Greg Hardy says Panther negotiations yet to begin

Like quarterback Cam Newton, Panther defensive end Greg Hardy is also in New York, taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Both men have logged some serious time on airplanes in the past week, having played in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii Sunday.

"I'm here to see everybody and be seen," Hardy told me Thursday afternoon. He sported a gray suit with a name tag attached that read "Kraken!"

Hardy, an unrestricted free agent, said he and the Panthers have not begun contract negotiations.

"They are still working on their cap situation as I understand," he said. "We're playing the waiting game right now.... If they can afford me, man, I'd love to be there. That's my team. My family. We got a good thing going right now."

I continue to hope the Panthers will manage to find a way to keep Hardy, who tied a team record with 15 sacks in 2013. The franchise tag would be one possibility. But it is possible that Hardy will also be allowed to walk away for big money somewhere else.

As for his "Kraken" nickname, Hardy said more and more people are referring to him that way now, which, he said, is "what I want."

Cam Newton says he will respond to Kaepernick mocking his Superman celebration

When San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick mocked Cam Newton and his Superman touchdown dance in the playoffs after scoring against the Panthers, Newton did not have much to say about it in the postgame.

On the set of NFL Network's "NFL AM" show in New York Thursday, Newton said a little bit more -- playfully.

"He hurt my feelings, and I think so highly of Mr. Kaepernick," Newton said with a big laugh.

Cam said there "will be" some sort of response to Kaepernick at some point but that people would have to wait and see what it would be.

Newton then lavishly praised all the current young quarterbacks in the NFL, including Kaepernick, Andrew Luck, RG3 and Russell Wilson. "I don't have no hate in my blood for nobody," Newton said. He added that he was "envious," but in a good way, of Wilson getting Seattle to the Super Bowl in his second season.

Newton is in town for the Super Bowl, and as part of that is doing some promotional work for Pizza Hut. Here's the link to Newton's appearance Thursday morning.

Deaf Seattle fullback inspires at Super Bowl

NEW YORK -- Listen up.

This is a Super Bowl story worth hearing.

They called Derrick Coleman "four ears" on the playground sometimes when he was growing up because of the hearing aids jutting out of his ears.

When he first started playing football as a kid, the feedback in those hearing aids was so intense that it hurt. His mom solved that problem by cutting up a pair of pantyhose and wrapping it around her son's head under his helmet.

On Sunday, Coleman (pictured above in a shot I took this week during a group interview) will suit up for Seattle. He is a backup fullback who is believed to be the first legally deaf offensive player in the NFL. His journey to this game has inspired many. A Duracell ad on YouTube that chronicled his story has been viewed more than 13 million times. If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it here.

"Everybody has problems," Coleman said this week. "Nobody is perfect. I wear a hearing aid. Some people have glasses. Some people have depression. Everybody has something. But as long as you don't let that get in the way of what you want to do, you can do anything."

I will be writing a lot more about Coleman in my column coming in Friday's newspaper and online.

5 things the Panthers should do in 2014 offseason

3 quick thoughts on the Super Bowl -- and a prediction

What an exhilarating end to Championship Sunday, as Seattle edged San Francisco, 23-17, on the strength of forcing three Colin Kaepernick turnovers in the fourth quarter. That dramatic game made up for what was sort of a yawner in the AFC title game, as Denver led the entire way and beat New England, 26-16.

So let us look ahead to Feb.2nd, when Denver and Seattle -- No.1 seeds in their respective conferences -- face in what should be a very entertaining Super Bowl in (yes, it's actually happening) New Jersey.

1. The most compelling storyline will be Peyton Manning vs. Seattle's "Legion of Boom" secondary. That's Denver's No.1-ranked scoring offense vs. the Seahawks' No.1-ranked scoring defense. That's cornerback Richard Sherman -- who made a great play to tip the ball on the decisive interception vs. the 49ers and then acted about as classlessly as you possibly can in his celebration and interview -- vs. Denver's big-time trio of receivers. That's going to be a barnburner.

2. Former N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson will start in the Super Bowl in only his second season as a pro. Wilson has had an absolutely stunning pro career thus far, even though he did have a number of shaky moments Sunday. Look for his rise -- and his parting of ways with former N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien -- to be dissected once again.

3. John Fox has been very close to a Super Bowl win a couple of times, most notably with the Panthers in the 2003 postseason. Now he has Manning playing as well as any quarterback ever has. Denver scores points in bunches, and it needs to because its defense remains somewhat vulnerable.

