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Panthers DT Buckner leaves his mark on Media Day
By: Steve Reed
Gazette Sports Reporter
HOUSTON — Media Day was made for players like Brentson Buckner.
So when Buckner arrived at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday wearing more than $200,000 worth of diamonds and silver, you knew he was anxious to exchange banter with some of the 2,500 members of the media on hand.
The first question asked of the Carolina Panthers veteran defensive tackle was, with all that jewelry he had on, where exactly he plans to wear his Super Bowl ring if the Panthers beat the New England Patriots on Sunday.
With that, Buckner smiled and pointed to the middle finger on his right hand.
“That is going to be for all the people that doubted us. So then when I show it to them …” Buckner said extending only his middle finger.
“Oh no, you didn’t just do that,” a female television reporter said.
“Oh yes I did,” Buckner said.
With that, the show was on.
Buckner was the first Carolina player to make his way to the podium Tuesday and the last to leave.
Known as the Panthers unofficial team spokesman, Buckner spoke for more than an hour, answering questions ranging from his choice of jewelry to the Panthers having the best defensive line in the NFL, while touching on all points in between.
And, he enjoyed every minute of it.
Yes, the Denver Broncos may have Shannon Sharpe and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have Warren Sapp, but the Panthers have Buckner.
As Buckner talked and talked, backup defensive end Al Wallace stood alone a few feet away with his arms folded over his chest and a smile on his face, watching the showman in action.
“He’s a media beast,” Wallace said of Buckner. “Put the lights on and put a microphone in front of him and he’ll go from now until the start of the game. He lives for this. This is his day.
“You know you get the butterflies before a big game? Well, I’m sure he was in his hotel room before Media Day rehearsing his lines and getting ready to tell the world about the Carolina Panthers.”
Around his neck Buckner wore two silver necklaces with “dog tags” hanging from them, one with his name and the other with the names of his three children. He had a pair of three-carat diamond earrings in his ears, a silver bracelet on his right arm, a silver wedding ring with diamonds, and a lavishly tacky $100,000 diamond-studded watch on his left wrist on loan from a jewelry dealer in Atlanta.
It was all part of the show, but Buckner admitted, “I would trade in all of this for that one Super Bowl ring — that’s what I’m looking for.”
Buckner answered more than 50 questions in all, and here were some of the highlights:
n On the winter storm that hit Charlotte earlier this week: “They said that it would take hell to freeze over for the Carolina Panthers to make the Super Bowl. Well, when we left Charlotte we felt like the process was already started.”
n On what is the best nickname for the Panthers defensive line: “The Carolina Panthers defensive line. We haven’t did anything yet. We don’t worry about nicknames. We want to be known as the Carolina defensive line.”
n On how the Buckner name has never been popular among Boston sports fans ever since Bill Buckner allowed a ball to slip through his legs in Game 6 of the ’96 World Series: “I want people to believe that the curse really lives. On Sunday it will be my chance to show the Boston people the curse really lives.”
n On the Pittsburgh Steelers trading him to Kansas City earlier in his career: “I didn’t want to go there. I felt that Bill Cowher didn’t like me, but he traded me to Marty Schottenheimer, his best friend. That’s the way I think they were trying to get me out of the league. But it didn’t kill me, it made me stronger.”
n On playing football: “I wouldn’t play for anybody else but (Patriots head coach) Bill Belichick or coach John Fox, because of their coaching minds. Their defense, their toughness; that’s what football is all about. Coach Fox and Coach Belichick believe in stopping the run, running the ball and just lining up and playing smash-mouth football.”
n On beating Tampa Bay in Week 2: “It was a big launching pad for us. Those guys were the kings of the world. It was their first home game coming back with the Lombardi Trophy, and to go in there and win the way we did, we realized if we can beat those guys in that environment on that stage, we have a chance to be special.”
n On if Warren Sapp, who was at Media Day working for the NFL Network, had asked him any questions: “No, I think he’s hiding from me.”
n On who has the best defensive line in the NFL: “Carolina Panthers. That was my response before the season and it isn’t going to change now.”
n On the best part of playing one season for the Cincinnati Bengals: “Driving down I-75 and seeing the city limits sign getting smaller and smaller in my rear-view mirror.”
n And, on himself: “I bring knowledge to the group. I bring things they might not know because they’re young. They like to call me the coach on the field. I help break down the things the coach says and I can relate it to them as a player.”
For Buckner, Media Day seemed to end all too early.
Even after players were told to leave interview session and head across the field for a team picture, Buckner stuck around as long as he could answering questions.
“I love this,” Buckner said. “This is what it’s all about. This is your reward, standing here with a chance to be crowned the best in the world at what you do. And people want to know how you got here, why you got here and who you are. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m relishing the moment.”
