CHARLOTTE -- As a weakside linebacker whose game is predicated on speed and quickness, a torn anterior cruciate ligament would potentially affect Thomas Davis more than a player at another position.
But as he stares into an immediate future that includes surgery and months of rehabilitation, he isn't concerned that the forthcoming procedure won't let him be the same player.
"Not at all," Davis said. "I think I'm going to come back stronger than I was. That's truly how I feel in my heart.
"Everybody that I've know that has torn the ACL from college to the pros has come back stronger," he said, citing former college teammate and ex-Falcons quarterback D.J. Shockley as an example. "I know I'm not going to be any different. I'm going to put all the work in that I need to put in, and make sure that I'm back out here stronger than I was yet."
It helps that Davis's injury is relatively simple.
"It was pretty clean and clear-cut," Davis said. "It was unfortunate, but we know what it is, so we've just got to do the surgery and get ready to start my rehab."
If Davis needs a push, he'll find it from left tackle
"We'll be rehabbing here together," Davis said.
The injury brought a premature end to a season that saw Davis emerge in Ron Meeks' Tampa-Two based defense as one of the Panthers' preeminent playmakers, with a pair of interceptions in the three games prior to the injury. He'd found optimal form in the regular season after grappling with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the preseason, but didn't know whether that injury contributed to the more serious ligament tear.
"We don't know what happened. All we know is that my foot got caught in the ground and I tore my ACL. We don't know that it was from my MCL; we don't know that it wasn't from that. All we know is that it's torn right now and I've got to have surgery."
Davis' injury came just months before the contract he signed prior to his rookie season expires. If there are no changes between now and March, Davis will only be eligible for restricted free agency; had the status quo of previous years been maintained, he would have been an unrestricted free agent.
"It's out of my control," he said. "Whatever happens, I'm just excited to be a Panther and I hope to continue to be one.
"This is where I want to spend the rest of my career. I'm very content with being a Carolina Panther. With the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) the way it is and the possibility of going into an uncapped year, I understand the team has a right to place a (restricted free agent) tender on me.
"It's understandable. It's business, and it's part of this game. I'm not disappointed in it. But I would definitely like to be signed to a long-term deal and finish my career here."
Davis said that he has not had any conversations with the club regarding his future contract status.
"I was too busy focusing on the season, so I was not really concerned with it," Davis said.
WILLIAMS SITS OUT PRACTICE: Cold rain didn't keep the Panthers from conducting most of their practice outside Wednesday, but they did work without running back
"(We) just rested him," head coach John Fox said.
Williams is questionable for Thursday's game, along with fellow runner
The only three Panthers who did not practice Wednesday were safety
Defensive end
Fox said there was "a possibility" that Peppers would play more against Miami than he did against the Falcons.
SPLIT SECONDS: The Miami Dolphins have returned 144 tickets for Thursday's game, making them available for purchase (until the allotment is gone, of course) by clicking here ... Tickets are going fast for the last three regular-season games, with less than 400 left for the Dec. 6 game against Tampa Bay, less than 100 for the Dec. 20 clash with Minnesota and under 500 remaining for the regular-season finale with New Orleans.
