GM lauds Panthers' attitude: It feels like '2015 all over again'

Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman thinks his team is primed to shake off the effects of the Super Bowl loss in 2015 and the subsequent disappointment of missing the playoffs last season.

Full of energy and bravado in the run to the top of the NFC in 2015, the Panthers lacked their signature swagger as they finished at the bottom of the NFC South with a 6-10 record in 2016.

But Gettleman said his players are reinvigorated, displaying the same mindset they had in their spectacular 2015 campaign.

"Last year we were tired, and I think guys got carried away," Gettleman said, according to Max Henson of the Panthers' official site. "It's hard - I've seen a Super Bowl hangover after you win it and after you lose it, and it ain't pretty.

"There's a different attitude this year. I feel like this is 2015 all over again with this group."

The Panthers, clearly realizing Cam Newton needed more weapons after he regressed from his 2015 MVP campaign, added running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Curtis Samuel in the draft.

Whether this will be enough to help boost the offense back to its 2015 level remains to be seen, but with a core group of elite players like Newton, Luke Kuechly, Kawann Short, and Greg Olsen, the Panthers are prime bounce-back candidates for 2017.