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"A lot of our guys stay after to do the extra things, the little things,Cheap Jerseys NFL China," Rivera said. "A lot of our young players do the little things. Probably the one thing I wish is we could be better in the month of October or late September, that's for sure."
The Panthers started a franchise-record seven rookies on Sunday against Cleveland.
That momentum seems to have carried over.
Defensively, the Panthers start two rookies in the secondary in cornerback Bene Benwikere and Tre Boston. Rookie outside linebacker Adarius Glanton got his first start Sunday in place of the injured A.J. Klein.
"We talked about getting used to winning in December," Shula said. "Because that is what you are going to have to do to get in the postseason."
NOTES: The Panthers have activated defensive end Frank Alexander from the reserve/exempt list and placed wide receiver De'Andre Presley on injured reserve with a concussion. Anderson missed 14 games while serving consecutive suspensions for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
The Panthers have won 10 of their past 11 December games, including a 17-13 victory at home against Cleveland on Sunday.
Strong finishes have become commonplace since Rivera's arrival.
"We just had to tweak a couple things and by the time December rolled around, we were a team that was ready to roll,Air Max 90 Black And White Mens," Kuechly said. "We got hot at the right time. We've just got to keep rolling now."
Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said the players never stopped believing they could win the division.
The result is a team that looks different than the one that lined up opening day.
The Panthers, with nothing to play for, went 3-2 in December that season.
Instead of writing off the season, Rivera talked about building a foundation for the future.
Rivera inherited a team that went 2-14 in the year before and the Panthers got off to a rocky 3-8 start.
In the midst of a seven-game winless streak, the Panthers decided to begin playing younger — and in many cases,Cheap NBA Jerseys China, faster — players. They got rid of veteran wide receiver Jason Avant and cornerback Antoine Cason and benched safety Thomas DeCoud.
Rivera attributes Carolina's strong finish to incorporating younger players into the lineup late in the season,Cheap Authentic Jerseys Online, and his players putting in extra work on the field after practice.
"You get seven rookies on the field playing meaningful minutes at meaningful times in the game, that's a big number," Rivera said. "I thought they've all handled it well."
Philly Brown started alongside Kelvin Benjamin, giving the Panthers more speed at wide receiver. Guards Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner have helped shore up the offensive line.
Yes, the 6-8-1 Panthers.
"Believe me,Cheap Jerseys Paypal, I always said it — we're in it," Rivera said. "Again, I'm making no apologies for being in it."
Offensive coordinator Mike Shula said Rivera placed an emphasis on winning in his first season in 2011,wholesale jerseys.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have used another strong December push under fourth-year coach Ron Rivera to reclaim the NFC South division lead.
The Panthers are 14-3 in December games since Rivera took over as coach in 2011. Only Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have a better record (15-2), according to STATS.
Despite going more than two months without a victory this season, Carolina enters Week 17 in first place and needing a win or tie Sunday at Atlanta to repeat as division champions after climbing back into the playoff hunt with a 3-0 December. |
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