Classic stuff there.
By: Steve Reed
Gazette Sports Reporter
HOUSTON — Media Day was made for players like Brentson Buckner.
So when Buckner arrived at Reliant Stadium on Tuesday wearing more than $200,000 worth of diamonds and silver, you knew he was anxious to exchange banter with some of the 2,500 members of the media on hand.
The first question asked of the Carolina Panthers veteran defensive tackle was, with all that jewelry he had on, where exactly he plans to wear his Super Bowl ring if the Panthers beat the New England Patriots on Sunday.
With that, Buckner smiled and pointed to the middle finger on his right hand.
“That is going to be for all the people that doubted us. So then when I show it to them …” Buckner said extending only his middle finger.
“Oh no, you didn’t just do that,” a female television reporter said.
“Oh yes I did,” Buckner said.
With that, the show was on.
Buckner was the first Carolina player to make his way to the podium Tuesday and the last to leave.
Known as the Panthers unofficial team spokesman, Buckner spoke for more than an hour, answering questions ranging from his choice of jewelry to the Panthers having the best defensive line in the NFL, while touching on all points in between.
And, he enjoyed every minute of it.
Yes, the Denver Broncos may have Shannon Sharpe and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have Warren Sapp, but the Panthers have Buckner.
As Buckner talked and talked, backup defensive end Al Wallace stood alone a few feet away with his arms folded over his chest and a smile on his face, watching the showman in action.
“He’s a media beast,” Wallace said of Buckner. “Put the lights on and put a microphone in front of him and he’ll go from now until the start of the game. He lives for this. This is his day.
“You know you get the butterflies before a big game? Well, I’m sure he was in his hotel room before Media Day rehearsing his lines and getting ready to tell the world about the Carolina Panthers.”
Around his neck Buckner wore two silver necklaces with “dog tags” hanging from them, one with his name and the other with the names of his three children. He had a pair of three-carat diamond earrings in his ears, a silver bracelet on his right arm, a silver wedding ring with diamonds, and a lavishly tacky $100,000 diamond-studded watch on his left wrist on loan from a jewelry dealer in Atlanta.
It was all part of the show, but Buckner admitted, “I would trade in all of this for that one Super Bowl ring — that’s what I’m looking for.”
Buckner answered more than 50 questions in all, and here were some of the highlights:
n On the winter storm that hit Charlotte earlier this week: “They said that it would take hell to freeze over for the Carolina Panthers to make the Super Bowl. Well, when we left Charlotte we felt like the process was already started.”
n On what is the best nickname for the Panthers defensive line: “The Carolina Panthers defensive line. We haven’t did anything yet. We don’t worry about nicknames. We want to be known as the Carolina defensive line.”
n On how the Buckner name has never been popular among Boston sports fans ever since Bill Buckner allowed a ball to slip through his legs in Game 6 of the ’96 World Series: “I want people to believe that the curse really lives. On Sunday it will be my chance to show the Boston people the curse really lives.”
n On the Pittsburgh Steelers trading him to Kansas City earlier in his career: “I didn’t want to go there. I felt that Bill Cowher didn’t like me, but he traded me to Marty Schottenheimer, his best friend. That’s the way I think they were trying to get me out of the league. But it didn’t kill me, it made me stronger.”
n On playing football: “I wouldn’t play for anybody else but (Patriots head coach) Bill Belichick or coach John Fox, because of their coaching minds. Their defense, their toughness; that’s what football is all about. Coach Fox and Coach Belichick believe in stopping the run, running the ball and just lining up and playing smash-mouth football.”
n On beating Tampa Bay in Week 2: “It was a big launching pad for us. Those guys were the kings of the world. It was their first home game coming back with the Lombardi Trophy, and to go in there and win the way we did, we realized if we can beat those guys in that environment on that stage, we have a chance to be special.”
n On if Warren Sapp, who was at Media Day working for the NFL Network, had asked him any questions: “No, I think he’s hiding from me.”
n On who has the best defensive line in the NFL: “Carolina Panthers. That was my response before the season and it isn’t going to change now.”
n On the best part of playing one season for the Cincinnati Bengals: “Driving down I-75 and seeing the city limits sign getting smaller and smaller in my rear-view mirror.”
n And, on himself: “I bring knowledge to the group. I bring things they might not know because they’re young. They like to call me the coach on the field. I help break down the things the coach says and I can relate it to them as a player.”
For Buckner, Media Day seemed to end all too early.
Even after players were told to leave interview session and head across the field for a team picture, Buckner stuck around as long as he could answering questions.
“I love this,” Buckner said. “This is what it’s all about. This is your reward, standing here with a chance to be crowned the best in the world at what you do. And people want to know how you got here, why you got here and who you are. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m relishing the moment.”
Classic stuff there.
