CHARLOTTE — There are moments trapped in time, the kinds of things you can see in a photograph, or capture in a record book.
But for Steve Smith, and in many ways the Carolina Panthers, that playoff game against the Rams on Jan. 10, 2004, changed everything.
Of all the plays he's made, that's one of the few he has hanging on the wall in his home, representing that day he went from ascending player to recognizable commodity.
Now that the Panthers are preparing to play the same team, 21 years later to the day, it is a coincidence, though this team is at a similar spot in its development.
That 69-yard touchdown, on the first play of double overtime in St. Louis to lift the Panthers to a 29-23 victory, was a moment that will never fade, and not just because it helped an unlikely team advance to an NFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl.
But to think back to that day, and realize all the tumblers that had to fall perfectly into place, and all the things that would spin out from that moment, and Smith can only sigh.
"You know, there are for some people, right, one or two plays," Smith said this week. "And I have several moments. But obviously, X-Clown was a huge one. I was young, it was so early in my career, and I didn't really know the effect of it at the time.
"But now, you see how much of an accomplishment it was for us as a team, and as an organization."
Just saying the name of the play call is enough to get people talking. X-Clown has a certain resonance with Panthers players, coaches, and fans. That's because at that moment, the Panthers became a team that people had to notice. But it took a lot of things that hadn't gone right to go right in that moment; it took seeing Chad Ochocinco do it first, and it created the kind of unspoken subtext that made its way to a particular South Charlotte school car pool line, where a couple of dads picking up kids were joined at a moment in history.
It seemed like a play that would work.
Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning saw Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer and receiver Chad Johnson run it with success against the two-high safety Tampa-2 defense, which was the fashion at the moment, so he did what any coach would do. He stole it.
But Henning also had the ability to adapt. Once they installed it, they installed it in different versions, with multiple formations and personnel.
"Dan was like Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan now, he'd show you the same play a dozen different ways," Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme said.
Henning came out of the Air Coryell coaching tree that included Joe Gibbs, and he learned early on to put the ball in your playmaker's hands. "Feed the stud," Henning said, and that was the point. Get the ball to Steve in space, match him up between a pair of safeties who couldn't run with him, and let the magic happen.
Of course, it never quite worked out that way.
"We couldn't complete it in practice," Delhomme said. "And I was so frustrated, and I remember Dan was like, Hey, I'm calling it in the game. You're going to figure it out."
Because of the depth of their relationship — Delhomme understands that Smith has authority issues, and that's putting it mildly — the quarterback has always wondered why it was so hard to figure out on the practice fields.
"He's never admitted to me, and maybe one day he'll admit it to me, but we put it in because of Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer, and I don't know if Steve was just being Steve, like I ain't running it like Chad did. I'm doing it like I'm doing it. I'm going to have to ask him that one day."
The crazy thing is, Smith has matured to the point where he admits that Delhomme's suspicion is largely correct.
"There was always an issue with me and Jake, right? And I say issue not negatively, but there was always a work issue with Jake as far as a quarterback and a receiver because of the way we worked," Smith began. "I never ran the route the same way. If we ran it 10 or 15 times, I ran that thing 10 or 15 different ways. Which is why I didn't like always practicing some routes because I got to the level where, man, you give me the route, I'll kill it. But if I've got to keep repeating it, I'm going to run it differently.
"If you go back all the way to my college scouting report, it said, 'He never runs the same route the same way.' We had practiced it several times; these are the go-to plays that you practice for weeks or sometimes months. We had practiced that play, I would say, probably for a few weeks. We had started practicing that play during the regular season, but we didn't call it until St. Louis.
"But when we were in practice, I was getting mad at Jake and Jake was getting mad at me, you know, like, man, just run it the same way. Well, the defender is playing me differently."
By the time they got to St. Louis, they found the perfect spot, and made the perfect play at the perfect time.
The Panthers had won the NFC South, so there was some credibility there. But this was still the Greatest Show on Turf Rams, and the Panthers weren't really expected to be able to match their ability to score. Quarterback Marc Bulger was still putting up big numbers with Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce, and left tackle Orlando Pace, along with Torry Holt, and the Panthers were a run-first team, who wanted to pound the ball and play defense.
Having the game come down to that kind of play, that kind of moment wasn't anything anyone expected.
"They really ran the ball well," said then-Rams safety Jason Sehorn, who had played cornerback for the Giants when his defensive coordinator was John Fox. "I do remember that they were a physical team, and I remember that being on display against New England and Philly,
"I think that was sort of a hidden, you know, a hidden byproduct of coach Fox's attitude. But yeah, sure, it looks like we're going to score some points."
