Inside the Panthers

Jenkins blasts Panthers, calls effort garbage

In perhaps the most emotional locker room outburst in franchise history, Kris Jenkins ripped his teammates. Jenkins wasn’t asked a question to start the outburst and he wouldn’t take questions at the end. But here’s the entire text of what he had to say in between:

You all ready (clears throat)? All right, I’m going to be honest. I think the players owe the fans an apology. I would be as upset as they are if I had to sit in the stands for four hours and look at that garbage. I’m going to be honest with you. That’s what it was, garbage.

I apologize to you Pat because I didn’t put everything out as far as the issue (in an Observer story last week, where Jenkins challenged his teammates to handle prosperity better). This is our issue as a team. As a team collectively, we have no heart. We have no energy. We have no drive. Football is about pride and passion. I’m going to repeat that again. Football is about pride and passion. The pride and the passion that you have for this game makes you want to win. It’s not about the money. It’s not about looking the part. It’s not about standing on the field so everybody can see you on TV and that you look good. It’s about pride and heart. If you have those two, if you win or lose, you’re going to look like a football team.

That’s why we have issues with prosperity. That’s why we have issues when things look good. That’s why we can’t get enough together to look and act like a football team. This is not a 9-to-5 job. This is a game. It is a street fight. It is a gladiator sport and I apologize that sometimes I don’t look the part for what people want me to be. I’m not the weight that everybody wants me to be. But when I step on that field, what you are going to see is pride and heart because I value this game. I love it and that is what is frustrating me. We don’t have that.

We went out there and I felt embarrassed. I walked out the little line or whatever you come through to go play and I walked out and basically, in certain way, I challenged their team. And I challenged my team, because when you step out there like that and you do something like that, you better back it up and we didn’t. We got broke off. We really got broke off and I’m embarrassed to say so.

Right now, my heart hurts. It really does. It’s hard to sit there week after week and go through this. This is what’s not being addressed. Week in and week out, we might say this and we might say that or we need to change this. It’s not that you can’t pay for pride and heart. It might good when you look at the stats or when you look at someone’s 40 time or you look at everything else. But it doesn’t matter how many skills you have. It doesn’t matter how good you look when you catch a pass or when you run the ball or when you tackle somebody or cover somebody.

It’s not going to matter if you don’t have those two things, because this is the NFL. It is the National Football League. It is a professional sport and you have people out here, such as myself, who love this game enough that they’re going to put it all out on the field.

Tampa Bay came and they did that and they royally broke their foot off in our butt. I have nothing else to say. I’m upset about this, but I wanted to say that.

Where's Weinke?

In case you're wondering, and you probably are after watching David Carr's first few drives, Chris Weinke's still in Charlotte. Co-worker Tom Sorensen saw him in a grocery store a week or two ago. That part's true and confirmed. Also, Sorensen's not certain, but there was a guy stocking shelves who looked a lot like Jeff Lewis. - PAT YASINSKAS

Panthers deny television report

   Panthers officials are denying a television report by Fox Sports today that said quarterback Jake Delhomme needs surgery on his right elbow.

   Delhomme is dressed today and will be the No. 3 quarterback behind David Carr and Matt Moore. Coach John Fox said Monday that Delhomme does not need surgery.

   Team officials said that hasn't changed. Team spokesman Charlie Dayton said Delhomme remains in a "rehab and rest'' situation. Dayton said he couldn't rule out the possibility that Delhomme could have surgery at some point down the road, but said the plan remains to treat the elbow with rest and rehabilitation. - PAT YASINSKAS

Jake's No. 3

   Today's inactives:

   QB Jake Delhomme, LB Dan Morgan, LB Adam Seward, OL Evan Mathis, OL Frank Omiyale, TE Marcus Freeman, DE Charles Johnson and DE Otis Grigsby.

   Delhomme will dress and be the No. 3 quarterback behind David Carr and Matt Moore. Also, to clarify, rookie receiver Dwayne Jarrett will be active for the first time this season. - PAT YASINSKAS

Stan: On watching practice, and offensive posts

I was just reading some of the comments on my last blog and wanted to clear up one thing in particular. During the season, we are allowed to watch practice but are NOT ALLOWED to write about what we see, according to an agreement between the NFL and the association of writers who cover the league.

A very obvious example why –suppose a team is working on a double reverse for the first time this week, and it’s in all the papers. So long, element of surprise. We can report on injuries, and that’s it.

This is obviously not the best situation from our viewpoint, because that means we can’t relay what we’re seeing to you fans. And while Panthers coach John Fox worries about giving an opponent a competitive advantage – he uses that phrase often – and sometimes carries it to the extreme, he’s actually somewhat liberal in allowing media to watch the workouts.

A number of NFL teams close all of their practices.

So why do we bother going to practice at all? To get context. Knowing who is playing at what position and what stuff the team is working on for the upcoming opponent enables us to do a better job of covering the game on Sunday.

It also helps our daily coverage in more subtle ways; i.e., when we interview someone during the week, it’s always for a reason.

I want to add one other thing. We try to keep these blogs clean.

It’s fine to have fun, but not at the expense of offending someone or being crude in your comments. If you are offended by something someone has written here, get in touch with our sports editor (mpersinger@charlotteobserver.com), Kelvin Hart (khart@charlotteobserver.com) or online@charlotteobserver.com.

Any of those folks will look at the comment, and if it is offensive, immediately remove it.

That said, let’s stick to football. We have some posters on this thread who know more about the game than I do, and I like to read those guys. But a post might have 20 comments and 7,000 hits. Keep in mind that you’re not simply writing to the guy who posted three comments ago.

Let’s keep it clean and at least somewhat respectful for everyone.

STAN OLSON

Jake update on hold; Bridges feeling good

The Panthers have NFL-mandated open locker rooms on Wednesday and Thursday from 1:15 until 2. p.m. That’s the best time to get some face time with players, but it doesn’t always work out.

We were curious about how quarterback Jake Delhomme’s strained elbow felt after four days off – he did not practice either Wednesday or today after being hurt Sunday – and as the small group of writers (TV and radio folk usually get all their sound bites Wednesday) entered the locker room today, there was Jake.

He was in a hurry to get somewhere, but said he’d be back before our 2. p.m. curfew – it’s hard to miss because Steve Smith shoots off a remarkably annoying air horn until we clear out.

Delhomme didn’t make it back after all, because he was getting treatment, but no one held it against him because he has proved courteous and helpful since joining the Panthers.

While we waited on Jake, guard Jeremy Bridges messed around across the way, joking with teammates. Bridges has also missed both days of practice; his injury is turf toe. But he said he was optimistic about being able to play Sunday. That would be a boost for the offensive line; one of his teammates remarked that Bridges’ energy and enthusiasm keeps everyone pumped up.

As for Delhomme, we’ll know more Friday.

STAN OLSON

Gruden, Barber speak about Peppers, Smith

Couple of great quotes off our conference calls today with the Bucs.

First, coach Jon Gruden was asked his opinion on fans in Carolina criticizing defensive end Julius Peppers:

"If they’re criticizing Julius Peppers, I don’t know what’s going on with society. He’s still a really great player. He’s playing all over the place. He’s a roamer walking around in the nickel. He’s on the left side. He’s on the right side. He’s covering tight ends and backs. What is there to criticize? He doesn’t have a sack, but I’ve seen him go a couple weeks in the past without a sack. I’ve also seen him get two or three or four in a half. We better account for him. He’s great."

Then, cornerback Ronde Barber let out a laugh when asked about the way Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall imploded against Steve Smith last week:

"Well, I’ve played against Steve a lot and I know one thing; making him mad is not the right thing to do. I have a lot of respect for that guy. The way he approaches the game and the way he approaches himself. I like his demeanor. When he is playing angry, he is very hard to deal with. So you won’t see me or any of my DBs approaching him in that manner."

PAT YASINSKAS

Everybody's asking about WR Jarrett

No matter how many times we write about it in this blog or in the paper, the e-mails keep coming, wanting to know why rookie wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett has yet to play a down. That’s understandable because Jarrett was a second-round pick and people want immediate results.

There is all sorts of speculation (Jarrett doesn’t know the playbook. Jarrett is soft. Jarrett was set back by a training camp injury. Jarrett just isn’t any good.) as to why the rookie has been inactive for the first three games. You can read between the lines of what’s been written and you can listen to the speculation. Some of it may be true.

