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January 26, 2004
Panthers' Super Send-off
Opening leg of trip to Houston draws crowd of 10,000 fans
By Joe Menzer | JOURNAL REPORTER
HOUSTON
America, the Carolina Panthers have landed in Houston.
The epic event occurred last night at about 5:50 p.m. local time, roughly one hour later than scheduled because of the foul, wintry weather that the Panthers left behind in Charlotte. By the time they reached their hotel - the Wyndham Greenspoint - kickoff for Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots was less than one full week away.
But once they landed and checked into their rooms, all Coach John Fox and a handful of selected players who met with the media seemed to want to talk about was the sendoff they received when they left Charlotte.
"We had about 10,000 fans send us off in Charlotte," Fox said. "That means a lot to us. We're going to try to make them proud."
Place-kicker John Kasay, the lone original Panther remaining on the roster from the team that began NFL play as an expansion franchise in 1995, said that after all that has happened to the team in recent years - from off-the-field troubles involving players to a 1-15 season just two years ago - this is a time to soak up every minute of the current experience.
"One of the guys (in the organization) who writes for our Internet (site) commented when we were coming in that this is almost a surreal experience," Kasay said. "And I can understand why you would come to that conclusion because of what has happened in the last three or four years - and now how we've turned it around. This is a great opportunity. So we're going to try to enjoy each moment and see how it turns out."
Charlie Dayton, the team's director of communications, said that everyone on the team bus was surprised by the crowds the lined the streets of uptown Charlotte. The Panthers almost did not make the planned tour of city streets because of the inclement weather that ended up delaying their departure by an hour.
"Oh my gosh. It was so cold, and the streets were already iced over," Dayton said. "I think they even thought about canceling it, and then they were like, 'No, there's no way of getting the word out.' So they decided to go ahead and do it.
"And especially when we were near the center of town at Trade and Tryon (Streets), I was stunned.... It was just wall-to-wall people. It was something. I think the players, everyone, was taken aback. We were thinking, 'Well, should we even go up there?' And it was crazy. It was really neat, and I don't know how long they had been out there, but it was awhile."
After arriving in Houston, Fox strode confidently to the podium to address the assembled media that appeared to be at least 150 strong - despite the fact that most of the national media has yet to arrive. Fox wore a ring commemorating his last and only other Super Bowl appearance as a coach, and he wore it as a reminder that it wasn't the type of ring he hopes to wear following Super Bowl XXXVIII.
"This is probably the first time this has been out of the box," Fox said of the ring he was given for being defensive coordinator of the New York Giants when they made Super Bowl XXXV in January of 2001. The Giants lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34-7, and Fox made it clear that this time he would like to walk away with the more elaborate winner's ring on his finger.
Linebacker Will Witherspoon added: "This is fun, coming here and having all these fans make such a fuss about us.... But this is also a situation where you definitely don't want to come out of it with your head hanging low because you lost."
About the only news coming from the Panthers' meeting with the media was Fox's admission that running back Stephen Davis, who has been battling a strained quadriceps injury, is healthy and ready to play. Fox said that Davis likely would return to the practice field today when the Panthers hold a light workout for about 90 minutes at the University of Houston, and he added that Davis looks so good that he probably will be removed from the team's weekly injury report altogether.
Davis said his attitude and that of his teammates was that they have arrived in town to complete some unfinished business.
"The thing we have to remember is that the game is the most important thing. We have to block everything else out," Davis said.
Across town from where the Panthers made themselves comfortable and met with the Super Bowl media for the first time, the Patriots were doing the same at the Inter-Continental Hotel.
Among many other things, quarterback Tom Brady of New England was asked what he would say if his starting counterpart with the Panthers, Jake Delhomme, came to him and asked for advice about playing in pro football's biggest game.
"He doesn't need advice from me," Brady replied. "He is in the freakin' Super Bowl. What does he need advice from me for?"
Amen. And this is just the start of the week-long Super Bowl media feeding frenzy.
• Joe Menzer can be reached at jmenzer@wsjournal.com