Sehorn was in the final year of his NFL career, and playing in the deep middle was new for him. And even Smith admits it's unfair that Sehorn is attached to the play.
"I never outran him; he just didn't have the angle. When I caught it, he was already behind me," Smith said. "So he never had a chance of catching me. They were in that zone coverage. He was just a guy in the area, but it was a scheme that we knew we had an advantage in, and they actually were in the defense that we thought they would be. It's a shame he gets credit for it."
"Yeah, I was on the other hash, wasn't a lot I could do," Sehorn said. "I just broke towards the ball, and I mean, my only hope was to just like give some effort, to dive at it.
"But like, yeah."
Smith and Sehorn would cross paths many times in future years, as dads rather than competitors.
Sehorn moved to Charlotte after retirement and put down roots, and his children and Smith's children went to the same school, so they'd run into each other in the same way parents do.
And when he first moved here, it would come up from time to time, but Sehorn laughed and said he's mostly free of reminders, at least until the Rams and Panthers face each other in the playoffs and it comes up again.
"I mean, 20 years will do a lot to fade a memory," he said.
Not for the people who vaulted to national prominence in an instant, not to a team that caught a new level of recognition.
That journey took a turn that day, on that play.
"In the true fashion that that is the Carolina Panthers, we were not in people's households, right?" Delhomme laughed. We had all these 1 o'clock games, so we weren't on that stage. But then here's that play, and I think people realize, oh god, this guy's not the biggest, but he's unbelievably strong and shifty, and this seems dangerous.
"To go to the Edward Jones Dome, to beat the Greatest Show on Turf, like, then it became an uproar. Like, hey, we made it, and we know we belong in any type of situation. This was a team that nobody gave a chance to, and we were a mean, nasty football team.
"And then 89 was coming on the scene, but it was coming on in only the way 89 can come on — full speed ahead."
From that day, Smith became one of those guys; all the years of fighting for a place had built up to that point.
Now, it hits differently for Smith.
He admits to becoming a little softer with age, and he is curating his football memories more carefully.
"As I'm getting older, I'm getting more sentimental," he said. "Less cynical, more sentimental."
There's the Tiffany vase he received in honor of winning the triple crown in 2005, for leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. There are a few other mementos, scattered things around the house. But a lot of it, he's put away, for fear of being the guy stuck reliving the glory days.
"Now, when I get really old, do you want to be one of those grandpas that say, hey, back in the day Paw-Paw used to get it?" he laughed.
But there are some of those memories that he's still coming to grips with.
Smith admitted that he's bothered that there are no pictures of him celebrating the NFC Championship the following week in Philadelphia, partially because the Panthers ran the ball 40 times that day, and Delhomme only threw 14 passes. Smith caught three of them for 26 yards. That was harder for a younger Steve Smith to accept, especially after he had five for 135 yards and a touchdown against Dallas in the wild card round, and then that play against the Rams.
"I've never said this publicly, so this would be the very first time," Smith said. "I was so focused on winning the Super Bowl, going to the Super Bowl, that I didn't really enjoy any of the journey during the playoffs when we had kind of an inconsistent offense, right? So, when we won the NFC championship game in Philadelphia, you cannot find one picture of me holding that trophy. You cannot find one. Why is that?
"Because we didn't throw the ball as much, we didn't have really the passing offensive explosion that we thought we would have. First game against Dallas, throwing the ball all over the lot, obviously against St. Louis, X- Clown, and then, you know, it was an ugly win, right? It was a Foxy win. And I was so irritated by that at the time."
Now, he thinks about that differently. At the time, Smith didn't realize what was to come, that his follow-up season would end in the 2004 opener, when he broke his ankle against the Packers. Or that he'd set records in 2005, and go on to be recognized as one of the best in the game.
So now, when he thinks about those moments, he thinks about them differently, and he knows how much changed for him that day in St. Louis, when he made that play, and made one of the loudest venues in the league go stone silent.
"I was so focused, I was so goal-oriented, so results-driven that, man, I just didn't enjoy something that I didn't realize early in my career probably wouldn't happen again," he said. "So for me, X-Clown, even 10 years ago, 15 years ago, I don't know.
"But I mean today, X-Clown is, I've got the picture of it, just everything. It's a minute in the Panthers organization, in my memory, permanently."
There's part of Smith that's uncomfortable talking about it this week, because this week isn't about him; it's about the team Dave Canales has put on the field, that's doing something that hasn't been done here in a decade.
He wants them to embrace this journey, partially because he didn't, but also because he knows with time what it means.
