CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Carolina Panthers' 17-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns:
A month ago, tight end Greg Olsen stood in front of his locker after a 31-13 loss at Minnesota and said, "Right now, we're not very good." After Sunday's third straight win that put the Panthers (6-8-1) in position to play Atlanta (6-9) for the NFC South title next weekend at the Georgia Dome, Olsen's tune had changed. "When you don't play well, you deserve to lose," he said. "It's very frustrating to play below what your expectations are. At that point in time, we weren't very good. We were playing like a bad team. Now we're playing like a better team. It's funny: When you play better, you win."
Quarterback Cam Newton wasn't happy with the way the Bank of America Stadium crowd cheered when Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel left in the first half with a hamstring injury. "I'm a fan of his, just like a lot of people are," Newton said. "But it's a lot of things he has to learn. The only thing I can say is it was sad to see the crowd's response when he was getting hurt, man. I just think it was classless at that time. Anytime a person is hurt, you don't celebrate. I've had that done in my career. It takes the integrity out of the game."
Coach Ron Rivera on playing for the NFC South title: "It's definitely not how we planned it, but it's what we're working towards."
General manager Dave Gettleman, who has drawn a lot of heat for moves he made during the offseason, walked through the back corner of the locker room with a big smile.
As ugly as Sunday's win was, fullback Mike Tolbert wasn't going there. "A win is a win," he said. "We don't care how it comes. I'm not going to put an adjective on it." The Panthers, by the way, are 3-1 since Tolbert returned from injured reserve.
Cornerback Josh Norman stood in the locker and smiled as strong safety Roman Harper described how Norman should have protected the ball after his second-half interception that he fumbled away. "I'll be a much smarter guy in traffic next time," Norman said. "I'll have it high and tight."
