CHARLOTTE — What makes a rival?

In sports, it's often the team with which you have the most bad blood, the most history, the most visceral reaction when you see someone wearing their colors in the grocery store.

"Like Florida State, I hate Florida State," spat Mike Jackson , the Miami Hurricanes product, this week. "So, Florida State, I'm just saying, I can't stand. I'm cool with Ryan, though."

The Panthers' rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald , a Seminoles alum, will be glad to hear it.

For fans—or Mike Jackson—those sorts of rivalries are baked directly into a team. For players in the NFL, though, it's a little tougher to establish and feel rivalries.

"It's different, like, because in the NFL, it's hard to say they're a rival because they can make a trade and the dude can be your lock

See Full Page