But, once and for all, here’s how the folks who make the important decisions around Bank of America Stadium view the Jarrett situation. We’re not saying it’s right or we agree with it, but simply stating what they’re thinking:

They believe wide receiver is one of the hardest positions for a rookie to succeed at (just ask the Detroit Lions of a few years back about that) and, no, they didn’t think Jarrett was ready to help in the first three games. They’re still very high on him, but they view this as a high school situation.

In their eyes, Jarrett is a freshman. Keary Colbert and Drew Carter are seniors. At least as of right now – and you can throw in your punch line at the end of this sentence - the people who count think Colbert and Carter are more prepared to help the team.

The feeling is that Jarrett will be activated at some point and he’ll gradually start to contribute. Colbert and Carter each are in the last year of their contracts and they’re not going to get new ones if they don’t show they can contribute on a consistent basis. Jarrett’s not going to stay on the junior varsity forever.

Again, that’s the company line and it may play out exactly that way. Then again, remember Eric Shelton? - Pat Yasinskas

Maybe Peppers just has the look

  Reading the excellent column by co-worker and friend Tom Sorensen this morning about Julius Peppers made me have a flash back to something I hadn’t even thought of in about 24 years.

   I’m a little hazy on the time frame. But here’s what I do know for sure: It was spring, probably of 1983. My dad was alive and so was legendary New York newspaper columnist Dick Young. I was a skinny high school infielder with some talent, by rural Pennsylvania standards, and Darryl Strawberry was amazing everyone down in Florida at the New York Mets camp.

   The New York media was carried away in singing the praises of the young outfielder, but not Young. My father, who got up for work at ungodly hours, used to put the local paper at my door each morning so I could read my box scores from the previous day. One day, The New York Daily News was there instead. It was opened to a Young column on Strawberry.

   Young’s message was strong and simple: He admitted Strawberry had amazing talent, but urged the young outfielder to stop making everything look so easy because it would only cause him problems down the road. Young was ahead of his time as a writer and in summing up Strawberry, who for a whole bunch of different reasons, never quite lived up to his enormous potential.

   Anyway, you know the story about Strawberry’s downfall and I’m in no way suggesting Peppers is at all like Strawberry off the field. But the two are a lot a like on the field. Strawberry was and Peppers is as gifted as any athletes who ever have walked on this planet.

   Strawberry’s chance to capitalize on that passed long ago. But Peppers’ hasn’t. Maybe Peppers is playing hard on every down and maybe he’s not. But it’s time for him to at least look like he’s playing hard on every down.

-- Pat Yasinskas

For a minute, offense looked like '03

        Perhaps the most important aspect of Carolina’s win at Atlanta Sunday — other than the victory itself — was the way the Panthers’ finished.

        In the final three minutes, the offense looked liked the group that rode powerful Stephen Davis to the Super Bowl back in 2003. The coaches want the team to be able to finish off opponents by pounding them on the ground, and that’s what happened; Carolina banged out three first downs on that final drive before taking a knee.

        In the process, the zone blocking scheme new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson has installed worked and running back DeShaun Foster took full advantage.

       Foster carried for 12, 1 and 13 yards, taking it to the two-minute warning. Backup DeAngelo Williams gained a yard while giving him a breather, and then Foster was back, bursting up the middle for 11 more. By then, Atlanta’s timeouts were gone, and quarterback David Carr took a knee twice to run out the clock.

    “To be able to get those first downs and those yards rushing against a nine-man box (nine of 11 defenders near the line of scrimmage and expecting the run), that’s huge for us,” said guard Mike Wahle.

    “What you see is what the potential is. It’s just a question of being able to do it play-in, play-out and week-in, week-out.”

— Stan Olson

Delhomme's day to day with elbow strain

As we reported a few hours ago http://www.charlotte.com/panthers/story/291021.html, the Panthers are saying quarterback Jake Delhomme is day to day with a right elbow strain.

That’s all true. But let’s be realistic and let’s think back to late last season when they were saying the same thing when Delhomme injured his right thumb. Maybe something miraculous happens and Delhomme feels a lot better and practices Wednesday or Thursday. But he’s a quarterback and his elbow was bothering him enough that he had to come out of the Atlanta game. The most important thing a quarterback has to do is grip the ball and any injury to a finger or an elbow is going to impact that.

Delhomme missed three games last year. This is an elbow and that was a thumb and we don’t know how serious the strain is. But, if it’s not something that heals almost immediately, any injury to the throwing hand or arm is going to throw a quarterback off in a big way.

A linebacker or a running back could probably play right away with that kind of an injury. It’s a lot more difficult for a quarterback and this situation will play out in the next few days.

If Delhomme’s practicing Wednesday or Thursday, he’ll play Sunday. If he’s not, David Carr will get the start.

We’ve got a short story posted http://www.charlotte.com/sports_breaking/story/291141.html where defensive tackle Kris Jenkins has some pretty strong words about the "issues’’ the Panthers are facing. The full version will appear in tomorrow’s paper. Jenkins is incredibly candid and everything he says makes an awful lot of sense. Say what you want about Jenkins and his past history (problems with weight and alcohol), but give the guy credit for stepping forward and having the courage to say what his teammates won’t.

Carr's in

   ATLANTA - David Carr's in the game.

   Jake Delhomme just left with what appeared to be an injury to his right elbow.

- PAT YASINSKAS

Morgan out again

   ATLANTA -- Dan Morgan just left the game again, this time with a leg injury.

   That's all team officials are saying right now, although they admit it's doubtful Morgan will return. James Anderson is playing in his spot. - PAT YASINSKAS

A big scare

   ATLANTA -- If you're watching the game on television, you just saw defensive tackle Kris Jenkins down on the field with an injury.

   It doesn't appear to be anything serious. During the commercial break, Jenkins walked off the field. He's moving around on the sidelines and team trainers looked briefly at his leg. But the trainers have left him alone and he seems to be moving around just fine.

- PAT YASINSKAS

Morgan's back

   ATLANTA -- Apparently, the shoulder injury to linebacker Dan Morgan isn't serious. He just returned to the game.

- PAT YASINSKAS

Good news

   ATLANTA -- The injury to linebacker Dan Morgan is to his shoulder, not his head, according to Panthers officials.

   Morgan left the game moments ago and went to the locker room. Officials said his return is questionable. - PAT YASINSKAS

Morgan leaves game

   ATLANTA -- Middle linebacker Dan Morgan just went to the locker room.

   He left the game after making a tackle near the sidelines. No official word on what happened, but Morgan's history of concussion problems certainly makes this a huge concern.

   Second-year pro James Anderson has played the last few snaps in Morgan's place. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Falcons still grounded

    ATLANTA -- As you watch Carolina's game with Atlanta today, don't think that because Michael Vick is gone, the Falcons are without elusiveness. Keep an eye on running back of Warrick Dunn.

     "They run their spread scheme for him, and most of the time he’ll be running the ball and you don’t even see him back there," said Carolina defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead. "Then he’s gone for 40 yards. He’s a good back but the schemes he’s running in help him out also."

     Still, Moorehead is relieved that Vick won't be a part of it today.
     "They’ve always been a running team; we know they want to run the ball. Without Michael Vick, they have a quarterback who sits in the pocket now; we’re pretty excited to see the difference ourselves.

     "It changes a lot; we’re not taking one of our defensive guys and putting him solely on Vick. You knew every play, whether it was a run or a pass play, you had to have somebody on Vick. With Vick not being in there, that’s one dimension we don’t have to worry about."--STAN OLSON

Manuel to start

   ATLANTA -- As expected, Marquand Manuel will get the start at safety today in place of Deke Cooper.

   Manuel, signed just before the start of the season, previously was a starter in Green Bay and Seattle. Cooper started the first two games, but was slowed in practice last week by a thigh injury. He'll be active today, but will play in a backup role and on special teams.

- PAT YASINSKAS

Today's inactives

   ATLANTA -- Here are the guys you won't see today:

   PANTHERS: QB Matt Moore, LB Adam Seward, G Evan Mathis, DE Stanley McClover, T Frank Omiyale, WR Dwayne Jarrett, TE Marcus Freeman, DE Charles Johnson.

   FALCONS: QB Byron Leftwich, S Daren Stone, OL D'Anthony Batiste, DT Rod Coleman, T Quinn Ojinnaka, G Tyson Clabo, TE Dwayne Blakely, DT Trey Lewis.

