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The Carolina Panthers made an issue of what they perceived to be disrespect from the Dallas Cowboys before their NFC wild-card meeting two weeks ago. But this week they have had nothing but nice things to say about the Eagles.
Until rookie cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. went on a sports-talk radio show yesterday.
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The third-round pick out of UCLA, who was promoting his own Web site, said he wasn't too concerned about the wideouts the Eagles will send against him and the Panthers' secondary in Sunday's NFC championship game. Tickets
"I'm definitely not impressed by their receivers," he said.
Then, after predicting a Carolina victory, Manning suggested that Philadelphia's
25-16 victory on Nov. 30 meant little.
"They haven't seen our 'A' game yet," Manning said. "This week
they will."
Back home. Dan Morgan, the former first-round draft pick who starts at linebacker
for the Panthers, began his football career in Delaware County.
Morgan, 25, grew up in Clifton Heights, where he was a running back and linebacker
with the Clifton Heights Boys Club teams in the Bert Bell League. After he played
one year at Upper Darby High, his parents moved to Florida.
"I was an Eagles fan but I was more a Dolphins fan," said Morgan,
who played collegiately at Miami. "I was a big [Dan] Marino fan... . There
were a lot of Dolphins and Cowboys fans in Delaware County then.
"It would have been great if we played here this week, but either way I
couldn't lose. I'm getting to go back to my hometown, playing in a playoff game
where I used to watch when I was a little kid... . All my family is still there.
Everyone but my parents."
Focus, focus. Since Fox was the New York Giants' defensive coordinator when
they made their run to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2000 season, did he
have any advice for his Panthers as they approached the championship game?
"Basically, I explained to our team that, with all of you [the media] here,
the game gets bigger on the outside," Fox said. "We'll try to stay
the same on the inside, our preparation, our focus, trying not to be distracted.
I think all of those are important factors the bigger the games get."
The Panthers' coach also told his young players that they have to move past
the afterglow of last weekend's double-overtime win in St. Louis.
"They need to refocus and get ready, and not have a warm, fuzzy feeling
about this last game," he said. "They need to start getting on to
the next one."
Notes. The Panthers were off yesterday. Fox said he should know today whether
injured running back Stephen Davis (quadriceps) will be able to practice this
week... . Special-teams player Jarrod Cooper, who sat out the St. Louis win
with a sore hamstring, will play this week... . Ex-Eagles guard Doug Brzezinski
has been warning teammates, many of whom have not played in Philadelphia, about
Eagles fans. "I told them those people are the craziest," he said.