Smith sends team message with a T-shirt

By Darin Gantt - Darin Gantt

CHARLOTTE -- The hundreds of text messages he was sending each day weren't Steve Smith's only communication with his teammates during his suspension. They were just the only ones in which they knew the sender.

During his two-week banishment for punching teammate Ken Lucas in the face, the Panthers wide receiver sent back a message that everyone in the locker room has taken to heart -- or at least worn over theirs. The week before the opener, two large boxes of black, gray and blue T-shirts were shipped to Bank of America Stadium, with instructions to distribute them to each player. Each bore a simple, two-line inscription:

"I draw my strength from the guy next to me. Can I count on you?"

They didn't know it at the time, and word's just trickling through now, but Smith had the shirts made and delivered, and equipment manager Jackie Miles passed them out. Now, they're as much a part of the Panthers' lexicon as their wardrobe.

"Well, when I saw the shirts, we didn't initially know who did them," running back DeAngelo Williams said last week. "After we saw them, they were awesome. That's a great way to look at this season. It shows dependability and accountability. That's what we look for in each one of us. We kind of need to be dependable and accountable on the field or off the field.

"It's you making a play when it's time to make a play and me doing the same thing. It's being consistent at what we do."

That the message was coming from a guy who wasn't there added a layer of meaning to the message.

Smith didn't talk about the shirts this week, and a number of team officials didn't know he was the one responsible for them. But several players acknowledged Smith sent them, a de facto peace offering during his absence.

"I just found out a few days ago," Williams said. "That put that much more emphasis on the shirts, knowing he was the one who had them made."

Smith's back this week, aware that he's being given a chance to make things right. As divisive as his action was during camp, it's become a point of unity for the team now, as noted loners Smith and Lucas have been embraced by the team at large, moreso than they ever have.

"Really, the outside world is surprised by how we've played on the field thus far this season, but it was no surprise for anybody in this locker room," Lucas said. "Going back to training camp, even before the infamous incident, we felt like we had something special.

"The incident just made us come closer together. Now we have a bond on this team that I don't think anyone can break."

• ROOKIE RBs ROLLING: The running back class of 2008 is off to quite a start, with several of the first-year men carrying their teams.

While second-year back Adrian Peterson leads the league in rushing, two of the top five and three of the top eight rushers in the NFL were just drafted. Chicago's Matt Forte is fourth with 215 yards, Oakland's Darren McFadden is fifth with 210 and Tennessee's Chris Johnson is eighth with 202. Throw in Carolina's Jonathan Stewart and a host of others with promise (Felix Jones, Kevin Smith and Ray Rice are already playing significant roles), and it could be the best class in decades.

When asked why so many rookies were making an impact, the analytical John Fox shrugged: "(Don't know), other than there was a lot of good ones coming out."

While quarterbacks and receivers can take years to develop, runners generally have a shorter adjustment period.

"I know that's what the stats say," Fox said. "But maybe it's more natural; there are more similar run plays in the NFL than maybe pass plays from college. Some of it's the program they come from -- how much of a similarity there is. There's a lot that goes into that. I wish I had that answer, but I don't."

• EXCEPT THAT ONE GUY: Quarterback Jake Delhomme told reporters in Minnesota on a conference call last week that he was stunned by the Vikings' decision to bench Tarvaris Jackson after two games.