in him and he comes in.
He's really really the third guy because Chris Wanky was
hanging around, and all of a sudden he becomes a
leader of this team. Very unorthodox. Did he have a
(04:23):
great arm, No, I don't think so. But for some
reason he rallied this team and he had this rapport
with Steve Smith. I don't know how many times we
saw Jim over the course of Delob's run, including that
two thousand and three season where they need a big
play and he just heaven the Smith and go, there's
three guys around, you go get it, and Steve would
usually get it. And then we had a good running game.
(04:43):
The defense was outstanding. That was that team really gelled
that year, and obviously we made it all the way
to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I remember two like things might be right.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
The offensive line maybe had one starter miss one game
or something. I think they basically had their offensive line
intact the entire season.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Yeah, and Jordan Gross was, say a rookie on that team.
I know, I know.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
It's it's funny talking to Jordans a few years later
when he's like going, geez, my rookie year, go to
the Super Bowl. I'm expecting this to happen every year.
Obviously it doesn't in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
But yeah, that was a good group.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Kevin Donnelly, uh and just just just a bunch of
grinders in there. Jeff Mitchell, I think, was the center.
And then you had good running backs. You had two
really good running backs, and then you had Jake and
then the wide receivers with Moose and the other guy
we we got to mention is Ricky Pole because Ricky
(05:38):
turned out to be clutch receivers. Caught the touchdown that
helped beat Jacksonville, caught the touchdown in the Super Bowl
that would end up being the tying score before you know,
minitary one and overtime. So there was just and the
and the defense was just uh, it was just really
really good because they had uh, Dan Morgan was strong,
(06:01):
Pepper's was new, you had Rucker and Ninner and just
a bunch of Chris Jenkins.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah the block kicks in that Tampa Bay game, he
was he was the guy.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Yeah, I know, I mean was this was they could
put pressure on the quarterback and.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
They they got turnovers when.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
They when they needed them, you know, and then we
went on that that run of the playoffs that no
one thought was going to happen either.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
No, that was interesting too, because you know, we were
kind of the underdog every step of the way. The
what eleven and five had that three game losing streak
in late November early December, but they finished out with
three straight wins win the division by three games. The
Saints were second that year in the South at eight
and eight. But you begin by beating Dallas at home.
I think it was the way they beat the Cowboys,
(06:49):
right twenty nine to ten, Like you thought, Okay, it's
a game at home, you could win it. But I
mean the way that they thumped the Cowboys really sent
a message moving forward.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, when I think back to that game again, great
crowd like they had for the Dallas playoff game after
the ninety sixth season, but this was a Parcels team
that came in and they steamrolled. I remember Steven Davis
had a great run for a touchdown, Steve Smith got
a touchdown pass. It was a total domination. And then
you're right, you're right, we go, we go to Saint Louis.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
The Rams are in Saint Louis.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Then, still greatest show on turf and shocked them in
double overtime, and then on to Philadelphia, where I remember
somebody came up to me. Was a writer in Philadelphia,
found out I was the voice of the team, and
he walks up to me before the NFC Championship game.
He goes, He says, hey, you think you guys haven't, honestly,
(07:41):
goodness a chance to win this game.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
I go, well, yeah, I go. Based on I go,
if you haven't followed us this year, if it's closed,
we have a great chance to win.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
We win a lot of close games. As it turns out,
that was again they knocked off who's the Eagles quarterback
got or you know, they knocked him out of the game.
I think ty Dettmore had to come in and play
for them in that game. And we just again a
stifling defense. So but you're right, we went to No
one was expecting us to get the Super Bowl thirty eight,
(08:13):
and we did all about you.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But that's Saint Louis Rams game and the Panthers were
whatever the odds were, they were double digits, maybe twelve points.
On a note, that was such a great Rams offense,
greatest show on turf, and all that for going double
overtime playoff game heavy underdog on the road. To me
to this day, thirty one years later, it's still my
all time favorite Panther game, even more than the two
(08:35):
Super Bowl games.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Yeah, and you know what, I think back to that game.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
We had a nice lead and then Saint Louis came
back and Marshall Fulk was killing us. And I'm convinced
to this day, Jim that if they kind of settled
their last drive of the game, they kind of settled
for a time field goal, which they did make. I
was convinced because our defense was just worn out, and
(09:03):
I thought that they kept grinding us and kept hitting
Falk out in the flat and running.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
The ball with him. I thought they're gonna score touchdown.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
And I remember talking to Jason Seahorn years later, who
was on that Rams team in the secondary. I think
Seahorn was was a guy to let Steve Smith go by.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
It was that was his last play in the NFL,
by the way, for Seaoron.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Yeah, all right.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
I saw a Seahorn at an ESPN football gathering. He
was an analyst at the time, and I said, and
I started talking about that game, and I said, I said, man,
I thought Mike, because Mike March was the coach. Then
I said, man, I thought March was just going to
keep grinding there because our defense was worn out, and
you guys are going to score touchdown into like the
last you know, minute or less to win the football game.
