If you're a Carolina Panthers fan, you are feeling good about yourself today.

You've got visions of Jonathan Stewart taking a handoff from Jake Delhomme on first-and-10, running past the pancake block thrown by Jeff Otah and gaining 8 yards. Then you're thinking about Delhomme, on second-and-2, dropping back on play-action and slinging a deep sideline pass to D.J. Hackett for 15 and a first down.

"Wow!" the TV announcer says. "Stewart looks like the real deal, Delhomme's arm is better than ever and the Panthers are actually showing some offensive creativity!"

It's like that in 32 NFL cities today. How could any of these new draft picks fail? How could any of the new free agents? They all look so good on ESPN!

Your team hasn't lost a game for four months and won't lose one that matters for another four. Everywhere today, NFL officials are serving up sunshine as a main course and rainbows as the side dish, and their fans are eagerly asking for seconds.

But with the Panthers, it would be wise to curb your enthusiasm a bit. Remember, this is a team that has missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons (going 15-17) and in four of John Fox's six years.

If you pull one thread the wrong way on the upcoming season -- specifically, if Delhomme's throwing elbow doesn't recover or Julius Peppers remains Julius Average or the injury buzz saw starts whirring again -- it could unravel quickly. By next season, Fox and general manager Marty Hurney could be gone and Bill Cowher could be grumbling about the fact he doesn't have a 2009 first-round draft choice because Fox and Hurney traded it away Saturday.

With that warning, let me say that I agree with most of what the Panthers have done over the past three months. After mistakenly standing pat for much of the 2007 offseason, the Panthers have been far more aggressive in 2008. They parted ways with David Carr, Dan Morgan, Mike Wahle and DeShaun Foster. All of that was very justified and, in the case of Foster and Morgan, overdue.

And the Panthers' draft picks this past week -- mostly made with an eye toward the physical running game they talk a lot about but haven't really had except for one of Fox's six seasons -- look good on paper.

Then again, Eric Shelton looked good on paper. So did Jason Peter, Dwayne Jarrett and Rae Carruth. The Panthers have made lousy and lovely picks throughout their history, but have never strung together quite enough good picks to win a Super Bowl.

Fox said Sunday night he felt like a college coach does after recruiting season ends. You like what you think you've got, but you're not sure of anything until you see them on the field in pads (or, in Carruth's case, off the field in handcuffs).

So enjoy the moment, Panthers fans. Dream all you like. But remember this: In Panthers Land, what you want and what you get are often two very different things.

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