Sackem90
Misplaced Panthers Fan
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First with Davis:
Thomas Davis Q&A
April 23, 2005
Panthers.com
Q&A with Carolina Panthers first-round draft choice Thomas Davis, safety, Georgia.
On being drafted by the Panthers: I am extremely overwhelmed. To be drafted by a team like the Panthers is a great honor for me.
On what position he will play: I don't think they have decided what position I'll play. Coach Fox said the staff is going to put me in the best position to help me as well as the team.
On being compared to Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks and Dallas safety Roy Willams: It's great. It puts a lot of expectations on you, and I am looking forward to coming in and living up to them.
On the Panthers defense: I've had an opportunity to watch the Panthers defense on a few occasions. They have guys like Will Witherspoon, Julius Peppers, Ricky Manning, Jr. and Mike Minter. They have great guys on their defense, so I definitely feel like they have a great defense.
On if he had spoken to former Georgia teammate Will Witherspoon: I haven't had a chance to sit down and speak with Will. I talked to him when I came up for my visit, but it wasn't really a lot of talk about the Panthers.
On if he had any idea how interested Carolina was in him: No. A lot of teams said how interested they were, but you never really know until the day gets here and your name is called.
On his strengths: I feel like I am an overall football player, whether it is special teams or going out and playing hard and fast on defense. I feel like I have a lot to offer to this team.
On tackling: Get to the ball with bad intentions.
On his speed and quickness: I am definitely a guy who is very instinctive and goes out and plays very fast all of the time.
On how comfortable he would be playing linebacker: I would be very comfortable with that. Once I know what position I am going to be playing, I can devote myself solely to that position. If I am going to be put in a situation where I could possibly play both of them, then I will be good at that, too. I am just looking forward to seeing what Coach Fox and his staff is expecting of me.
On growing up in Shellman, GA: It was very fun growing up in Shellman. It is basically like a retirement town. I am looking forward to reaching new heights in Carolina. It is going to be a much bigger city than where I am from.
On what it was like waiting to be drafted: I was sitting around with my family and friends from my hometown. We were just having a get together, anticipating my name being called. Once Carolina finally made that call, it was a great feeling for us.
On his best game in college: I would probably have to say a game against Alabama in 2003. I created several different situations that allowed our offense to get the ball back like causing a fumble on a sack. I even scored a touchdown on special teams. I recovered a blocked kick and ran it in the end zone.
On what he likes to do away from football: I like to spend time with my family. That's the main focus for me when I'm not playing the game of football. I am closest to my mom, my sister, my father and my son, Denim. He is 16 months old.
On fatherhood: It definitely changes your life by having a person that you have to support. You are no longer a 21-year-old college student. Now you are a 21-year-old college student with a kid that you have to support. It is definitely a different situation and it makes you become a man very fast.
On if having a young child influenced his decision to turn pro early: That was the main focus for me. That was the reason why I made the decision that I made.
On the different positions he has played throughout his career: My coaches have put me in positions where my coaches have felt I can contribute the most to our team. The same went for Georgia, playing safety and linebacker. I felt like Coach was confident in my ability to play either position. I definitely feel comfortable playing those positions and if I have to do that again, I will be more than willing.
On if he played free or strong safety at Georgia: At Georgia, our safeties were interchangeable. We never had a title for free or strong. We just played according to how a team came out and lined up on offense. I think that helped our defense out a lot by throwing quarterbacks off since they did not know where we would be rotating down to.
Thomas Davis Q&A
April 23, 2005
Panthers.com
Q&A with Carolina Panthers first-round draft choice Thomas Davis, safety, Georgia.
On being drafted by the Panthers: I am extremely overwhelmed. To be drafted by a team like the Panthers is a great honor for me.
On what position he will play: I don't think they have decided what position I'll play. Coach Fox said the staff is going to put me in the best position to help me as well as the team.
On being compared to Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks and Dallas safety Roy Willams: It's great. It puts a lot of expectations on you, and I am looking forward to coming in and living up to them.
On the Panthers defense: I've had an opportunity to watch the Panthers defense on a few occasions. They have guys like Will Witherspoon, Julius Peppers, Ricky Manning, Jr. and Mike Minter. They have great guys on their defense, so I definitely feel like they have a great defense.
On if he had spoken to former Georgia teammate Will Witherspoon: I haven't had a chance to sit down and speak with Will. I talked to him when I came up for my visit, but it wasn't really a lot of talk about the Panthers.
On if he had any idea how interested Carolina was in him: No. A lot of teams said how interested they were, but you never really know until the day gets here and your name is called.
On his strengths: I feel like I am an overall football player, whether it is special teams or going out and playing hard and fast on defense. I feel like I have a lot to offer to this team.
On tackling: Get to the ball with bad intentions.
On his speed and quickness: I am definitely a guy who is very instinctive and goes out and plays very fast all of the time.
On how comfortable he would be playing linebacker: I would be very comfortable with that. Once I know what position I am going to be playing, I can devote myself solely to that position. If I am going to be put in a situation where I could possibly play both of them, then I will be good at that, too. I am just looking forward to seeing what Coach Fox and his staff is expecting of me.
On growing up in Shellman, GA: It was very fun growing up in Shellman. It is basically like a retirement town. I am looking forward to reaching new heights in Carolina. It is going to be a much bigger city than where I am from.
On what it was like waiting to be drafted: I was sitting around with my family and friends from my hometown. We were just having a get together, anticipating my name being called. Once Carolina finally made that call, it was a great feeling for us.
On his best game in college: I would probably have to say a game against Alabama in 2003. I created several different situations that allowed our offense to get the ball back like causing a fumble on a sack. I even scored a touchdown on special teams. I recovered a blocked kick and ran it in the end zone.
On what he likes to do away from football: I like to spend time with my family. That's the main focus for me when I'm not playing the game of football. I am closest to my mom, my sister, my father and my son, Denim. He is 16 months old.
On fatherhood: It definitely changes your life by having a person that you have to support. You are no longer a 21-year-old college student. Now you are a 21-year-old college student with a kid that you have to support. It is definitely a different situation and it makes you become a man very fast.
On if having a young child influenced his decision to turn pro early: That was the main focus for me. That was the reason why I made the decision that I made.
On the different positions he has played throughout his career: My coaches have put me in positions where my coaches have felt I can contribute the most to our team. The same went for Georgia, playing safety and linebacker. I felt like Coach was confident in my ability to play either position. I definitely feel comfortable playing those positions and if I have to do that again, I will be more than willing.
On if he played free or strong safety at Georgia: At Georgia, our safeties were interchangeable. We never had a title for free or strong. We just played according to how a team came out and lined up on offense. I think that helped our defense out a lot by throwing quarterbacks off since they did not know where we would be rotating down to.
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