Panthers aim to avoid individual glory in pursuit of Super Bowl

Cam Newton gets the overwhelming majority of attention for the Carolina Panthers, but the team's selfless ethos is key to their Super Bowl run.

The Panthers are gaining a reputation for being an abrasive yet joyous club, easily the most polarizing team in the NFL.

Although some pundits characterized the Panthers as a reckless group, the team's self-policing is paramount to their unabated success this season.

"If somebody steps out of line, it's not one person that stops them," Panthers All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman said to NFL Media's Albert Breer. "Everybody stops them. It's not just that one person, everyone gangs up on them - 'Hey man, get your stuff together, because we're trying do something big and we don't need you to be out of line or none of that.' This is a team, it's more than one guy. It's everyone together. And once everyone understood that, we haven't had a problem. We don't have any cancers, no buttheads around here. Everyone's just having fun."

The Panthers' culture of playing for each other is resonating strongly even among veteran players, including five-time Pro Bowler Jared Allen.

"It's the standard that's been set from the top down," Allen said. "This is the way you do things - it's team, team, team, team. You've got guys that buy into that, and you've got the right leaders and right personalities, because for someone to say something to someone, and someone to correct someone, somebody has to be willing to be corrected by someone without holding a grudge. Guys genuinely have each other's back, and are for the greater good of the team. It's a special place."

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera agrees with his team's self-assessment.

"You're not having to worry about getting in front of the group and bringing up discipline anymore," Rivera said. "Guys make mistakes. Something happens, and usually the coach has to get up there and reiterate the rules. I'm at the point now where if a guy's late or something, we'll fine you, or handle it one way or the other, just treat you the same as everyone else, and then it's done."

With the Panthers seeking their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history, the club is proving to be greater than the sum of its parts.