The Panthers were 0-2, losing a fourth-quarter lead to the Seahawks in the opener and giving up the decisive points with two seconds left in Buffalo, when Chase Blackburn figured it was time to speak up.
Now, ordinarily, a backup linebacker in his first year with a team is not going to start preaching to his new teammates. But then, Blackburn always has been more than he appears to be. He nearly became an eighth-grade math teacher before the Giants called for him to return late in the 2011 season, but this past September, Blackburn was giving a history lesson.
“I talked to our defense and just said one thing to realize is we were 0-2 in ’07 and we went on to win the Super Bowl when I was with New York,’’ Blackburn told The Post Friday after practice gearing up for Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game against the 49ers. “Oh-and-two is not the end of the world. It’s how you finish the rest of the season. As a matter of fact, what I told them is that in ’07 we gave up a whole lot of points and weren’t really competitive those first two games and still were able to win a Super Bowl that season.’’
No one rolled their eyes at Blackburn. Instead, the Panthers went out and crushed the Giants 38-0, with Blackburn making his first start of the season, filling in for injured Jon Beason. Funny how things work out. Blackburn found a new home as the starting weak-side linebacker and Beason on Oct. 4 was traded to the Giants, where he got healthy and turned into the middle linebacker they have been looking for.
As improbable as Blackburn’s ascension has been, it should not be a surprise, considering his entire career is an upset. He hooked on with the Giants in 2005, undrafted out of Akron, and became a fixture on the roster because of his mind for the game and his ability on special teams.
He started now and then, earned a Super Bowl ring after the 2007 season but was not brought back for 2011, as the Giants wanted to upgrade at middle linebacker. As it turned out, they didn’t have one and Blackburn was re-signed just in time for a remarkable playoff push that ended with him running with Rob Gronkowski and intercepting a Tom Brady pass in Super Bowl XLVI. Blackburn started 15 games in 2012, again was not re-signed and this time, now 30 years old and in his ninth NFL season, resumed his career with the Panthers.
Lo and behold, Blackburn has returned to the postseason and is part of a terrific defense — maybe the best one he has been on.
“Definitely stats-wise, I think so,’’ Blackburn said. “As far as where we ranked, we were second in the league this year. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a defense like that.’’
No one questions the quality of the Panthers’ defense but Blackburn won’t offer his complete stamp of approval and declare it is better than the Giants defenses that surged to two championships.
“That’s a tough question,” Blackburn said, “because in ’07 the way we turned it around in the playoffs, to me it comes down to crunch time, when it matters, and in ’07 when it mattered we played great defense throughout that Super Bowl run.
“Obviously we haven’t played a playoff game yet. These are the ones that count, when people are going to say you’re the best or not. Let’s see how this goes.’’
Blackburn has started seven of the 13 games he has played and has found it difficult to amass tackles (he has 27) because of the run-stopping prowess of Carolina’s other two starting linebackers, Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Blackburn and another former Giant, receiver Domenik Hixon, are the only two Panthers with Super Bowl rings and are in familiar surroundings, readying for a playoff game few outside of North Carolina expect them to win.
“If we listen to what the media says we shouldn’t even show up Sunday,’’ Blackburn said. “Just like in ’07, the Giants shouldn’t have even been in the playoffs. If you listen to everybody else, what their expectations are for you and what they believe what kind of player you are you’re not going to get very far. You have to believe it yourself.’’