Inside the Panthers

Kalil proud of place in history

It was clean out your locker and turn in your playbook day at Bank of America Stadium today, and as I pulled into the parking lot for coach John Fox’s news conference late this morning, players were leaving the building in ones and twos, most carrying boxes full of stuff from the 2007 season to waiting Hummers, Beamers and Escalades. There went cornerback Ken Lucas and, a moment later, tight end Jeff King. As I entered the building, I passed rookie center Ryan Kalil, who played every snap in Sunday’s 31-23 victory against Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla.

"Hey, turn on your tape recorder, I want to get something permanently on the record," he said. The recorder squeaked into gear. "I just want to let you know that I was the one who gave (retiring quarterback) Vinny Testaverde’s ... no wait; hold on," Kalil said, laughing. "I want to word this correctly. I snapped Vinny Testaverde’s last snap. Just for the record; I want it to be on record SOMEWHERE."

Testaverde retired after 21 seasons and the record as the oldest starting quarterback to win an NFL game. Kalil, still in diapers when Vinny started, was impressed by that body of work. My tape recorder isn’t exactly the Library of Congress, so I’ll give it slightly more permanence by inscribing it in a blog.

And to all you blog-readers and comment-writers, Happy New Year!

-- STAN OLSON

Panthers' report card

Here’s the Panthers’ report card from Sunday’s victory against Tampa Bay:

QUARTERBACKS: Matt Moore had another solid outing, completing 15 of 24 passes for 174 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The Panthers also made a nice gesture by putting in Vinny Testaverde to take a knee on the game’s final play to end his career. GRADE: B

RUNNING BACKS: DeAngelo Williams carried 20 times for 121 yards. If he could put up those numbers every week next season, the Panthers will have fixed their running game. GRADE: B+

RECEIVERS: The Bucs contained Steve Smith, but tight ends Dante Rosario and Christian Fauria came through with touchdown catches. GRADE: C+

OFFENSIVE LINE: Moore was sacked only once and there were holes for Williams and DeShaun Foster. GRADE: A

DEFENSIVE LINE: The Panthers were able to pressure Luke McCown and the Bucs didn’t do a lot of damage on the ground. GRADE: B

LINEBACKERS: Na’il Diggs had a sack and Jon Beason had a game-high 10 tackles. GRADE: B

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Even with a backup quarterback and a bunch of reserve receivers, the Bucs were able to move the ball through the air. GRADE: C

SPECIAL TEAMS: Ryne Robinson had a 60-yard kickoff return and new kicker Rhys Lloyd put a couple of kickoffs into the end zone. GRADE: B

COACHING: In a disappointing season, John Fox had his team playing hard right up to the end. GRADE: B

-- Pat Yasinskas

Today's inactives

   TAMPA, Fla. -- Here are the inactives for today's game: Receiver Jason Carter, receiver Travis Taylor, cornerback Patrick Dendy, safety Chris Harris, linebacker James Anderson, tackle Frank Omiyale and defensive tackle Gary Gibson. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Jenkins on life in the NFL, the good, the bad

Carolina defensive tackle Kris Jenkins has always been one of the more outspoken Panthers, and he touched on various things in a long-ranging interview this week. When asked if his concerns about the team have been taken care of, though, he paused and then burst into laughter.

"Oooh," he said. "To be honest I do not want to answer that question because…I just don’t want to answer that question. I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s a good question for me to answer going into the offseason, so I think I’m going to pass on that one. You have to forgive me but I am just a player."

So Jenkins, who had a solid season at defensive tackle and is signed through 2009, was asked about his personal situation.

"A lot happened this year, for me personally. And I don’t know what it is; I guess it’s the story of my life—I have these soap opera moments and everything is so laced with drama and good times and bad times. But I guess that’s just my daddy’s fault. He raised me to be able to look in the mirror and judge myself and be able to see what I can do better in a situation and make myself a better person.

"And in these past couple of years, I’ve just had so much growth, just with a lot of things. And one of the biggest things I learned toward the end of this year is that when your perception changes, the things around you change because your perception changes. I think the biggest thing I got out of this year is learning how to be a professional. I’m still just as passionate about the game as I have been; I am the type of person that I am going to put my all on the field. If I can’t do it, then I can’t. But as long as I can I’m going to put my all out there."

Much of that growth included coming to terms with the fact that Carolina was actively shopping him following the 2006 season.

"I just realized that certain things sometimes are better left unsaid. It’s just a different way of doing things," Jenkins said. "Because the reality of what I learned this year is that the NFL, sad to say, is not like high school was, it’s not like Pop Warner. It’s a business. It’s not the pure game anymore. It’s not the game that I grew up on, and I had to come to grips with that very quick."

