TABLE OF CONTENTS Defense at Its Best 9 Two States One Team 17 Fox Leads the Cats 24 Super Bowl Bound 37 Cam Comes on Board 41 GRIDIRON GREATS Steve’s Sprint 11 When Size Doesn’t Matter 14 Spicing Things Up 19 Fourth-Quarter Confidence 26 An Armor-Piercing Performance 32 A New Middle Name 42 Team Stats 47 Websites 47 Index 48
Linebackers Thomas Davis Jon Beason and Na’il Diggs DEFENSE AT ITS BEST The Carolina Panthers impressed football experts in 1996 The Panthers were an expansion team in the National Football League NFL It was just their second year New teams in any pro sport normally need several years to develop But the Panthers won five of their first nine games that year Amazingly they also won their next six games They knocked off the San Francisco 49ers during the streak This was important Going into the final regular-season game Carolina and San Francisco were tied atop the National Football Conference NFC Western Division The division champion would have a first-round bye in the play-offs play-offs That team would also host the second round The Panthers had beaten 9
