Formerly a Jet, wide receiver Robby Anderson obviously isn't too familiar with Panthers, or perhaps the feline species as a whole.
In the midst of his debut with the Panthers on Sunday, Anderson gazed into the wide-open Bank of America Stadium and looked upon a whiskered mascot dancing and clapping its heart out amid the sea of seats.
Anderson's quandary: "What's that bear doing?"
To which fellow wideout D.J. Moore wondered: "The bear?"
"Panther," Anderson said.
Moore: "That's Sir Purr."
And that's how Anderson met Sir Purr, the furry mascot who's been a Carolina Panthers standard for years and years before Anderson even debuted in the NFL.
Anderson, no doubt one with the animals and a wildlife expert, was able to showcase his skills on the field in the opener against the Raiders to the tune of 115 yards receiving and a score. And, he was likewise able to put on display his, um, eccentricity.
“Robby be trippin’ sometimes,” Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater said, via the Charlotte Observer. “He be in his own little world.”
Now Anderson's world is Carolina, though, and Purr's got seniority.
Hailing from Paw Creek, North Carolina, Purr is still a spry cat despite his age as he's been with the Panthers for decades. Archrival of Jaxson de Ville, Purr's not to be disrespected as he's "taller than most cats" and, well, he's a panther with giant, fearsome paws.
Above all else, though, he's a team player, it would seem. Thus, Purr has made a statement of sorts by altering his Twitter account and he's cool with being a bear, it would seem.
After all, Anderson did have a 100-yard day, so you've gotta roll with it. If only the Panthers could've pulled out a win, it would've been purr-fect.