Terrelle Smith called Ken Whisenhunt a "players' coach." That in itself isn't a surprise. But the veteran fullback, who noted Whisenhunt "doesn't have to say a word to you, he can just look at you, whether it is a positive or a negative," had a good anecdote to explain what he thought about his coach.
In Carolina, Smith peeled back on a Kurt Warner scramble and de-cleated Julius Peppers, completing blowing up the Panthers defensive end.
"Whiz literally ran to me and was yelling 'Hell yeah, Hell yeah!' He came out of that shell and became a player for a second," Smith said. "I thought, 'OK, just put me back in the game, Whiz, and let me get another shot.' I did, got in another shot, and he did the same thing. I thought, 'Am I talking to a player or the coach?' That's what I mean as a players' coach.
"I didn't know if he was coming up to hug me or tackle me, if he had a flashback to when he played, who knows? But it feels so good when you work and continue to have success. This locker room I don't think has ever been like this."
(And yes, I know that's Whiz hugging Ralph Brown – after Brown's interception – and not T. Smith).
