The guy who sealed the Carolina Panthers' divisional playoff win over Seattle gets picked on.
"They give him crap," says cornerback Josh Norman. "I think [tight end Greg Olsen] gives him the most crap.
Is that true?
"In the beginning, I did," admits Olsen.
Why?
"Because he plays defense."
Poor Thomas Davis.
"All the time they joke about it," he says. "The first time I went out, everyone was like, 'Why is TD out there? We want somebody with hands.'"
Davis has become a rarity this season — a linebacker who's trusted to catch a bouncing ball on the hands team. Few noticed he recovered an onside kick late in the Panthers' Thanksgiving feast at Dallas. His snag of Seattle's last-ditch effort Sunday was impossible to miss.
"I'm glad he was there today," says Olsen.
Adds Norman, "I think he made a believer out of everyone there."
The Seahawks' effort was nearly identical to the onside kick they recovered during their miracle comeback against the Packers in last year's NFC Championship. On that play, Green Bay tight end Brandon Bostick, who was supposed to block, instead watched the ball bounce off his hands after he tried to catch it.
Sunday, linebacker Luke Kuechly was on the front line. His job was to block, and that's what he did.
"They kicked it to that same side and (special teams coach) Bruce DeHaven and (assistant special teams coach Russ Purnell) have done a great job of saying do your job and whatever your job is, do it," Kuechly said. "I had that in my mind and I knew I had Thomas behind me and I knew as long as I did my job, Thomas was going to get the ball."
As a rookie 10 years ago, Davis had a limited role when the Panthers lost the NFC Championship in Seattle. When he held onto that bouncing ball Sunday, the longest-tenured Panther gave himself a second shot at the Super Bowl.
"I'm going to give everything I have to this team to make sure I come away with that football," Davis said.
But not everyone was raving about him postgame.
After admitting he's given Davis a hard time, quarterback Cam Newton stumped for himself.
"I was always wondering why I’m not all-hands team? I catch the ball every single shotgun snap," says Newton, glancing down at his huge paws.
"I’m telling you, these hands are tailgate approved, much appreciated. No gloves either, know what I’m saying? No artificial, just straight organic hands. You don’t see that a lot of times, this day in age."
You don't see linebackers make the play Davis did, either. So you have to feel at least a bit bad, right?
"I don’t feel bad."
Why's that?
"TD is Charlotte’s sweetheart."
Fair point. And that love is even stronger after Sunday.