— Stan Olson

Kalil excited about starting at center in finale

While much recent Panthers talk centers around rookie quarterback Matt Moore, fellow newbie Ryan Kalil is now snapping the ball to him, and, with starter Justin Hartwig lost to injury, will start at center Sunday in Tampa Bay.

Kalil got in the lineup last week when Hartwig was hurt in the second half of the loss to Dallas.

"They constantly tell you you’re one play away and sure enough, that horrible thing happened to Justin and I had to come in," Kalil said. "It’s a weird transition, kind of watching the game and then getting into it. But for the most part, I felt pretty comfortable."

That comfort zone quickly translated back into work.

"This week, definitely a little more studying than usual," he said.

Kalil started the season’s first two games at right guard and gave up two sacks in the second of those, but has been watching and learning since.

"There’s a lot of things that obviously you learn through practices and watching other guys do well or make mistakes on (that you can) learn from," he said. "Definitely where I have the advantage was my body felt a lot better than some of those other guys’ coming in this late in the season.

"It was definitely fun even though we had a loss; it was nice to get back in there and play the position (center) I’ve been playing for so long."

STAN OLSON

Roster moves and injury update

      The Panthers placed defensive end Julius Peppers on the injured reserve list Wednesday and made a series of other roster moves. The Panthers claimed kicker Rhys Lloyd off Baltimore’s practice squad and signed wide receiver Travis Taylor. The Panthers also added defensive backs Patrick Ghee and Eddie Canonico to the practice squad. The Philadelphia Eagles have signed defensive back Tannard Davis off the practice squad.

   Tackle Jordan Gross (ankle), safety Chris Harris (neck) and quarterback Vinny Testaverde (Achilles tendon) did not practice Wednesday. -- PAT YASINSKAS

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Tonight's inactives

   Here are the inactives for tonight: Linebacker James Anderson, cornerback Patrick Dendy, defensive lineman Gary Gibson, offensive lineman Evan Mathis, tackle Frank Omiyale, defensive end Julius Peppers and quarterback Vinny Testaverde. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Panthers working younger guys in

    Gradually, the Panthers are slipping younger guys into the mix, trying to decide who can play and who can't before the end of the season. Everyone, of course, noticed when rookie quarterback Matt Moore got the start and victory in last week's game. And now, with the strong possibility that defensive end Julius Peppers will miss Saturday's game with Dallas, rookie DE Charles Johnson is expected to get a lot of snaps in his place.

    Johnson was active for the first time last week, and in the rotation. While he didn't make a dent on the stat sheet, several players commented that handled the position well and showed considerable promise.

          There are others. Given an opening by guard Jeremy Bridges' impacted wisdom teeth, Geoff Hangartner, who started 15 games at center last year,  took over at right guard at Jacksonville and hasn't given the position back. With Colbert placed on IR with a knee sprain today, rookie wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Ryne Robinson will get more work, and that's a necessity as Carolina tries to get that position  straightened out. They might even take a look at wideout Jason Carter,  promoted from the practice squad today to replace Colbert.

          Also, safety Quinton Teal and linebacker Tim Shaw have turned in solid performances on special teams. Shaw is hidden behind too many LBs to get much defensive work, but Teal, a rookie free agent signee, may get a chance to show what he can do as a DB.

-- Stan Olson

Moore: Don't hold anything back

    Maybe the neatest thing about Panthers practice today was that we didn't need to ask who Carolina's starting quarterback would be. When I jokingly asked coach John Fox about it, he just grinned. Nice -- for once -- for that not to be a game time decision.

          With the answer obviously Matt Moore, some fans wondered if the team had a limited game plan last week because of his inexperience.

          "Last week was a pretty complete playbook," Moore said. "I don't think they held anything back."

          And if they want to add more for Dallas Saturday night?

          "I think if that's the case, that'd be great," he said. "If that's what they feel like doing, then let's do it. I think the confidence is there with everybody. Not only with myself, there's a lot of younger guys that are playing, that did a great job.

          "I don't think that would be anything bad at all."   Doesn't sound much like a rookie, does he?

      Short week an issue?   

      

The short week can mess guys up slightly, particularly when it comes late in the season. Normally, the Panthers would have had Monday and Tuesday to get over Sunday's soreness, but Tuesday brought a
full practice.

          "It's tough, especially coming at the end of the year," said guard Mike Wahle. "Everyone's banged up a little bit already. It does screw up your system a little bit. We have to make sure we get a little
more sleep this week and make up for it."

-- Stan Olson

Wahle: Dallas' schemes different this year

Hang around Panthers guard Mike Wahle long enough and you'll usually learn something interesting. Today someone asked him about watching game film from last year on the Cowboys, who play Carolina here Saturday night.