- PAT YASINSKAS

The book on Kerry Collins, Panthers

    I’m reading an interesting book called “The GM,” written by Tom Callahan. It’s about recently retired Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi, as well as offering a look at the inside workings of the NFL. Accorsi started out as a reporter for the old Charlotte News, proving there’s hope for us all.

        The book is full of intriguing anecdotes from Accorsi’s broad experience, including several concerning quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins was the Panthers’ first draft pick, back in 1995, before imploding here and moving on. He eventually played for the Giants, and Accorsi remembered interviewing him before New York signed him.

        According to the book, Collins told Accorsi, “Ernie, I dreamed about playing in the National Football League all my life. The Eagles, the Giants, the Redskins, the Bears. But I found myself playing for the Carolina Panthers, wearing this funny-looking uniform, and I didn’t even feel like I was in the NFL. That started my problems.”

        Thanks for clearing that up for us, Kerry.

-- Stan Olson

Salley: I might have rushed my recovery

If you wonder why safety Nate Salley’s knee sprain seemed endless before he was placed on injured reserve earlier this week, it’s because it was actually more than that. He has a badly pulled or possibly torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and although it felt better at times, it never progressed beyond a certain point. He stopped in the locker room Thursday and spoke about it.

"We thought I could get back a little sooner; it was feeling pretty good," he said. "I think I might have rushed it a little bit. It got set back twice and then I end up here."

Salley, projected as a starter at the beginning of training camp as he began his second year with the team, had to sit and watch as the Panthers brought three more safeties in.

Surgery hasn’t been ruled out, but he said he plans to give it a month or so more to see if the knee gets better through rehabilitation.

"Surgery is like a last resort type of deal," he said. "Hopefully I won’t have to go that route."

Should surgery be necessary, Salley said he would be ready for next season.

"We have plenty of time," he said.

STAN OLSON

Gotta hand it to Jarrett ...

   There was more than a little irony the other day when Jake Delhomme was asked about rookie wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett.

   While acknowledging Jarrett’s still going through the rookie learning process, Delhomme praised the rookie for having exceptional hands and said he catches just about everything thrown his way.

   Delhomme also has been praising Keary Colbert and Drew Carter and his statement about Jarrett’s hands was in no way intended as a backhanded shot at the two older receivers. But when he talked about Jarrett, who’s been inactive the first two games, catching everything in practice, it certainly made anyone listening think, “Gee, doesn’t that put him one step up on the other two guys?’’

   SAFETY SWITCH? This thigh injury that kept safety Deke Cooper out of Wednesday’s practice doesn’t sound like a big deal. Cooper said he thinks he can play Sunday. But any practice time Cooper misses likely means more practice work for Marquand Manuel, who now has had a few weeks in the system. The Cooper injury could open the door for a switch in the starting lineup.

   BOOK SIGNING. Just a reminder about the book signing previously mentioned in this space. Former Panthers radio play-by-play announcer Bill Rosinski and I will be doing the first book signing Friday for “Bill Rosinski’s Tales From The Carolina Panthers’’, the book we co-authored. The signing will be at 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in the Sharon Corners Shopping Center, 4720 Sharon Road.

- Pat Yasinskas

Interesting stats on Smith, Colbert, Jake

Just got some interesting numbers from STATS. Lets start with sacks allowed by offensive linemen because that possibly could lead to a lineup change Sunday.

The Panthers have allowed three sacks. STATS charges rookie right guard Ryan Kalil, who might be replaced by Jeremy Bridges with surrendering all three.

THE GOOD. No big surprise here. Steve Smith leads all receivers in yards after the catch. Here’s the list:

NFL Leaders: Yards After Catch (Receivers)

Rank Player Yards

1. Steve Smith Car - 156

2. Jerricho Cotchery NYJ - 117

3t. Adrian Peterson Min - 114

3t. Brian Westbrook Phi - 114

5. Larry Johnson KC - 99

6. Andre Johnson Hou - 96

7. Wes Welker NE - 94

8. Javon Walker Den - 91

9t. LaMont Jordan Oak - 90

9t. LaDainian Tomlinson SD - 90

THE BAD. No big surprise here, either. Keary Colbert is near the top in passes dropped. Here’s that list:

NFL Leaders: Passes Dropped

Rank Player Drops

1. Devery Henderson NO - 4

2t. Keary Colbert Car - 3

2t. Frank Gore SF - 3

2t. Houshmandzadeh Cin - 3

2t. Santana Moss Was - 3

6t. Isaac Bruce StL - 2

6t. Reggie Bush NO - 2

6t. Dallas Clark Ind - 2

6t. Laveranues Coles NYJ - 2

6t. Najeh Davenport Pit - 2

6t. Bubba Franks GB - 2

6t. Brandon Jackson GB - 2

6t. Darrell Jackson SF - 2

6t. Michael Jenkins Atl - 2

6t. Justin McCareins NYJ - 2

6t. Jeremy Shockey NYG - 2

6t. Chester Taylor Min - 2

6t. Lawrence Vickers Cle - 2

6t. Brian Westbrook Phi - 2

BREAKING DOWN JAKE. Here’s the breakdown on what’s happened with all of Jake Delhomme’s incomplete passes. He’s completed 45 of 68 attempts:

Incompletions

Type Number

Pass Dropped - 5

Poor Throw - 7

Pass Defensed - 2

Pass Hit at Line - 2

Other - 6

Intercepted - 1

Shelton a mystery to Falcons coach

The Panthers made running back Eric Shelton a second-round pick out of Louisville in 2005, counting on him to become the big back to replace Stephen Davis as the anchor in the team’s power running game.

For their money, the Panthers got eight regular-season carries from Shelton before cutting him loose at the end of training camp this season. He gained 23 yards, an average of 2.9 a carry.

Today, Atlanta coach Bobby Petrino, who coached Shelton in college, was asked if he was surprised Shelton hasn’t made it in the NFL.

"Eric was a very good player for me at Louisville," Petrino said. "Unfortunately, I didn’t get to watch any of him in the NFL and really have no idea how he played or what he did."

Had he expected Shelton to be a success in the league?

"That’s a hard one because there were a lot of guys I thought would play on Sunday and didn’t; there’s a few guys that I didn’t think could and ended up doing real well. I think there’s a lot of guys on the street with the ability to learn, who have the heart and dedication to (make) it. A lot of times, that makes the difference."

Shelton remains a free agent, at least for now. Atlanta hasn’t called.

STAN OLSON

Salley's season might be done

It appears safety Nate Salley's season is over. Salley's been troubled by a knee injury since training camp and the Panthers are likely to put him on the injured reserve list this afternoon to create a roster spot for guard Jeremy Bridges who is coming off a two-game suspension. - PAT YASINSKAS

Piling (or not) up the numbers

   Ah, that Julius Peppers. He even makes plays on Mondays and Tuesdays. Yep, somehow Peppers came up with three tackles since Sunday’s game against

Houston

ended. On the stat sheet after the game, Peppers was credited with two tackles against the Texans. But tackle totals are arbitrary and subject to change after the coaches review film. On Wednesday morning, the Panthers handed out their updated stats and Peppers was credited with five tackles against the Texans.

   His off-day increase wasn’t quite as dramatic in the season opener against the Rams. Peppers was credited with four tackles immediately after the game and that number was updated to five. So, to summarize, Peppers has made six tackles on Sundays and four on Mondays or Tuesdays.

- PAT YASINSKAS

Changing of the guard?

   The Panthers just handed out their weekly “unofficial’’ depth chart. Jeremy Bridges is on it as the No. 3 right guard, behind Ryan Kalil and Geoff Hangartner. Think that may change by Sunday? - PAT YASINSKAS

Delhomme: It's a one-game thing

In the locker room Monday, a day after Houston buried the Panthers 34-21, quarterback Jake Delhomme was asked if he was worried that Carolina was in danger of becoming a one-weapon offense (Steve Smith), with opponents figuring if they can stop Smith, they can pretty much stop the Panthers.

“No, I’m not worried about it,” Delhomme said. “I think that game just kind of got out of hand pretty quick; I think it was a one-game deal. I truly believe we can run the ball effectively and we’ll try to get back to doing that this week.

“I really feel like we’re a rhythm team; when we can run and pass it and just kind of flowing like that. We did that early-on in the game; we got 14 points right away. We’d run, we’d throw, we’d run, we’d throw. And maybe we didn’t establish it in the second quarter; we just didn’t get it done.”

