Fri, Jan 23, 2004 page8

• No one seems to know what exactly makes big cats tick

  • AP
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  Everything was going well until John Fox was asked about his quarterback, "Jack" Delhomme.

  "Jake," Fox muttered. "His name is Jake."

  Face it, Coach, your Carolina Panthers are a mystery to most everyone.

  "Really, people don't know us, that's why we don't have any big stars," Fox said Wednesday. "I think it's a matter of time, and I think we have probably opened some eyes thus far. It just takes time to build that name."

  The gaffe clearly irritated Fox. Yet it's an easy mistake to make with a team that will play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 -- despite a dearth of marquee names.

  The Panthers are driven by defense, with a young line anchored by end Julius Peppers. Recognizable in North Carolina because he was a two-sport star for the Tar Heels, he can walk the streets of most major cities unnoticed. His most starlike moment might have been a cameo in a popular video by rapper Nelly.

  The offense is centered around Stephen Davis, who should be known as three-time Pro Bowl running back. But he shuns the spotlight and is prone to peek his head out of the training room door to make sure cameras are gone before he enters the locker room.

  Delhomme was a career backup before this season -- he even was a backup in NFL Europe at one point -- and clearly is still a long way away from becoming a household name.

  "This is a bland team with no stars," defensive tackle Brentson Buckner said. "But we don't want no stars. We don't need no stars."

  But make no mistake, the Panthers are a team full of personality, beginning with Buckner. The unofficial team spokesman, he holds court daily in front of his locker until every question is answered. And when he gets going, he rivals Don King in showmanship.

  "I'm the people's champ!" he screamed in Philadelphia last week as he hoisted the NFC championship trophy.

  "I've got the belt! I'm the champ!"

  At the other end of the locker room is backup quarterback Rodney Peete. As well known for his 14 years in the league as he is for his marriage to actress Holly Robinson, Peete is a pseudo-Hollywood star. He's been to movie premieres with Madonna, dinner parties with Arnold Schwarzenegger and claims Jennifer Lopez is a neighbor in California.

  Does he know Denzel Washington?

  "Please," Peete smirked. "Don't insult me. Denzel's my boy."

  With his trendy fashion sense and sunglasses, Peete looks more like a movie star than a football player. He plays the part, too.

  "Rodney Peete is definitely the most famous person I know," Delhomme once said. "He knows everyone, and everyone knows him."

  But the roster's real characters are the role players.

  There's punter Todd Sauerbrun, who enjoys standing over returners after taking them down with bruising tackles. Or two class clowns in special teamers Jarrod Cooper and Rod Smart -- aka "He Hate Me" of the one-season XFL.

  "There is no doubt `Coop' and `Hate' are the craziest dudes in this locker room," safety Deon Grant said. "Those two are the guys from that movie `Dumb and Dumber.' They are so stupid."

  Smart leads the way. All showman, he once took a national television crew into a local grocery store to film him rolling frozen turkeys down the aisles.
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