Richard Sherman Has An Answer For The Carolina Panthers Woes This Season: Karma

Sherman on Cam Newton grabbing 12 flag after playoff: "I guess Karma gets you. Doesn't look like they are going to the playoffs this year.''

— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) November 30, 2016

Finally, a logical reason why a 15-1 team from last year came out of the gates slow, and hasn't lived up to the insanely high expectations they set for themselves. At first I thought it might might be that pesky Super Bowl hangover, but - judging by his facial expressions and general mannerisms - I'm pretty sure I watched Cam Newton battle through the entirety of that in the postgame press conference. Then I considered the fact that they lost key members to their defense like Josh Norman, but not even the absence of every clip in his chamber could possibly explain already having 6 more losses at this point than they did all of last season. A product of a Panthers offense with limited weapons coming back down to Earth? Nah, not with the reigning MVP at the helm. Becoming a casualty of the unpredictable volatility of the NFL from year to year? Ha! I don't think so. If there is a head coach that has turned gambling into a science of sorts it's Riverboat Ron Rivera.  I got to tell you, I was really at a loss until Richard Sherman came along and summed it all up with no more than one word...

Karma. Fate. The final destination that one sentences themselves to by jacking a gimmicky banner from one member of a weirdly like-minded group of supporters that fancies themselves part of the team they pay to watch. I can't believe I didn't think of that before. Of course Cam Newton flushed this season down the toilet the second he celebrated a playoff win at the expense of a single, mass produced '12th Man' flag. It may sound crazy that a quarterback cost his team a year of their "championship window" with his celebration following a victory that took place damn near 11 months ago. However, is it any more ridiculous than thousands of people getting some fictitous sense of personal pride and accomplishment out of it when they yell in unison in a stadium built to enhance sound? I'm at liberty to say it's not. Karma choosing to work on behalf of the city of Seattle - and only the city of Seattle - to sabatage the immediate future of a promising team from across the country isn't as outlandish as a collective fanbase patting itself on the ass and taking credit for the success of their professional sports team.