On Monday, the Carolina Panthers began the opening phase of their offseason workout program. And among those in the building was defensive tackle Derrick Brown, whose wallet was probably a bit heavier compared to the last time he stepped foot onto the premises.
Brown, of course, had agreed to a four-year, $96 million extension with the Panthers at the end of last week. After finishing his work on the afternoon, the 25-year-old defender provided a few meaningful words to team reporter Darin Gantt.
“You know, it’s an awesome feeling, I feel like the organization put the belief in me, and allow me just to be able to do what I do,” Brown said. “Never put too much pressure on me, having high expectations for me always, but allowing me to just be who I am while doing what I do, right?
“I think it’s no pressure but high expectations. So it’s more what our coaches expect from us, and you have to use that voice to be the highest voice. And that allows me to be able to go out and not listen to too many people or let anybody else’s pain affect me and just be able to walk in a room and sit down and talk and then I know exactly what our game plan for the week is. Hearing you talk about it and being able to know just exactly what they expect for the week.”
Brown is fresh off an historic campaign, one in which he set the new NFL single-season record of 103 tackles by a defensive lineman. His efforts also helped earn him the first Pro Bowl selection of his career, replacing the recently-retired and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald.