(09:43):
And he goes, yeah, we all thought the same thing,
and they didn't do it.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
He just settled for the field goal.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
And then the other thing I remember about the first
play of the second overtime, which was the delone pass
to Smith the play before. I mean, Jake hab been
getting pounded in that game, and he got rocked.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
On the last play.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Of the first overtime. I think he threw an incomplete pass,
but I mean he was staggering. In fact, I don't
even know if they had to run another playoff if
he stayed in the game. But the quarter ended, so
we go to break, we come back, he's still out there,
and then he goes and hits Smith with that amazing
touchdown pass and we were off to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, Kevin Dolly laughs, you know, because Kevin does the
preseason with us. But he got flagged for a couple
of penalties and Jakes yelling at him in the undele
and one, they call it on one of the other lineans, Oh,
thank god, they don't. They won't know till tomorrow it
was me until they see the actual replay on that.
So they advanced, they make it. Obviously. We all go
to Houston at Super Bowl thirty eight February first, and
we're down there for eight nine days whatever we are
(10:45):
staying in Green Point, and we'd lose everyone knows, by
three points thirty two to twenty nine. First half of
that game, though, it looked like for most most of
it like the Patriots weren't able to pull away, but
they were clearly the better team first half, and the
Panthers's had trouble, you know, cobbling together a first down
or two level everything. Oh, maybe we have run out
of gas and maybe we've sunk over our level as
(11:08):
far as what our capabilities are at this point. So
that first half, things weren't looking too good in the
Super Bowl.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
In fact, it was a weird, weird game because in
the first and third quarters nothing happened. The first quarter,
neither team scored, and then in the second quarter the
Patriots started rolling and I think we got a little
momentum lates like right before the half, and then the
third quarter there was no scoring, and then all heck
broke loose in the fourth quarter and it was you know,
(11:36):
it's still to this day, knock on wood, the longest
Super Bowl passed, the longest touchdown passed the Super Bowl history.
Jake to Moose, and I remember saying, as we were
getting ready to call the play, I said, it's been
plays like this that Jake delom has been making all
year long.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Here's the third and whatever.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
And he finds Moose for the touchdown, and then you know,
you and I have talked about this. The John Fox
desire to go for two early in that game, to me,
dictated how the rest of that game played out and
how the Patriots would approach going for two points, because
I think they converted at least one.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
And in the end, if my.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Math was right, if we didn't just kick kicking extra
points and the Patriots would have been doing what they
would have normally done, then that vinitary fuel goal would
have been to tie the game. But instead we were tied,
and you know, we ended up losing right at the end.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Yeah, And John Fox said, you know, years after that
that he wished he hadn't chased those two points.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
So they kind of.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Learned all that. You know, they all have those little
analytic sheets and tell you when to go for two
and things like that. But I always say, don't do
it to you have to do whatever game it is
fourth quarter at the earliest, at some point start thinking
about I would even like begin to even pull that
paper out until you get some point in the fourth
quarter of any game.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
You know, NFL Films has done. I'm not sure where
I saw this, but it's been on a couple of times.
It basically did. It was almost an hour long, I
think retrospective on that game, and it had interviews with
like Rodney Harrison, Bruce Ki, some of the other Patriots,
and then you had Fox, I think Moose, maybe Jake
(13:17):
was in it, and all even Rodney harricause I think
Harrison ended up breaking his arm in that game or something.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
They said.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Mike Minner, they all said it was the most physical
football game that they had ever played in. And this
was coming from both sides, Patriots Panthers, because I think
Minner was banged up in that game and he kept going.
I think Morgan might have been hurt. He kept going,
I mean, it was just one of these at your
last game, you know, the winner's going to be champions
(13:48):
of the NFL.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
And the other other thing.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I remember I worked with Ricky Proll doing some college games.
