Wright bringing his ‘FBI,’ playmaking, to Carolina

When Jarius Wright was released last week by Minnesota, the feeling here was he wouldn’t be without a team for long.

Former Razorback Jarius Wright and Norv Turner were happy to see each other earlier this week at the Carolina Panthers offices in Charlotte. Wright signed a three-year deal with the Panthers on Tuesday. PHOTO BY CAROLINAPANTHERS.COM

Carolina offensive coordinator Norv Turner thought the same thing.

“His style really fits the way we’re going to go about doing things,” said Turner this week.

He spent two-and-a-half seasons coaching Wright in Minnesota.

“Very quick starter — explosive,” Turner said. “And he’s a very natural player in the slot. He’s been very successful in that area.”

Wright’s always been a natural, going all the way back to the sixth grade in Warren when you could look at him and tell he was going to be special.

Lumberjacks coach Bo Hembree told former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino that Wright’s football IQ was the best thing about him and after four seasons, Petrino talked about that a lot, too.

Wright has always been either making the big play or around when the big play happened. He trailed Cobi Hamilton down the sideline at AT&T Stadium against Texas A&M and fell on a fumble in the end zone for a score.

When Minnesota needed a Hail Mary in the playoffs against New Orleans this January, Wright was right there when they got one to advance to the NFC Championship game.

“My football intelligence has definitely helped me become a seven-year player in the NFL,” Wright said in a conference call Tuesday.

That’s not bragging, either. That’s not what Wright does, but he’s heard it from every coach he’s ever played for.

Wright is humble. He was raised by an Arkansas state trooper and a schoolteacher and he is keenly aware of his Warren roots, being the first player from that town to be drafted by an NFL team.

When the Vikings let him go last week, which was more a salary cap and numbers game at wide receiver, he wasn’t too worried, either. He may be humble, but he has a quiet determination.

He wasn’t going to pout about it, thanks to his upbringing.

“I hung out with the older kids. My brother is eight years older than me, so I really didn’t get a chance to pout and cry because they would make fun of me if I did,” Wright said. “I didn’t want to be that kid.”

Oh, and he’s confident about what he can do for an NFL team.

“When the ball is thrown to me, regardless of whether I have a defender right on me or if it’s not a good throw, I usually come up with the ball — knock on wood,” he said Tuesday.

That is exactly what Turner wanted.

“We got him matched up in one-on-one situations (at Minnesota), and I think he’s going to win most of those,” Turner said. “And he made a lot of big plays for us in the fourth quarter.”

With Turner, Wright knows exactly what he’s getting and that was a big part of wanting to play for the Panthers.

“”Just playing for Norv and knowing all the experience that Norv has in this league, he’s been able to get it done as offensive coordinator pretty much anywhere he’s gone,” Wright said. “That’s one thing that persuaded me.

“The other thing is that Norv also knows me; Norv knows what to expect from me. Us getting together and us teaming up, you definitely have a player and a coach that know each other.”

It helps they have Cam Newton at quarterback.

“The sky is the limit,” Wright said.

For Panther fans, that’s some good news. with the team reportedly close to being sold for a record multi-billion dollar amount, bringing in a clutch third-down receiver for Newton is something positive.

“”I don’t know him that well,” Wright said of Newton. “I’ve had a chance to play against him three or four times now, so I know he’s one heck of a player.

“What he brings to the game — whether he’s throwing the ball or running the ball — is something I definitely want to pair my talents up with.”

The Panthers do get a player that makes big plays with his smarts as much as his legs.

“Besides just athletic ability, I like to call it FBI … my football intelligence,” Wright said. “Just being in the right place at the right time, knowing your quarterback, knowing how they like to throw the ball and where they like to put the ball.

“Being on the same page with your quarterback, being able to find an open spot in the zone or if it’s man coverage, keep running.”

Razorback fans saw during a four-year stretch, including his final two years where the Hogs posted a 21-5 record, including a No. 5 ranking after a Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State following the 2011 season.

Panther fans are hoping for the same result.