Carolina ran for 186 yards in the St. Louis opener but managed just 66 against Houston.

“When you jump on someone 14-0 you want to step on somebody, and that’s what was disappointing (against Houston),” Delhomme. “We need to keep grinding, we need to keep that edge. (Coach John) Fox would say, ‘Keep that stinger.’ We need that.”

— Stan Olson 

Smith's relentless TD run still amazing

I've now seen Steve Smith's third touchdown catch in Carolina's loss to Houston--yeah, the 74-yarder--a half-dozen times, and I still don't believe it. This is one they'll be showing for years to come.

In case you missed it, Smith was simply running a short route over the middle, left to right and only a few yards past the line of scrimmage. Then it became fun.

Smith caught the ball, turned upfield and immediately made cornerback Jamar Fletcher whiff on his attempted tackle. Cutting back to his left, he abruptly ran into linebacker DeMeco Ryans (not to be confused with cornerback DeMarcus Faggins, whom Smith torched whenever Faggins had the audacity to single-cover him).

Now, Ryans is 6-foot-1 and 239 pounds; Smith is 5-9 and 185. Smith somehow broke away from him, still bearing left. At that point it seemed that a nice individual effort was over, as what appeared to be four Texans converged on Smith at once.

"It was five, but...," Smith said today in the locker room without cracking a smile. He too, had seen the replay.

You waited for the pile to crash to earth and it did, but not before Smith somehow squirted out of its left side. And went the last 60 or so yards to the end zone untouched.

"That's the way I planned it," Smith joked of his escape. "That's why you just keep your feet moving and protect the ball." -- STAN OLSON

Peppers doing 'what I'm supposed to do'

   Although he’s yet to record his first sack of the season, defensive end Julius Peppers said he’s pleased with how he’s played in the first two games.

   “I feel like I’ve done what I’m supposed to do,’’ Peppers said Monday. “I’m where I’m supposed to be, a few mistakes here and there, but other than that, I feel like I’m doing good. I don’t have six sacks this year. But that’s going to come. Don’t worry about that. I’m not going to worry about getting sacks and those type of things because I always know that’s going to come.’’

   Peppers said a training-camp speech where team owner Jerry Richardson asked him to be a leader hasn’t put more pressure on him.

   “I wouldn’t say I feel the pressure from in here,’’ Peppers said. “Not from the coaches or anything. I’d say I feel it from myself. I’m getting older, kind of being the face of the defense and the name behind the defense, I feel the responsibility to myself to make more plays and to perform better. But it’s not coming from anywhere else but myself.’’

   

ROSTER MOVE: The Panthers placed cornerback Dante Wesley (collar bone) on the injured reserve list Monday. They re-signed cornerback Curtis Deloatch to fill the roster spot.

   BEASON’S AGENT BECOMES COMMISH: Panthers linebacker Jon Beason might be losing his agent only a few months after hiring him. Michael Huyghue, who Beason hired in June, reportedly has been named commissioner of the new United Football League, which is scheduled to begin play in August 2008.

   “He has?’’ Beason said. “Well, I knew there was some talk about it so it’s not a real surprise. I better give him a call, though, and see if he still can be my agent or if that’s a conflict of interest or whatever.’’

   Huyghue guided Beason through the negotiation process and the rookie has been starting even though he missed eight days of training camp because of a holdout. Beason said Huyghue has associates that could represent him in the likely event the new job creates a conflict. Beason said he thinks Huyghue, who also has worked as a personnel executive, will succeed in his new role.

   “I think he’s going to do fine because he knows the game from all the different sides,’’ Beason said. “The sky’s the limit for him. That’s Michael Huyghue.’’

   -- Pat Yasinskas

Observations from Sunday’s loss

-- Remember all that offseason talk about how this offense would be more balanced and more effective? It still looks like Steve Smith is the only guy opposing defenses have to think about when they prepare for the Panthers.

-- Memo to the Drew Carter/Keary Colbert fan club: Told you so. Neither one’s a legitimate No. 2 receiver. Makes you wonder how far that hamstring injury put rookie Dwayne Jarrett behind. It also makes you wonder just how sick the brain trust got of Keyshawn Johnson’s act last year.

-- If the Panthers had won Sunday, rookie Ryan Kalil would have had the starting right guard spot locked down for the rest of the season. After allowing two sacks and getting called for a false start, Kalil could be giving way to Jeremy Bridges, who returns this week after serving a suspension for an off-field incident.

-- How long before Marquand Manuel is starting at safety in place of Deke Cooper? The bet here is next week.

-- Said it before and I’ll say it again: Why is Nick Goings returning kickoffs. It’s one thing when he’s giving you his 22 or 23 yards straight ahead. It’s another when he’s fumbling away kickoffs and other teams are falling on them for touchdowns. Rookie Ryne Robinson might make mistakes, too, but he has the potential to get more than 22 or 23 yards.

-- Final line on Julius Peppers: Two tackles, one quarterback hurry. Yep, leadership by example.

-- Pat Yasinskas

Waiting game for Jarrett

For the second straight week, Panthers rookie wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett was inactive. Jarrett had been expected to win a starting job as the replacement for Keyshawn Johnson as a big possession receiver opposite Steve Smith, but was slowed in training camp by a hamstring injury.

        He also hasn’t adjusted to the level of the NFL as quickly as some expected. A few weeks back, receivers coach Richard Williamson said Jarrett must learn to play with a “sense of urgency,” adding that many young players struggle with that adjustment.

Meanwhile, veteran receivers Keary Colbert and Drew Carter stepped up their play and solidified their roster spots. Since Jarrett doesn’t play special teams, the Panthers decided their more immediate needs were at other positions.

        “I’m just a rookie coming in and there are a couple guys here in front of me that have been here for awhile and just keep working hard,” Jarrett said recently. “I’ve just got to wait my turn, keep working hard and hopefully I’ll be out there.”

        Jarrett is still 6-foot-4, something you can’t coach. IAnd Colbert struggled in the first half today, meaning the end of Jarett's exile may come soon.—STAN OLSON

Today's inactives

   Here are the inactive players for today’s game:

   PANTHERS: QB Matt Moore, S Nate Salley, DE Stanley McClover; T Frank Omiyale, WR Dwayne Jarrett, TE Marcus Freeman, DE Charles Johnson, LB Tim Shaw.

   TEXANS: WR Andre Davis, CB Dexter Wynn, RB Samkon Gado, LB Zac Diles, C Chris White, G Kasey Studdard, T Rashad Butler, TE Joel Dressen, DT Travis Johnson.

Lombardi Trophy not coming to Charlotte

   Been getting a lot of e-mails from fans saying that the Super Bowl title New England won against

Carolina should be stripped away from the Patriots. It all comes in the aftermath of the Patriots getting caught for illegally videotaping Jets coaches giving signals last week.

   There are rumors this has been going on for a long time. There are even rumblings the Patriots either taped or received some tapes of Panthers practices in the week leading up to Super Bowl 38.

   The Patriots already have been hit with a hefty fine and will lose a 2008 draft pick. But the league’s not going to go back and start confiscating Super Bowl trophies and handing them to the runner-up team.

   Those that think there’s any chance of that happening are living in glass houses and they’re throwing awfully big stones. Remember, several members of Carolina’s Super Bowl team were implicated in a steroids scandal. Some of them reportedly received banned steroids shortly before that game. - PAT YASINSKAS

Delhomme: Drew did his job

This won't make the paper, but I was listening to quarterback Jake Delhomme today when someone asked him his thoughts on wide receiver Drew Carter's two touchdown catches in Sunday's win at St. Louis.

Delhomme went beyond the usual "he did a great job" platitudes that players usually toss around, and was particularly excited over the second score, a 9-yarder with 7:15 remaining in the game.

"Two touchdown passes is very nice, but one thing I was most proud of, it wasn't the catch he made on the second one, it was the route he ran," Delhomme said. "He ran what he was supposed to do; he wasn't the primary read. He didn't rush it; he took his time, he did it exactly the way it was drawn and it worked out how you practice it; how you go over it.

"And that's huge for young guys to see and other guys to see; just do your job. And I'm as guilty of that as anybody else; you want to try to do too much. "He did his job." -- Stan Olson

Disrespect Steve Smith (for motivation)

There are many facets of football that receiver Steve Smith takes to a level no other Carolina Panther has reached before: extraordinary catches, end-zone performances and the false idea he is disrespected everywhere he goes.