He was my analyst a few years later, and I
asked him about Super Bowl thirty eight. Of course he
had been on me. He had lost with the Rams
when the Patriots beat him a few years before that,
and he said, build the worst thing about when you
lose the Super Bowl. As soon as the game is over,
(14:11):
they want you off the field. They like rope you off.
It's like, get out of here. You lost, get back
to your locker room. We're going to celebrate the victory.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
He says.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
It's the most humiliating feeling when the league is telling
you to get off the field.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Optics, Yeah, I think.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
You know, sometimes guys want to sit on the bench
and just you know, they don't feel like moving. It's
not that they want to be there, but they don't
really have the temperament or whatever. They're tired from playing
the game to want to get off the field at
that point. And you know it comes down to obviously,
you go to overtime and eventually Adam Vinit Terry kicks
the forty one yard field goal to win it, but
John Casey kick off that went out of bounds, and
(14:50):
that's something that John's also talked about. Casey has afterwards
like he just tried to hit the best t shot
of his life. As he said, if you're a golfer,
and as happens in golf often you drive it in
the woods. And he said to him to this day
it was I wouldn't talk about football. It was his
worst football moment because of the impact that I had
in that game. It wasn't everything, but you get Tom
Brady a short field just to have to get in
(15:10):
field goal where it made their job a lot easier.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah, you know, when I think back to that, you know,
I think Brady they got called for a holding call
there because the balls at the forty.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
But then I think there was a holding call or
something that got pushed back.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
I think they completed a third and forever, you know,
it was like a third and thirteen or something like
that to keep that drive going. So as bad as
people remember the Casey kick, I believe there was a
holding call early in that drive.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Which moved to Patriots back ten yards.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
So maybe maybe they were back at the thirty or
might have been on the second play, the thirty two
or thirty three, something like that, but.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
They ended up converting on a third down.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
And again I think both sides, both defenses, I think
were worn out by that time because that had been
a fistfight all day long. And sadly, you know, the
Panthers ended up losing the football game, and you know,
it's you don't.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
Get these opportunities.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
It's hard to win in the NFL, as they say,
and you get to that point, you never know when
you're going to get back. So it took Panthers what
twelve years to get back for Super Bowl fifty, And
now we got super Bowl sixty coming up. Yeah, so
that's that was ten years ago, the last Super Bowl trip.
So this is a savor of the moments when you
got them.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yep, time fly, super Bowl sixty coming up this year. Lastly,
i'll let you go. You called Super Bowl thirty eight.
Of course super Bowl fifty you took in. I'm sure
just watch as a fan and so forth with your
broadcast eyes. Which one do you think hurts more to me?
Fifty hurts more because thirty eight was like a pleasant
surprise the way they advanced, I said, beating Saint Louis,
(16:39):
beating Philadelphia on the road. People can't recall how big
those upsets were to get there and then to play
New England. I mean, they gave it all they had.
Whereas I thought that was an unbelievable season that the
bar was so high seventeen and one going into Super
Bowl fifty, You're not think a touchdown favorite in that game.
Peyton Manning doesn't even play well through it, so like
one hundred and thirty hundred forty yards, no touchdowns and
(17:01):
a pick and Denver wins by two touchdowns. To be
that one, that one hurt more just because of the
promise of what that that twenty fifteen team held with
all the stars on that team.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
Oh, I think you're exactly right. You know, they have
the season they had.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
I think the only loss was to the Falcons late
in that season, and then they were blowing out people
in the postseason, and they go into that game.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
And yeah, you know, I think they got an.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Officiating call on a catch that was ruled in complete
in that game that might have turned things around in
their favor. They didn't play well. They didn't and the
offense didn't. You know, Newton had that fumble where he
kind of hesitated to try to pick it up, and
he got criticized for that. I heard von Miller and
this is when when he was with the Bills, maybe
a year or two ago. Von Miller was talking about
(17:46):
Super Bowl fifty and he said, you know, we played
the Panthers ten times. They win nine of those, he said,
but this time, somehow, some way, we got the win.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
And I think with especially.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
For Pants fans, they're thinking, okay, you all right, we lost,
but you know, Newton's gin his prime, you got Keikley,
you got all these guys, and we're going to go
on a little run here.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
And it never happened.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
I mean, Cam had a disappointing next season, and then
you have some injuries and other things go on. The
next thing you know, you know, you're you're changing coaches
and not making the playoffs for a long time. It's,
as I said, it's one of these moments you don't
know when you're going to go back. Even though I
thought after that after Super Bowl fifty that the Panthers
(18:33):
were set for a run that could last maybe you know, two, three,
four years like like like the Chiefs, and it never happened.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
One of the more studying stats about this franchises, as
we all know, never have had back to back winning
seasons in thirty one years and haven't had a winning
season quite rankly in about eight years for right now.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So it's been a rough time.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Well, Ron Rivera claimed they had back they had three
winning seasons in a row, but I don't count seven
to nine winning the division of winning season.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
No, but I'll give him the division championship.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
You got the divisions, you may backed into it, but
he got three in a row, so he did well
with that.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Well.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Bill, it's great to catch up with you. Before we
say goodbye, though, just tell everyone what you're up to.
