CHARLOTTE -- The face of the franchise was relaxed at his locker Sunday, taking his sweet time as usual before draping himself in those freshest of threads. was in a good mood, often the case lately, as the rolled to 8-0 start in the 2015 campaign."You saw that?" asked Newton, flashing his smile after I joked about from a few visiting fans who'd hung it over the wall between the front row and the field during pregame warmups. "I didn't think anybody saw that."In his defense, Newton did move fast. He first told a trainer, "Somebody better go take down that banner before I do it instead." A few minutes later, he was already folding it up, tucking it under his arm and jogging it into the home locker room.Like everything with Newton, the move probably will draw the same two reactions, depending on your previous opinion of him: It was humorous. Or it was childish.Yet in the wake of a against the NFC's figurative golden child, maybe it is time we instead look at Newton's actions as something else: a nece sary statement."It was a Green Bay banner in Bank of America Stadium," Newton said. "It just doesn't match. It's just a respect thing. It's my duty to protect this house. We played in Green Bay last year, and I didn't see any 'This is Panther Country' signs in their stadium."Look, the banner situation isn't a big deal in itself. But it is symbolic to a broader point about this team: The literally get le s respect, relative to their accomplishments, than any team in the NFL. Sure, we'll to s them in a discu sion about undefeated teams, only to note they're the most likely to fall first. Yes, we'll mention that is playing really well, only to stop short of adamantly noting he's playing better than any cornerback in the NFL. And absolutely, we'll even tell you it's a nice story, before wondering when it will end.Maybe that's merely life as a small-market team with a limited level of historical significance. But what the did to the in Sunday's first half wasn't just worthy of our "aw, shucks" compliments. It was real-deal, dominating football against the one team with the best chance of challenging them for home-field advantage in the playoffs.If you're a Carolina fan, you can already hear the outside excuses about catching the during a tough stretch, even though those same critics probably woke up Sunday morning saying, "Yeah, but the will finally show their true colors against their first real opponent."How's this for true colors: 285 total yards and 27 points in the first half while holding and the to 133 of their own? Oh, but the Demetrius Harris Jersey are still figuring out how to succeed on offense without , right? Perhaps then, we should also remember how many left the for dead in the wake of 's season-ending knee injury during training camp. Look, this isn't a knock on the . Quite the opposite. Any team led by Rodgers, even one po se sing a defense with severe i sues, has a shot -- which we witne sed during Green Bay's impre sive comeback that included two touchdowns inside the final eight minutes.The are also so incredibly far from perfect, no doubt. Everyone in the locker room will admit as much. It's the very reason safety , for instance, even faces questions from his wife about the legitimacy of the ' 8-0 start."People are going to question it," Harper said. "I even get the questions at home. People want to say, 'Oh, we let this team come back or this team took us to overtime.' Nobody in here cares. It's always better to correct mistakes after a win."Harper might be the best player in the locker room to believe when it comes to the ' prospects, since he was a player on the ' winning team in 2009. "At the most opportune times, somebody always stepped up to make a big play," Harper said about that team. "And I think we've done a great job of that on offense and defense. We've got some ballplayers, some really good guys who are going to make those plays at the right time."That player on Sunday was , who came up with to close an eight-point margin on a fourth-down play from the ' 4-yard line. And next week, it'll likely be somebody else.No matter what your level of respect for the is at this point, there is nonethele s a more objective reason why their 8-0 start could indeed help their chances at a postseason run. They now hold a two-game edge over everyone for home-field advantage in the NFC -- and they have a reasonable slate of games ahead. In the next three weeks, Carolina plays , and -- three teams with le s combined wins than the currently have. That means, if they can keep rolling, an 11-0 start is a perfectly reasonable expectation.Then again, this is the NFL. on Sunday, and . Nothing is given, right? Nobody should treat any game as if it's an easy win, right? Exactly.And that's why it is time to respect the ' accomplishments thus far in 2015. This is a team that lost its No. 1 wide receiver before the season even started -- and continues to win games despite the obstacles that each week presents.So yes, Cam, go take that banner down in your house. But just be warned next time you think nobody is watching: You have our attention. And this time, we'd be wise to not look away.Follow Jeff Darlington on Twitter . Eno Benjamin Jersey