Greg Bailey NewsChannel 36 Sports Director

Panthers guard Geoff Hangartner wore a stocking cap and a big smile. He was glad to see a friendly face in the snow and glad to be at the Meadowlands. Hangartner and the Panthers strolled into a covered field next door to Giants Stadium for a walkthrough on Saturday night.

It's not like John Fox has never done this before, but this is different. The stage is different and more important the stakes are different. Instead of sitting around and waiting for the game of the year Fox and the Panthers got after it. They still held the usual meetings, but the match up with the Giants demanded something more.

Welcome to one of, if not, the biggest regular season game in Panthers history.

Here's what you need to know:

The field is covered in snow, but a supervisor named Lius at the Meadowlands told us that the plows will run all night if they are needed. And besides, the field itself has a cover on top of it, a lot like a tarp that you'd see on a baseball diamond, but it's separated into several pieces. Unless heavy snow falls all day and night Sunday the field won't be much of a factor.

New York is ready. The back page on one of the papers (the Post?) quotes one of the Giants linemen, "It's time to put up or shut up." The city is pumped Sunday night.

The Panthers equipment staff has EVERYTHING that the team could possibly need. They will be as warm as they can be and they have enough shoes with enough different cleats that the weather alone won't sink Carolina.

That said it will be COLD Sunday. Watch for us starting Sunday morning on NewsChannel 36, and right through the pre-game special at 6. Panthers Gameday wraps it all up after the game on NBC/NewsChannel 36 at 8. Nowhere I'd rather be.

Last Few Notes:

Thanks to everybody at Steve's Sizzlin Steaks. This is a New Jersey institution a mile or so from the stadium. Opened in 1936 and Steve's daughter still works hard to make sure it's great. Great steaks and great service. It's an old hunting lodge that Steve's wife secretly bought and then made famous. Everyone could not have been nicer. When we told them we were from Charlotte they all perked up, but only with playful jabs. It's got wood paneling everywhere with original photos of hunting for trophies and fishing for sharks (really). Great stuff with photos of everyone famous who's ever had a meal there. Go if you ever have a chance.

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