CHARLOTTE — He's a good dad, and a good role model. He doesn't drink or smoke. Instead of coffee first thing in the morning, he opts for an apple and a glass of ice water. His version of trash talk is Rated G, at least, and probably more like a 1950s version of a G-rating.

Also, Austin Corbett will be in Bank of America Stadium Saturday night, rocking his face off to Metallica.

The Panthers' mild-mannered center is also the least likely metal head in the locker room, a side of him that doesn't always appear but has a practical application to his day job.

"Sometimes you have to set the tone on a football field," Corbett said with a grin. "And I love George Strait. I love Cody Johnson. They're great. They've got a time and place.

"It's not when I'm trying to hit somebody in the head."

That's a metaphor, of course, because striking an opponent in the head is against the rules, and Austin Corbett is a rule-follower.

Teammates joke about "the duality of man," evidenced by Corbett's musical tastes because he really is a nice guy, in addition to being a nasty competitor. One of his things is to needle opponents — politely — and in language that doesn't need bleeps.

"I heard him say dagnabbit one day," left tackle Ikem Ekwonu said. "I don't even know what that means."

"You know somebody's (messed) up when they get a dagnabbit," tight end Tommy Tremble said, letting a word slip in that Corbett definitely would not use. "You know you've got to correct something if you hear that in the huddle."

And when Corbett has been mic'd up in the past, that's led to some funny moments and difficult edits because guys in the middle of a game aren't necessarily expecting to not get cussed at by opponents.

"No, for sure not. And they're definitely not reciprocating it as some of those bleeped-out moments came from them," he laughed. "I try not to curse in my life, and I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I definitely try not to.

"There's been some moments on the field where things get super heated, but also, I find pleasure in making light of serious situations and just being like that. It catches a lot of guys off guard for sure."

But when Corbett's on the field, a switch flips, and the aggression that flows from the music he listens to on game day comes out of him.

"He's so nice, and he's so polite, but he's meaner than people think he is on the football field," teammate Brady Christensen said. "He plays really aggressively on the field, and he finishes, he finishes that block as good as anyone, really.

"That's always being aware of where you guys are, protecting them, pushing piles. Always finishing and then physically dominating and finishing guys to the ground. Those extra hits really add up over the course of the game. He does that really well, and that definitely catches people off guard."

Christensen recalled a matchup between Corbett and his old Rams teammate Aaron Donald as particular evidence of the ferocity that lies beneath the surface.

"Aaron Donald was really trying to get in his face, they were kind of going at it, and he wasn't backing down, and he was trying to finish every play against him," Christensen recalled. "Aaron had his hands up in Corbs' face mask and everything, and I remember looking around and seeing that, and Corbs wasn't backing off either. And that's one of the strengths of his game, is he's a dominant finisher."

Corbett can also dominate the aux cord when it's his turn in the weight room.

If Corbett's in control of the music, you might hear Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" or their other classic albums at high volume, which gets him in the frame of mind to slip into his work persona.

And while it might come as a surprise to people who only see the other side, it comes from a young age.

He can still laugh and do the radio voice from promos for "Rock 104.5" in Reno, which he listened to while riding in the car with his parents when he was growing up. And they made sure he was raised a rocker, as he remembers seeing both Korn and Rush when he was in second grade.

"It's what I grew up listening to; my dad, my mom, big heavy metal listeners, that's what I grew up on," Corbett said. "I remember it was second grade, and Dad took me to concerts. I remember falling asleep at the concert because, you know, I'm 8 years old, or, however old you are in second grade. And Dad just wakes me up. I look up, and (the late Rush drummer) Neil Peart's upside down in his drum kit going to town on a solo. I was just like, what is going on?

"But yeah, I fell asleep at a Rush concert. I fell asleep at the Korn concert as well. I couldn't hang on. I was too young."

As Corbett got older, he added to his concert repertoire and had his first inadvertent brush with the Panthers.

When he was in college, he drove over from Reno with his mother to see Metallica in San Francisco. When they arrived, they couldn't figure out what all the extra traffic was about, so caught up in seeing the legendary rockers that they didn't remember they were driving into a Super Bowl host city. (Metallica played in the San Francisco Giants' stadium the night before the big football game the Panthers were involved in after the 2015 season).

"Mom bought us tickets as soon as they went on sale," he recalled. "We're staying at my mom's friends who are living in San Francisco, and as we're driving in, it's just like, man, it's busy there. What's going on? Oh, it's the Super Bowl this week.

"I remember James Hetfield coming out; he said, 'They didn't want us for halftime, so we're going to blow it out tonight.' And it was awesome. "Fuel" came on, and the 100-foot flames flew. It was awesome."

That's why he's looking forward to Saturday night when his heavy metal heroes take the stage in the same building he works in. His dad took the red-eye out from Reno to go to the show with him, which adds to the anticipation for the 29-year-old center. And yes, the Panthers center will be there early, because he wants to see opening act Pantera as well.

And this time, he's not going to fall asleep.