Stories of the cold

[Sir Purr]

Carrier, then one of the team's starting wide receivers, knew a little bit about being uncomfortable.


Not growing up, no; he was from a normal place (Louisiana), and then was fortunate enough to get drafted by Tampa Bay. That meant annual trips to Green Bay and Chicago as part of the old NFC Central, but at least he was a visitor, and the games in Detroit and Minnesota were inside. Signing with Cleveland as a free agent in 1993 made it his way of life, so coming to the expansion Panthers in 1995 got him back to his preferred climate.


As a guy who catches flying things and then tries to run away from people for a living, it turns out that having control of your extremities helped.


"The biggest thing was just trying to feel your fingers and your toes," Carrier said, adding that it wasn't nearly as simple as it sounded.


Carrier was like many players, who tried a number of methods to keep his precious hands and feet warm. Glove technology wasn't what it is today, so many guys didn't wear them. But everyone wore socks. Lots of socks. And then more socks. Insulated socks with heating inserts. Plastic bags over the first pair of socks, then more socks, in hopes of keeping the first pair dry (even if that did create a bit of a foot terrarium when you began to sweat).


The veteran wideout even went to the extreme of sprinkling cayenne pepper on his feet, hoping for a chemical reaction.


"That didn't really kick in until after the game," Carrier said with a laugh. "All I know is for three hours or however long the plane ride home was, my toes were on fire."


Still, when he went out for warmups, he tried to minimize the conditions.


"I mean, it was a big game, and we were all so pumped, so hyped to be there in our second year," Carrier recalled. "I said, 'You know what, I'll show them.' So I get ready for pre-game warmups, and I'm going to go out there with no sleeves on, show off the guns, show them it wasn't going to bother me.


"When I ran out of the tunnel and onto the field, I made it to about the 20-yard line and said, 'Nope.'"