"This is the guy who taught me everything"

[tiger7_88]

I loved that line from this article (linked below), Kony Ealy referring to Jared Allen.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000628041/article/panthers-team-effort-on-and-off-field-propels-them-to-sb50

Quote

 

In a jubilant postgame locker room, a kid in a wheelchair, decked out in a brand newCarolina Panthers conference championship hat and T-shirt, came by the defensive line area.

Second-year end Kony Ealy introduced him to grizzled vet Jared Allen not by name, but by simply saying, "This is the guy that taught me everything." And it turns out that's being reciprocated big-time.

Just being here is teaching Allen plenty.

 

Plenty of people (me included) sometimes whine about the "lack of production" from some of the grizzled vets like CJ, Allen, Harper, etc.  But those vets are here (or were brought in) for a BIGGER purpose than "production" (though obviously any production would be nice).  Sometimes, one of the most valuable things that they can contribute is EXAMPLE.

And that "example" that they provide leads directly to what Rivera refers to here: player ownership.

Quote

 

Just as important, though, was how all those pieces fit together, and not just from a football standpoint.

"There are so many things this group has gone through," said Rivera on Saturday afternoon. "The ups. The downs. This year, in camp, they handled a bunch of tough situations. It was the way they handled the loss of Kelvin Benjamin. Then, there was the dustup between Josh Norman and Cam (Newton). They get in a fight, and they came to me and said, 'We got it. We're good.' And so I never even brought it up in a team meeting. I never had to any of that with these guys."

Rivera continued, "I learned from Mike Ditka that players have to take ownership. It looks like these guys have taken ownership. The weeks go on, and they are who they are."

 

I love this team.

[Mr. Scot]

Similar things said about Roman Harper.

[w280sax]

I think jared allen was a great trade both for his solid play (especially down the stretch) and also as a teacher and leader.

[Mr. Scot]

People overlook what veterans can do for younger players.

Thankfully, Gettleman knows.

[t96]

I love how Rivera didn't even address the team at half, he left it up to Cam. Our entire team understands how to be a team and it's truly spectacular.

[PandaPancake]

6 minutes ago, thomas96 said:

I love how Rivera didn't even address the team at half, he left it up to Cam. Our entire team understands how to be a team and it's truly spectacular.

I'm very happy with that. It shows leadership. I'm sure with Rivera's love of the military he saw this as the leader of the team stepping into his role. Knowing when to lead and knowing when to step back and let your men do their job is amazing.