On Wednesday, Panthers Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil purchased a full-page ad in the Charlotte Observer declaring that the team would cap its second decade of existence with a Super Bowl win. On Thursday, Kalil joined PFT Live to discuss his decision to plunk down (as he acknowledged) more than $4,500 to call his shot.
It was all about getting the fans excited.
Kalil explained his own experiences as a fan (as a youth, he wanted to be Dolphins center Tim Ruddy . . . Ryan said it was the beard). And it was that passion fans display that pushed Kalil to launch the 2012 season by making the fans realize he’s one of them.
Kalil also talked about what the Panthers need to do to get to the Super Bowl, the quality of the competition in the NFC South, quarterback Cam Newton’s improvement since 2011, and Kalil’s views on the Saints bounty case (the allegations include a long-forgotten contention that the Saints had a bounty on Newton).
Kalil also discussed the arrival of another Kalil to the NFL; rookie Matt signed on Thursday with the Vikings. Ryan said that Matt, the fourth overall pick in the draft, already is showing a willingness to do his homework, pestering Panthers tackle Jordan Gross for information about Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, whom Matt Kalil will be facing in practice.
So go ahead and press play. It was the last PFT Live until after the Olympics, so it’ll be one of your last chances to be pestered by me into pressing play until the middle of August.