Josh Norman has so much respect for Peyton Manning that he plans a little tribute to the quarterback during Super Bowl 50 . . . if he is able to come away with an interception. “I’m probably going to bow to him,” the Panthers cornerback told reporters on Thursday of how he plans to celebrate any potential picks in the Feb. 7 game. “That’s how much I really think about the guy.”
Super Bowl
For many of the young Panthers defenders, facing the Broncos in the Super Bowl gives them a chance to play against a living legend. Manning, 39, will be the oldest quarterback ever to start a Super Bowl game, but he was on his way to breaking NFL records while many of the Panthers were still in high school or even younger. Interactive: Super Bowl 50 matchups: Who has the edge? “You spend your life watching him, Peyton Manning, so it’s going to be cool,” linebacker Luke Kuechly said. “That’s PM, that’s P freaking M, the guy you’ve been idolizing,” Norman said. “I’ve played the Colts on the game system . . . This is the guy we’re facing, man.” Although there may be some stargazing and some bowing, the Panthers are trying to focus not on meeting Manning but on beating Manning. Kuechly, the All-Pro middle linebacker, will be matching wits with a quarterback who is the Ace of Audibles, the Maestro of Motions. Manning’s physical skills may be somewhat diminished, but his mental skills are still on point. “He’s still Peyton,” Kuechly said. “He’s still up there. He’s still got all the hand signals, all the code words. He’s adjusting everything, getting everybody lined up. He’s still Peyton, I don’t care what anybody says.” Not all of the players have experience facing Manning, but coach Ron Rivera does. He was the defensive coordinator for the Bears when they lost to Manning and the Colts in Super Bowl XLI. “You see the same guy,” Rivera said. “He’s going to know you, and he’s going to understand how to attack you. He’s a very smart, bright football player. He wants to undress the defense as quick as possible and get a feel for where they’re going. It’s really a great chess match. It’s quarterback against defense.” The biggest issue the Panthers will have is trying to figure out which of Manning’s gyrations and shouts are real and which are dummy calls. For almost two decades, that has been one of the biggest mysteries in the NFL. “I told him one time, ‘I hope you write a book and tell us all the truth,’ ” Rivera said. Until then, there is no Rosetta Stone for translating Manning. The Panthers will have some of their own tricks, of course. But they won’t rely on too many of them. “There isn’t a lot of back and forth because you don’t know what he’s checking or what he’s doing,” Kuechly said. “Maybe he’s checking nothing. With him, you think you’re onto something and then you find something that discredits it. Maybe one time he’s saying this word and I’ve seen it two or three times and it’s right, it’s right, it’s right — then the fourth time it’s wrong. Well, that’s done now. “At the end of the day, you just have to play.” And, the Panthers hope, get a chance to bow once or twice. Davis ready. Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis told reporters he had a metal plate attached to his forearm with “11 or 12” screws during surgery on Monday and that he will wear a Kevlar brace to protect the area, but he has no fear of reinjuring himself by playing in Super Bowl 50. “If I had concerns about hitting somebody or getting hit, I wouldn’t even take the field,” he said. “It’s not even going to be something I think about one bit. I’m going to go out there and play the game like I’ve always played it: fast, hard and aggressive. That’s the mindset. That’s what I have to do.” Davis has yet to practice since he fractured his arm in Sunday’s NFC title game against the Cardinals and had the surgery on Monday morning. Rookie Shaq Thompson would likely start if Davis is unable to play, but he insists he will. “Man, even bigger than me having this opportunity, I want to go out and play for my team because I know I can help the team,” Davis said. “That’s what it’s all about.” - Newsday