Former Chicago Bears defensive back Peanut Tillman might, arguably, be the greatest cornerback in Bears history. The team that Tillman played for last season (after 12 illustrious years in Chicago), the 17 win NFC Champion Carolina Panthers, might arguably be the greatest team not to win the Super Bowl in NFL history.
Of course, fans of the 2007 New England Patriots might have something to say about that idea. The Panthers #KeepPounding in 2016 and they remain the only team that Peanut Tillman wants to play for in 2016.
“It’s the one team that I want to play for. Great group of guys, amazing organization,” Tillman told The Sports Bank by phone over the weekend.
“Their head coach, can’t say enough about Coach Rivera, their General Manager, just an awesome group of men and great leadership,” he continued. Tillman signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers in April of 2015, recording his first interception for the Panthers against Andrew Luck during the club’s 29–26 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
He left Carolina’s regular season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he suffered a torn ACL. Tillman missed the remainder of the season, as the Panthers reached Super Bowl 50, but lost 24–10 to the Denver Broncos.
Tillman’s teammate, Quarterback Cam Newton, won the NFL MVP award. Peanut Tillman, best known for his his ability to force fumbles by “punching” the ball away from opposing offenders, commonly known as the ‘Peanut Punch,’ remains a current NFL free agent.
The 35-year-old corner has previously said publicly that he’s “probably another two months” away from being able to contribute, thus, when he signs with a NFL team it would be towards the end of preseason training camp. Peanut obviously wants that team to be Carolina, for many reasons.
“There’s 53 reasons, every man on that roster, it’s the front office, it’s the secretaries, the cafeteria, the equipment managers,” said Tillman, who will be hosting the fourth annual Charles Tillman ProBOWLer Tournament in Chicago on July 14th.
“I’ll tell you it’s a first class organization from the front office to your cooks. It’s really a place that I think a lot of players really want to be.”
For Pro BOWLer, Peanut Tillman has recruited his friends, teammates and colleagues (including Robert Griffin III and Matt Forte) for an evening of great bowling, delicious food and festivities to support the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram