SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers are older than you think.
Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly, the team's cornerstone players, are young and still on the rise.
But the surrounding cast is a bit older and the roster is filled with veterans. The Panthers had the NFL's second-oldest team to start the season with an average age of 26.9.
Six of Carolina's starters are at least 30 years old. That doesn't count injured 34-year-old cornerback Charles Tillman and 31-year-old nickelback Cortland Finnegan.
The wise, old vets are making sure younger guys don't take this Super Bowl appearance for granted because there's no guarantee they'll be here again.