RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 4: Kicker John Kasay #4 of the Carolina Panthers kicks a field goal in a game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on November 4, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans defeated the Panthers 20-6. (Photo by Tim Umphrey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
#19. John Kasay
In the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks drafted the player who would eventually become the all time leading scorer for the Carolina Panthers. Unlike previous players on the list who had immensely high peaks with limited career lengths in Carolina, John Kasay is a testament to longevity. After spending four years with Seattle, he signed with the Panthers prior to the 1995 season. Just like the Panthers themselves, Kasay really burst on the scene in 1996, setting career highs in field goals made (37) and field goals attempted (45) and earning a Pro Bowl nod and Second Team All-Pro honors.
Kasay hit a rough patch injury-wise in 1999, tearing his ACL trying to make a tackle in a December game against the Green Bay Packers. Kasay worked to return the following season, just eight months after the injury, before fracturing his kneecap in training camp by basically kicking too hard. Literally, the force of his quadriceps contracting basically snapped his kneecap in two on a basic 30 yard field goal attempt at practice. Kasay was having arguably his best season in ‘99, and he came back pretty strong in 2001 following almost a year and a half off the field due to injuries. That string continued in 2002, when a sports hernia in his groin ended his season after just two games.
Then came the 2003 season. Back and fully healthy, Kasay was relied on multiple times in the clutch as the Panthers made their first Super Bowl appearance. During the regular season, Kasay nailed four game winning kicks, including three in overtime (Week 2 in Tampa, Week 6 in Indianapolis, and Week 8 in New Orleans) and one as time expired (Week 13 at home against the Falcons). In the playoffs, Kasay kept the Panthers in games they ended up winning and put himself in the postseason record books by tying a playoff record with five made field goals against the Cowboys and the (at the time) third longest field goal in Super Bowl history (50 yards just before halftime).
The 2004 season was the last time Kasay missed any games due to injury, straining his right calf and missing two games that year. Still, the injuries played a role in his diminishing leg strength. Once the team realized he wasn’t going to bounce back from 50+, Kasay had some of the best accuracy numbers of his career, including his career best 90.3% during the 2008 season. He also made all of his career-high 46 extra point attempts that year. As for many players and coaches on the Panthers, the 2010 season was Kasay’s last with the organization. He signed a one year deal with the Saints, played well, then signed a one day contract with Carolina to retire as a Panther in 2011.
Kasay’s longevity and steadiness is something many fans may have underrated at the time. Think about the Olindo Mare years, and suddenly Kasay is amazing. While he wasn’t without his faults and miscues (cough, Super Bowl kickoff out of bounds, cough), you can’t tell the history of the Panthers without including him. He was a premier contributor in two of the team’s best seasons (1996 and 2003) and is still ninth in NFL history in points scored with 1,970 over the course of his 20 year NFL career. The reliable left leg of John Kasay earned him No. 19 spot in our countdown of greatest Panthers ever.
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