Here's a note to the Panthers: There have been 10 postseason games so far. The winning team has scored at least 23 points in every game. So 10 points -- what the Panthers scored in their loss to San Francisco, and their win vs. the 49ers in November -- just doesn't cut it. The offseason has to be about improving firepower for Carolina, both with a better offensive line and a better corps of receivers.

Fox already has all that, though. And I think the coach who still owns a house in Charlotte -- and who rehabbed there after his midseason health scare -- is about to get his first Super Bowl ring. I called both the title games right in my previous blog post, and for the Super Bowl I'm going with: Denver 31, Seattle 23.

My picks: Denver, Seattle to advance to Super Bowl

OK, let's get this out of the way.

I have been terrible so far in 2014 on NFL picks. Shaquille O'Neal at the free throw line would have a much better chance than me at making one. I am shooting 20 percent so far.

My 2013 NFL season was a good one. I believed in the Panthers long before most did, picking them before the season began to finish 10-6 and make the playoffs. They ended up 12-4. In individual Panther games, which I picked each week, I ended up 12-4 as well (no, I didn't pick Carolina to win every time, that's just how it worked out).

But 2014 has been awful, and I hope no one has bet any money and gone down in flames with me. I am 1-for-5 so far, missing 3 out of 4 in the wild-card week and then incorrectly picking the Panthers to upset San Francisco last week (I didn't make a prediction on the other 3 for some reason).

So take these picks at your own risk, but I believe Denver and Seattle will both justify their No.1 seeds and win at home Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl.

Denver, to me, is just a little more complete team than New England, which has been ravaged by injury but still gotten this far in one of Bill Belichick's best coaching jobs. There will be a ton of scoring in this one, but I'm going with Peyton Manning over Tom Brady and picking: Denver 38, New England 34.

In the NFC game, defense will be much more prevalent. On a neutral field, I think I would pick the 49ers -- they are playing extremely well and certainly have a shot at going all the way. But the Seahawks in Seattle are a different breed -- tougher, more confident... just plain better. First read this great and funny Rick Reilly piece about Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll and their feud, and then give me Seattle, 20-17.

Of course, given my track record in 2014 so far, that probably means we will see a New England-San Francisco Super Bowl.

Panthers must extend contract of coach Ron Rivera

Panther coach Ron Rivera is about to finish up the third year on his original four-year contract, which was worth a reported $11.2 million.

If he does not get an extension in the offseason, a veil of uncertainty would float over the 2014 season. You may remember that the last time the Panthers didn't extend a coach's contract when it got close to expiring, they let time run out on head coach John Fox -- who posted a 2-14 record in his terrible lame-duck year of 2010.

Rivera doesn't deserve that uncertainty. What he deserves is a new deal.

The coach did a tremendous job in 2013, getting the Panthers to 12 wins, an NFC South division championship and their first playoff spot since 2008 after a 1-3 start. The home playoff loss to San Francisco should not overshadow those accomplishments.

Rivera is a popular coach. Among players, staff, fans or media, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who has had personal contact with Rivera and doesn't like him. But I'm not writing this because he's a good guy. I'm writing it because he's a very good coach, and one who has steadily gotten better since his rookie year as a head coach in 2011.

Rivera's teams have improved from 6-10 to 7-9 to 12-5 this past season. He has morphed from a by-the-book conservative coach to "Riverboat Ron" -- a coach who gambles when necessary and isn't nearly as predictable as he used to be.

Rivera also makes no secret of the fact that he is still learning to be a great head coach. That is a plateau he has not reached yet, but one day I believe he could.

Doing things like taking players to dinner and asking them their honest opinions about everything that goes on with the team is more evidence of that. Rivera isn't a "my-way-or-the-highway" type guy, and his players appreciate that. It is part of the reason they have bought so completely into his philosophy.

Rivera plans to start his series of candid dinners beginning Wednesday with offensive tackle Jordan Gross and several of his teammates, as he tries to get impressions of what went right and wrong in 2013.

How much money should he make with this extension? I don't pretend to know, but he should get a substantial raise -- enough to put him in the top half of head coach pay in the league.

A coach with obvious job security is more attractive to the best free agents, who want to know that the team they are about to sign with isn't about to pull the plug and install an entirely new system one year later.

Panther general manager Dave Gettleman praised Rivera in an end-of-season news conference Tuesday. "I have ultimate faith in Ron," Gettleman said.

But the general manager also would not discuss Rivera's contractual status Tuesday nor entertain questions about whether the team would extend the head coach's contract.

This is a no-brainer, though. It is much less complicated than, say, the Greg Hardy contract situation.

Rivera's pay won't count against the salary cap. He's the captain of a ship that is finally pointed away from the icebergs and toward the islands. It's time to give the man a contract extension.