The "I get no respect" concept is the oldest motivational ploy in the playbook. Movies make millions off it. Coaches love to employ it.

But no one I’ve seen in a Panthers uniform in 13 years of covering this team searches for any acorn of disrespect he can find and nurtures it into a full-blown oak tree each week like Smith does.

What would you say to disrespect Smith for motivation against Houston? Post your jabs in the comments section below. Keep 'em clean because we're going to publish some of them in the newspaper. -- Scott Fowler

The Fauria factor

So what does the signing of Christian Fauria mean?

It means the Panthers really are serious about using their tight ends as pass catchers. Fauria’s in his 13th season and he might not have a lot left, but he’s a perfect backup to second-year pro Jeff King, who is off to a very nice start. Fauria’s been a pass catcher throughout his career and never has been much of a blocker. King’s starting job is safe, but Fauria will get significant playing time and he also has the demeanor to serve as a mentor for King.

Neither King nor Fauria are great blockers, so look for rookie Dante Rosario to be used in those situations. Fauria also was viewed as a very good locker room guy by the writers in Seattle and that should help chemistry.

Also, this is probably a move the Panthers were looking at for a long time. But it’s likely they waited until after the first game so they didn’t have to guarantee Fauria’s contract. -- Pat Yasinskas

Stealing signals? So what's new?

   Kind of amused by all this controversy about the alleged stealing of signals in Sunday’s game between the Jets and Patriots.

   Guess what folks? Stuff like that has been going on for years, in every sport and at every level. It’s just that everything seems like a CIA operation when Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini are involved.

   I remember sitting next to a scout from a future Panthers opponent in a press box a few years back. Glanced over at his notes a few times and noticed stuff like, “When (defensive coordinator Mike) Trgovac does X with his hands, they’re going with the dime package’’. It’s a safe bet that knowledge was passed back to that scout’s team because that’s who pays him. I’d also like to think it’s a safe bet Trgovac changes his signals each week.

   It’s part of the game and it’s a game that has a lot at stake. But let’s not try to be surprised that this kind of stuff goes on. We, as a society, foster it.

   I can remember my high school assistant baseball coach stealing signals. He coached first base and was pretty good at getting a look at the signals from a catcher. If the coach yelled something with your first name, you were going to see a fastball. If your last name was used, a curveball was coming. He did it because he could and because it worked.

   It's competition and that argument about setting a good example for the kids doesn't hold water. A friend of mine, who generally is a pious sort, coached his son's Little League team a few years back. He used to go scout other teams and try to figure out their signals. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last.

Fox gives Delhomme high marks

After watching the film of Sunday’s 27-13 victory at St. Louis, Carolina Panthers coach John Fox sounded – if anything – even more impressed with quarterback Jake Delhomme.

"Any quarterback does a lot better when the timing is right and you have protection," Fox said. "I thought he did exceptionally well on some things, maybe things that were covered early and he threw the ball away a couple times.

"From a coaching standpoint, those are good plays. As a fan you look at it and think, ‘What are they doing?’ He took a potentially bad play and managed it well, causing it to be a no-play rather than a minus-play.

"And then he adjusted in the pocket and made some big throws; the last touchdown to Drew (Carter) being one of those. And (there were) a couple other instances in the game where I thought he did an excellent job avoiding the rush and making the next best thing happen."

Delhomme completed 18 of 27 for 201 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions.

Quick hits

-- St. Louis running back Steven Jackson had as much to do with the Panthers’ win as anyone, losing fumbles twice in three plays with the game in doubt in the third quarter. The first led to a Carolina touchdown and a 14-13 lead for the visitors.

He carried 346 times last season and lost only two fumbles.

-- The 68-yard bomb Delhomme threw to Steve Smith in the third quarter was the ninth time they had connected for gains of 60 or more yards.

-- Fox said there were no injuries of note for the Panthers.

-- Receiver Drew Carter’s two scores give him six for his career. With 36 catches, he’s averaging a score every six receptions.

-- Stan Olson

Where is Peppers? He'll play everywhere

John Fox was asked at his Monday press conference about how the Panthers used defensive end Julius Peppers in Sunday’s victory in St. Louis. Peppers moved around a lot, often standing up and dropping into coverage.

From a strategic standpoint, Fox tried not to make a big deal of it and said the Panthers may or may not move Peppers around as they go forward. But let’s be real about it. This is what Fox and the Panthers have DREAMED about doing with Peppers since the moment they drafted him. The guy’s an athletic freak and moving him around causes all sorts of headaches for the offense.

The Panthers just didn’t want to do it early in Peppers’ career as he became comfortable with the end spot. Then, in recent years, there were so many issues and so much shuffling on defense that the Panthers couldn’t move Peppers around as much as they wanted.

Now, with Dan Morgan healthy and Kris Jenkins in shape, we’re going to see Peppers all over the field.

PAT YASINSKAS

Rams' Little impressed by Smith

Want to know what the league thinks of Steve Smith? St. Louis defensive end Leonard Little is fairly typical. "With Steve Smith, anything fuels him, if you say anything about him," Little said after his team had been torched for seven catches and 119 yards by Smith on Sunday. "He is fueled every time he steps on that field. That's what makes him a great player. "He's a playmaker. He always plays with a chip on his shoulder. I told him that during the game. He's one of the best receivers in the league. The offense runs through him. If he has a bad day, then the offense is going to have a bad day. They got him involved early and kept on rolling from there." STAN OLSON

Panthers defense has settled down

      After a rocky first drive yielded St. Louis an opening touchdown, Carolina's defense settled down. The defensive line in particular applied considerable pressure to St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger, with Kindal Moorehead leading the charge at times. When Bulger had time, though, Bulger spent much of it picking Carolina's cornerbacks apart. Torry Holt in particular played well, usually at the expense of the Panthers' Ken Lucas. Lucas also got hit with two first-half pass interference penalties, although one could have gone either way.

-- Stan Olson

Killing us, Softli?

ST. LOUIS – Saw Panthers director of pro personnel Mark Koncz talking with Rams vice president of player personnel Tony Softli on the field before the game. Softli used to be Carolina’s college scouting director.

   Although the conversation appeared cordial, don’t think Koncz was thanking Softli for all that time he spent in Louisville scouting Eric Shelton and Stefan LeFors.

   

Pace update: St. Louis left tackle Orlando Pace has been taken to the locker room to have X-rays taken on his right shoulder. Pace was injured late in the first half and has been replaced by Adam Goldberg.

   -- Pat Yasinskas

'Different team' promise fulfilled by offense

     The Panthers kept telling us that we would see a different Carolina team when the season opened, and they wasted no time in proving it. On the game's first play, fullback Brad Hoover lined up as a wide receiver, only to go in motion and be replaced by Steve Smith. Then the Panthers began throwing and throwing some more, using plenty of motion along the way. Carolina moved 78 yards in nine plays to score, and only two of those plays were designed runs, although quarterback Jake Delhomme turned a busted pass play into an 11-yard scramble. All in all, an impressive start...The defense, though, gave it right back on the next possession, stopping neither the Rams' running or passing games

--STAN OLSON

Robinson, not Goings, returns kicks

   One more sign that the preseason doesn't mean a thing: All those worries about Nick Goings ending up as the primary kickoff return guy weren't necessary. The Panthers just put Ryne Robinson out there as their deep guy, with Goings as their lead blocker. Robinson was drafted for one, actually two reasons: To be the main guy on punt returns and kickoff returns. The Goings stuff in the preseason was just smoke.

Inactives for Panthers vs. Rams

Carolina’s inactives were defensive ends Stanley McClover and Charles Johnson, quarterback Matt Moore, safeties Nate Salley and Quinton Teal, tackle Frank Omiyale, linebacker Tim Shaw and wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett.

    The team had to be disappointed that McClover, who injured his groin in the final preason game against Pittsburgh, was unable to play after practicing Friday.

        And fans are probably upset that Jarrett, a second-round draft pick who was supposed to replace Keyshawn Johnson as quarterback Jake Delhomme’s big receiving target, wasn’t deemed good enough yet to get a jersey.

        The Rams' offense was hurt by the loss of a big receiver of their own; Drew Bennett is sidelined with an injured quad.

--Stan Olson

Yet another list of the NFL's top players

Sports Illustrated recently listed its top 500 NFL players, and now the Sporting News has followed with a list of its own. It’s considerably shorter — the top 101 guys, and there are some noticeable differences.

