Carolina has only seven active players who have gone through the long, wild week before next Sunday’s kickoff at Levi’s Stadium. Denver has 18 such players, and 15 were on its active roster for Super Bowl XLVIII two years ago.
“I have never seen experience play in a game,” Seattle corner Richard Sherman said early that week in New Jersey.
He was right.
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The Seahawks blew out the Broncos in that game, and just one Seattle player had any kind of Super Bowl experience.
While the 2015 Panthers don’t have as much experience as the Broncos, they have enough. And more importantly, they have the right kind.
Carolina will burst on the Super Bowl stage with a trickle-down swagger led by MVP quarterback-to-be Cam Newton. That confidence was a big part of their 17-1 dominance this season, hand in hand with their talented young nucleus.
Digging deeper into Denver’s roster, Peyton Manning is the only player who has won a Super Bowl. Carolina can trump that with three champions: tight end Ed Dickson and tackle Michael Oher on offense, safety Roman Harper on defense.
Dickson and Oher helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII three years ago. Harper’s Saints bested Manning’s Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
“Once you settle in, it’s like any other game,” Dickson told Sporting News of his prior experience. “It’s just the margin of error is pretty minimal. We’re excited and living in the moment, but we’re focused.
“The main thing is to be yourself. Don’t treat it any bigger than what it is.”
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In the week leading up to the Ravens’ 34-31 win over the 49ers in New Orleans, Dickson absorbed everything Super Bowl he could. Now in role of the wily veteran, Dickson has advised his younger Panthers teammates.
“It’s just managing that whole week, because it’s going to be crazy. Family’s going to be pulling at you, fans are going to be pulling at you,” Dickson said. “It’s dealing with that stuff earlier in the week. Then later in the week, it’s worrying about the game, visualizing the plays you’re actually going to make in the game.”
Harper was a single young player when his Saints beat the Colts in South Florida six years ago. Now a husband and a father with some grizzle, Harper is happy the Panthers got well ahead of their Super Bowl 50 game preparation before diving into the week of Super Bowl 50 hype.
“Once you get to the bowl site, it’s pretty hectic” Harper said. “You’re not on your normal schedule. You’re under the powers of others when it comes to media and all the other obligations.”
The Panthers will have to adjust to the unfamiliarity of practicing far from home. Oher’s advice, based on his time with the Ravens, is to accelerate the process to make everything feel normal.
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“We’ve got to treat it like a regular week. We have to go out there and do the exact same things. If you’ve got a routine, try to continue the same routine,” Oher said.
The Panthers have done a good job silencing outside noise all season. They’ll need to raise that to a new level in advance of Super Bowl 50.
“You don’t get caught up in everything around you,” said Oher. “There’s going to be a ton of distractions. It’s going to be easier to go in the other direction.”
