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Grantland: Why Steve Smith is the soul of the Panthers


JawnyBlaze

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http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/83083/why-34-year-old-steve-smith-is-still-the-soul-of-the-shiny-new-panthers

 

Great fluff piece by Grantland.

 

excerpt:

 

For most of this season, Aqib Talib has been the best player on the Patriots’ defense. Before missing New England’s past three games with an injury, he might have been the best cornerback in the league. Yesterday was his first game back, and Smith didn’t waste much time letting him know exactly what type of night it would be.

 

There are a lot of players for whom this type of poo would seem some combination of dirty and excessive, but for Smith, it has always felt one part insanity, two parts strategy. Watch Talib in that GIF. He loses his mind. The game was a few minutes old, and Smith had his feet up on an ottoman in Talib’s head. Belichick even had to take him off the field for a handful of plays to calm him down. There was another skirmish later on, but the damage was done. And the guy with the gold “C” on his chest had sent a very clear message to his very young team that the Panthers didn’t come to kiss anyone’s ring last night.

 

 

 

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Ive loved Smitty as long as he's been here. His production is slowing, as one would expect of a 34 year old reciever, but I appreciate him more and more with every game especially knowing the end of his career is near. He's the best player the Panther's have ever fielded and I love watching that man play!

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Aqib Talib (born February 13, 1986) is an American football cornerback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Kansas, and received All-American honors. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Talib was reported missing in November, 2013, after the Patriots' Monday Night Football Game against the Carolina Panthers on November 18, 2013. He was last seen partially conscious in an ice bath in the visitors' locker room.

 

Well done

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