SI had Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers as the top-ranked defender in the league and fourth overall. Sporting News has him sixth, one spot behind fellow DE Dwight Freeney of the Colts.

SI had Panthers receiver Steve Smith listed as the best at his position, but only 22nd overall. TSN rates Smith 12th on the list — but not tops at his job. That falls to Indianapolis’s Marvin Harrison, who’s ranked ninth.

No other Carolina player cracked Sports Illustrated’s top 100, but the Sporting News had Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins ranked 65th.

SI’s Peter King built his magazine’s list with help from team officials. TSN’s list came from the rankings of 10 members of various team personnel departments.

Both lists, by the way, ranked quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady first and second overall.

- Stan Olson

John Fox on the hot seat?

ST. LOUIS -– Add USA Today to the myriad media outlets to officially declare John Fox is on the hot seat.

The nation’s newspaper listed Fox as one of about half a dozen coaches under pressure in its NFL preview section Friday. Also, kind of ironic that Fox and Tom Coughlin seem to be on every such list. If things start heading south for the Panthers and the Giants, it will only be a matter of time before Fox starts getting linked to the New York job.

By the way, there are some folks in the Bank of America Stadium offices that are more than a little sensitive about any mention of Fox being on the hot seat. They say that’s absolutely not true.

Don’t remember a lot from the college literature classes, but I do vaguely recall a line that goes something like, "Methinks thou protest too much" that applies here.

SURPRISE GUEST: Make sure you read tomorrow’s Panthers Gameday page in The Observer or on Charlotte.com. There’s going to be an item by my partner, Stan Olson, about a surprise guest who will visit the Panthers before tomorrow’s game. Can’t give out the secret here, but it will be interesting.

FOR THOSE PLAYING AT HOME: If you watch the game on television tomorrow, you might want to count how many times broadcaster Tim Ryan, who might have more of that "former jock" thing going than anybody out there, refers to Fox as "Foxy." Trust us, it will at least be double digits.

THING YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE WHEN YOU’RE ALREADY A NERVOUS FLYER: Three un-chaperoned 13-year-old girls making what appeared to be their first flight. Caught perfect triangulated fire on a connecting flight to Chicago. Got stuck in an aisle seat between two of them, with the third right behind me. Caught constant play-by-play commentary (that got much louder after their ears, not mine, blocked up despite all that bubble gum they were chewing) that included "What’s that noise?" as the landing gear went up and down and "Look at those boats. They can rescue us if we crash in the ocean" as we crossed Lake Michigan. Some good comic relief, as we came over downtown Chicago. Heard "Look at that baseball stadium." Though I hate to look out windows when I fly, I took a quick glance, hoping to perhaps see Wrigley Field. It was Soldier Field.

MEMO TO MY CHICAGO-BASED FLIGHT CREW: Well, at least to the flight attendant who kept referring to "Chicago’s O’Hara Airport." Thankfully, the pilots got us to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

ADAM MEADOWS UPDATE: Just got signed on in St. Louis and had an e-mail from the Broncos saying they released Adam Meadows. Sorry, but I have to laugh every time I see that name. You can bet the farm the Panthers won't try to sign the guy who retired on them in 2004 training camp.

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Basanez faking? Not so much ...

    So much for all those conspiracy theories about the Panthers faking quarterback Brett Basanez'  wrist injury.
          Basanez was in the Panthers' locker room today, chatting with teammates and showing off the cast that covers the length of his right forearm. He had surgery Tuesday, and said the doctors told him the wrist would be as good as new after six months. For the first month, though, he needs to keep it immobilized.
         Basanez said the doctors were relieved that only one ligament - the one in his wrist right under his thumb - was torn. And it simplified things by pulling away from the bone.
    "About a month in an immobilizer - this cast - and then in six months, back to normal, back at it," he said. "It was really good news; the best of a worst case. It just came off the bone, so it's not like it
tore in the middle. So the ligament is still intact. They just had to reattach it and let it anchor itself back to the bone.
         "I start rehabbing in about a month-and-a-half."
        There had been speculation on some message boards that the Panthers had faked Basanez' injury to keep other teams from grabbing  him once they decided they had no room for him on this season's roster.
Mention that to him, and you might get smacked with a cast.

- Stan Olson

Top 5 QBs, with a Keystone flavor

Stanley, your quarterbacks list isn’t bad. But how many times do I have to tell you greatness comes from Pennsylvania? You got it right when you put Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas on your list. But I think I can top your list by not even looking outside guys who played high school ball in my native state.

Here goes:

1. Dan Marino: Yep, go ahead with all the talk about how he never won a Super Bowl. He never had a defense or a running game. Ask any coach, if they had to take one quarterback in his prime to start a team, they’d take Marino. There’s never been a better arm or better release.

2. Montana: You nailed that one.

3. Joe Namath: Remember him, Stan? I think you covered him in his Alabama days. All he did was legitimize the AFL-NFL merger and make the Super Bowl super.

4. Unitas: You got this one right, too. You probably covered him in high school.

5. Jim Kelly. Hey, Marino only lost one Super Bowl. Kelly and Buffalo lost four straight. How’s that for sustained greatness?

I’ve got to stop there, but I could also throw in George Blanda, Marc Bulger and, of course, Johnny Lujack, the 1947 Heisman Trophy winner (Stan was a voter back then).

By the way, if you absolutely made me pick a quarterback from beyond the Keystone State, I’d go down to the Gulf Coast, but not for Peyton Manning. I’d take Brett Favre, he plays like a Pennsylvania quarterback. -- Pat Yasinsksas

Name your 5 best QBs of all time

I believe that as a general rule, guys love to make lists. You know your favorite movie of all time, right? And your favorite rock song.

Women, on the other hand, generally hate lists—except for "HoneyDo" lists. My wife would rather put up wallpaper than try to tell me what her five favorite records are.

So who are your five best quarterbacks of all time?

This is a toughie, but I’ll give you mine, with a comment on each:

1. Joe Montana: Never saw a better player in the clutch.

2. Tom Brady: Unflappable, and check out the three rings.

3. Johnny Unitas: For awhile, the best of all time, but this is a more talented era.

4. Peyton Manning: Has always had the numbers and now he’s got the ring.

5. John Elway: Absolutely loved to watch him in the final 2 minutes.

That was tough. Tough to leave Dan Marino and several others out, but there’s only room for five. Who do you pick? You know you want to; it’s a list. — Stan Olson

No worse than last year at safety

Just a thought here, but is the much-maligned safety position any worse off than it was a year ago?

Think about it: Really, are Marquand Manuel, once he’s had a chance to at least glance at the playbook, Chris Harris, Deke Cooper and Nate Salley in Year Two all that different than an aging Mike Minter, an aging Shaun Williams, a mediocre Colin Branch and Nate Salley in Year One?

Yes, Minter’s leadership and experience will be missed. But, let’s face it, Minter was physically shot by the end of last year. And Williams and Branch didn’t make a play all year.

Physically, this year’s group of safeties is better than last year’s. Mentally, Manuel and Harris are still trying to catch up. But maybe they don’t have all that far to go to at least draw even with where this position was a year ago.

MONTGOMERY WORKS OUT: Offensive lineman Will Montgomery, who was cut by the Panthers, had a workout with the New York Jets. Montgomery was a victim of numbers here, but he’s going to catch on somewhere and have a decent career in the NFL. He’s not one of those guys who wows you with talent, but he’s smart and fundamentally sound and, someday, he’s going to end up in the right spot.

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Panthers make minor roster moves

  Couple of very minor roster moves: The Panthers rounded out their eight-man practice squad, adding offensive lineman Kevin Sampson, who had been with Kansas City. Tight end Michael Gaines, who was put on the injured reserve list Saturday, was released with an injury settlement Tuesday.

-- Pat Yasinskas

Minter's class shines through

      Former Panthers safety Mike Minter is retired now, but he still has plenty to say. If you're interested in watching a lengthy interview with one of the team's classier players, check out "Sportsnight," which airs Wednesday at 7 p.m.

      I always liked listening to Minter, even if he babbled on about his alma mater, Nebraska, way too much. I wonder if they could beat Appalachian?

      In the Charlotte region, Sportsnight can be viewed each Wednesday on WHKY-TV (Time Warner Cable channel 18) and DirecTV and Dish Network (channel 14).