"It's really tough to look into years past," Wahle said. "They have a little bit different scheme. Each year even though you might be running the same defense or offense, you're always into something a little different. So I don't really find it too helpful to go back, unless you want to look at a specific player."

The conversation rolled on, turning to the upcoming contest in Bank of America Stadium.

"Hopefully we'll have some Carolina fans in the stands," Wahle said with just a hint of a smile. "I know that when Dallas comes to town, they get a lot of fans here. So hopefully we can even it out."

Wahle also talked of a jammed finger suffered in last Sunday's game, but there's no sense mentioning which hand it belongs to because Cowboys defenders just might take aim at that one. He wasn't complaining; it's one of those injuries that O-linemen seem to end up with all the time, and if you do complain your linemates never let you forget it. -- Stan Olson

Peppers misses out on $2 million

Julius Peppers’ silent season has cost him at least $2 million in the short term and, possibly, a lot more in the long term. The defensive end’s failure to be elected to the NFC Pro Bowl roster cost him at least $2 million. That’s the bonus Peppers earned last year when he made his third Pro Bowl. His original contract included Pro Bowl bonuses up to $11 million and it’s believed each Pro Bowl appearance escalated the bonus for the next one.

More significantly, the sub-par season might have hurt Peppers’ negotiating power in talks about a long-term contract. Peppers is under contract through the 2008 season, but the Panthers were believed to have had some interest in extending his contract before the start of this season. That didn’t happen and it could end up costing him the honor of being the league’s highest-paid defensive player.

-- Pat Yasinskas

No Panthers picked for Pro Bowl

For the first time since 1995, the Carolina Panthers didn't have any players elected to the Pro Bowl. The rosters will be announced on the NFL Network at 4 p.m. today. But, sources with knowledge of the roster said no Panthers made the Pro Bowl.

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Looking ahead at potential free agents

As the end of the season approaches, it’s time to start looking ahead. Whether coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney – or a new administration – is calling the shots, the Panthers will face some interesting decisions when it comes to their own potential free agents. Here’s a list of Carolina’s potential unrestricted free agents:

Receiver Drew Carter: He’s never flourished, but Carter is a decent No.. 3 or No.. 4 receiver. At a reasonable price, he could be back because the Panthers need someone in their receiving corps besides Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett.

Receiver Keary Colbert: Has been given every chance possible to secure a starting job and hasn’t done it. It’s unlikely any effort will be made to keep him.

Safety Deke Cooper: Ended up starting out of necessity this year and hasn’t played badly. The Panthers likely will look for an upgrade, but wouldn’t mind keeping Cooper as a backup.

Linebacker Na’il Diggs: A dependable, but not spectacular, player on the weak side. The Panthers have a lot of youth at linebacker, but may try to keep Diggs at an affordable price.

Tackle Jordan Gross: By far, the team’s most significant free agent. A strong effort will be made to keep Gross. But he could have a high value on the open market. Keeping him could be an issue because the Panthers also are likely to be looking for a left tackle.

Fullback Brad Hoover: He’s been a very dependable and steady player. But Hoover does have some mileage on him. A contract for two or three years would be wise for the team and it’s also time to start grooming a replacement.

Defensive tackle Damione Lewis: Has had two nice years in a backup role and has found a niche as a pass rusher. Could get a chance at a starting job elsewhere. But the Panthers might have to view Lewis as a starter if they unload Kris Jenkins in the offseason.

Linebacker Terrence Melton: Signed to be a special teams regular, Melton hurt his knee in training camp and has missed the season. Could return at minimum salary.

Defensive tackle Kindal Moorehead: A solid backup. The Panthers’ interest in keeping Moorehead is likely to be determined by what happens with Jenkins and Lewis.

Defensive end Mike Rucker: Has had a very nice career with the Panthers, but retirement seems like a good possibility. Rucker took a big cut in pay to play this season. If he decides he wants to play one more year, the Panthers probably would have interest in keeping him, but not for much money.

Cornerback Dante Wesley: Signed to be the fourth cornerback and a special teams player, Wesley has missed the season with an injury. He could return at something close to the minimum.

Tackle Travelle Wharton: He’s been an adequate left tackle, but Wharton never will be a Pro Bowler. Carolina’s first concern is keeping Gross on the right side and that will take a lot of money. Because he plays the left side, Wharton could get some decent offers on the open market and the Panthers might look elsewhere for a left tackle.

