Cam Newton's first-down celebration seems to be spreading among the Panthers' offense. Ted Ginn and Mike Tolbert emulated Newton's point in the first two weeks of the season, and last Sunday, Devin Funchess did the same. But the rookie receiver recently revealed it's something he learned before coming to Carolina.
"I used to do it back when I was wearing 87 at school. Just to let them know we're going to keep the sticks moving," Funchess said Thursday. "Cam put a little more swag to it, so I've been trying to steal some of that swag."
Funchess, who wore three numbers in as many seasons at Michigan — 19 as a freshman, 87 as a sophomore and 1 as a junior — hasn't had many reasons to chirp so far as a pro. He's caught just one pass in each of his first three games, but all have picked up first downs. And his grab against the Saints, when he held on despite taking a crushing but illegal hit by fellow rookie Stephone Anthony, is arguably the Panthers' most impressive catch of the season.
"I told him that’s the play of the game," tight end Greg Olsen said. "Those plays in crunchtime and in the fourth quarter you just have to hang on and take those shots. That’s what were paid to do. For a young kid to come in, that was critical."
That's a lofty statement from Olsen, who outproduced Funchess by 120 yards and two scores. But including the penalty on Anthony, Funchess' catch advanced the Panthers 29 yards. Five plays later, Newton scored what would be the eventual game-winning touchdown.
"When guys make tough plays, especially a play in traffic for a wide receiver like that, it's an uplifting, confidence building," coach Ron Rivera said.
"It was very important for Devin to be able to make that kind of play in that kind of traffic and take that kind of hit, and I think that's just another step in his development."
As early as the season is, one catch doesn't make up for Funchess' underwhelming stats. His 38 receiving yards ties him for 12th among all rookies, and while he hasn't yet scored, seven of his peers have. The last time he found the end zone was nearly a year ago, in Michigan's mid-October win against Penn State.
Funchess needs to get better at picking up reads, getting off the jam and being more active with his hands. But at the very least, his lone catch against the Saints showed his fearlessness.
"I've never been scared about going across the middle. I've always had that weight to help me better than some of the little guys and take some of the blow off," Funchess said.
"Some people don't know what it's like to get hit like that. It's like, 'He got crushed, I want to see how he held onto the ball.' Then I just let them know I'm all good. Put a smile on my face and mark first down."