Highlights from Wednesday’s press conferences
Coach Ron Rivera
RE: How much they looked at Ted Ginn’s ‘14 tape from Arizona before bringing him back
“We didn’t. We really didn’t have to. We had a good sense and feel for who he is for us. It’s funny is it’s one of the things that we talked about with our players is we love people for who they are here. And he fits what we do for whatever reason. You look at the tape from the other teams that he played on when we first looked at him in 2013 and we kept saying, ‘Man, he is going to help us. He is going to fit what we do.’ And lo and behold, he gets here and he does. This year, great example of guys that for whatever reason fits that things that we do well.”
RE: If he ever has to remind himself that Luke Kuechly is only 24 years old because of his leadership in the locker room
“Yes. I do because there is a certain type of maturity to who he is, his game, the way he plays the game, the way he handles things. You know, and I told the story last year, it’s Christmas Eve and this guy is in there watching tape. I asked him and he goes, ‘Coach, my family doesn’t get in until tomorrow afternoon so I have nowhere to go.’ I actually had to send him home eventually because he is so serious about who he is and what he wants to become. That is why he is so special.”
RE: If cold weather gives Panthers an advantage over a team from the desert
“It was interesting because a lot of people have made the comment that they’ve been at home I guess for the last four weeks, five weeks. The last few games have been at home. So, I don’t want to call it an advantage just as much as like when Seattle had to go to Minnesota. It’s an eye opener. It really is. So, for the most part, like I said, the conditions will be the same for both teams. It is going to be cold and if it’s raining, it’s raining and if it’s snowing, it’s snowing.”
RE: If he envisioned this success with Cam Newton
“Most certainly. That is why when I looked at everything that we went through my first year, that first draft, the second year and to the third. It’s not necessarily the way I wanted to get here. I was kind of hoping to have a better second season. But, the truth of the matter is where we are today, yeah, it’s part of the vision. That’s part of sustaining. You look at some coaches who have sustained over a period of time and try to figure out how they do it and try to learn from them, watch them and see those things. You try to become that. And when you marry yourself to a specific player and a specific position, as I look at it, I couldn’t have asked for two better young players in Luke (Kuechly) and Cam. It’s tremendous that we are in the type of situation that on both sides of the ball, you’ve got your primary lead. That’s great for being a coach.”
RE: How does Cam’s playoff experience play a role in this weekend’s game
“I think it’s huge and let’s not forget, as far as college football is concerned he’s been on the biggest stage of them all. So this is just another step for him and I think his experience of having been there and his appearances the last two seasons is going to really do good things for him just having been in that type of situation.”
RE: Regretting how he handled the week leading up to Week 16 in Atlanta
“The way things played out against the Giants and then dealing with having won the way we did and then all of the backlash that we got. That to me was, I guess was a distraction and that’s the thing that I try as a coach to try and make sure we’re not distracted. Unfortunately, I didn’t do as well as a job as I needed to. Like I’ve said, it would be interesting to see where we would be like if we were still undefeated. I just wonder. I can’t help it but it will always be something I’ll always wonder as a head coach.”
RE: How he has helped this team be able to maintain their personalities and still stay focused
“I think it’s about getting the right guys in the building because a lot of those guys are the ones that direct it. I mean I always go back to the Cortland Finnegan acquisition. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much work we put in to finding out who he is and then Cortland gets here and you always wonder will the players accept him. Well the first day he’s here Luke (Kuechly) puts his arm around him and they go to dinner. I mean that’s the type of locker room that you want. You want guys who are going to accept people and work with them and make sure they understand you don’t need to be this guy or that guy, you need to be one of us and I think that’s important.”