Panthers allow Fox to change minds and hearts

The team bought into its coach and his principles.
HOUSTON (AP) -- When John Fox became coach of the Carolina Panthers, one of the first things he did was post John Wooden's Pyramid of Success in the weight room and on a hallway near the team meeting room.
While pushing his team through the tiers, he's spouted so many motivational one-liners that defensive tackle Brentson Buckner calls him a walking fortune cookie.
Offensive lineman Kevin Donnalley jokes about "the drive-by clich & eacute;" Fox likes to holler when walking by the locker room.
Sound hokey? Maybe.
But it works because players know Fox is sincere. They've bought into the man, his principles and everything else about him.
The result
In just two years, the Panthers have gone from 1-15 before he arrived to playing the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl today.
"He's got this formula and no matter what anybody says, he sticks to it," Donnalley said. "There's been times when I think the guy is crazy, but here we are at the Super Bowl. He's really made a believer out of me."
Fox arrived in Carolina two years ago last Sunday. One season removed from helping the New York Giants reach the Super Bowl as their defensive coordinator, Fox became a head coach for the first time.
He was so eager for the opportunity that he stepped into what others might've considered a hopeless situation in Carolina.
As if 1-15 wasn't bad enough, those losses were all in a row. The defense ranked 31st in the 31-team league. So did the offense.
Fans were so down that the stadium was half-empty for the finale, and the majority of people who did show up rooted for the other team.
The franchise also was shrouded in tragedy, from the conviction of receiver Rae Carruth to the shooting death of former running back Fred Lane.
Fox set the tone from the start. He told players they weren't tough enough, stressing that he meant their attitude more than their ability.
Then he began whipping them into "football shape," which he describes as a mindset as much as a physical condition.
Some teams would've wondered who was this wacko and did he seriously think he could push them around like that? Hearing about a path to the top, especially one mapped out by a college basketball coach, would've sent eyes rolling and ended any chance he had of clicking with them.
The Panthers were different. They craved leadership and direction. They wanted to be told what to do, when to do it and how.
"When you lose 15 in a row, you're willing to listen to anything," safety Mike Minter said. "He didn't have the r & eacute;sum & eacute; as a head coach, but we understood that where he'd been, he'd been successful. It wasn't hard at all to believe in him. He was very convincing."
Fox admitted this week he was surprised by how quickly he was accepted.
"The willingness, the attitude and really the character of the guys that we kept, we were very impressed," Fox said.
Hard evidence
Reaching the Super Bowl is the best proof that his message got through. Yet another indicator of Fox's ability to bring out the best in players is this: Of his 24 starters and three specialists, 16 already were on the roster when Fox arrived.
"He brought enthusiasm, the confidence we needed," center Jeff Mitchell said. "When he is up there in front of the team and he is speaking, he is confident and he is laying out how he wants it. It gets everybody focused in the same direction."
Getting to this point a week shy of his 49th birthday wasn't easy.
After growing up in Virginia, he moved to San Diego during high school. He went to college at San Diego State, playing defensive back for two seasons alongside Jets coach Herm Edwards, then stayed for a year as a graduate assistant.
It was the first of eight jobs in eight years, seven at colleges and the last in the USFL. He became a coordinator for the first time the following fall, at the University of Pittsburgh.
He moved up to the NFL three years later with the Steelers, then returned to San Diego with the Chargers, followed by a move up the coast to Oakland to become defensive coordinator.
A squabble with Raiders owner Al Davis prompted Fox to quit in training camp of his fourth season. He spent that fall as a consultant for the Rams and returned with the Giants in 1997.
Having worked so many places, with and for so many coaches, Fox says everyone influenced him. When pressed, he credits former Steelers coach Chuck Noll for his primary philosophy: stop the run and be able to run, the formula Noll used to win four Super Bowls.
Fox's theme
Along the way, Fox also picked up the Pyramid and all sorts of inspirational phrases. Panthers players hear them so often that Donnalley has caught his wife using them, too.
"Don't be afraid to be great. That's the one I hear the most often," receiver Muhsin Muhammad said.
Other biggies are "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" and "Be the guy, not that guy."
Curiously, his most-used line -- "it is what it is" -- is more dismissive than inspiring.
Asked whether Fox had any new ones this week, Muhammad laughed and said yes, but it wasn't fit for print.