The three early wins were nice, since they gave a new team the confidence it desperately needed, after the season before went off the rails.

But they were also necessary, as a new coach worked to establish his program, instill his philosophy, and start sifting through the pile to see who would help him implement it.

Then things got weird, and then things got worse. And as it was happening, it was hard to tell when it was going to end, though there was an underlying sense of something bigger happening.

If that sounds familiar to Panthers fans, it should, because the 2020 season to date is remarkably similar to the way things unfolded for the 2002 Panthers.

First-year head coach John Fox inherited a bit of a mess, rebuilt around and relied upon one competent side of the ball, and