The Panthers lost in gut-wrenching fashion to the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday. It was a match-up they should’ve won and the frustrations players displayed during and after the game showed they felt the same way.
During the 4th quarter of the 21-18 loss, television cameras caught wide receiver Robby Anderson having a heated discussion with Carolina receivers coach Frisman Jackson on the sideline.
Anderson, a six-year veteran, saw something in the coverage of him by the opposing team and he was letting the coaching staff know he thought an adjustment to his routes should be made. Wednesday, when Robby was asked about the exchange, he said it was his passion for winning that fueled his frustration.
“You can consider it getting upset. In my defense, it’s passion. I approach this game every day and give my all. It’s my biggest priority besides my relationship with God and my family. So it’s passion.”
“I don’t see nothing wrong with that,” Anderson continued. “Tom Brady does that and he’s one of the greatest. Players get mad. Coaches yell at players. It’s nothing I’m ashamed of. It not anything I’ll look back in five years and feel it affected my legacy. I think that’s a good thing, so the world can see I actually care. A lot of times people get extensions and they step back and collect their check. That’s not the case with me.”
Anderson is spot on. With everything these players put into the game, losing in the fashion they did against the Eagles is frustrating, and that frustration is channeled in different ways. I’d rather have a player be visibly upset about losing than the alternative. Passion is something a team needs and that mindset can be just as infectious as complacency. Which attitude would you rather your team to have about losing?