I want to know.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Three things shall be how much NFL you're doing these days,
and of course you got PJ Golf Radio, but also
you've got a grandson playing college football.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
Yeah, so still in the business.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
I've been with PGA Tour Radio since nine and I'll
be working one more tournament this year late November down.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
At Sea Isle in the RSM.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
That's Davis Love's tournament and that's a good events pretty
area of the country and it's a big event for
guys trying to get.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Their tour cards for next year.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Working for Compass Media Networks doing a handful of NFL
and college I did two North Carolina games, the Clemson
and TCU games, and well we could we could spend
another show talking about Bill Belichick's heels. Yeah, so still
doing that. And yeah, my grandson who wasn't North Carolina
(20:01):
a year ago, but when Mac got fired, he went
there because of Mac.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
He loved Mac.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
And when Mac Brown got fired, he got entered the
transfer portal and this was this is before they hearted
Belicheck And he was at Georgia Tech by the end
of the week. And he's real happy there. He's he's
a red shirt freshman. He's not playing right now, but
they got him working at.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Four different positions.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
The coaches love him and they just keep telling him
to be patient that next year is going to be
his year to have a really good chance to start
for them. And heck, they're a top there's number seven
in the country right now according to the latest eight people.
So I'm very happy about his situation there. So yeah,
all is good, just living the dream.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
As they say, that's awesome. That's good all the way around.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
And do we get see you and Jane at the
game's occasionally like we did a couple of weeks ago,
so I tell the whole gang. We said, hey, and
Bobby and all the crew and Greg. But great to
talk with you, Bill, and is sharing your memories from
Super Bowl thirty eight
Speaker 2 (20:51):
My pleasure, Jim anytime, thirty seasons of Panther football
Today we catch up with the original voice of the
Carolina Panthers, Bill Rizinski, still calling NFL games around the league.
You hear him, of course on PGA Golf Radio as well.
Ten years as the voice of the Carolina Panthers. We
visit with Bill about the great Super Bowl thirty eight.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Season, thirty seasons of Panther football, a celebration of the players, coaches,
and other key figures who've contributed to the organizational success.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
All right, we're going to talk with Bill Razinski, our
good friend and the ten years first voice of the
Carolina Panthers when the team began, and that includes the
two thousand and three season. Bill, of course, we talk
about the Super Bowl thirty eight season. Panthers in thirty
one years have been to two Super Bowls, have not
won one. The second one super Bowl fifty. That was
(00:53):
a dominant team and was a great team all season long.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Whereas the Panthers of the take on how an alarm
going on? That was my reminder to call you.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But the Panthers of two thousand and three, that was
a surprise team. They showed improvement in John Fox's first
year of the year before and then they started out
five and oh and it kind of flamed on early
that year.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
But what were some of your.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Thoughts about how the season began for Carolina that year.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
Well, I think Jenna was all about the emergence of
Jake delom as the quarterback of the team. You know,
so they signed him in the off season, and I
remember this, you know these they used to have it.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
I don't know if they still do, these Panther.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Caravan trips in the summer where you'd get some players
and some of the top Cats and staff and you'd
go to Charleston or Savannah or somewhere Columbia and you
would have a day there meeting with fans. I remember
I was on one of these before that summer, before
the three season started, and Jake was on the trip
(01:54):
and no one wanted his autograph.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
He was sitting at a table in the school.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
There are a couple other Panther players there who everybody knew,
and he's like sitting there, and I actually I went
over and talked to him for a couple of minutes
to make him feel good. And I didn't know much
about the guy. But as the season got underway, and
of course it was all about that opener against Jacksonville.
Rodney Pete was the starting quarterback, and I believe it
was seventeen nothing at the half. The offense was doing nothing.
