Monday Morning Optimist: Let’s all take a deep breath

Let’s all take a deep breath, y’all.

Yes, the Carolina Panthers looked like a worse dumpster fire in yesterday’s season opener than they did in all of 2023’s series of abject failures. Yes, the five hours I spent on Saturday moving two-and-a-half tons of cobble stone up a six foot hill to my back yard was more entertaining than the game on Sunday. Yes, the New Orleans Saints handed the Panthers a 47-10 loss. It all hurt and it doesn’t feel better today.

The start of the game, particularly the first two called passing plays on offense, were about as comically bad as you can get outside of an actual Hollywood script. I think that set the tone for the game, not just for the players but also for…