PAT YASINSKAS

Gross makes case for Pro Bowl

    It's been written several times that with wide receiver Steve Smith far down in the reception rankings and no one else lighting it up on offense or defense, that the Panthers are likely to have no Pro Bowlers
this season. While that remains a strong possibility, a good case can be made for right offensive tackle Jordan Gross.

          Gross has gone up against some pretty good DEs this year, and has allowed one sack. Not last week or last month -- one sack all season. No other O-line starter has given up fewer than four.
    What brought this to my attention was the strong effort Gross had against Seattle's Patrick Kerney Sunday.  Kerney came in sizzling, with nine sacks in his previous four games overall and a league-leading 13.5 overall. Kerney gave Gross considerable credit afterward, as did Panthers coach John Fox.

          Gross, in his fifth season, has stepped up this year after three straight seasons in which he allowed 5.25 sacks or more. The NFC should strongly consider sending him to Hawaii. That said, I'm
wondering if you guys think anyone else deserves to go. Gross definitely does.

--STAN OLSON

Panthers' report card after beating Seattle

   Here's the Panthers' report card for Sunday's victory against Seattle:
   QUARTERBACK: He wasn't perfect, but Matt Moore kept the offense moving in his first career start. That's something veterans Vinny Testaverde and David Carr hasn't come close to doing in recent weeks. GRADE: A-
   RUNNING BACKS: The Panthers finished with 114 rushing yards and DeAngelo Williams had a 35-yard touchdown run. But, once again, you have to wonder why the coaches start DeShaun Foster over Williams? GRADE: C+
   RECEIVERS: Steve Smith had eight catches and rookie tight end Dante Rosario had a huge catch in the first quarter that gave Moore and the offense some confidence. GRADE: B-
   OFFENSIVE LINE: The Panthers knew they'd have to keep the pressure off Moore and they did. Right tackle Jordan Gross shut down Patrick Kerney, who had 10 sacks in his previous four games. GRADE: A
   DEFENSIVE LINE: Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins had a key sack. Rookie Charles Johnson did all right after replacing an injured Julius Peppers. The Seahawks gained only 44 yards on the ground. GRADE: B+
   LINEBACKERS: Thomas Davis and Na'il Diggs each recorded a sack and Jon Beason tied for the team-high with eight tackles. GRADE: A
   DEFENSIVE BACKS: Matt Hasselbeck threw for 274 yards, but not a lot of them mattered. GRADE: B
   SPECIAL TEAMS: John Kasay made two-of-three field goal attempts on a very windy field and the rest of the special teams didn't make any big mistakes. GRADE: B-
   COACHING: John Fox might have solidified his job by finally taking a gamble and going with a rookie quarterback. GRADE: A

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Youth movement begins

   The youth movement won’t be limited to Matt Moore at quarterback. Rookie defensive end Charles Johnson and rookie receiver Dwayne Jarrett will be active today. Jarrett’s active partly because Keary Colbert’s hurt and partly because the Panthers want to give him some playing time. But Johnson is active and Stanley McClover is not because the Panthers want to get a look at their third-round pick. Johnson will be the third defensive end and should rotate in behind Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker. – PAT YASINSKAS

Today's inactives

   Here are the inactives for today: quarterback Vinny Testaverde, linebacker James Anderson, linebacker Brandon Jamison, guard Evan Mathis, defensive end Stanley McClover, tackle Frank Omiyale, receiver Keary Colbert and defensive tackle Gary Gibson. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Moore to start

   As expected, Matt Moore will be the starting quarterback against the Seahawks. David Carr will be the backup and Vinny Testaverde will be the inactive third quarterback. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Weighing in on baseball scandal

I was getting ready to write yet another Panthers blog, but a large part of blogging is writing when you feel passionate about something.

Since I don't have a baseball blog (it was offered and turned down, which is fine; I'm busy enough with football), I don't have a platform for my outrage, so it's going in here today.

I have read in many places, including today's Charlotte Observer, other writers ripping the Mitchell report.

"Hey, is this all we get?" they say. "It's just a bunch of hearsay," they say.

There's a reason for that; Donald Fehr and his player's association, instead of encouraging the players to testify before Mitchell on the issue, kept insisting, "you don't have to if you don't want to," winking and encouraging them to keep their mouths shut.

Mitchell had no subpoena power, and had to use what he could get, which included conversations with just eight players out of thousands who could have shed some light  on this.

All the people screaming for commissioner Bud Selig's head should make it a requirement that Fehr be axed first. Fehr has resolutely opposed testing ever since management first proposed it. And  years ago if I remember correctly, the White Sox staged a spring training revolt and offered to be tested voluntarily in an attempt to slow the cheating in the game. Fehr or one of his minions (are you listening, Gene Orza?) frantically flew in and talked them out of it.

