posted
12/16/11
Hey, what’s going on, people!
’Tis the season to be jolly, so let’s serve up some football with a side of my favorite entertainment of 2011.
This year has been a new learning experience for me. I’ve been available in the passing game a lot more and that’s been encouraging. I’ve always known that I have the ability to catch and run, so being part of these new passing schemes has been exciting. As I’ve said before, as a running back, you just want to get the ball in your hands, whatever way. But it’s different than following blockers into the line. You develop an awareness of where defenders are before the ball is thrown, and that way you can catch and turn upfield and do something.
Speaking of passing, since training camp, our rookie QB Cam Newton has naturally taken to the role of NFL quarterback, which is about being a leader. He wants to win big time and he’s learning the ins and outs, the ups and downs of being an NFL regular. They say there’s a rookie wall that you hit, but I haven’t seen him hit it. And he’s set quite a few rookie records in the process. When you have a player of his stature, a Heisman winner, you just want him to come in and play to the best of that obvious ability. He’s done that, and we absolutely have faith in him to lead the way forward.
We’re playing our last home game on Christmas Eve against Tampa, and although the goal is to win every game, we’d like nothing better than to win that game for the fans as a big Christmas present. They’ve always being encouraging, especially on my Twitter page, and also on the Panthers’ Facebook and Twitter pages. They’re expecting big things in the future. People always remember how you finish because they say you’re only as good as your last game. So we got to finish on an up beat!
Having clinched the Pac-12 Championship and earned a Rose Bowl berth, the Oregon Ducks players are finishing up their fall term and just kind of enjoying the break, even though they’re still practicing. But once Bowl Week comes, they gear it up again full throttle. And then they’re going to beat the Wisconsin Badgers, although those real badgers are something fierce out in the wild. But my Ducks will win, of course! Go Ducks!