(02:20):
And the next thing I know, you and I are
in the booth along with Roman and here comes Jake
Delone and I think Jim the rest is history. He
rallied the team that day and the Tampa win was
goofy because we had blocked two field goals? Can we
block an extra point which would have won the game
when they scored at the end, we block it?
Speaker 5 (02:40):
And you said they started five to zero.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
And I think for me the key early that season
that I thought this team was going to be really good.
We went to Indy and beat the Colts with Peyton Manning,
and I think we did it with the Sean Foster.
I think the running back Stephen Davis was banged up
that day and I think Foster came in and had
a big day. But that that to me was like, oh,
I think we're gonna be pretty good.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Yeah, that was definitely one where you thought, okay, this
is you know, at that time, those are talking about
the quality teams and to be able to go on
the road, and you mentioned the Tampa Bay games. So
you win two in overtime, then you win a third
one against New Orleans later on in overtime, and lose
one in Atlanta. But the three and one in overtime
games and had a lot of close games along the way,
So I think that was important too. But to your point,
(03:24):
like about Jake the love, like for all we do,
he's gonna be Matt Moore right at that point, Like
who knew that that he would go on to be,
you know, such a big part of Panthers history as
he would go on to be from that point.
Speaker 5 (03:35):
Yeah, and I credit him. I think he literally over
the next So that's three and through. I believe eight.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well, I think I think in eight they Panthers might
have had their best team in that in that run
with John Fox when they had double trouble, and I
think they went twelve and four during the regular season,
that might have been their their best team. You and
the Arizona beat him in a playoff game here in Charlotte.
But to do Loom, you know, you're right, nobody was
(04:02):
thinking this guy was gonna do anything. He'd been a journeyman,
he'd been you know, he played for the Saints. I
think the Cowboys are interested in him and he comes in.
He's really really the third guy because Chris Wanky was
hanging around, and all of a sudden he becomes a
leader of this team. Very unorthodox. Did he have a
(04:23):
great arm, No, I don't think so. But for some
reason he rallied this team and he had this rapport
with Steve Smith. I don't know how many times we
saw Jim over the course of Delob's run, including that
two thousand and three season where they need a big
play and he just heaven the Smith and go, there's
three guys around, you go get it, and Steve would
usually get it. And then we had a good running game.
(04:43):
The defense was outstanding. That was that team really gelled
that year, and obviously we made it all the way
to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
I remember two like things might be right.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
The offensive line maybe had one starter miss one game
or something. I think they basically had their offensive line
intact the entire season.
Speaker 5 (04:59):
Yeah, and Jordan Gross was, say a rookie on that team.
I know, I know.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
It's it's funny talking to Jordans a few years later
when he's like going, geez, my rookie year, go to
the Super Bowl. I'm expecting this to happen every year.
Obviously it doesn't in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
But yeah, that was a good group.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Kevin Donnelly, uh and just just just a bunch of
grinders in there. Jeff Mitchell, I think, was the center.
And then you had good running backs. You had two
really good running backs, and then you had Jake and
then the wide receivers with Moose and the other guy
we we got to mention is Ricky Pole because Ricky
(05:38):
turned out to be clutch receivers. Caught the touchdown that
helped beat Jacksonville, caught the touchdown in the Super Bowl
that would end up being the tying score before you know,
minitary one and overtime. So there was just and the
and the defense was just uh, it was just really
really good because they had uh, Dan Morgan was strong,
(06:01):
Pepper's was new, you had Rucker and Ninner and just
a bunch of Chris Jenkins.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah the block kicks in that Tampa Bay game, he
was he was the guy.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Yeah, I know, I mean was this was they could
put pressure on the quarterback and.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
They they got turnovers when.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
They when they needed them, you know, and then we
went on that that run of the playoffs that no
one thought was going to happen either.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
No, that was interesting too, because you know, we were
kind of the underdog every step of the way. The
what eleven and five had that three game losing streak
in late November early December, but they finished out with
three straight wins win the division by three games. The
Saints were second that year in the South at eight
and eight. But you begin by beating Dallas at home.
I think it was the way they beat the Cowboys,
(06:49):
right twenty nine to ten, Like you thought, Okay, it's
a game at home, you could win it. But I
mean the way that they thumped the Cowboys really sent
a message moving forward.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Yeah, when I think back to that game again, great
crowd like they had for the Dallas playoff game after
the ninety sixth season, but this was a Parcels team
that came in and they steamrolled. I remember Steven Davis
had a great run for a touchdown, Steve Smith got
a touchdown pass. It was a total domination. And then
you're right, you're right, we go, we go to Saint Louis.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
The Rams are in Saint Louis.