      Minter was interviewed by former Panthers radio voice Bill Rosinski in front of an audience that included a number of former Panthers. 

      The show will be repeated Wed., Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.

--Stan Olson

The book is out on the Panthers

Just had a unique experience at the Southpark Barnes & Noble. I was browsing the books in the sports section and saw Bill Rosinski’s "Tales from the Carolina Panthers."

I’d already seen the book because I co-authored it with Rosinski and had received some advance copies. But the feeling of seeing the first book you’ve written on the shelf of a bookstore is very cool, especially since the publishers had given us a Sept. 17 release date.

But the book is definitely out, at least at that store. If it’s not at your local store, it should be soon. The book is going to be available at bookstores throughout the Carolinas. It’s also available online at http://www.sportspublishingllc.com/book.cfm?id=957.

Bill and I will do a book signing at the Southpark Barnes & Noble on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. The schedule for a bunch of other signings in the Charlotte area is being finalized.

Anyway, a few words about the book. I wrote it and handled the grammar and the organization, but the words are all Bill’s and the former radio voice of the Panthers is a great storyteller. Can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed doing the interviews with Bill. He brings great insight because he had a lot of behind-the scenes access during his days with the team.

Won’t go into all the details here, but the book is a collection of anecdotes from the history of the Panthers. Some will make you laugh (like Bill’s story about Fred Lane giving out his home address to a live radio audience) and some will make you cry (Lane’s untimely death and the Rae Carruth saga. Others will make you scratch your head.

That’s where we get to Bill’s departure from the team and the outrage it caused among fans. For the first time ever, this book tells, in detail, Bill’s side of what really happened.

That’s one chapter in the book and the night we did the interview about that whole debacle will stay with me forever because Bill is my friend and I could feel his pain as he recalled some brutal times.

But, like I said, Bill’s departure from the Panthers is only a part of the book because that’s the way Bill wanted it. If you know Bill, you know he’s always going to take the high road and do things with class, and that’s exactly what he did in this book. Bill has more than landed on his feet with his local talk show, ACC work and national NFL games on Westwood One. More than anything, this book is a history of the Panthers through Bill’s eyes and voice and I’m proud to have helped him tell his story.

-- Pat Yasinskas

Depth chart, part III

   Now that the signings of Marquand Manuel and Dante Wesley are official, here's another projected depth chart:

OFFENSE

WR Steve Smith  Drew Carter Ryne Robinson

LT Travelle Wharton  Frank Omiyale

LG  Mike Wahle  Geoff Hangartner

C Justin Hartwig  Geoff Hangartner 

RG Ryan Kalil Jeremy Bridges

RT Jordan Gross  Evan Mathis

TE Jeff King Dante Rosario Marcus Freeman

WR Keary Colbert Dwayne Jarrett

QB Jake Delhomme David Carr Matt Moore

FB Brad Hoover  Nick Goings  Dante

Rosario

RB DeShaun Foster DeAngelo Williams  Nick Goings

DEFENSE

LDE Julius Peppers

Stanley

McClover

LDT Maake Kemoeatu  Kindal Moorehead   

RDT Kris Jenkins   Damione Lewis

RDE Mike Rucker Otis Grigsby Charles Johnson 

WLB Jon Beason Na’il Diggs Brandon Jamison

MLB Dan Morgan Adam Seward Tim Shaw 

SLB Thomas Davis James Anderson   

LCB  Chris Gamble Richard Marshall

RCB Ken Lucas  Dante Wesley

SS Chris Harris Marquand Manuel

FS Deke Cooper Nate Salley Quinton Teal

SPECIALISTS

PK John Kasay

P Jason Baker

KO Jason Baker  John Kasay

H Jason Baker

PR Ryne Robinson Richard Marshall  Chris Gamble

KOR Ryne Robinson Nick Goings DeAngelo Williams

LS Jason Kyle Ryan Kalil

   PRACTICE SQUAD.  Receiver Jason Carter, defensive tackle Gary Gibson, receiver Chris Hannon, fullback Billy Latsko, tackle Reuben Riley, tight end Chad Upshaw and safety C.J. Wilson were signed to the practice squad. The Panthers still can add one more player to the practice squad.

PAT YASINSKAS

Kalil gets air time

   Rookie guard Ryan Kalil will get a lot of face time Tuesday night at 11 when ESPN2 airs Hey Rookie - Welcome to the NFL. Kalil is one of several rookies featured and a television crew spent much of training camp and the preseason following him around.

   DEPTH CHART UPDATE. Received several e-mails asking why Evan Mathis wasn't on the depth chart posted below. My mistake. Mathis should be on there as the backup right tackle, although Jeremy Bridges can play there as well.

PAT YASINSKAS

Depth chart, Part II

We posted a projected depth chart early this morning, but that has changed dramatically. We won’t include safety Marquand Manuel and cornerback Dante Wesley until they sign their contracts Monday, but you can imagine them in the spots of safety Quinton Teal and cornerback Curtis Deloatch. Anyway, here’s the updated version with the official additions from Sunday:

OFFENSE

WR Steve Smith, Drew Carter, Ryne Robinson

LT Travelle Wharton, Frank Omiyale

LG Mike Wahle, Geoff Hangartner

C Justin Hartwig, Geoff Hangartner

RG Ryan Kalil, Jeremy Bridges

RT Jordan Gross, Jeremy Bridges

TE Jeff King, Dante Rosario, Marcus Freeman

WR Keary Colbert, Dwayne Jarrett, Chris Horn

QB Jake Delhomme, David Carr, Matt Moore

FB Brad Hoover, Nick Goings, Dante Rosario

RB DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Nick Goings

DEFENSE

LDE Julius Peppers, Stanley McClover

LDT Maake Kemoeatu, Kindal Moorehead

RDT Kris Jenkins, Damione Lewis

RDE Mike Rucker, Otis Grigsby, Charles Johnson

WLB Jon Beason, Na’il Diggs, Brandon Jamison

MLB Dan Morgan, Adam Seward, Tim Shaw

SLB Thomas Davis, James Anderson

LCB Chris Gamble, Richard Marshall

RCB Ken Lucas, Curtis Deloatch

SS Chris Harris, Nate Salley

FS Deke Cooper, Quinton Teal

SPECIALISTS

PK John Kasay

P Jason Baker

KO Jason Baker, John Kasay

H Jason Baker

PR Ryne Robinson, Richard Marshall, Chris Gamble

KOR Ryne Robinson, Nick Goings, DeAngelo Williams

LS Jason Kyle, Ryan Kalil

Random thoughts on roster moves

Adding Marquand Manuel was about as good a move as the Panthers could have made for their safety corps at this point. Manuel won’t be going to the Pro Bowl, but he’s at least as good as Chris Harris, Deke Cooper and Nate Salley, the three guys he’ll be competing with for playing time. Manuel’s the most experienced of the bunch. He’s better suited for strong safety and so is Harris. But those two might be the best two safeties on the roster on opening day. The Panthers always like to say their safety positions are interchangeable, so Harris and Manuel could end up playing together before too long. But Cooper might get the opening-day start, simply because he’s been with the team through the entire offseason and preseason and knows the defense.

The Panthers also will add cornerback Dante Wesley, who could impact the safety situation. Wesley spent four seasons with the Panthers before signing with Chicago in 2006. He was released by the Bears after last season and cut by New England on Saturday. If you remember Wesley from his previous stint, you’re probably not to excited by this move because you probably think he’s no better than a fourth cornerback. That part is very true. But Wesley’s not a bad special teams player. Perhaps more interestingly, Wesley has the size to play safety and some thought was given to that when he was here before. Wesley’s not going to end up as a starter at safety, but he might get work there as a fourth or fifth guy.

The release of tackle Rashad Butler and guard Will Montgomery doesn’t mean their time with the Panthers is over. There’s a strong chance they’ll be signed to the practice squad if they clear waivers. It’s unlikely anyone will claim Butler, a third-round pick last year who hasn’t played in a game, but Montgomery can play and could end up on someone else’s 53-man roster.

The addition of quarterback Matt Moore is interesting simply because he’s a quarterback. Just talked to a scout from another team who saw a lot of Moore in college and he views Moore as a nice project. The Oregon State prospect has an arm that’s slightly better than average and he has some big-game experience. The scout likes Moore’s intangibles and says he’s a lot like Jake Delhomme, a bit of a gunslinger with a strong competitive streak. The knock on Moore is that he’s too skinny. He’s 6-foot-4 but weighed only 195 coming out of college. Still, that’s not a huge problem at this point because Moore will be getting clipboard duty this year. The scout views him as a project who could develop into a decent backup if he puts on weight.

