Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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Good teams in between
Ken Lucas, Mike Wahle
Between Carolina’s two trips to the Super Bowl, the Panthers reached the NFC Championship game in 2005 and were among the postseason favorites in 2008 when they matched the then-franchise record with 12 victories.
Cornerback Ken Lucas began his Panthers tenure in 2005 after four years with the Seahawks and ended it in ’08. Chris Gamble eventually passed Eric Davis for the franchise record in interceptions, but from 2005-08 Gamble recorded just one more than the ball-hawking Lucas, who snagged 13.
Mike Wahle arrived in 2005 after eight seasons with the Packers and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in his first season in Carolina. All told he served as Carolina’s starting left guard for three seasons.
Bonus: In-season additions
Based on transaction language used by the NFL, defensive end Addison could be considered a free agent addition, having been signed “as a free agent from Washington’s practice squad” late in the 2012 season. All Addison has done with the opportunity is steadily climb to fourth in franchise history with 45.5 sacks, including the 10th most in the NFL over the last three seasons (29.5).
Thirteen days before adding Addison, the Panthers made another rare in-season free agent signing that stuck. Graham Gano had been cut by the Redskins in the preseason after two-plus seasons as their starting kicker. He’s been the Panthers’ starter ever since and ranks second in team history in scoring.