from panthers.comBy Brett BordenPanthers.comWhat were 10 of the best individual seasons on offense in team history? Here is one opinion. As always, these lists are subjective and created simply to encourage discussion.10. Anthony Johnson 1996In just 11 starts, running back Anthony Johnson still managed to top 1,000 yards for the Panthers in 1996. He finished fifth in the NFC with 1,120 yards on 300 carries. Those marks, as well as his six rushing touchdowns, were Panthers standards until Stephen Davis came along seven years later. Johnson posted five 100-yard games during the regular season and one versus Dallas in the playoffs. The Panthers rode Johnson all the way to the NFC championship game, using a conservative offense and aggressive defense to surprise the NFL in their second year of existence.9. John Kasay 1996When someone sets an NFL record, they are obviously having a great season. Kicker John Kasay established a new League standard with 37 field goals in 1996. He got off to an amazing start with five-for-five efforts in the first two games. His 145 points were the third most by a kicker in NFL history. He stayed hot through the playoffs, making all six of his attempts, including a four-of-four effort in Carolina's 26-17 victory over Dallas. Few kickers have ever enjoyed a season like Kasay's in 1996 in terms of consistency.8. Patrick Jeffers 1999Who was that masked man? In the offensive explosion of 1999, the Panthers were not lacking in star power. Yet a hitherto unknown almost stole the show. Wide receiver Patrick Jeffers had started one game in three seasons with the Broncos and Cowboys before coming to the Panthers. He started 10 of the last 11 games for Carolina in 1999 and caught fire, as well as everything else that was thrown in his direction. Jeffers finished the '99 season with five straight 100-yard games. He caught 12 touchdown passes, eight of them in December. He finished the season with at least one touchdown in the last six contests. He had an incredible 17.2-yard average with 63 receptions for 1,082 yards. He ended the season with a career-high 165-yard game versus New Orleans.7. Wesley Walls 1999Like Jeffers, Wesley Walls posted 63 receptions and hauled in 12 touchdowns in 1999. Unlike Jeffers, Walls did so from the tight end position. Walls had been an established star, leading the Panthers in receptions in 1996 and 1997. In 1999, he led all NFC tight ends in touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards and average yards per reception. Walls' 12 touchdown receptions tied an NFL record for a tight end. While everyone remembers Steve Beuerlein's five-yard game-winning touchdown run at Green Bay, it was Walls who kept that drive alive with a clutch 18-yard reception on fourth down.6. Muhsin Muhammad 1999Jeffers and Walls had so many catches between them in 1999, it seems inconceivable that someone had more that season. But wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad had a lot more. Muhammad's 96 receptions, achieved in 15 games, led the NFC. His 1,253 receiving yards were a team record. He also added a career-high eight touchdowns for good measure. As good as Jeffers and Walls were in 1999, Muhammad had 33 more receptions and more receiving yards than either of them.5. John Kasay 2003Kickers dream of seasons like the one John Kasay had in 2003. Baseball players play 162 games and are lucky if they get four game-winning hits. In just 16 games, Kasay had four game-winning field goals, all on the road and three in overtime, tying an NFL r[/quote]ecord. The game-winners weren't chippies, either. A pair of 47-yarders beat Tampa Bay and Indianapolis in overtime, and his 49-yarder with four seconds left at Arizona clinched the NFC South for the Panthers. As if his clutch kicks weren't impressive enough, Kasay also established a team mark with 22 consecutive successful field goals during that season. He won Player of the Month honors for October, when he converted all nine field goal attempts, including two game winners. His 1996 season may have been record setting, but his 2003 season was heart-stopping.4. Stephen Davis 2003Stephen Davis was the Secretariat of workhorses for Carolina in 2003. (Getty Images)Running back Stephen Davis was the Secretariat of workhorses in 2003. Carrying the Panthers to their first playoff appearance in seven years, he rushed 318 times for 1,444 yards and eight touchdowns, all Panthers team records. He gained 111 yards in the season-opening victory over Jacksonville, then improved on his total in each of the next three games. When he rushed for a team record 178 yards in an overtime victory at New Orleans, the Panthers were off to a 6-1 start and on their way to Super Bowl XXXVIII. In the postseason, Davis rushed for another 315 yards in four games. His first season as a Panther was a storybook homecoming for the Spartanburg, SC native who resides in Columbia, SC.3. Muhsin Muhammad 2004Few saw Muhsin Muhammad's amazing 2004 season coming, probably not even Muhammad himself. But when Steve Smith was felled by a broken leg in the season opener, Muhammad eventually emerged as a force. As the Panthers slid to a 1-7 start, Muhammad's numbers were hit and miss. Through six games he posted one 100-yard games (versus Atlanta) but averaged just 35 yards per game in the other five. But Moose was about to break loose. His last 10 games were incredible, as Muhammad caught 73 passes for 1,115 yards and 14 touchdowns. The final result was 93 receptions for a team record 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns. Not bad numbers for one of the best blocking wide receivers in the game.2. Steve Beuerlein 1999Steve Beuerlein had a season to shout about in 1999. (Getty Images)Quarterback Steve Beuerlein set so many team passing records in 1999 it's almost hard to believe his biggest play came on a rushing play. He became just the 11th quarterback in NFL history to top 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in the same season, completing 343-of-571 passes for 4,436 yards and 36 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions. His passer rating of 94.6 for the season remains the single season standard for Panthers signal callers. Beuerlein averaged just 209 yards passing through the first three games, but then he exploded, averaging 293 yards per game over the last 13 contests. He posted five 300-yard games, 12 games of at least 250 yards, and eight games with a passer rating of 110 or higher. But the one play he'll forever be remembered for during that season was the final play of the game at Green Bay, when Beuerlein took the snap and somehow willed his way into the end zone from the five yard line, putting an exclamation point on a game in which he threw for 373 yards, still the team record.1 Steve Smith 2005Having watched Muhammad take it to another level the season before while he was on the sideline, wide receiver Steve Smith took it upon himself to return serve in 2005 after Muhammad signed with another team. Smith had four games in which he averaged 2.5 catches for 24.5 yards. In the other 12, he averaged an amazing 122 yards on 7.75 receptions. With that kind of consistent production, he became the first wide receiver in 15 years to lead the League in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,563) and touchdowns (12). But the regular season was just his warm-up act. He really took off in the postseason, posting 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown at New York, then 12 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns at Chicago, where Muhammad watched from the other sideline. Entering the season, people wondered how Smith would respond to his injury the season before. His Comeback Player of the Year Award gave them their answer. Had he managed just 37 more receiving yards, he would have averaged 100 yards per game.
