For Carolina Panthers, Cortland Finnegan more than a fill-in

A month ago Cortland Finnegan was living in Nashville, semi-retired but working out five times a week to stay in shape.

Now the 10-year veteran cornerback is on a playoff-bound Carolina Panthers team and – because of an injury to nickel back Bené Benwikere – will have a big say in how far the Panthers advance in the postseason.

While Finnegan had a coverage breakdown against the Giants two weeks ago, Panthers coach Ron Rivera thought Finnegan bounced back nicely in a 20-13 loss at Atlanta last weekend.

Equally impressive to Rivera is that Finnegan – a player who arrived in Charlotte last month with a reputation as a dirty player – has fit in well in the locker room.

“So many things have been said about him that I think are almost unfair,” Rivera said Tuesday. “I think people have to try to understand who he is.”

Finnegan, who was born in Fayetteville when his parents were stationed at Fort Bragg, was the Titans’ seventh-round pick in 2006 out of Samford, an FCS program located outside of Birmingham.

Finnegan, 5-10 and 190 pounds, became a starter his second season, 2008, when the Titans finished 10-6 and made the playoffs.

Tennessee lost at San Diego 17-6 in the wild-card round, although Finnegan sacked and intercepted Philip Rivers in the defeat.

He hasn’t been back to the playoffs since.

“One time in 10 years. I don’t have a history,” Finnegan said. “Like talking to (defensive tackle) Star (Lotulelei), I think he said he’s been every year since he’s been here. It’s very hard to come by and it’s a blessing. It’s one of those things, every play counts.”

Finnegan, 31, went to the Pro Bowl in 2008 after his second consecutive season with five interceptions. He has a total of 18 interceptions and six defensive touchdowns during a career that included stops in St. Louis (2012-13) and Miami (2014).

Finnegan has yet to get a takeaway in four games with the Panthers. He broke up two passes in his Carolina debut at New Orleans and had five tackles against the Giants.

“I’ve got a lot of things to work on. I still want to make an impact play for this team,” Finnegan said. “I’ll continue to do my job, but do it to a higher standard that they set here.”

The Panthers signed Finnegan on Nov. 30 after cornerback Charles Tillman sprained his knee against Tennessee, forcing the team to move Benwikere to corner and creating a vacancy at nickel. When Benwikere broke his leg against Atlanta on Dec. 13, Finnegan’s spot at nickel was pretty much cemented.

His blown assignment against the Giants left Rueben Randle wide open for a 27-yard touchdown catch. But Rivera says he’s pleased with how Finnegan has stepped in.

“I think he’s done a very nice job,” Rivera said. “I think he’s really learned and grasped and understood how we do things. And a lot of it too was him working back into football shape. He played very well the other day.”

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said when the Panthers placed Benwikere on injured reserve, they lost a smart football player who had established an off-field rapport with linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, whose coverage responsibilities often overlap with the nickel’s.

“Bené’s a good player,” McDermott said. “Having said that, we’ve got enough guys in the room to play good, solid football. And I expect we’ll do that.”

Lining up inside against the slot receiver is somewhat different for Finnegan. While he has played nickel previously, he’s mostly been an outside corner throughout his career.

“They’ve got guys on the outside that are doing a great job,” Finnegan said. “Inside, I get to be beside Luke and Thomas ... those two studs, and learn from them and learn this defense.”

Standing at his locker Tuesday afternoon, Finnegan started jogging in place when he talked about having another crack at his first Super Bowl.

The Panthers (14-1) will host a divisional-round game the weekend of Jan. 16-17 and can clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by beating Tampa Bay (6-9) on Sunday.

Finnegan plans to spend most of the week off before the Panthers’ first playoff game holed up at Bank of America Stadium.

“You have that extra week. So you just try to take every situation,” he said. “You watch more film. You stay after. You continue to go through every scenario and hopefully that leads to a victory.”

Considering Finnegan wasn’t sure he’d hear from any team – let alone one that was undefeated in late-November when the Panthers called – he says he couldn’t have landed in a better spot.

“To get a phone call, God had a plan for me; there’s no doubt about it. And for this team. It’s super-special,” Finnegan said.

“This is a great opportunity. You can’t be more thankful.

“Christmas came early.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 5:07 PM with the headline "For Carolina Panthers, Cortland Finnegan more than a fill-in."