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February 1, 2004
Panthers Notebook
Delhomme escaping shadow of college; D-line will have to monitor backs' pace
COMPILED BY JOHN DELL
• Unlike his counterpart, Tom Brady, quarterback Jake Delhomme of the Panthers remains a relative unknown.
Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad said that might be because there's too much emphasis put on what a quarterback does in college.
"The quarterback position is definitely the hardest position on the field, and if a guy proves himself at that position, he should be paid accordingly," Muhammad said. "You have to know what everybody is doing."
Delhomme, who played at Louisiana-Lafayette, has been just what the Panthers needed.
"Jake is a smart guy and is a fierce competitor, and he has a knack for making big plays," Muhammad said.
• Part of the challenge for the Panthers defensive line tonight will be the change of pace between the Patriots running backs, Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk.
Defensive tackle Shane Burton said that the Panthers have faced similar teams this season.
"It seems like a lot of teams are going that way in that you have your power runner, downhill runner in Antowain Smith," Burton said. "He gets the ball, and he's headed downhill immediately.
"Then you have Kevin Faulk. We have to be on our toes when they change it up and put Faulk in."
• One of Panthers' strengths is defense, and it's a young core that Burton is excited about.
"If you look at our defense, you have (Julius) Peppers, who's a second-year guy, (Mike) Rucker is a four-year guy, Dan Morgan is a third-year guy, Ricky Manning Jr. is a rookie, Will Witherspoon is a second-year guy," Burton said.
"That's the heart of our defense right there, and these guys are going to be around for a long time."
• Delhomme had a conversation with quarterback Peyton Manning of Indianapolis last week but said he didn't get much detail about the Colts loss to the Patriots in the AFC championship game.
"I was watching film, and he called to congratulate me, and as a matter of fact, I was watching some of their game at the time (he called)," Delhomme said.
Delhomme said that Manning didn't go into detail about the loss.
"He said 'They played a little better than us, we didn't play that well,'" Delhomme said. "But other than that, we didn't get into it too much."
• The Panthers still have 20 players from the team that went 1-15 and ended the 2001 season with a 38-6 loss to the Patriots, including safety Mike Minter.
"We didn't want to break the record for losing the most consecutive games in a season," Minter said. "We got thumped, and we felt bad. That's probably the lowest point of my career.
"Now it's totally different."
• Brentson Buckner, one of the most entertaining storytellers last week, was asked if a Super Bowl win would make the Panthers more popular than Ric Flair, once one of the top entertainers in professional wrestling.
"That is hard," Buckner said. "Ric wore a championship belt 13 times. We might get to hang out with him a little bit.
"We won't become as big, but we will be on the 'A' list when it comes to parties."
Defensive end Mike Rucker said that there's no way the Panthers would be more popular than Flair.
"Ric is an icon, not only in Charlotte, but all the way across the world," Rucker said. "I remember as a kid watching him."
• Stephen Davis, who was born and raised in Spartanburg, S.C., said he owes a lot of his success to his mother's keeping him out of trouble.
"She was always there for me," Davis said.
"It's amazing for her to raise five kids on her own, struggling. I'm just happy that I'm in a situation where I can help her anytime she needs it."
• Buckner, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they lost Super Bowl XXX to the Dallas Cowboys, said everywhere he goes, people are talking about how big of an underdog the Panthers are. He said that a win tonight will change all that.
"If you pick up the papers, we are not the Carolina Panthers," said Buckner, who played at Clemson, "we are New England's opponent. If you go out there and win, you will get all (the attention) you want."
• One of Ricky Manning Jr.'s brothers might be clairvoyant.
Manning, a rookie, said he went to the Super Bowl last year because he was a big Oakland Raiders fan.
"This year, it's not a dream, it's a fantasy to be in the Super Bowl the following year," Manning said. "One of my brothers said, 'You could be in the Super Bowl next year,' and I was like, 'Yeah right, whatever.' But here I am."
• Coach John Fox took to calling Rod Smart by a nickname earlier this year, but it wasn't "He Hate Me." Fox called him "Maxwell" but said that the joke was lost on Smart.... Since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978, wide receiver Steve Smith is the only player with at least 1,900 combined net yards in each of his first three seasons.... The Panthers have won nine games this season by seven points or less, one shy of tying the NFL record set by the Houston Oilers in 1978.