South Charlotte Today

This week's Panthers Legend of the Game is Chris Gamble, a former cornerback for the team. Gamble was selected in the first round of the 2004 draft and joined a team that had recently appeared in the Super Bowl. Despite a challenging start to his rookie season, with a 1-7 record after star receiver Steve Smith's injury, Gamble and his teammates bounced back to reach the NFC Championship Game the following year.

Gamble, who was part of Ohio State's undefeated national championship team in 2002, quickly became an essential player for the Panthers. He finished his career as the team's all-time leader in interceptions with 27.

In an interview with Panthers.com, Gamble expressed his appreciation for reconnecting with fans and former teammates: "It's always a blessing, man, to be able to get back and just see my old team play."

Reflecting on his experiences under assistant coach Sam Mills and participating in traditions like hitting the Keep Pounding drum, Gamble said: "Keep Pounding is just really representing Sam Mills and the endurance and perseverance that he was going through."

Discussing his difficult rookie season compared to his college success at Ohio State, Gamble shared: "It was very frustrating to go through something like that before coming from a great school like Ohio State. But it was a learning lesson."

When asked about current first-round corner Jaycee Horn, Gamble praised him: "He's getting better and better each year. I'm glad to see that he's healthy." He also noted similarities between himself and Horn: "He puts me in the mind of myself... He's got good ball skills."

Gamble revealed plans to move back to Charlotte soon: "I'm supposed to be moving back sometime this year... My daughter lives here, and then I just miss Charlotte." He expressed excitement about being more involved with the team again.