Solidarity, boys. Solidarity to protect the cheaters.

Selig has been ineffective. Fehr has been a cancer on the game,  protecting the cheaters over the majority of clean players. He's still doing it; no blood testing for HGH, too invasive. Yeah, let Barry and the Boys keep getting away with it. <i>-- STAN OLSON</i>

Starting QB Moore has pros, cons

With starting quarterback Vinny Testaverde not practicing again Friday, the likelihood that undrafted rookie Matt Moore will get the call for Sunday’s home game with Seattle increases dramatically.

This could be good or bad; good, because Moore, who has already seen limited reserve duty in six games, will get to play with an 0-0 score. That means he won’t be thrown into must-pass situations, the kind where the defense pins its ears back and meets at the quarterback, as has been the case in most of his previous stints.

It could also be bad, because Moore is a first-year player who has never started an NFL game, and quarterbacks almost always need considerable seasoning before they become effective at the pro level.

Also, he’ll be going up against once of the best defenses in the league. If things start going the wrong way, a whole bunch of Seattle sacks aren’t out of the question.

Coach John Fox still hasn’t committed to Moore; he’s calling it a game-time decision and Vinny is listed as probable for Sunday on the injury report. But a lot has been asked of Testaverde this season, and it’s likely his Achilles’ problem is still an issue. With all that said, seeing Moore take the opening snap Sunday won’t be surprising at all.

STAN OLSON

Julius Peppers interview

We had one of our infrequent interviews with Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers during open locker room today, and I'm writing much more about it for Friday's paper. But with space considerations, everything can't get in, so it gives us an opportunity to PepBlog.

During the conversation, Peppers' frustration with his season (he has just 3.0 sacks after hitting double figures in four of his first five years) was evident. But he seems to be taking it in stride, and is still hopeful the explosion is coming soon.

When it was pointed out that Seattle DE Patrick Kerney, whose Seahawks play at Carolina Sunday, has three sacks in each of his last four games, Peppers pointed out the difference in the situations of the two players, saying of a three-sack game of his own, "It could come at any time. You don't plan on having them. You just have them one day. You just go out and things work for you one day."

Peppers also addressed his contract issues -- his current deal expires after next season -- and didn't really sound like the kind of guy who worries about money too much. Someone joked that he apparently hadn't spent all of his current stash yet, and Peppers grinned.

"Nah, man, I'm straight," he said.

Peppers was patient through questions he had heard before. As for the rumors that he has lost weight, stand a foot in front of him and you'll strongly disagree. He was dressed in a black Carolina Panthers' T-shirt with an American Flag on the front and black workout shorts featuring his number 90, and every muscle appeared full-sized and in working order. -- Stan Olson

Why not start DeAngelo Williams?

Random observations:

-- It's not going to solve all the offensive problems, but why not start DeAngelo Williams and give him 15 to 20 carries a game for the last three weeks? DeShaun Foster's already shown he's not a true feature back. Maybe Williams can be and maybe he can't, but it would be nice to find out.

-- There's a very real chance the Panthers could be shut out when the Pro Bowl squads are announced. There really are only two remotely-legitimate candidates. Steve Smith's been hampered by the quarterback situation and voters will realize that. But Smith's statistics don't stack up with a lot of other receiver's. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins might be the best bet. He made the Pro Bowl last year and he's having a better season than last year. Beyond Smith and Jenkins, nobody else has a shot.

-- A lot of people are assuming the Panthers view undrafted rookie quarterback Matt Moore as a big-time prospect. That might be assuming too much.

Moore

's got a decent arm, but there are reasons why he went undrafted. If Moore and injured second-year quarterback Brett Basanez go to training camp next year, Basanez will start off ahead of

Moore

. Basanez might be the guy the Panthers truly view as a prospect.

-- There have been a lot of suggestions from fans that the Panthers should give Moore some playing time. But maybe they should look at some young guys at other positions as they look toward the future. I'm not saying they should start, but why not give guard/center Ryan Kalil, receiver Dwayne Jarrett and defensive end Charles Johnson a little bit of playing time?

-- Punter Jason Baker's slumped a bit recently. But you have to respect Baker's steadiness and character in light of the recent off-field incident in which former Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun, now with the Broncos, was charged with assaulting a cab driver.

   

- Pat Yasinskas

Vick's dogs didn't get a plea deal

Just curious; what do you guys (and gals) think of Michael Vick's 23-month prison sentence?

I know it was within federal guidelines and all that, but it kind of bothered me that the feds let Vick enter a plea. If his partners in crime hadn't flipped on him and opted for plea-bargains of their own, I'm still convinced that Vick would be telling the whole world he had nothing to do with it, and that his legions of fans would believe it. The only reason he admitted guilt was that the rest of his buddies beat him to it in their scramble for deals.