Apologies to the Chris Leak fan club, but the signing of Moore almost certainly means Leak won’t end up on the practice squad. Leak was released by Chicago on Saturday and likely will get a shot on a practice squad somewhere. But it won’t be in Carolina because, with three quarterbacks on the regular roster, the Panthers don’t plan to carry one on the practice squad.

The loss of Michael Gaines (shoulder) for the season isn’t that big a deal. Gaines was a starter (kind of by default) last season and had fallen behind Jeff King on the tight end depth chart in training camp. Gaines might even have fallen below rookie Dante Rosario and there was some speculation he wouldn’t make the roster. The addition of Marcus Freeman, who was cut by Baltimore, gives the Panthers all they need at tight end. King will be the starter and will play a big role as a receiver. Rosario and Freeman will get duty as blockers.

By the way, Gaines’ move to the injured reserve list might be the last you’ll hear of him. Gaines will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and he isn’t exactly a favorite of the coaching staff.

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Sunday afternoon updates

   In case you haven't seen the breaking news section on charlotte.com, here are the links to a couple of pretty significant developments this afternoon:

http://www.charlotte.com/panthers/story/261185.html

http://www.charlotte.com/panthers/story/261173.html

Closing in on Manuel

   The Panthers are making a strong run at safety Marquand Manuel, two league sources said Sunday morning.

Manuel, who has played for Seattle and Green Bay, was cut by the Packers Saturday.

Several other teams are believed to be involved. But Carolina may have the most need at safety and that could lead Manuel to view the Panthers as a team he could start for.

Stay tuned on this one.

Manuel's not going to sit out there very long and a deal could be done tonight or tomorrow morning. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Here's the depth chart

Although there probably will be a move at safety, at the very least, here's a projected depth chart as we see it right now:

OFFENSE

WR Steve Smith  Drew Carter Ryne Robinson

LT Travelle Wharton  Rashad Butler

LG  Mike Wahle  Will Montgomery

C Justin Hartwig  Geoff Hangartner 

RG Ryan Kalil Jeremy Bridges

RT Jordan Gross  Jeremy Bridges

TE Jeff King Dante Rosario Michael Gaines

WR Keary Colbert Dwayne Jarrett  Chris Horn

QB Jake Delhomme David Carr

FB Brad Hoover  Nick Goings  Dante Rosario

RB DeShaun Foster DeAngelo Williams  Nick Goings

DEFENSE

LDE Julius Peppers Stanley McClover

LDT Maake Kemoeatu  Kindal Moorehead  

RDT Kris Jenkins   Damione Lewis

RDE Mike Rucker Otis Grigsby Charles Johnson 

WLB Jon Beason Na’il Diggs Brandon Jamison

MLB Dan Morgan Adam Seward Tim Shaw 

SLB Thomas Davis James Anderson   

LCB  Chris Gamble Richard Marshall

RCB Ken Lucas  Curtis Deloatch

SS Chris Harris Nate Salley

FS Deke Cooper Quinton Teal

SPECIALISTS

PK John Kasay

P Jason Baker

KO Jason Baker  John Kasay

H Jason Baker

PR Ryne Robinson Richard Marshall  Chris Gamble

KOR Ryne Robinson Nick Goings DeAngelo Williams

LS Jason Kyle Ryan Kalil

Safety position a sore spot

The Panthers won't get to see the complete and official waiver wire from around the league until after 10 tonight.
   But their pro personnel people already are looking hard at the list of cuts that have been released by various media outlets. There are some decent options out there, according to the early reports. Marquand Manuel and Will Demps might be as good as the safeties the Panthers have on their 53-man roster (Chris Harris, Deke Cooper, Nate Salley and Quinton Teal) right now.
   This was a position the Panthers pretty much ignored in free agency and the draft and they've got to address it now. Consider this: If the season started today, Harris and Cooper would be the starters. Teal, an undrafted rookie from Coastal Carolina, probably would be the third safety because Salley has been sidelined by a knee injury. Salley's expected back before long, but he hasn't practiced in more than a week and missed a large chunk of training camp. -- PAT YASINSKAS

-------------

LIST OF CUTS

Waived
DE Dave Ball 4 UCLA

T D’Anthony Batiste 2 Louisiana-Lafayette

QB Dalton Bell R West Texas A&M

WR Taye Biddle 2 Mississippi

LB Philippe Gardent 1 None

DT Gary Gibson 2 Rutgers

G Bobby Harris 1 Mississippi

FB Steven Jackson 1 Clemson (Injury Settlement)

FB Billy Latsko R Florida

CB Christian Morton 3 Illinois

S Cam Newton 3 Furman

LB Mickey Pimentel R California

T Reuben Riley R Michigan

RB Eric Shelton 3 Louisville

CB Derrick Strait 4 California

TE Chad Upshaw R Buffalo

T Theodric Watson R South Florida

S CJ Wilson R Baylor

WR Kevin Youngblood 1 Clemson

Termination of Vested Veteran

T Kenyatta Walker 7 Florida

Reserve Suspended

T Jeremy Bridges 5 Southern Mississippi

Reserve Injured

DT Steve Williams 2 Northwest Missouri State

Giants' safety Demps among players released

Names of players who are being released around the league today are trickling out and the most interesting so far is safety Will Demps, by the New York Giants. Demps has been a starter at free safety at times, playing for the Giants and Baltimore Ravens.

He’s not great, but he’s not horrible, which would put him in the upper echelon of safeties on Carolina’s roster. It remains to be seen if the Panthers show interest, but they could do worse than Demps.

Besides, he went to San Diego State, where coach John Fox also played many years ago.

By the way, Demps has a website (willdemps.com) and it looks like Demps doesn’t lack for self esteem. PAT YASINSKAS

Despite broken toe, QB Carr said he enjoyed time on field Thursday

Thursday night brought David Carr a little more than he expected. But with starting quarterback Jake Delhomme getting the night off and No.3 Brett Basanez out for the season with an injury, Carr wound up playing the entire first half despite a broken right pinky toe in Carolina’s 19-3 exhibition loss to Pittsburgh.

"I felt alright," Carr said in the locker room. "I got a little more than I probably thought I was ready for because of just trying to heal this toe up. But I was fine with it; if they want to leave me in there, I was having fun; I was enjoying myself. It was a good time getting to run with those guys up front, the first group. Coming out there kind of felt back home."

Carr, of course, was referring to starting, something he did regularly in five years with Houston. He said the toe was numbed before the game and laughed, adding, "I’m sure I’ll feel it around 2 or 3 in the morning. But right now it feels great."

He was good and bad Thursday, showing a nice touch and good instincts while completing eight of 12 passes for 85 yards, mostly short stuff. But he also had a woefully underthrown interception.

Carr was in charge for six possessions. The offense produced 139 total yards and three points on those tries and got into the red zone once, reaching the Pittsburgh 13. Another drive got to the Steelers’ 34.

"We hit and missed," Carr said. "We had some good drives, but then we’d get down in the red zone and kind of sputter out. It’s something we’ll have to look at. We don’t have a lot of red zone-specific plays in yet.

"This offense has got some pretty standard red zone-specific plays (that aren’t) in the game plan right now. But we’ve got to find a way to get in the end zone regardless. When you’re down there a couple times, you want to come away with a touchdown."

- Stan Olson

Safety shopping starts tonight

   The Carolina Panthers will announce their 53-man roster right around

6 p.m.

today (the list will be in the breaking news section of charlotte.com as soon as it’s released). But the real fun will start after 6, when the Panthers get a look at the cuts from around the league.

   The roster they hand in today almost certainly will change in the next day or two because the Panthers still have to address a position they didn’t do nearly enough with in the off-season. That’s safety.

   With Chris Harris and Deke Cooper as the starters and Nate Salley as the top backup, the best safety on the roster on opening day might still be on someone else’s roster right now. The Panthers don’t even have a legitimate fourth safety right now, although it looks like Cam Newton or C.J. Wilson will make the initial roster.

   As much as the Panthers have tried to downplay the safety issue, the fact is they’re very worried and that’s why they’ll be watching the waiver wire. They’re not going to get a star at this time of year. But they need at least one more legitimate NFL safety on the roster.

   PAT YASINSKAS