Former NFL cornerback Charles Tillman was sidelined with a torn ACL last year when the Carolina Panthers advanced to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif.
Tillman will be back at the Super Bowl this year in Houston, albeit in a different capacity.
Tillman, who played 13 years before retiring last offseason, is part of the broadcast team for FOX's Super Bowl Kickoff show (Feb. 5, 1-2 p.m.), in addition to the network's coverage of the Opening Night event Monday (8-11 p.m.) in Houston.
It's a natural career move for the affable and confident Tillman, just one he wasn't expecting to make so soon.
"I thought I would kind of just chill for a little bit, maybe do something local," said Tillman, who got a phone call last summer saying FOX wanted to talk to him.
"I went to L.A. and I killed the audition," Tillman added, "and here I am getting ready to do a Super Bowl."
A faction of Panthers' fans on Twitter lobbied for Tillman to coach the team's defensive backs after secondary coach Steve Wilks was promoted to defensive coordinator this month.
Tillman kept their hopes up by retweeting them and posting the sideways eyes emoji.
While Tillman says he's honored fans think that highly of him, he's more interested in the type of temp coaching he did last summer when he spent three days in Charlotte working with Panthers rookie cornerbacks James Bradberry and Daryl Worley.
After up-and-down rookie seasons, Tillman believes the young corners will develop into big-time players under Wilks.
"They were just inexperienced, they were young. I think they're great. I know Coach Wilks is going to do some amazing things with them," Tillman said during a phone interview Wednesday. "People think that Josh Norman got drafted and he was a perfect player right away. It took Josh a couple years to evolve and develop who he is today."
Tillman admits being surprised by the Panthers' decision to rescind Norman's franchise tag last year, but adds he trusts general manager Dave Gettleman, whom he called "Mr. G."
Tillman was a little critical of Norman, saying he could have been more team-centric during the Panthers' Super Bowl season.
"I was never mad at him or anything like that," Tillman said. "I just think sometimes he could have deflected some of the media attention and he could have been more about team-oriented stuff."
Tillman says inexperience in the secondary and the concussion to middle linebacker Luke Kuechly hurt the Panthers' chances of returning to the Super Bowl.
Tillman, who spent his first 12 seasons with Chicago before playing his final year in Carolina, was appalled by the "abuse" and unflagged hits Panthers quarterback Cam Newton absorbed this season.
"Forget that I even played (with) him. He didn't get the same protection, the same treatment as the Tom Bradys, the Drew Brees's (or) the Matt Ryans. He just didn't," Tillman said. "He didn't receive any of that treatment like I thought he should have. I feel like he's earned it. Protect the man."
Tillman has heard the argument Newton suffered from the so-called Shaquille O'Neal effect _ hits (or fouls) don't look as bad when committed against big players like Newton and O'Neal.
Tillman says that shouldn't matter.
"I know he's 6-5, 250 or whatever, but he can still get his leg broke. He can still get concussed. But I think because he's so big, you just assume he can take more of a hit," Tillman said.
"I've seen Peyton Manning get hit. I've seen Drew Brees and Tom Brady. (Brady) looks for the flag and he gets it. Cam will just sit there waiting for them to throw the flag and they're just like, 'Nope. It's good. It wasn't forcible contact.' And it's like, 'Well, what else needs to happen?' "
Tillman agreed with the notion that the hits took a mental and physical toll on Newton, who followed his MVP campaign of 2015 with the worst season of his career.
"It can definitely play with your psyche a little bit, which is sad that it turned out that way," Tillman said. "Hopefully (the NFL) can fix it this year going forward."
