Keep Pounding: Panthers Poised For First Super Bowl Victory

SANTA CLARA, CA — The Carolina Panthers thought they’d be here all along, even if no one else did.

Before the season, few would have picked them as the representatives of the NFC. Most thought the Seahawks, hungry after being so close last year, with a battle-tested core and restocked with a dangerous offensive weapon in Jimmy Graham would make a third straight appearance. Or the Cardinals, with their athletic secondary and speedy receivers would have enough. Or even the Packers, riding the arm of Aaron Rodgers even without the services of Jordy Nelson. Even within their own division, the Atlanta Falcons were the trendy pick for a resurgent season, riding a healthy Julio Jones to the promised land. Few would have picked Carolina, especially with their pre-season loss of No.1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, but Panthers knew all along they had make it to Super Bowl 50. To overcome the doubters, they simply needed to follow their mantra: Keep Pounding.

Now they stand one win away from proving every naysayer wrong, from transforming themselves from a much mocked “playoff” team from last season to the undisputed best team in all of football. A 15-1 regular season, No.1 overall seed, and NFC Championship are sweet: but there is one more game to go. One more stage to put on a show, to display the dominance they have showcased over 16 games. But with what characters do the Panthers take the stage?

With a quarterback/bulldozer in Cam Newton who smiles, dances, and laughs all while taking more of a pounding than any other player in the NFL (both on and off the field), running through defenders, soaring over goal lines, and launching rockets  with impossible velocity. How does 3,837 passing yards and 35 pass TDs to go with 636 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs feel?

MVP-like?

You might be right.

With a cornerback in Josh Norman, whom not many had heard of before the year had started. Norman held together a thin and battered secondary while putting his money where is mouth was, spouting an edgier version of his quarterback’s playful antics, all the while shutting down the NFL’s top receivers on a weekly basis.

With a left tackle in Michael Oher most viewed as washed up and not worth any real money before this season, who is finally escaping the limelight (and accompanying pressure) that followed his Hollywood chronicled story, and able to “bask” in not having his name mentioned — as all good lineman shoot for.

With a receiving corps led by a tight end; Greg Olson’s career has seen a renaissance after being traded to Carolina, posting a consecutive thousand yard season, blocking in the Panthers’ relentless running attack, and being Cam Newton’s security blanket over and over again.

With two of the greatest linebackers in Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, the latter of which has overcome three torn ACLs and intends to play in the Super Bowl with a broken forearm. Nobody tell him this isn’t hockey; the pair fly around the field, intercepting passes and smashing ball carriers with a ferociousness that brings to mind recent great contemporary pairs Urlacher-Briggs or Lewis-Suggs.

The Panthers will be favored Sunday against the Denver Broncos, perhaps by as much as a touchdown by the time the game rolls around. But they aren’t listening to what anyone else is saying.

Why would they?

They haven’t as a team all year, and some of them haven’t been listening their whole careers. Why stop and worry now? They’re just here to have fun.

Well, that and of course to just keep pounding.