4B
SPORTSH'he Charlotte Post
Thursday, December 9 1997
Panthers earn respect, title chance
Carolina’s winning
streak grows to 7
Continued from 1B
out and play in the second half like we’ve done all year at Ericsson
Stadium, and our guys hung in there and kept fighting and made
the plays to win the football game.”
Next up is a Packers team that has been the league’s standard
for most of the season. Although the Panthers’ run has been
unlikely to aU but the most optimistic supporters, there’s a sense
that Carolina can do whatever it takes to win. One more victory
and a trip to New Orleans is theirs.
“The second half of the season, we won seven games in a row,”
Capers send. “I felt the last two weeks our players could go out and
win this game. Nothing this team does surprises me.
“We have a group of veteran players who give us outstanding
leadership, we have a group of yovmg players that are improving,
and we have a group that believes in themselves.”
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Running back Anthony Johnson came up big for Caroiina, rushing for 104 yards, 24 better than Dailas’ Emmitt Smith.
Cowboys’ season flops at end
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Continued from 1B
got four years’ probation.
Irvin, a big tear streaming
down his cheek, hugged Jones,
and mumbled, “I’m sorry. ...
I’m sorry.”
A red-eyed Jones, the
Cowboys’ season of discontent
now over, grabbed Irvin
around the shoulders and said,
“I know. ... I know.... We’ll talk
later.”
Sanders spent the night in
the Carolinas Medical Center
but results of a CAT Scan were
negative and he returned to
Dallas Tuesday.
“Everything bad happened,”
said offensive tackle Nate
Newton. “It was like we had
fate or something agadnst us
this year.”
Quarterback Troy Aikman
said the loss of Irvin threw the
offense for a big loss in the 26-
17 whipping by Carolina.
“The injury hurt and then we
lost Deion Sanders in the
fourth quarter and that hurt
some more,” Aikman said.
“Still, we had our opportuni
ties. I missed some throws. We
had some throws dropped. We
couldn’t score touchdowns and
had to settle for field goals. It
was that way all year.”
Aikman said the Cowboys
went about as far as they could
go, considering the almost
weekly distractions.
“Considering what we went
through this year, we gave it a
good battle,” said Aikman, who
was intercepted three times.
“It was disappointing. It could
have been a much better year.”
‘We didn’t make things hap
pen, and that’s, the bottom
line,” running back Emmitt
Smith said. We were down
there three times and didn’t
score touchdowns. We had to
settle for field goals. That was
the story all year. We strug
gled all season 2md struggled
(Sunday).”
Dallas coach Barry Switzer
said, “We battled against
tough odds. It was the same
old story we had all year long,
and it finally caught up with
us. We got into scoring posi
tion, but had to kick field
goals.”
Switzer said he would be
back to try to put ever3^hing
together again next season.
“That’s bad news for some of
Frozen tundra looms large
By Joe Macenka
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The high-fives, cheering and
cigars gave way to film study
Monday as the Carolina
Panthers put their first-ever
playoff victory behind them
and turned their attention to
Green Bay.
“The Dallas game is done. It’s
over with,” comerback Eric
Davis told reporters after the
Panthers held a team meeting
and reviewed videotape. Well
let you guys think about it. It’s
water imder the bridge. It’s
not going to help one bit think
ing about it. We’ve got the big,
bad Packers coming up now.”
Carolina’s 26-17 victory over
the defending Super Bowl
champion Cowboys earned the
Panthers a trip to Green Bay
for Sunday’s NFC champi
onship game.
Sunday’s victory over Dallas
was the ninth in as many
home games for the Panthers,
and it meant Carolina (13-4)
will go to Wisconsin riding an
eight-game winning streak.
Green Bay (14-3) has won 17
consecutive games at
Lambeau Field. Oddsmakers
initially listed the Packers as
10-point favorites to run their
streak to 18 against Carolina.
“I don’t know if there’s any
body in the league who has
more of a home-field advan
tage,” Panthers coach Dom
Capers said of the Packers.
“But we’ve been in this situa
tion aU year long in terms of
being an underdog. Our play
ers will prepare hke they have
the last eight weeks. Our
preparation has been out-
st£mding, and I think it’s car
ried over to the way we’ve
played on Sundays.”
The Panthers are taking
their failure to escape the
underdog role and using it as a
battle cry.
“It’s like a personal insult.
Maybe it’s because we’re a new
franchise,” hnebacker Carlton
Bailey said. “But that doesn’t
matter. We lined up, we played
against good football teams
and we won. We’re 13-4.
Bottom Une”
Wide receiver WilUe Green
sounded a similar theme, not
ing that when the Panthers
won the NFC West, everyone
considered it a surprise. When
Green Bay captured the NFC
Central, everyone considered
it a given.
And while the Packers have
been talked about all season as
a Super Bowl contender, the
Panthers remain nothing more
than overachieving upstarts in
the eyes of most people.
“You have to respect them.
Their record speaks for itself,”
Green said. “But at the same
time, there’s no pressure on us.
All the pressure’s on them,
because who expected us to get
this far?”
Like many of the Panthers,
Green was preparing himself
for the likelihood of inhos
pitable weather in Green Bay.
In their 33-game history, the
Panthers have never played in
a game where the temperature
at kickoff was below 34
degrees. The long-range fore
cast for Sunday calls for a
chance of single-digit readings.
“Don’t hke the cold; never
have,” said Green, a native of
Athens, Ga. “I’m planning on
bundling up. I’m putting
everything on.”
Everything?
“Everything but fur, baby.”
The busiest person in
Carolina’s locker room
Monday was equipment man
ager Jackie Miles.
“We’re going to pack the
house,” Miles said. “We’re
going to pack ever5rthing imag
inable to prepare for every con
dition.”
Even in the best possible
weather conditions, however,
the Panthers are still going to
have to contend with a formi
dable opponent in an imposing
setting.
“All you have to do is look at
their record,” Capers said,
“and I think that tells you a lit
tle bit about how tough it is to
play there.”
you, I know,” he S£dd.
Aikman refused to say he
would definitely be back.
“As long as I enjoy myself
and this team is committed to
winning I’ll keep playing,”
Aikman said. “I’ll have to eval
uate these things.”
Aikman said the image
black-eye the Cowboys
received could influence his
decision.
“It could be a part of it,” he
said. “I’m ashamed about some
of the things that happened
this year from an image stand
point. I’ll have a talk with
Jerry at some point about it.”
But Aikman added, “I don’t
really see any reason why I
won’t be back.”
It was the only good news the
Cowboys got in Charlotte.
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Dodgers, history are up for sale
Continued from 2B
Stevenson said. “They have a
sense of caring, a sense of pride...
“I’d just hate to see that flavor
disappear by some company
coming in and bu3dng them.”
Leo Neal, whose imcle, Charlie
Neal, played for the Dodgers
from 1956-61, was stunned at
the news.
“I think it’s bad,” Neal said.
“The players will no longer play
like a family, but like a business.
It’s aU about money now, not
about spirit.”
Local coundhnan Joel Wachs
also expressed discontent with
the commercialization of sports,
and win mourn the end of the
OMaUe/s control.
“It’s going to be a great loss, I
don’t think some corporate enti
ty can come in and replace
them,” Wachs said. “They really
ran their operation in ihe best
way possible.”
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Catch the action on a g’ X12’ Pantheramic video wall
Tailgate flood and beverages available
Live band following the game n'm;,
The party begins at 11:CC am on
Sunday, January 12
Game time — 12:30 pm
Parking available at
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.Jill
[TheOttieial]
When the Panthers
win, celebrate with
indoor fireworks.
PANTHER
PARTY ZONE
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