Giving the No Fun League a run for its money
CHARLOTTE — Yes, the Carolina Panthers are loud. They’re brash. They can be a little cocky. And your point is? The Panthers figured out how to be funloving, laid back and in your face, all at the same time, and that formula has taken them all the way to the Super Bowl. If you think they’re going to change who they are now, you’re going to be disappointed. “We’re going to do what we do. We’re going to stick to what got us here,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday. “We’re going to keep our personality.” As well they should. The Panthers have gotten more than a little heat this year from folks who say they don’t show the proper decorum for the game. That Cam Newton showboats too much. That they spend too much time dabbing and dancing. Oh, please. The NFL is so focused on adding more billions to its bottom line that it seems to have forgotten this is still, you know, a game. Penalizing players for harmless — and entertaining — touchdown celebrations. Fining them for being “out of uniform” because they’re trying to raise cancer awareness or honour a parent who died. Strict rules and regulations governing everything from coin flips — sorry, tosses — to, well, everything. It’s mocked as the No Fun League for a reason, and never has the derisive moniker been more deserved. But the Panthers have managed to inject a little fresh air into their stuffy and stodgy surroundings. While traditionalists can appreciate a defence that is stingier than Scrooge, Carolina’s high-octane offence is tailor-made for Generation Next. After spending hours upon hours binging on Madden, young NFL fans (read: the ones who will be bankrolling the league for the next 50 years) get to see the video game brought to life in the form of Newton and the Panthers. Check out Newton’s somersaulting touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night. Or Philly Brown’s ridiculous 86-yard TD catch. The guy flew down the field so quickly it’s a wonder Arizona’s defensive backs weren’t checking themselves for burn marks afterward. Best of all, however, is the perspective the Panthers have managed to maintain about what they do. This isn’t rocket science, despite Bill Belichick’s physics lessons at this time last year. Nor are they saving lives or finding a cure for cancer. They’re playing a game. It’s a job, of course, and they haven’t lost sight of that fact. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have — shouldn’t have — some fun while they’re at it. So when the Panthers are well on their way to a rout, as they were in Sunday night’s NFC title game, yes, they’re going to take a few seconds during a late timeout and pose for group photos. When a storm drops several inches of snow and ice on Charlotte, yes, Newton is going to throw a few snowballs and make some snow angels. And when he scores a touchdown, you better bet he’s going to celebrate. Rivera learned early in his career that a team can have personality and play well. He was a linebacker on the 1985 Chicago Bears — a team so cocky it recorded the Super Bowl Shuffle the day after its only loss in the regular season. That worked out OK for the Bears, who went on to hammer the New England Patriots for Chicago’s only Super Bowl title. So why not for Rivera’s current team? “They’ve got to continue to keep their personality and keep who they are. That to me is important,” Rivera said. “You start talking to people about how to do these next couple of weeks. Teams start to say, ‘We should think about doing this, think about doing that.’ “Wait a minute guys, let’s stick to what we’ve done. That’s what got us to where we are,” Rivera said. “That’s going to be my emphasis.” The Panthers have an attitude and a personality that works for them. Quite well. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem, not theirs.