"It's so emotional," Smith said. "Like, I'm watching the Panthers game on Saturday, they lose, and look at that, but they have a chance. And then I'm watching Baltimore, and the kicker misses a field goal. And I remember that. The times you walk off the field, and you never go back. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that emotional roller coaster.
"It is a journey."
It always has been. And for Steve Smith and the Panthers in many ways, it changed in an instant that day.
View photos of action between the Panthers and Rams through the years.
Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith, left, scores on a 68-yard reception after leaving St. Louis Rams' Tye Hill, right, on the turf in the third quarter of their NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers beat the Rams, 27-13.(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Members of the St. Louis Rams' Brian Young (66) and Travis Fisher (22) and Carolina Panthers' Muhsin Muhammad (87), Ricky Proehl (center) and Steve Smith (89) dive for the loose football during a fumble following a shuttle-pass during the first half of their NFC playoff game in St. Louis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004. The loose ball was recovered by Muhammad for a touchdown. The play was reviewed by the officials and the loose ball and recovery by the Panthers was ruled a touchdown. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)
Carolina Panthers running back Anthony Johnson (23) is seen in action during an NFL game against the St. Louis Rams Oct. 13, 1996, in Charlotte, N.C. (Allen Kee via AP)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith looks skyward after catching the winning touchdown pass on the first play of the second overtime period against the St Louis Rams in and NFC playoff game in St. Louis Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004. The Panthers beat the Rams, 29-23. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Carolina Panthers running back Anthony Johnson (23) is seen in action during an NFL game against the St. Louis Rams Oct. 13, 1996, in Charlotte, N.C. (Allen Kee via AP)
Carolina Panthers running back Anthony Johnson (23) is seen in action during an NFL game against the St. Louis Rams Oct. 13, 1996, in Charlotte, N.C. (Allen Kee via AP)
Carolina Panthers' Mike Tolbert (35) tries to dive over the goal line for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner (13) is sacked by the Carolina Panthers defense during a November 5, 2000 game in the TWA Dome in St. Louis. (AP Photo / Al Messerschmidt)
Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton (1) celebrates a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams during the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. The Panthers won 30-15. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Umpire Paul King, center, tries to separate Carolina Panthers' Jordan Gross, left, and St. Louis Rams' Robert Quinn, right, in the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner (13) is seen in action during an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers Dec. 3, 2000, in Charlotte. (Allen Kee via AP)
Carolina Panthers' Mike Mitchell (21) sacks St. Louis Rams' Kellen Clemens (10) for a loss during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. The Panthers won 30-15. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) runs the ball as St. Louis Rams strong safety Darian Stewart (20) attempts to tackle during an NFL football game in Charlotte, NC Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
Carolina Panthers' Star Lotulelei (98) prepares to tackle St. Louis Rams' Zac Stacy (30) during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. The Panthers won 30-15. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Carolina Panthers' Captain Munnerlyn (41) celebrates his interception return for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Carolina Panthers' Mario Addison chases down St. Louis Rams' Tavon Austin (11) during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. The Panthers won 30-15. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) scrambles to get away from St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Alec Ogletree (52) during an NFL football game in Charlotte, NC, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner (13) gets set to throw a pass during an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers Dec. 3, 2000, in Charlotte N.C. (Allen Kee via AP)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Tony Banks (12) gets set to throw a pass during an NFL game against the Carolina Panthers Oct.13, 1996, in Charlotte, N.C. (Allen Kee via AP)
Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams is pulled down for a 1-yard loss by St. Louis Rams' Adam Carriker during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme calls out at the line during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams, left, looks for a hole during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger (10) passes as Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Kris Jenkins defends during an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Drew Carter (18) catches a 9-yard pass for a touchdown as St. Louis Rams' Lenny Walls defends during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) eludes St. Louis Rams Chris Draft, right, during an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) looks for a hole during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Carolina Panthers' Drew Carter celebrates his first quarter touchdown against the St. Louis Rams in their NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Carolina Panthers running back DeShaun Foster (26) is brought down by the St. Louis Rams' Pisa Tinoisamoa (50) and Ron Bartell (24) after running up the middle for a 15-yard gain during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, in St. Louis. The Panthers won, the game, 27-13. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Carolina Panthers' Jake Delhomme (17) prepares to throw a pass during the Panthers 15-0 win over the St. Louis Rams in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
St. Louis Rams' Stephen Davis (48) is brought down by Carolina Panthers' Chris Gamble (20) during the Panthers' 15-0 win in an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
FILE Carolina Panthers' Keyshawn Johnson (19) breaks a tackle by St. Louis Rams' Fakhir Brown (34) during an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., in this Nov. 19, 2006 file photo. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
