Report: Panthers felt Patriots 'were in our huddle' during Super Bowl
An anonymous Panthers source says that during the 2004 Super Bowl it "felt like [the Patriots] were in our huddle."
By
Will Brinson
•
1 min read
Add the Carolina Panthers to the list of teams who believe the Patriots gained a decided schematic advantage over an opponent in a big game.
In the Tuesday ESPN report on the Pats written by Don Van Natta and Seth Wickersham, an unnamed Panthers source was quoted as saying during the 2004 Super Bowl "it was like [the Patriots] were in our huddle."
"Our players came in after that first half and said it was like [the Patriots] were in our huddle," a Panthers source told ESPN.
According to the report, Panthers players and coaches believe their practices before the 2004 Super Bowl -- which the Patriots won on a late Tom Brady drive after John Kasay put a kickoff out of bounds -- were taped by New England.
At halftime of that game, according to the report, Carolina offensive coordinator Dan Henning "changed game plans because of worries the Patriots had too close a read on Carolina's schemes."
Carolina trailed 14-10 at half and eventually lost the game 32-29.
"Do I have any tape to prove they cheated?" the Panthers source told ESPN. "No. But I'm convinced they did it."
This latest comment isn't necessarily different than something former Panthers GM Marty Hurney said on his radio show in January, when he said he's been told repeatedly that the Pats taped Carolina practices.
Read the full ESPN report here.
