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Jon Beason and the Panthers' defense went out with a flourish. (PHOTO: MATTHEW BRINKLEY / PANTHERS.COM)

CHARLOTTE -- Dozens of Panthers players hauled stuffed garbage bags out of the locker room and into Monday morning's frigid conditions, a ritual that marked the passage of another season, the team's 15th.

But amidst the masses, fullback Brad Hoover stood out -- not for his gait, his build or quick quip, but for the helmet on his head. He wanted to take it home, but his hands were full and he didn't want to make an extra trip, so he slipped it on his head, looking as though he should have made a 180-degree turn for the field rather than the parking lot.

The sight, however odd, was symbolic. Like many of his teammates, Hoover needed all the protection he could find -- and then some -- during a season defined as much by the games that were missed by Panthers players as the ones actually played.

Left tackle Jordan Gross said head coach John Fox made that point to his players during a team meeting Monday morning.

"He said a lot of people that shouldn't have gotten to play this year got to play," Gross said. "He was proud of how everybody did, that we finished extremely well, all the obvious stuff."

The team's three-game closing winning streak and 4-1 mark down the stretch allowed the Panthers to salvage momentum and a modicum of success from a season that saw 16 regular starters combine to miss 82 games, 11 players end up on injured reserve and 41 different players start at least once.

The persistence was enough to warm Damione Lewis's heart, even as he shivered while answering questions in the 18-degree chill.

"(I'm proud of) the way these guys lined up and played and fought with everything they had through all the adversity that we went through," said Lewis, one of just seven Panthers to start all 16 games this year. "We finished up on a great note.

"It's sad that it has to end today, but I'm really proud of this team and how it fought. It's going to be a great boost going into next season."

"I'm proud about it," said middle linebacker Jon Beason, another of the seven 16-game starters. "A lot of guys stepped up -- second-team guys. A lot of injuries, and we're able to sustain and be pretty consistent, especially down the stretch. Hopefully moving forward we can keep guys the same and hopefully have a better season next year."

A COMMON SIGHT on getaway day is that of a gaggle of local reporters interviewing players outside the stadium or in the parking lot, which is where defensive end Julius Peppers was corralled as he tossed a garbage bag of belongings into the trunk of his sports car.

It was there where the Pro Bowler admitted that he "really didn't feel like talking" about his contract situation, which becomes a topic once again after he played the 2009 season with a one-year deal that accompanies the franchise-player designation.

"I haven't really had time to think about it, to be quite honest. I've been focusing on the season for the most part, trying to block everything else out," Peppers said. "I felt like when it was time to think about my future and make those decisions, I would take time to think about it, and now it's that time."

But the changes on defense implemented by defensive coordinator Ron Meeks did agree with Peppers, who acknowledged that the scheme used in 2009 was "better" for him than the one utilized in previous years.

"I was happy with how I was used and how we did on defense," he said.

After recovering from a hand injury that limited him in two games, Peppers amassed 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception in the final six weeks.

"I didn't think it affected me too too much, but it was a broken hand, so obviously it had a little bit of an effect," Peppers said.

WHILE PEPPERS HAS RECOVERED, other injured Panthers will continue to frequent the Bank of America Stadium corridors while receiving treatment and rehabilitation in the days, weeks and months to come before offseason workouts begin this spring.

Left tackle Jordan Gross is the only All-Pro among that group; he emerged from the stadium on crutches Monday but said he should be able to ditch them within a week and that the fractures in his leg should be healed by Feb. 7 -- the date of Super Bowl XLIV.

"Everything's going great; it's just a slow process when you're waiting on bones to heal," said Gross, who was injured Nov. 15 against Atlanta and plans to commence rehab in earnest after the bones heal. He said he "probably" wouldn't participate fully in organized team activities, but that such a move would be precautionary, and not a reflection of slow recovery.

"Maybe I'll do some stuff (in May and June), he said. "As far as real football season goes, that's not a question."

Quarterback Jake Delhomme, who finished the season on injured reserve, said his fractured finger is "getting better."

"We X-rayed it again this morning. It's getting close (to healed)," he said.