Greg Bailey NewsChannel 36 Sports Director

Watching the Panthers yell, whoop, holler and hug in the locker room Sunday I thought back to something that Michael Strahan said recently about the Giants' run to last year's Super Bowl title.

The soon to be hall of fame defensive end said, "We liked being around one another so much that we just didn't want the ride to end." The Panthers have that same feeling.

I've talked about this all season on the news: the Panthers have the right mix and the right "it" to go places in the playoffs. Muhsin Muhammad talked about veteran leadership and the willingness of the young players to listen and buy in. The difference between last year's locker room and this year's locker room is night and day. Moose is a big part of that, and so is a healthy Jake Delhomme. Add in emerging players like Chris Harris, and Jon Beason and Carolina is stacked with players who are effective and accountable.

That's one of the great truths in sports: you can't really lead unless you can deliver on the field of play. Sure, the Panthers have battled injuries, but none of them have crippled the team's leaders. This team is primed for a run, and just like everybody else I can't wait to see what they'll do next.

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