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Then, still greatest show on turf and shocked them in
double overtime, and then on to Philadelphia, where I remember
somebody came up to me. Was a writer in Philadelphia,
found out I was the voice of the team, and
he walks up to me before the NFC Championship game.
He goes, He says, hey, you think you guys haven't, honestly,
(07:41):
goodness a chance to win this game.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
I go, well, yeah, I go. Based on I go,
if you haven't followed us this year, if it's closed,
we have a great chance to win.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
We win a lot of close games. As it turns out,
that was again they knocked off who's the Eagles quarterback
got or you know, they knocked him out of the game.
I think ty Dettmore had to come in and play
for them in that game. And we just again a
stifling defense. So but you're right, we went to No
one was expecting us to get the Super Bowl thirty eight,
(08:13):
and we did all about you.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But that's Saint Louis Rams game and the Panthers were
whatever the odds were, they were double digits, maybe twelve points.
On a note, that was such a great Rams offense,
greatest show on turf, and all that for going double
overtime playoff game heavy underdog on the road. To me
to this day, thirty one years later, it's still my
all time favorite Panther game, even more than the two
(08:35):
Super Bowl games.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Yeah, and you know what, I think back to that game.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
We had a nice lead and then Saint Louis came
back and Marshall Fulk was killing us. And I'm convinced
to this day, Jim that if they kind of settled
their last drive of the game, they kind of settled
for a time field goal, which they did make. I
was convinced because our defense was just worn out, and
(09:03):
I thought that they kept grinding us and kept hitting
Falk out in the flat and running.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
The ball with him. I thought they're gonna score touchdown.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
And I remember talking to Jason Seahorn years later, who
was on that Rams team in the secondary. I think
Seahorn was was a guy to let Steve Smith go by.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
It was that was his last play in the NFL,
by the way, for Seaoron.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Yeah, all right.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
I saw a Seahorn at an ESPN football gathering. He
was an analyst at the time, and I said, and
I started talking about that game, and I said, I said, man,
I thought Mike, because Mike March was the coach. Then
I said, man, I thought March was just going to
keep grinding there because our defense was worn out, and
you guys are going to score touchdown into like the
last you know, minute or less to win the football game.
(09:43):
And he goes, yeah, we all thought the same thing,
and they didn't do it.
Speaker 5 (09:47):
He just settled for the field goal.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
And then the other thing I remember about the first
play of the second overtime, which was the delone pass
to Smith the play before. I mean, Jake hab been
getting pounded in that game, and he got rocked.
Speaker 5 (10:05):
On the last play.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Of the first overtime. I think he threw an incomplete pass,
but I mean he was staggering. In fact, I don't
even know if they had to run another playoff if
he stayed in the game. But the quarter ended, so
we go to break, we come back, he's still out there,
and then he goes and hits Smith with that amazing
touchdown pass and we were off to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, Kevin Dolly laughs, you know, because Kevin does the
preseason with us. But he got flagged for a couple
of penalties and Jakes yelling at him in the undele
and one, they call it on one of the other lineans, Oh,
thank god, they don't. They won't know till tomorrow it
was me until they see the actual replay on that.
So they advanced, they make it. Obviously. We all go
to Houston at Super Bowl thirty eight February first, and
we're down there for eight nine days whatever we are
(10:45):
staying in Green Point, and we'd lose everyone knows, by
three points thirty two to twenty nine. First half of
that game, though, it looked like for most most of
it like the Patriots weren't able to pull away, but
they were clearly the better team first half, and the
Panthers's had trouble, you know, cobbling together a first down
or two level everything. Oh, maybe we have run out
of gas and maybe we've sunk over our level as
(11:08):
far as what our capabilities are at this point. So
that first half, things weren't looking too good in the
Super Bowl.
Speaker 5 (11:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
In fact, it was a weird, weird game because in
the first and third quarters nothing happened. The first quarter,
neither team scored, and then in the second quarter the
Patriots started rolling and I think we got a little
momentum lates like right before the half, and then the
third quarter there was no scoring, and then all heck
broke loose in the fourth quarter and it was you know,
(11:36):
it's still to this day, knock on wood, the longest
Super Bowl passed, the longest touchdown passed the Super Bowl history.
