I took this Sporcle quiz the other day on receivers to gain 1,000 yards with multiple teams. I did fine, I suppose, naming 22 of the 30 receivers. As I was going through the list, I kept looking at the rows for “Buccaneers, Panthers” and “Panthers, Cowboys” and my brain operated in this way:
“Steve Smith never played for the Bucs or Cowboys. Neither did Muhsin Muhammad.”
….
“Patrick Jeffers had a big year in 1999, but that was it for his career.”
….
“The Panthers have literally never had anyone resembling a competent wide receiver starting across from Smith in as long as I can remember (other than Muhammad).”
….
“Wesley Walls didn’t play for Dallas or Tampa Bay. And I can’t think of a single other Panthers receiver from before 2000.”
…
“Let me try typing in Smith and Muhammad again.”
After the quiz, I checked the Panthers team page on PFR. The top nine receiving seasons were accomplished by either Smith or Muhammad, but there were in fact two other players to hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark for Carolina. Can you name them? If so, you’re a better man on Panthers wide receiver trivia than me.
I already gave you a hint! One gained 1,000 yards with the Cowboys (the year after being with the Panthers) while the other hit the 1,000-yard mark six years earlier in Tampa Bay.
It’s blast from the past day – did you remember Mark Carrier and Raghib “Rocket” Ismail? Carrier gained 1,422 yards for Tampa Bay in 1989 and then 1002 yards for the expansion Panthers in 1995. Meanwhile, Rocket Ismail had a breakout season at age 29 in Carolina, gaining 1,024 yards in 1998. The next year he picked up 1,097 yards in Dallas. You can view all the single-season receiving leaders for Carolina here.
