Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis, Sr. is a tough guy. Three ACL tears at the NFL level pretty much confirms it. But as if you needed any more evidence that Davis is a card-carrying member of the "tough-as-nails" crew, look no further than his comments Thursday to Bill Voth of the Black & Blue Review. Davis revealed to Voth that the broken arm he suffered during the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals required "11 or 12" screws to fix, but that despite the ridiculous amount of fresh hardware in his body, he "fully expects to play" in Super Bowl 50.
Davis has become the heart and soul of the Panthers vaunted defense, even as Luke Kuechly assumes more of a leadership role, seemingly, with every passing game. Now in his 11th season out of Georgia, Davis collected 105 regular season tackles, tied for the third-highest total of his career, as well as 5.5 sacks, a new best.
He add 4 forced fumbles, also a career-best, as well as four interceptions, which is, you guessed it, a new high watermark for the talented 'backer. He reached his first Pro Bowl and was named first-team All Pro this season.
Somehow, despite all the injuries and setbacks and despite his advancing age - Davis is now 32 - he seems to have become a better player than he was even in the early stages of his career. While he's certainly closer to the end of his career than the beginning, Davis is proving every time he steps out onto the field what heart and want to can accomplish.
He's never been the biggest guy or the fastest, but he's always been a tenacious player willing to do whatever it takes to win. He's been fortunate that the league has trended in a direction where his speed and athleticism make him such a highly effective player, but there's no doubt that Davis wouldn't have lasted in the league this long were it not for his own iron will.
If he has anything to say about it, he'll get his first taste of Super Bowl football on Feb. 7 in Santa Clara.