Jake to Moose, and I remember saying, as we were
getting ready to call the play, I said, it's been
plays like this that Jake delom has been making all
year long.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Here's the third and whatever.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
And he finds Moose for the touchdown, and then you know,
you and I have talked about this. The John Fox
desire to go for two early in that game, to me,
dictated how the rest of that game played out and
how the Patriots would approach going for two points, because
I think they converted at least one.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
And in the end, if my.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Math was right, if we didn't just kick kicking extra
points and the Patriots would have been doing what they
would have normally done, then that vinitary fuel goal would
have been to tie the game. But instead we were tied,
and you know, we ended up losing right at the end.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
Yeah, And John Fox said, you know, years after that
that he wished he hadn't chased those two points.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
So they kind of.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Learned all that. You know, they all have those little
analytic sheets and tell you when to go for two
and things like that. But I always say, don't do
it to you have to do whatever game it is
fourth quarter at the earliest, at some point start thinking
about I would even like begin to even pull that
paper out until you get some point in the fourth
quarter of any game.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
You know, NFL Films has done. I'm not sure where
I saw this, but it's been on a couple of times.
It basically did. It was almost an hour long, I
think retrospective on that game, and it had interviews with
like Rodney Harrison, Bruce Ki, some of the other Patriots,
and then you had Fox, I think Moose, maybe Jake
(13:17):
was in it, and all even Rodney harricause I think
Harrison ended up breaking his arm in that game or something.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
They said.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
Mike Minner, they all said it was the most physical
football game that they had ever played in. And this
was coming from both sides, Patriots Panthers, because I think
Minner was banged up in that game and he kept going.
I think Morgan might have been hurt. He kept going,
I mean, it was just one of these at your
last game, you know, the winner's going to be champions
(13:48):
of the NFL.
Speaker 5 (13:48):
And the other other thing.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
I remember I worked with Ricky Proll doing some college games.
He was my analyst a few years later, and I
asked him about Super Bowl thirty eight. Of course he
had been on me. He had lost with the Rams
when the Patriots beat him a few years before that,
and he said, build the worst thing about when you
lose the Super Bowl. As soon as the game is over,
(14:11):
they want you off the field. They like rope you off.
It's like, get out of here. You lost, get back
to your locker room. We're going to celebrate the victory.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
He says.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
It's the most humiliating feeling when the league is telling
you to get off the field.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Optics, Yeah, I think.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
You know, sometimes guys want to sit on the bench
and just you know, they don't feel like moving. It's
not that they want to be there, but they don't
really have the temperament or whatever. They're tired from playing
the game to want to get off the field at
that point. And you know it comes down to obviously,
you go to overtime and eventually Adam Vinit Terry kicks
the forty one yard field goal to win it, but
John Casey kick off that went out of bounds, and
(14:50):
that's something that John's also talked about. Casey has afterwards
like he just tried to hit the best t shot
of his life. As he said, if you're a golfer,
and as happens in golf often you drive it in
the woods. And he said to him to this day
it was I wouldn't talk about football. It was his
worst football moment because of the impact that I had
in that game. It wasn't everything, but you get Tom
Brady a short field just to have to get in
(15:10):
field goal where it made their job a lot easier.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
Yeah, you know, when I think back to that, you know,
I think Brady they got called for a holding call
there because the balls at the forty.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
But then I think there was a holding call or
something that got pushed back.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
I think they completed a third and forever, you know,
it was like a third and thirteen or something like
that to keep that drive going. So as bad as
people remember the Casey kick, I believe there was a
holding call early in that drive.
Speaker 5 (15:37):
Which moved to Patriots back ten yards.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
So maybe maybe they were back at the thirty or
might have been on the second play, the thirty two
or thirty three, something like that, but.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
They ended up converting on a third down.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
And again I think both sides, both defenses, I think
were worn out by that time because that had been
a fistfight all day long. And sadly, you know, the
Panthers ended up losing the football game, and you know,
it's you don't.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
Get these opportunities.
Speaker 4 (16:01):
It's hard to win in the NFL, as they say,
and you get to that point, you never know when
you're going to get back. So it took Panthers what
twelve years to get back for Super Bowl fifty, And
now we got super Bowl sixty coming up. Yeah, so
that's that was ten years ago, the last Super Bowl trip.
So this is a savor of the moments when you
got them.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yep, time fly, super Bowl sixty coming up this year. Lastly,
i'll let you go. You called Super Bowl thirty eight.
Of course super Bowl fifty you took in. I'm sure
just watch as a fan and so forth with your
broadcast eyes. Which one do you think hurts more to me?
