Q&A: Carolina Panthers DE Levar Edwards talks heat, humidity and po’boys

Ten questions about life off the field with Carolina Panthers defensive end Levar Edwards:.

Q. What has it been like getting used to Charlotte?

A. I’ve been here a few weeks now, so everything is kind of calming down for me now. When I first got here, I was trying to learn all of the plays, trying to find somewhere to stay and stuff like that. It was a pretty hectic couple of weeks, but I finally settled in and found somewhere to stay. Now every day is pretty calm and I can actually focus on football and stuff like that.

Q. How big of a change was it going from Buffalo to Carolina?

A. The first thing I noticed, of course, was it’s hotter. It was hot, but it didn’t have the humidity it has here. That first week was like a body shock a little bit. But after a while, you kind of get used to it. The first couple of days I was like, ‘Ooh, I haven’t been this hot in a while.’

Q. After going to LSU, has it been nice to be back in the South?

A. Yeah, it’s always good to be back down South, but I’m not like, ‘I’d rather be here than there.’ All of the places I’ve been, I’ve just kind of took it in and became a part of wherever I was. I wouldn’t say it was a good thing, but I got to see some different places and live other places.

Q. Out of the places you have played, what has been the coolest city you’ve been able to go to?

A. When I was in Oakland for the few days I was there, I went to see the Golden Gate Bridge. That was pretty cool because I had never been to San Francisco. I got to see that. I would say that’s probably the coolest thing. I went to Niagara Falls, too, (when I was in Buffalo) and that was pretty dope.

Q. What sort of hobbies do you have away from the field?

A. I play video games a lot. I like to eat food. I try to go to all of the different places that people recommend, like, ‘If you’re here, then you should go eat here.’ I try to do that probably like once a week because I don’t want to eat too much and too bad every day.

Other than that, during football season I just kind of stick to watching a little TV, watching some movies, playing video games, studying my plays and just getting some rest. During the offseason, it can be whatever is going on at the time. I watch the Travel Channel, so I’ll be like, ‘OK, they’ve got Charlotte today.’ So I’ll be like, ‘OK, where should I go eat in Charlotte?’ And I’ll go try to check the place out and see if it’s good personally.

Q. What’s your go-to video game?

A. NBA 2K. I’m a big 2K guy. I play ‘My Park’ a lot. That’s my thing. Some of my friends, we play that whenever we get a chance. Some guys play Call of Duty, but I suck at Call of Duty so I don’t even play it anymore. But yeah, I’m a 2K or a Madden guy.

Q. Have you played anybody on the team in 2K?

A. Nah, I haven’t played anybody yet. I played Tre (Boston) in Madden. He beat me a few times and I beat him a few times, but if you let him tell it, he’ll tell you he beat me every time. But it’s not true.

Q. In terms of restaurants in Charlotte, what place have you gone to and really enjoyed?

A. To be honest, I haven’t really been out yet because when I first got here it was real crazy and I was really busy. So I haven’t really gotten anywhere that I wanted to go to yet. But eventually I’ll probably get out.

Q. Is there any place in particular that has been highly recommended to you?

A. I went to this one place called Poboy’s. Me being from New Orleans, I’m really critical on New Orleans type foods, but it’s actually a really decent po’boy. It’s actually a really good po’boy, so I liked that place.

Q. What was it like to get your first career sack Monday night after moving around so much?

A. It was a really great feeling because this is the start of my fourth year and it took four years to get it. It was just a big relief to finally get it out of the way, and I was also happy for myself. Now I just need to get some more.

This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Q&A: Carolina Panthers DE Levar Edwards talks heat, humidity and po’boys."