Pittman's back... back again!

Kavika Pittman remembers the play all too well. In a sweltering September slugfest at Raymond James Stadium, the Panthers had the then-defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the ropes during the second game of the 2003 season.   "It was an emotional game," recalls Pittman. "On the play before, Julius (Peppers) came out of the game and I went in to replace him. I was engaged with the guard on the play, and as I went to get off of him, I took a full-speed sideways helmet shot to the knee. It tore my ACL completely and partially tore my MCL. "Right away, I knew something was wrong. It felt like a gunshot to my leg with an instant burning sensation. I was hoping it would be something like a sprain and I could be back in a couple of weeks, but it put me out for the year." It happens that quickly. Pittman had wanted so badly to be a part of that 2003 season with the Panthers. Then it was gone, just like that. "It was my first major injury," said Pittman, who had previously played seven NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. "I broke my hand one time and missed a couple of weeks of training camp, but this was the first time I ever missed any games." Actually, Pittman still attended the games. He shifted gears from player to player/coach on the sidelines, a role he tackled willingly. "My goal was to stay close to the team and stay involved," he said. "I knew I couldn't play but I could contribute in other ways, whether it was seeing things on the field and relaying it to the guys out there or watching film with the guys and pointing out things I noticed." One would think that watching your teammates play in the Super Bowl without you might be the ultimate in frustration. Not so, says Pittman. "The first few games after the injury was when it was really, really tough," he said. "It was hard because I wanted to be out there contributing and playing. I felt last year was going to be a big year for me as far as my career. It was very tough, but as the season went on, it got to where it was easier for me to come to the games and be a part of it. Once the playoffs got going, I felt like a coach. I was just rolling with the team. I was like a fan, almost." Pittman has been rolling through rehab and expects to compete for a major role on the defensive line again in training camp, which starts later this month at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC. "My main thing is to prove that I can come back from an ACL. It's a pretty serious injury and it's late in my career. A lot of people have been saying 'Well, he's been playing for a while. Can he come back from it?' "The first thing I want to prove is that I can come back from it. The second thing I want to prove is that I'm still a quality player. The third thing is to get back out there and make some things happen for this team. I felt like, in a way, that I let them down last year. It's hard to be better than what we were, but I just feel like I could have contributed."

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