Fifty hurts more because thirty eight was like a pleasant
surprise the way they advanced, I said, beating Saint Louis,
(16:39):
beating Philadelphia on the road. People can't recall how big
those upsets were to get there and then to play
New England. I mean, they gave it all they had.
Whereas I thought that was an unbelievable season that the
bar was so high seventeen and one going into Super
Bowl fifty, You're not think a touchdown favorite in that game.
Peyton Manning doesn't even play well through it, so like
one hundred and thirty hundred forty yards, no touchdowns and
(17:01):
a pick and Denver wins by two touchdowns. To be
that one, that one hurt more just because of the
promise of what that that twenty fifteen team held with
all the stars on that team.
Speaker 5 (17:11):
Oh, I think you're exactly right. You know, they have
the season they had.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
I think the only loss was to the Falcons late
in that season, and then they were blowing out people
in the postseason, and they go into that game.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
And yeah, you know, I think they got an.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Officiating call on a catch that was ruled in complete
in that game that might have turned things around in
their favor. They didn't play well. They didn't and the
offense didn't. You know, Newton had that fumble where he
kind of hesitated to try to pick it up, and
he got criticized for that. I heard von Miller and
this is when when he was with the Bills, maybe
a year or two ago. Von Miller was talking about
(17:46):
Super Bowl fifty and he said, you know, we played
the Panthers ten times. They win nine of those, he said,
but this time, somehow, some way, we got the win.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
And I think with especially.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
For Pants fans, they're thinking, okay, you all right, we lost,
but you know, Newton's gin his prime, you got Keikley,
you got all these guys, and we're going to go
on a little run here.
Speaker 5 (18:10):
And it never happened.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
I mean, Cam had a disappointing next season, and then
you have some injuries and other things go on. The
next thing you know, you know, you're you're changing coaches
and not making the playoffs for a long time. It's,
as I said, it's one of these moments you don't
know when you're going to go back. Even though I
thought after that after Super Bowl fifty that the Panthers
(18:33):
were set for a run that could last maybe you know, two, three,
four years like like like the Chiefs, and it never happened.
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
One of the more studying stats about this franchises, as
we all know, never have had back to back winning
seasons in thirty one years and haven't had a winning
season quite rankly in about eight years for right now.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So it's been a rough time.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
Well, Ron Rivera claimed they had back they had three
winning seasons in a row, but I don't count seven
to nine winning the division of winning season.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
No, but I'll give him the division championship.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
You got the divisions, you may backed into it, but
he got three in a row, so he did well
with that.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Well.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Bill, it's great to catch up with you. Before we
say goodbye, though, just tell everyone what you're up to.
I want to know.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Three things shall be how much NFL you're doing these days,
and of course you got PJ Golf Radio, but also
you've got a grandson playing college football.
Speaker 5 (19:21):
Yeah, so still in the business.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
I've been with PGA Tour Radio since nine and I'll
be working one more tournament this year late November down.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
At Sea Isle in the RSM.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
That's Davis Love's tournament and that's a good events pretty
area of the country and it's a big event for
guys trying to get.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
Their tour cards for next year.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Working for Compass Media Networks doing a handful of NFL
and college I did two North Carolina games, the Clemson
and TCU games, and well we could we could spend
another show talking about Bill Belichick's heels. Yeah, so still
doing that. And yeah, my grandson who wasn't North Carolina
(20:01):
a year ago, but when Mac got fired, he went
there because of Mac.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
He loved Mac.
Speaker 4 (20:06):
And when Mac Brown got fired, he got entered the
transfer portal and this was this is before they hearted
Belicheck And he was at Georgia Tech by the end
of the week. And he's real happy there. He's he's
a red shirt freshman. He's not playing right now, but
they got him working at.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Four different positions.
Speaker 4 (20:21):
The coaches love him and they just keep telling him
to be patient that next year is going to be
his year to have a really good chance to start
for them. And heck, they're a top there's number seven
in the country right now according to the latest eight people.
So I'm very happy about his situation there. So yeah,
all is good, just living the dream.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
As they say, that's awesome. That's good all the way around.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
And do we get see you and Jane at the
game's occasionally like we did a couple of weeks ago,
so I tell the whole gang. We said, hey, and
Bobby and all the crew and Greg. But great to
talk with you, Bill, and is sharing your memories from
Super Bowl thirty eight
Speaker 2 (20:51):
My pleasure, Jim anytime, thirty seasons of Panther football
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