Linebacker Na'il Diggs walks out of Bank of America Stadium Monday morning for the final time this season and instinctively braces for the cold.
Like Green Bay, I tell him.
"Getting there," says Diggs, who played his first six seasons for the Packers.
After their final meeting, the players scatter. Tight end Gary Barnidge is the first to leave.
Players wear hoodies, jackets, coats and, in the case of rookie running back Tyrell Sutton, colorfu baggy pants that look like pajamas.
The media, which began to gather before 8 a.m., waits. We lean against the building, pull our caps down and our scarves up, guzzle hot coffee and hold tape recorders and take notes with numb hands. Mine hands are numb, anyway. I can't write with my gloves on.
We ask some players to stop and talk. As far as I can tell, all but two do, and one talks when he reaches his car.
"It will be the same answers as last time," says quarterback Jake Delhomme.
Different questions, I tell him.
"Same answers," he says.
He's right. He is consistent. He wants to be back next season and expects to be.
Quarterback Matt Moore does. Linebacker Jon Beason does. Tackle Jordan Gross does.
Asked what head coach John Fox told them, Gross says, "Save your money."
There's a good chance that owners will lock out players after the 2010 season.
Brad Hoover walks out wearing his helmet. He's neither riding a motorcycle nor making a statement. The helmet is easier to wear than to carry, he says.
Not all the players who asked to talk agree to..
"Got a minute?" I ask Steve Smith.
"Nope," Smith says without breaking stride.
Julius Peppers walks out of the stadium, a green garbage bag full of his stuff dangling from his left hand. With him is fellow defensive end Charles Johnson. The media follows Peppers. At least 10 men and women follow the big man to his blue Maserati. Johnson, who is free of reporters, watches the scene and laughs.
Peppers opens the trunk and throws in the garbage bag. In the trunk of a Maserati, even a garbage bag looks elegant.
On the way to his BMW 340-pound defensive tackle Hollis Thomas looks at the crowd outside Peppers' car.
"It's too cold out here to try to get a story," he says.
If there's an alternative, big man, tell me what it is.
And hurry.
fox and delhomme should be history
the only thing worse than the delhomme extension last yr, would be to allow him back again.
moore is all we need with our rb's.
Posted by: Sean May | January 04, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Anyone that thinks Matt Moore is the quarterback to lead this team to a Championship deserves another season like the one we just had.I'm not saying that Jack should be the Qb either. What i am saying is they have to look other place's for a championship Qb.
Posted by: Rodney Tucker | January 04, 2010 at 02:03 PM
Rodney, I agree to an extent. I don't think they can win a championship (would love to be wrong) next year with Moore, but I can see potential in him to be the guy that can get it done. I like him to start and I think he can get us to the playoffs, albeit a wildcard.
Posted by: Gut | January 04, 2010 at 02:57 PM
Canned Fox anyone! ,served on a slice stubborness with a side of Clue-less-ness and wash it down with glass of mediocrity! and for dessert a slice of humble "pink slip" pie!
Posted by: hellfish | January 04, 2010 at 04:08 PM
The arrogant Steve Smith....he loves the attention otherwise he would have cleaned out his locker earlier. What a fraud.
Posted by: Brad | January 04, 2010 at 04:19 PM
Fox will be back next season (no coach has done more for this team, look at the record)
Start Moore at QB, rework Jakes contract and keep him as a back up.
As for Peppers, I would rather have him with us than play against him. Besides it's not my money.
Posted by: Steve | January 04, 2010 at 05:23 PM
Everything you all are saying about Moore was also said about Tom Brady before he took the Pats to their first superbowl. Something to ponder on. I agree with Steve on his post. They owe Jake too much money to dump him. Cantwell has alot of raw talent that needs to be develope. Those are your three QB's for next year and a very DARN good three to have.
Posted by: Crazy T | January 04, 2010 at 08:15 PM
These Jake hater nerds are nauseating. Who was the sorry worthless punk who badgered Fox in the post game interview with the first Jake hater question and didnt stop running his idiot trap? Too bad Fox or Jake couldnt punch a punk like that in the mouth and bust a couple teeth out to teach him a life lesson.
Never allow little skinny pukey nerd punks to take over. This is why school or neighborhood bullies always served a beneficial purpose to society and that was to teach these mouthy punks a lesson.
Maybe Jake can confront the punk gayboy questioner reporter outside and help him out one day. These anti-bullying laws are no good. Wussies need to know their place in society.
Posted by: WusTrainer | January 05, 2010 at 07:53 AM
yes keep peppers, start matt moore, we have the team, just got to use them the right way and if fox cant do that get rid of him, to much talent to be sitting at home.
Posted by: sonny | January 05, 2010 at 08:45 AM
Wus, you are an idiot.
Posted by: SSGPat | January 05, 2010 at 09:18 AM
More like a moron if you ask me...hey WusTrainer, stop being a punk yourself and gabbing like a school girl! Fox needs to be badgered as to why he kept Delhomme in the lineup for so long when he's been on the decline for the last few years (outside of the 2 games he played before blowing out his elbow). Slow down on the roids and you'll be able to formulate better thoughts and hopefully convey them. A half decent or better QB leading this team from the beginning of the season and we're still playing ball this weekend...so Fox has to answer for that unless you accept mediocrity.
Posted by: NFL247 | January 05, 2010 at 02:19 PM
Its easy to scapegoat pile on a player who while others get a free pass.
Some schmucks refuse to understand football is a team sport with 11 on the field on off and def and each has a unique spec job on every play and if they fail can destroy the entire play.
There are tons of things that can go wrong and then theres the opposing team who will smoke you.
A missed block tackle or wrong move can destroy everything in a flash. Everything must be clicking on all 8 cylinders in perfect syncronization and calibration as def and off change in a split sec forcing adjustments.
Too blame a proven highly exper talented single player is laughable ignorance to the max. Sure the QB is the main playmaker but there are many other factors to consider such as a short WR for starters. Hindsight is 20/20 but narrowminded ignorance is 100/100.
If you gonna play the blame game then spread the manure around as it should be.
Posted by: Zeus | January 06, 2010 at 08:29 AM