Finally, Panther's Sutton is fitting in

Work ethic, intelligence has paid dividends

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

“He's done a fantastic job,” quarterback Jake Delhomme said. “I don't think there's any doubt. The situations we've put him in, to play fullback in the New Orleans game. And the situation the other night (against the Dolphins), he was in there and he made some great plays for us and almost made another one.

“He's smart, he's tough and the game is not too big for him. He's a great find by our guys. A great, great find. ... It's hard to find guys like that, but when you do, those guys get a reputation and they end up sticking for a while. Every team in the league has those guys. It's a security blanket.”

Even though he has little experience, they've now asked him to return kicks. He did it once in college and just five times in Packers camp, but the results are better than you'd think.

He didn't get to bring one out of the end zone against Atlanta, but the Dolphins allowed him to bring a few out, and he promptly returned four for 106 yards, a 26.5 average that's far and away tops on the team. Part of it's because of his slam-it-in-there style. He returned those kicks like a running back rather than a receiver, hitting his hole quickly and getting upfield.

“There is more analysis than you think,” coach John Fox said of Sutton's direct approach to returns. “You just don't see it in his feet, which is a good thing.”

Finding out-of-nowhere contributors is nothing new for the Panthers. Fullback Brad Hoover was an undrafted find, and in many ways, Sutton's trajectory most closely resembles former Panthers utility man Nick Goings, who was neither the biggest nor the fastest but carved out an eight-year NFL niche by doing well whatever was asked.

“I'm just trying to get where I fit in,” Sutton said of his role. “If it's water boy or it's being long-snapper, it doesn't really matter.”

That kind of perspective's rare for any rookie but speaks to what's made Sutton such a quick favorite.

“He's a smart kid,” Hoover said. “He comes in and whatever they've asked him to do, he's been able to go out there and do it at a very high level. He's just a football player, and smart at that.

“Especially as a rookie, sometimes you can be in awe. He hadn't really dressed until the New Orleans game and stepped in and played fullback. And the last couple of games he's played well. He's mature enough and mentally stable enough to play at a high level.”