Only a few days before the Carolina Panthers will board a plane for the west coast for sunny San Diego to play the Chargers.  Now the games count.  There is a lot of work to do.
Here’s what’s being said in the media as the team gets down to the real work.

We’ve added a new feature for our readers here at Cat Crave.  Anytime you comment here on the site, you can attach an avatar.
Log on to the Gravatar website, and sign up using the email address you used to sign up here at Cat Crave and upload the image you want to use as your avatar.  It’ll take about ten minutes but when you’re done, anytime you post a comment here or any Fan Sided website (or any site using the Gravatar feature) the avatar will appear.
Our thanks to Zach for putting this together for us!

Cat Crave Radio has returned with our twenty-fifth episode!  In this edition, we have two special guests – Michael Lombardi, a former NFL executive, Sports Illustrated contributor, analyst for NFL Network and writer for the National Football Post and Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer.
Brian Miller from Phin Phanatic was back for Rant or Rave and Boom or Bust.
A Quick breakdown of the show follows.  Enjoy!

[display_podcast]

<!–
podPressShowHidePlayer(‘1′, ‘http://catcrave.com/podpress_trac/play/945/0/CatCraveRadioEpisode22-August10.mp3′,300,30, ‘false’, ‘http://catcrave.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress//images/vpreview_center.png’);
–>
Episode Twenty-Five: August 31, 2008
In Episode Twenty-Five…

News - Preseason Game Four Versus the Steelers/Roster Cuts
Rant Or Rave – Brian Miller (Phin Phanatic)
Special Guest – Michael Lombardi (National Football Post)
Special Guest - Tom Sorensen (Charlotte [...]

The Carolina Panthers practice squad has gone from zero to five today.
The Panthers have signed five of the players they cut Saturday to their practice squad, including draft picks Nick Hayden and Geoff Schwartz.
Others added to the practice squad were running back DeCori Birmingham, wide receiver William Buchanon, and defensive back Joe Fields.
Carolina had the option of adding quarterback Brett Basanez, but opted not to do so.
The Panthers can add three more to their practice squad, and also are expected to add a kick returner to their active, 53-man roster.
Hayden, a defensive tackle, and Schwartz, an offensive tackle, were sixth- [...]

It’s a sad day and one that coach John Fox readily admits that he hates.  What coach would like having to send 20-plus guys back to the unemployment line?  Unfortunately, it’s listed in the job description and the league has a limit on the number of players you can have on your roster.
It all adds up to a lot of broken dreams and disappointment but, still, the Carolina Panthers had to announce their final cuts for their 2008 roster on Saturday.
No surprise that Brett Basanez was released with the addition of Josh McCown on Friday.  There were a few revelations [...]

Saturday promised to be a big day.  It’s cut down day.  The day the Carolina Panthers have some tough decisions to make.  They have to meet the roster limit of 53 players.  Instead, they wake up to find out that one of the players fighting to make the team is in jail.
It all started with Ricardo Colclough early today and the news wasn’t good.

I asked Brian Miller over at Phinphanatic, the Miami Dolphins, to provide us a scouting report on Josh McCown.  It’s a little bit rough on us, but it’s honest and, unfortunately, probably right on the money.
Read on, if you dare.

After dealing Friday for Josh McCown, the Carolina Panthers will be very light on draft picks in the 2009 NFL draft.
The team had already given up their 2009 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to move up to the 19th overall slot in this past April’s draft.  In this latest deal, Marty Hurney and the Panthers have given up an undisclosed late-round pick.

The Carolina Panthers have a new quarterback according to the Palm Beach Post.
Back-up quarterback Josh McCown has been traded to the Carolina Panthers, a source familiar with the deal said this evening.
McCown, 29, played in only one pre-season game for the Dolphins, the Aug. 9 opener against Tampa Bay, raising questions about his future with the team.
He threw only eight passes, completing five of them.
McCown’s departure leaves the Dolphins with three quarterbacks: Chad Pennington, Chad Henne and John Beck.
Carolina back-up Matt Moore suffered a deep shin bruise during the Panther’s pre-season game with the Steelers on Thursday night.
McCown has started [...]

Yesterday, we covered the offensive players who were sitting on the bubble.  The sad thing is that we can talk about these guys all day and yet many of them will still be given their walking papers this weekend.  Saturday, the Carolina Panthers will make cuts to meet the roster limits mandated by the NFL.
Some good football players are going to be out of a job.  Sad but true.  But while we’re here, we may as well look at some of the defensive players who may or may not make it through the final cut.