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His teammates call him "T.D.," which is ironic because Thomas Davis has never scored a TD in his four-year NFL career.
Davis finally has points to his name, though, after Carolina's 20-17 win against Washington on Sunday. He was officially credited with Carolina's first safety since 2006.
So in the Panthers' scoring column he now boasts exactly two points (the same number scored by Steve Smith).
For my money, Davis has made a greater impact this season for Carolina than anyone on the squad. On a team that has too often during the past month seemed that the key players are either too old or too young, Davis, 26, stands smack in the middle of his prime.
Davis has played well all season - a fact somewhat lost with Carolina's 1-3 start. He had an astonishing 18 tackles in the season opener against Philadelphia, which is about two games worth for most good linebackers.
He followed that up with three more good games in a row. If you had to pick a Panthers MVP of the quarter-season, it would be No.58.
"T.D. has done well," defensive coordinator Ron Meeks said. "We've had a lot of consistency out of him."
Davis has established himself as the Panthers' best blitzing linebacker. Carolina pointed him at the quarterback and said "go" constantly against Washington. Davis estimated he blitzed 10 to 15 times, and he loved it just like you would expect him to.
"You always want to be the guy that's sacking the quarterback and not just in coverage," Davis said.
Sometimes he blitzed on run plays, which is how the safety came about.
Washington tried to run Clinton Portis wide from its own 3 - a very questionable call in the first place. Davis knifed to the inside while Julius Peppers closed off the outside, forcing Portis to cut back in a desperate attempt to get out of his own end zone.
"All of that was Julius Peppers," Davis said.
Not really. Some, but not all. Portis is strong enough to make some players miss in that situation, but Davis has missed very few times all season when he has arrowed his way toward a ball carrier.
Davis was the Panthers' first-round draft choice in 2005 out of Georgia. They picked him almost in the same way colleges recruit players as "athletes" instead of for a specific position.
When Davis came to Charlotte, it was unclear whether he would be better at safety or linebacker. The Panthers weren't sure, either - they used him in a hybrid role at first and occasionally would have him shadow Michael Vick when playing the Falcons.
The answer, it turned out, was linebacker. Davis can cover a tight end in space, but it's not his forte.
"He's a fly-around linebacker," said Hollis Thomas, the Panthers' new 340-pound defensive tackle, and that's an apt description. Like middle linebacker Jon Beason, the best attribute Davis has is speed.
In the "Cover-Two" or "Tampa Two" system employed by Meeks, the weakside linebacker has an opportunity to flow to the ball and make a lot of plays. Derrick Brooks thrived at the same position for years in Tampa Bay, making the Pro Bowl 11 times.
Davis has yet to sniff a Pro Bowl. But if the Panthers get some more wins and recognition, he will earn serious consideration in 2009. So far this season he has two sacks, the safety and a team-high 48 tackles.
He also has a welcome streak of modesty.
Although he was originally credited for a pass breakup on fourth-and-3 against Washington, Davis kept telling reporters Sunday: "That wasn't me - it was one of the linemen."
For much of the first four games, however, it has been Davis.
As coach John Fox said Monday: "Thomas is having an excellent season. Unfortunately, the Panthers aren't. It hasn't been his fault."