With time off for good behavior, Vick could be out in the summer of 2009, setting himself up to return to football. I don't know how badly his skills will have eroded after two seasons out of the game, but he'll still be just 29. I do know that some teams will be interested.

Will the commish let him come back?

Yep. We all know how these things work; all Vick has to do is not get into any more trouble while in prison and continue to say all the right things about how he has learned his lesson. That's tough for me to swallow, but I've got a dog, and I think that figures into my opinion. I know people deserve second chances, but the dogs he killed never got them.-- Stan Olson

-- Story: Fallen star pays for his elusiveness

-- Poll: Would you accept Mike Vick as a Panther after his prison release?

Panthers' report card following Jaguars rout

Here's the Panthers' report card for Sunday's loss to Jacksonville:   

QUARTERBACKS: Vinny Testaverde's a great guy and he's a perfect fill-in for a game or two. But this is what happens when you try to ride him for a season: 13 for 28 for 84 yards. GRADE: F
   RUNNING BACKS: A week after DeAngelo Williams had a big game, he barely got on the field. It wasn't like DeShaun Foster was lighting it up. GRADE: F
   RECEIVERS: Steve Smith had six catches, but was held to 44 yards. Starting Drew Carter over Keary Colbert was a nice move, but it didn't really matter. GRADE: D
   OFFENSIVE LINE: Geoff Hangartner started at right guard in place of Jeremy Bridges. Testaverde had some time to throw, but didn't make anything happen. If there were holes for the running game, Foster couldn't find them. GRADE: D
   DEFENSIVE LINE: The Panthers put some pressure on David Garrard, but couldn't sack him. The Jaguars rushed for 178 yards. GRADE: D
   LINEBACKERS: Jon Beason had 12 tackles, but the linebackers also missed some tackles. GRADE: D
   DEFENSIVE BACKS: Chris Harris had a game-high 14 tackles and forced a fumble. But the secondary helped make a very mediocre group of receivers look pretty good. GRADE: D
   SPECIAL TEAMS: There weren't any major mistakes this time, but there was nothing special. GRADE: C-
   COACHING: Might have been nice to see a few of those trick plays the Panthers used against the 49ers a week ago. When you know you've got issues on offense, you have to be creative. This game plan wasn't even close to creative. GRADE: F

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Bridges out

   Bit of a surprise. Jeremy Bridges, who has been the starting right guard since Week 3, has been declared inactive for today's game. Bridges woke up this morning bothered by an abscessed tooth. That likely means second-year pro Geoff Hangartner will start. Here are the other inactives: quarterback David Carr, receiver Dwayne Jarrett, defensive tackle Gary Gibson, defensive end Charles Johnson, tackle Frank Omiyale and linebacker James Anderson. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Nelson making impact for Jags

Many observers expected Carolina, in obvious need of safety help at the time, to draft safety Reggie Nelson with its first-round pick in  April. Instead, the Panthers traded down and scooped up linebacker Jon  Beason. That has obviously worked out well, and Carolina patched its  problems at safety with duct tape, Chris Harris and Deke Cooper.

The Panthers, though, said their safety targets never fell at  the right place in the draft, where they could grab one without  over-reaching for him.

So how has Nelson done in Jacksonville since the Jaguars took  him in the draft?  I asked coach Jack Del Rio on his conference call  with area writers earlier this week.

"Reggie has been solid for us, he's a dynamic player," Del Rio said.  "He's a guy that has a great deal of energy and really loves the game. He prepares hard during the week and he lets it go on Sundays.  He's  made some plays for us and I think he has four interceptions on the  year.  He's done a nice job being a ball hawk back there and he's been  a little bit more physical than we anticipated.

"He's done a nice job of coming up and hitting people and  doing the things he needs to do to help us win.  We've been very happy  with him. I noticed [Carolina's] rookie has done well too.  I think Jon  Beason has done a heck of a job and is having a good year for  them." --STAN OLSON

Jarrett out for Sunday

   Rookie wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett will miss Sunday's game in Jacksonville with a sprained right knee. Jarrett had an MRI on Thursday afternoon. It showed no tear and surgery is not being considered at this point. Running back DeShaun Foster (head), safety Chris Harris (shoulder) and linebacker Na'il Diggs took part in Friday's practice and are listed as probable for Sunday. -- PAT YASINSKAS

Garrard: It's good for young QB to sit, learn

    With the Panthers trying to get their quarterbacking house in order all season, we've discussed and written about whether a rookie like Matt Moore can be effective this early in his NFL career.  While Moore isn't likely to get a chance to determine that on the field unless 44-year-old starter Vinny Testaverde is injured again, there seems to be no hard-and-fast rule as to when a young QB is ready to take snaps that count.

