There has been a lot of negativity lately in Panther nation and for the most part it has been completely justified. I myself have contributed to a fair amount of it. But the week following a bye is a time for optimism. The team has had time to rest, nurse injuries back to health, mentally reset, and hopefully come back out ready to turn their fortunes around in the second half of the season.

Unfortunately, not all the injuries had time to heal. Michael Oher remains in the concussion protocol, James Bradberry was still limited at practice on Thursday, as was Vernon Butler. Those three injuries have been key to some of the troubles we have faced this season, and their returns are awaited with bated breath.

Regardless of that fact, there is a silver lining. The offensive line minus Oher has been improving steadily as they start to build some cohesion together. There are still obvious talent concerns, but getting some time to gel is always good. The secondary has been dealing with adversity all season, but it has resulted in some good on the job training for Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez. Additionally, the extra film time provided by the week off is going to help the coaches gameplan against our weaknesses to the best of their ability.

Great silver linings right? Hey, I didn’t say I was going to blow rainbow unicorn dust up your backside, I was just going to give you SOMETHING to be happy about.

This week, we are going to avoid the traditional hot and cold sections and give everyone the benefit of the doubt and a fresh opportunity to make some impressions. They will be back next week. What I am going to give you, however, is something delicious to munch on while you watch the game... and it may be my most ridiculous thing yet.

Tater’s Gameday Food of the Week

I promised you ridiculous... and ridiculous means, don’t tell your cardiologist that you’ve ever been within 500 feet of these suckers.

Jalapeno Cheddar “Armadillo” Eggs

Ingredients

1 lb. Neese’s Sausage (or some inferior variant if you can’t get Neese’s)

5-6 Jalapeno Peppers, depending on size you may need more or less

4 oz. Cream Cheese (half a standard brick), softened (makes it easier)

1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

10-12 strips of bacon, again, depending on the number of eggs

black pepper, to taste

Directions

Start up the smoker and get it to around 250F. If you do not own a smoker, you can do these in the oven at 325F for about 40-45 minutes. Decapitate the jalapeno peppers, and scoop out the guts (membrane and seeds). Combine the cheeses and pepper in a mixing bowl. Fill the peppers with the cheese, this is easiest done by hand, wear gloves. Wrap each pepper in sausage until no pepper is visible, should be vaguely egg shaped. Then wrap the eggs in bacon, will likely take 2 strips per egg. Place the armadillo eggs in the smoker or oven. Smoke or Bake for about 2 hours. You want the temperature of the sausage meat to be 160F. If cheese starts leaking out, that is a good visual indicator.

I know this recipe sounds absolutely obscene... but in reality, is it any different from a hearty breakfast? A couple strips of bacon, some sausage, some cheese and peppers... all you need is an egg or two. That is how I justify them when I eat them, at least. Hope it helps. I will point out these are easier to eat with fork and knife.

Cheers to a better week of football from our team this week, and hopefully we might even pull a win out of this thing. Enjoy the armadillo eggs, and as always...

KEEP POUNDING.