"New Carolina Panthers secondary coach Steve Wilks has a room at an uptown hotel and no car.

For good reason: As much as Wilks is happy to be back in Charlotte, he wants to minimize distractions as he begins work with his hometown team.

"To come back home is really just the icing on the cake. It's definitely great," said Wilks, who graduated from West Charlotte in 1987 and played at Appalachian State.

"I have a lot of love and passion for the city of Charlotte, being born and raised there.""