    Testaverde believes that on average, it takes three seasons for a QB to learn the ins and outs of the league. Jake Delhomme was a backup for six before Carolina gave him a chance. And Jacksonville's David
Garrard, who played at East Carolina, mostly sat for three seasons before gradually working his way into the lineup in 2005 and '06.  Now, suddenly, Garrard is a top-flight quarterback, as his 104.7 passer rating attests.

          "I just think it’s my time," he said on this week's conference call.  "I’ve put a lot of years in where I was backing up and I thought I was capable of being a starter, but circumstances happened down here
and it didn’t happen as quickly as I would have liked.  I think that was good for me.  It was good for me to learn and get to the point where I am now where I can handle all of the things that happen  during the course of a season, during the course of a game and, hopefully, lead a team to a championship."

         Garrard's advice to Moore and all the other young QBs is to give it time.

         "I think some quarterbacks get there a little quicker and some take a little bit longer in their development.  I think you can definitely come out and do some good things in that amount of time, but to really be a good quarterback, one who can be counted upon, it probably takes that year and then a couple more for the game to slow down.

         "It is a tough business and the game is fast.  There are a lot of things going on other than just football that people don’t see and don’t understand.  Every player is different and there is no way to put a finger on the exact timeline it takes.  You can tell when a player is operating and doing all of the
things he is supposed to."

    Moore, despite the cries from the crowd, hasn't been scintillating in  his limited work. He's completed 11 of 22 passes for 145 yards with three interceptions (one a hail Mary) and a 31.6 rating. That said, eventually, he could be good. Just not this year.

         "There is just so much that goes into the position," Garrard said. "You have to know what the other 10 guys are doing on the field and make sure everyone is lined up correctly.  Then you have to snap
the ball, read the defense and make sure you throw the ball to the right guys without trying to force anything.  You also have stuff off the field that you have to deal with. You have the pressure of being  the guy and having everyone counting on you to rally the troops and go out and win the ballgame.

      "Even though it’s not all on your shoulders, a lot of times when you are a young guy you feel like it is.
  There is just a lot that goes into that position."

--Stan Olson

Panthers lose Grigsby

The Panthers lost practice squad defensive end Otis Grigsby on Thursday when the Minnesota Vikings signed him to their regular roster.

The Panthers signed defensive end Willie Evans to fill the vacancy on the practice squad.

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Jarrett having MRI on knee today

Rookie wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett will have an MRI on his right knee this afternoon. Jarrett has missed the last two weeks and said the team's medical staff became concerned that the knee is not progressing as quickly as hoped. Jarrett said the injury is to his medial collateral ligament.
   "They said I sprained it a little bit," Jarrett said. "But they want to see what else is going on down there."

Smith's role diversifies, to team's credit

You have to give the Panthers credit for trying to get wide receiver Steve Smith the ball; they lined him up in the backfield last week and even launched a direct snap to him. He had eight catches and two
carries.  The problem is, they need more in the way of production from him in order to finish this final, tough stretch of schedule strong.

Smith has not scored a touchdown in the team's last six games.   He has topped 100 receiving yards just once in the last ten.  In the other nine, his best total is 64. Compare that with the first two games of the season -- quarterback Jake Delhomme's only two complete starts -- when Smith had a total of 271 yards and four touchdowns.

Keep in mind that Smith and Jake probably knew each other well enough to finish the other's sentences, and adjustments to new quarterbacks take time. I liked the different things the Panthers tried with Smith last week. Expect it to continue in the future.  While they don't want to wear him out, Carolina should also consider using him on punt returns in key situations. He can break one and change a game, and we have yet to see that from Ryne Robinson.

-- Stan Olson

Fox shielded Carr from home crowd

Coach John Fox usually doesn't say much of anything in his Monday news conferences. But he did have one interesting thing to say about quarterback David Carr this week.

 That came when Fox was asked to elaborate on Sunday's decision to have Carr as the third quarterback behind Vinny Testaverde and Matt Moore. Fox implied that part of that decision came because the game was in Bank of America Stadium.

 "I don't know that I wanted to expose him to here at home, definitely yesterday and we'll kind of weigh that as we move forward,'' Fox said. "Anytime you don't have success, it has an effect on you mentally. I still have confidence in David Carr. I still think he has good things to offer. I don't think it's gone as well for him or for us as we'd all expected. That doesn't mean to say that it won't moving forward either.''

-- Pat Yasinskas

Observations after Sunday's victory ...