St. Louis Rams' Marc Bulger (10) is sacked by Carolina Panthers' Damione Lewis (92) and Kindal Moorehead during the Panthers' 15-0 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. The Panthers held the Rams to 111 yards, had a team record-tying seven sacks and St. Louis was blanked for the first time since 1998. The win moved the Panthers into a first-place tie in the NFC South. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Carolina Panthers' Richard Marshall (31) runs to recover a fumble by St. Louis Rams' Torry Holt (81) in the fourth quarter of the Panthers' 15-0 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith (89) catches a touchdown pass as St. Louis Rams' Oshiomogho Atogwe (21) defends during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)
Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith (89) runs past St. Louis Rams' Corey Chavous (25) during the first quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Carolina Panthers' DeAngelo Williams (34) runs past St. Louis Rams' Victor Adeyanju (94) during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Carolina Panthers' Keyshawn Johnson (19) knocks the helmet off St. Louis Rams' Tye Hill (26) during the fourth quarter of the Panthers' 15-0 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2006. Johnson was called for a face mask penalty on the play.(AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
Carolina Panthers' Nick Goings (37) runs past St. Louis Rams' Typka jackson (97) during the second quarter of the Panthers' 20-7 win in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004. Goings, Carolina's sixth-string running back when the season started, ran for 108 yards and one touchdown.(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
The crowd engulfs Carolina Panthers receiver Mushin Muhammad (87) after his touchdown in the first quarter of the Panthers' 20-7 win over the St. Louis Rams in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday Dec. 12, 2004. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)
Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox greets wide receiver Steve Smith (89) during an NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in overtime on January 10, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/Kevin Terrell)
Carolina Panthers' Mushin Muhammad (87) runs in for a 14-yard touchdown as St. Louis Rams' Travis Fisher (22) falls during the first quarter in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday Dec. 12, 2004. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein sets up to pass during the second quarter against the St. Louis Rams, Sunday, Nov. 22, 1998, at the TWA Dome in St. Louis. Beuerlein was 21 for 26 for 211 yards and two touchdowns in Carolina's 24-20 win. Covering is Rams' Roman Phifer (58). (AP Photo/Leon Algee)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Chris Chandler (12) is sacked by Carolina Panthers' Julius Peppers (90) during the first quarter in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday Dec. 12, 2004. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (17) throws a pass on the run during an NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in overtime on January 10, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/Kevin Terrell)
Carolina Panthers' Nick Goings (37) dives over St. Louis Rams' Adam Archuleta (31) for a one-yard touchdown during the first quarter in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday Dec. 12, 2004. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
FOR USE AS DESIRED WITH 2004 SUPER BOWL STORIES Carolina Panthers defensive end Michael Rucker, left, rushes against the blocking of St. Louis Rams' Orlando Pace during the NFC divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, in St. Louis.The New England Patriots take on the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004 in Houston. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith heads to the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown in double overtime against the St. Louis Rams during the NFC divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Carolina Panthers running back Nick Goings (37) heads upfield during an NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in overtime on January 10, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/Kevin Terrell)
FOR USE AS DESIRED WITH 2004 SUPER BOWL STORIES Carolina Panthers defensive ends Julius Peppers, left, and Micheal Rucker watch a field goal attempt during the first overtime period against the St. Louis Rams in the NFC divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, in St. Louis. The New England Patriots take on the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004 in Houston. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
FOR USE AS DESIRED WITH 2004 SUPER BOWL STORIES Carolina Panthers running back Stephen Davis carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams during the NFC divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, in St. Louis. The New England Patriots take on the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004 in Houston. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme looks over the play on his wrist during the NFC divisional playoff game against the St. Louis Rams Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver wide receiver Steve Smith (89) catches a pass during an NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in overtime on January 10, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/Kevin Terrell)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver wide receiver Steve Smith (89) watches from the sideline during an NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the St. Louis Rams. The Panthers defeated the Rams 29-23 in overtime on January 10, 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. (AP Photo/Kevin Terrell)
Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith runs away from St. Louis Rams Tommy Polley (52) and Adam Archuletta (31) to score the winning touchdown in the second overtime period of the NFC playoff game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2004 in St. Louis. Carolina won 29-23 in double overtime. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Carolina Panthers' Jimmy Hitchcock (37) runs an interception back for a touchdown past the Panthers' sideline in the third quarter of the Panthers' 16-3 win over the St. Louis Rams at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday Dec. 3, 2000. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)
