CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Carolina Panthers' 37-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers:
Not a player would use the off-the-field distraction of defensive end Greg Hardy, placed on the commissioner's exempt list on Wednesday until his domestic violence case is resolved, as an excuse. But quarterback Cam Newton did admit there were times in practice when if a play didn't work, there was the attitude, "Well, we'll get it."
Newton may have set a record for showering and getting dressed. It normally takes him at least an hour after a win or a loss. He was dressed and ready for his postgame news conference within 20 minutes after head coach Ron Rivera spoke.
Silence. "It was very quiet," rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin said when describing the locker room immediately after the loss. "You could hear a pin drop."
Defensive tackle Colin Cole shook his head over and over when he realized the Panthers gave up more than 100 yards to two backs -- Le'Veon Bell with 147 yards and LeGarrette Blount with 118 -- for the first time since the St. Louis Rams did it in 2001. "After being with this defense as long as I have, I didn't see it happening," Cole said of a unit that gave up 172 yards rushing combined in the first two games.
Free safety Thomas DeCoud summed up the night in one word: "inconsistent."
Running backs Mike Tolbert and Jonathan Stewart limped into the locker room after suffering leg injuries. Neither was believed to be serious. but the Panthers already were without leading rusher DeAngelo Williams, inactive for the second straight week with a hamstring injury, and Fozzy Whittaker, inactive with a quad injury. That left Darrin Reaves, signed from the practice squad, to finish the game.