I wrote a story for Sunday’s paper where we ran charts of the five best and five worst personnel moves by John Fox and Marty Hurney. Many of you e-mailed me your own suggestions of other items that should have been on the list (one guy had 15 new suggestions). Thank you. Just about every suggestion was excellent and deserved consideration. Unfortunately, in a newspaper, there are space limitations and I had to stop my list of moves that didn’t work, which easily could have grown to at least 10. In fairness to Fox and Hurney, I could have increased their list of five moves that worked to at least 10 if I had the space.

Speaking of Fox and Hurney personnel moves and the 2005 draft that got some space in the worst moves section, here’s a little update. Defensive end Jovan Haye, a seventh-round pick in that draft, was good enough to make the Panthers for a very brief time, but couldn’t stay on the roster. Did you see what he did for Tampa Bay on Sunday? Haye recovered a fumble to set up the game-winning score. He also made a sack on the game’s final play. Maybe Haye should have been kept by the Panthers. He’d probably be playing ahead of Stanley McClover as the third end and might be in position to take over a starting job next year if Mike Rucker retires after this season.

I sincerely believe John Fox wasn’t knocking a player, because he doesn’t do that. But it was kind of funny when he said, "Even Marquand Manuel made a play" when he discussed the interception by the seldom-used safety.

Fox didn’t dance around when asked the logic behind the decision to make undrafted rookie Matt Moore the No.. 2 quarterback and drop David Carr to No.. 3. Fox said Moore is a promising young player who the team wants to take a look at sometime. Then, with candor, Fox said the Panthers had struggled offensively when Carr played.

PAT YASINSKAS

Panthers to attend Sean Taylor funeral

The Panthers will be well represented at the funeral for Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor in Miami on Monday. Defensive end Julius Peppers hired a charter airplane and he, linebacker Jon Beason, receiver Steve Smith and defensive tackle Damione Lewis were scheduled to fly to Miami on Sunday night.

The Panthers have Monday off and the group is scheduled to fly back to Charlotte Monday night.

-- PAT YASINSKAS

Panthers' report card

Here’s the Panthers’ report card from Sunday’s victory against San Francisco:

QUARTERBACK. Vinny Testaverde threw two interceptions. But, other than that, he managed the offense nicely. GRADE: C

RUNNING BACKS. DeAngelo Williams ran extremely well during the second half. He finally ran the way the Panthers envisioned when they used a first-round pick on him last year. DeShaun Foster averaged just 2.8 yards a carry, but he and Williams were productive as receivers out of the backfield. GRADE: B

RECEIVERS. Steve Smith lined up as a receiver, quarterback and running back as the Panthers managed to get him 10 touches. Keary Colbert and Drew Carter didn’t do much, but tight ends Jeff King and Dante Rosario each caught touchdown passes. GRADE: B

OFFENSIVE LINE. The Panthers gained 166 yards on the ground and Testaverde didn’t have to deal with a lot of pressure. GRADE: B+

DEFENSIVE LINE. This unit has been slammed much of the season and that was deserved. But, for one game, we saw a glimpse of what this defensive line is supposed to be like. The Panthers had six sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Defensive end Mike Rucker forced a fumble and defensive tackle Damione Lewis recovered it. This unit also played a big role in holding the 49ers to 59 yards on the ground. GRADE: A-

LINEBACKERS. Jon Beason had another big game with a team-high seven tackles and an interception. Thomas Davis also had an impact and Na’il Diggs got half a sack. GRADE: A

DEFENSIVE BACKS. There were a couple of breakdowns on San Francisco’s two touchdown passes in the third quarter. But Richard Marshall returned an interception for a touchdown. Chris Gamble and Marquand Manuel also had interceptions.

SPECIAL TEAMS. Rosario had a huge recovery when Michael Lewis muffed a punt return. Ryne Robinson wasn’t able to do much on kickoff or punt returns. GRADE: B-

COACHING. Keep in mind, it was only the 49ers. But give John Fox and his staff credit for ending a home losing streak that had gone on for more than a year. Defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac simplified things and that gave the Panthers a consistent pass rush for the first time this season. Offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson took a different approach and jazzed things up. That allowed the Panthers to get a fast start. GRADE: B

Pat Yasinskas

Carr's inactive

   One week after starting, quarterback David Carr has been de-activated for today's game. Rookie Matt Moore has been promoted to No. 2 behind Vinny Testaverde. Safety C.J. Wilson, linebacker James Anderson, tackle Evan Mathis, tackle Frank Omiyale, receiver Dwayne Jarrett, defensive tackle Gary Gibson and defensive end Charles Johnson also are inactive. -- PAT YASINSKAS