Derrick Brown: "I couldn't be more excited to be a Panther."

[Sir Purr]

"I never worried about getting hurt. I pushed through and just kept going and going and going, and trying to step up and be that leader that I always knew I could be," Brown said. "When it came time to decide to play in the Outback Bowl, it was never a question. My teammates elected me a captain so I was going to finish my season. They put me in a position to lead them, and I was going to finish and not cut the job short."


Brown seemed to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, too, when asked how he would describe himself as a player.


"Everyone wants to say I'm a run-stuffer — well, I do it all," Brown said. "You can go back and watch my tape. I had the most sacks. The league I played in was a lot compared to the NFL. It's just one of those things where I think I'm a three-down player, and I'm not here to sit there and try to make everybody like me, but I'm here to do what I do."


Hurney and Rhule said they see Brown in the same way — a three-down player who can push the pocket in known-passing situations. And that's going to be important in the NFC South, which features high-level quarterbacks on the Panthers three opponents.