Take care of home at all costs.
That’s what team ambassador and security guard John Coleman reminds the team whenever he sees them and that was the message Eric Washington had – especially after the team had won their ninth straight home game over the Baltimore Ravens 36-21 and prepare for another home matchup with the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team they’re 5-2 against at home since 2011.
“When you play at home, it’s special, you have the support of your fans, you’re in an environment that you’re familiar with, that you’re comfortable with,” said Washington. “You have to take advantage of that.”
Ron Rivera’s team has been able to take advantage of it during his tenure in Carolina, with the difference between records at home or on the road being striking – the Panthers are 42-22 at Bank of America Stadium since 2011 and 30-31-1 on the road. While many would like to chalk it up to the energy of the Roaring Riot on big third downs, the defense’s ability to feed off of the crowd or even some home cookin’ from the referees, the true secret to the Panthers’ success at home may stem from not having to interrupt their routines – football players are nothing if not creatures of habit.
“It’s just the rhythmatic schedule – I’m a simple guy,” said Cam Newton. “I love the normalities of preparation; when you get to sleep in the same bed, the same room number, you don’t necessarily have to travel – you get an extra day to kind of prepare, there’s more time for walkthrough on Saturdays rather than getting in when we do get in [on the road].”
But don’t discount the visceral difference that a loud crowd can make.
“Especially when it’s third down, it’s a huge difference when the offense is trying to make a check [or] trying to get a snap count right and they can’t hear the quarterback because the crowd is so loud,” said Eric Reid. “It definitely helps us when the crowd’s involved.”
The Panthers won 14 straight home games – including going undefeated at home during the 2015 season – between the end of the 2014 season and the beginning of 2016. The team consistently talks about the support they feel from not only the area around Charlotte, but both states – owner David Tepper has made it a priority to involve both states in his first season – “What’s the name of the team? Carolina Panthers. And that means this team has to have some kind of presence in the Carolinas and last time I saw, how many are there? That’s right, there’s two of them,” Tepper said in May when he purchased the team.
Tepper has also made an effort to ingratiate himself to the fans, tailgating ahead of some home games with the Roaring Riot and others as well as hosting a pregame street festival called “Panthers on Mint” ahead of two home games this season.
Cam Newton is 22-5, including 4-0 this season, when playing at home since 2015.
“You can’t forget the ambience of playing in uptown Charlotte – The Bank,” Cam Newton said with a smile when asked about the team’s success playing at home during his tenure. “It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to since I’ve [come] here and seeing the crowd and so many people get so involved. I know we mean so much to so many people, we’re one of the few teams that gets the representation of multiple states and to be honest with you, I love it.”
“[I] expect for the crowds to keep getting bigger and bigger, the cheers to keep getting louder and louder and you can expect the performances to keep getting better and better from the team.”
The Panthers play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1p Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
