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Panthers fan returns Super Bowl playbook to team

These Panthers faithful are a loyal bunch.

Take, for example, Matt Rowell, a yard-sale enthusiast who recently stumbled upon a gem: Carolina's playbook from Super Bowl XXXVIII, won by the Patriots 32-29.

In what sounds like the opening crawl to an NFL-themed espionage novel, Rowell's radar buzzed as he scanned the playbook's title -- "2004 Panthers-Patriots" -- and leafed through pages of sensitive financial information about the team's star players.

Rowell, 26, also uncovered a pair of Kris Jenkins' size 16 cleats. Major scores, but something didn't sit well with the young man.

"I enjoyed it for a week," Rowell told WCNC-TV. "I was like, you know what, this really belongs more to the fans than it does to me, or for me selling it, because if I were to sell it on Craigslist or eBay or wherever, then that person may then sell it to the Falcons or to the Saints. It's just stuff that you can't, as a die-hard fan, you just can't do that."

It's unclear what the 2012 Falcons or Saints would do with John Fox's ancient plans to unleash Jake Delhomme, but Rowell's heart is in the right place.

On a side note, Rowell also found a pair of 2004 Pro Bowl playbooks, which he plans to keep guilt-free, as they remain utterly worthless to modern civilization.

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