Panthers to retire Mills' 51
 

... a lot of the comments in this article make me a lil' sick...
... and only some of you will understand why...



http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Sa...=1037645509200

RE: Panthers to retire Mills
 

I've called the Saints front office Mickey Mouse in the past. I've been destroyed on this board at times for doing so.

How can you think anything else when you see things like this?

Carolina has a statue of Mills in front of their stadium.
Carolina will be wearing his number all season.
Carolina will be retiring his number.

The Saints have not done one thing to remember the guy. Not one.

That makes me more sick to my stomach than an underhanded backwards AB pass to an opposing lineman on our own 1 yardline.

RE: Panthers to retire Mills
 

I think since he went away to be a Panther I think they should bend over backwards to remember him. If the Saints organization decides to do anything thats cool. But the Saints will not be giving permission to wear his number or anything like that from the NFL. We can share with the panthers the lost... but its time to move on and get to the new season.

I'm with WhoDat. even with all the good news that has come out of camp, this has pissed me off royally. How the freak do we not do something to honor Sam Mills? Sam Freaking Mills!!!!! This makes me sick to think Carolina will honor him and we won't. We should be honoring him the first game of the season just like them. This is classless. Didn't Archie play for another team to end his career yet his banner still hangs on the Superdome wall? We could do the same for Sam. This is disgusting. All respect to the Panthers for once again being a class org, but we really need to step up to the plate. I don't think there is a Saints fan alive who has anything but good memories of Sam.

Wait until they retire 17 next to him . :wink:

Manning retired a Saints and has a history with the city. Mills was a Panther. I think the Saints will do something but you can't trump or beat the Panthers to the punch you have to let them do something and one game out of this coming year you do something special at halftime and be done with it.

WHAT?!?! Did you watch football between 1985 and now? Mills played 9 years in New Orleans. 3 in Carolina. How exactly do you figure the guy was a Panther?

Frankly, I don't care where the guy's allegiance lied. Name a better Saint LB ever.

Mills was a class act, a great guy, and a great player.... a great SAINT. He should be honored as such by this two-bit franchise.

PS - do something once and let's be done with it? Worry about this season? Yeah, that's a great way to treat your all-time greats. Disgusting.

Rickey Jackson

We can all gripe and raise hell as much as we want. My opinion of this is simple.

How can anyone disregard all Sam Mills did for the Saints and the city of New Orleans? This man was a class act above all others. He gave a good number of years to us as Saints fans, we should give something back to him. We as fans, may not be able to afford to give him a statue by the Dome but he can live in our hearts forever.

God bless you Sam Mills!

IMO, we should -at least- wear Sam Mills logos on our helmets, for that game when we meet the Panthers wearing similar logos.

That would not be hard to do, how much could it cost? He deserves far more.

Here is an Idea why not wait until the season opener when we play there and let both teams remember him together since he was important to both franchises.

I agree 08.
Not the point though.
Sam Mills was 1/4 of the Dome Patrol for God's sake.
A USFL player that Mora brought along and Mills and the rest of the patrol dominated on an otherwise "very" mediocre team.

p.s. Vaughn and Pat benefited by playing next to Sam and Rickey

I second that!!!!


When Mills left us all he was a Panther and it's
only right for them to do what they want to do
to remember him first!

At the right time I feel the Saints will do what
they feel they should do to remember him!

...like I said, only some will understand...
... it's not a question of whose right is to remember Mills...
... while Rickey Jackson is arguably the best LB in Saints history, Sam Mills was also a great LB on his own right, and he was the leader and brains of the best LB corps ever to play the game, and that LB corps wore Black and Gold...
... yes, Ronnie Lott had the notoriety of being the "hardest hitter" in the NFLin those days, and he hit hard, but if you asked players about it, they would say they didn't want to get hit by Sam Mills...

... funny a playoff win that happened 5 years ago is regarded vis a vis the truly greats to ever wear Black and Gold...

I'm with you guys. I'd love to see the Saints do something to honor this guy. You think there are any more Sam Mills' Saints jerseys floating around?

Panthers honor late linebacker, assistant coach

Associated Press


CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers honored the late Sam Mills at halftime of their preseason game Saturday night by retiring his jersey.


Mills, who played three seasons with the Panthers and was an assistant coach in the organization for seven more, died in April after a nearly two-year battle with cancer.


"Since his retirement, no other Carolina Panther has ever worn No. 51," Carolina owner Jerry Richardson said. "We are proud to say as of tonight no Panther player will ever wear this number again."


Mills, a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker, is the only player in Carolina's Hall of Honor. There is also a bronze statue of him outside of their stadium that was erected following his retirement.


Sam Mills III, an assistant with the Panthers, accepted the framed No. 51 jersey on behalf of his family.


"My father was proud to be a Panther and I am happy to know that all of you guys supported him all the years he was here," his son said. "This is a wonderful way to close a very important chapter in his life."


A video of Mills' highlights was shown to the crowd, as well as a clip from a speech linebacker Mark Fields made at the ESPY awards earlier this year. Fields is also battling cancer and will sit out this season while undergoing treatment.


"One thing Sam Mills used to say before he passed away was you've got to `Keep pounding, keep pounding, keep pounding,' " Fields said.


"Keep pounding" was the expression Mills and Fields used to rally Carolina during the 2003 season while they both sat out with cancer. The Panthers went to the Super Bowl that season and credited Mills and Fields for inspiring them.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2133726

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