A few years ago I wrote about why Thomas Davis deserved the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Now I’m here to write about why he might be the greatest Carolina Panther of all time.
Oh... man. I knew this day would come, but I always hoped it would come off the heels of a Super Bowl victory, or something that truly capped off and encapsulated what Thomas Davis fought so hard to make an incredible career. Instead, it comes on the back of a disappointing 7-9 season where the Panthers started off hot but quickly fizzled out. But Thomas Davis’ career has never been about storybook endings, national media attention, or Hall of Fame accolades. Davis’ career has always about being overlooked, undervalued, or on his last leg. Thomas Davis didn’t just Keep Pounding, he kicked the damn door down.
I wrote this about Thomas Davis back in 2013, following a return season where he beat so many odds and managed to return following 3 ACL tears. Hopefully, you read it at the time, but if you didn’t, here are the cliff notes.
The moniker “Keep Pounding” (if you don’t know what that’s about please click the link on the words to read a great story) is now stamped inside of the collar of each Panthers jersey. To me, “Keep Pounding” means that a player should WANT to give everything they have every single play, because you never know what play might be your last. You never know when your entire season can be taken from you, and with that your way of life. In the same way, the moniker can be applied to life as well. In every single opportunity, in every single instance, you should give 100% of yourself to a cause if it can better yourself. What you work for every single day can be taken from you, in an instant. It is important to never take anything you hold dear for granted, and to work hard for the things that you want out of life, and pursue them with undying resolve and ambition. If you live this way, you will have no regrets. The point behind this is, “Keep Pounding” means a lot to every Panthers fan. Thomas Davis earned his stripe.
I didn’t write that because I wanted any kind of attention, or wanted to capitalize on what turned out to be an amazing comeback for Davis, I wrote it because I truly believed Davis deserved the comeback player of the year award. And you know what? This dude deserves comeback player of the century in the NFL.
Ever since that season, Thomas Davis has played at an elite level for an outside linebacker in his late 20s-to-early-30s, a time where most linebackers start to fall off. But for Davis, he didn’t just play over his age, he played over his body. He played at a higher level from 2014-2017 than any of us could ever imagine. He became one part of arguably the best linebacker tandem in modern football with Luke Kuechly, and in doing so finally realized some of the accolades he always deserved. Super Bowls, Pro Bowls, All Pro honors, national media attention for the first time in his career. Davis didn’t just return, he ARRIVED.
If you handed me a textbook and asked me to look up what “linebacker play” would look like, I’d expect to see a picture (or a gif in the internet age) of Thomas Davis. He tackled the right way, he played coverage better than most in the league. Davis was a force every time he took the field, whether it was a close game, a blowout win, or a blowout loss. I can’t think of many times where I saw Thomas Davis and thought to myself “man, he really didn’t give his all on that play.”
Thomas Davis is a player I personally invested in, because as a fan I went through that injury riddled journey, and was rewarded with high level football, just like he was. Seeing him pick off passes to seal important games or blast a running back in the hole to force a fumble at a crucial moment became all the more special because THOMAS FREAKING DAVIS did it. And it is really a shame he didn’t get a chance to go out on top, because he deserved to just like many of the high level players who came before him. I once said that Thomas Davis symbolized “Keep Pounding”, and that he earned his stripe. Now, I believe Thomas Davis earned himself a damn statue.
Davis taught me, personally, not just to Keep Pounding, throughout life and it’s struggles. He taught me that once you’ve gotten yourself out from underneath those struggles, to push yourself even further than simply being past them. We all have our struggles, whether it be work, life, love, family, they all cause us pain and they all can push us down to rock bottom. While the Keep Pounding moniker certainly applies to constantly honing your craft, yourself, and your life, Thomas Davis did it better. He didn’t just Keep Pounding, he kept excelling. Davis is a shining example of what a person can accomplish when they apply themselves the same way, with the same intensity, when things are bad, AND when they are good. Davis taught me not to simply accept getting over the hump, but be a better person on the other side once you get there.
Don’t thank us fans for everything, Thomas. Thank YOU, for the memories, and the lessons we can learn.
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