CHARLOTTE – The rain came down in sheets, but neither Panthers fans nor Carolina's players showed any signs of dampened spirits.
"It was pouring down rain when we came on the field, and there were so many people in the stands," fullback Mike Tolbert said following Friday night's Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium. "That's support, for them to stick through that and watch us practice. Hopefully we did them proud."
More than 40,000 fans headed home happy after a physical practice and a dazzling fireworks extravaganza. The Panthers' head coach headed home happy, too.