Many Carolina Panthers fans had to be devastated today by the announcement that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be keeping his talents in Palo Alto. However, before you Panthers fans begrudgingly go out and get your Jimmy Clausen jerseys and stand by your man, ask yourself this, what's to stop you from landing the number 1 pick in the 2012 draft?
Carolina had the worst record this year by 2 games, and looking at their present situation, who is to say they will be any better? They are in a beast of a division which includes, Matt Ryan and the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons, Drew Brees and the defending world champion New Orleans Saints and Josh Freeman and the young upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The closest team in the NFC to Carolina was the Arizona Cardinals, who are probably a quarterback away from competing for the NFC West crown. Perrenial cellar dwellers the Detroit Lions seem to be on the uptick, and it is hard to envision either of the other last place teams in the conference (Washington and Minnesota) taking a step down to the Panthers level.
Looking at the AFC, you would think the Buffalo Bills could give them a run for their money, but the Bills were close in many of their losses this year and will only improve with a strong draft. The Bengals took a monster step back this year, however are a year removed from a division title. Denver owns the second pick in the draft, but as hard as this may be to believe (sarcasm alert) Tim Tebow could actually get better. Tennessee has the potential to take a step back, however, with Chris Johnson in the fold, they also have the potential to take a step forward.
So rest easy Panthers fans because a rough 2011 could bring good luck in 2012.
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