The Atlanta Falcons surprised NFL fans on Wednesday morning with a surprise unveiling of their new uniforms. The team tweeted out a video showing off the seven combinations of potential home and away outfits. This revelation excited many Falcons fans, but one of their NFC South rivals were far less impressed.
The Carolina Panthers tweeted out a video on Wednesday afternoon that showed the organization’s reaction to the new uniforms. The camera zoomed in on a laptop playing the unveiling video while an unidentified man could be heard laughing. The camera then moved to a door, which opened and showed actor Adam Sandler. The image used was from the football-themed comedy remake, The Longest Yard.
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https://t.co/p3KLugxW1o pic.twitter.com/KJAzCARsUT
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 8, 2020
“All in good fun, fam,” the Panthers social media team tweeted out. However, the fans did not accept this teasing and immediately responded with a variety of comments. Some said that the Panthers are 2-8 in the last 10 matchups with the Falcons while others said that the team would be going 4-12 in 2020 after they released Cam Newton.
The Atlanta Falcons were not content to let their fans respond after the unprompted attack on their new uniforms, which were the result of two years of work. The team retweeted the Panthers’ video and wrote: “shine THRU the SHADE.” This is a phrase that Newton has written a multitude of times on his Instagram account. The Falcons also drove the point home by using the funky font that Newton uses across his social media accounts.
The argument between fanbases did not end with the shade on Wednesday afternoon. Those that root for the Panthers referred to the Falcons as a “loser franchise” and continued to bring up Super Bowl LI and the 25-point lead that the team gave up to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Those that support the Falcons, on the other hand, responded by saying that the Panthers “did Newton dirty” when they cut him. Several also posted videos of wide receiver Julio Jones singlehandedly defeating Carolina’s defense.
Neither the Falcons or Panthers found much success during the 2019 season after finishing 7-9 and 5-11, respectively. Both teams struggled with injuries to key players and faced questions about their heads coaches throughout the season. The Falcons retained Dan Quinn while the Panthers fired Ron Rivera. Future success is not guaranteed but both teams are entering 2020 with big changes.
The Panthers will have a new head coach in Matt Rhule and a new quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater. The Falcons, on the other hand, will be relying on new running back Todd Gurley and their fresh, new looks. Whether or not these changes lead to success remains to be seen, but the two franchises are already competing with each other on social media.
