Tuesday Wrap Up
By John White
Another day. Another training camp session for the Carolina Panthers. Here’s your Tuesday wrap up. We start with Steve Reed of the Gaston Gazette.
"HOT TOPIC: The Panthers were without their two defensive leaders on Tuesday as middle linebacker Jon Beason sat out with a sprained left ankle and strong safety Chris Harris did not practice due to a groin strain.Both suffered injuries on Monday.Coach John Fox said neither injury is considered serious and that both are listed as day-to-day.“I tweaked it a little bit but it’s nothing serious,” Harris said. “It’s right in the groin area. But it’s nothing to worry about. It scared me when it first happened because I didn’t know exactly what was going on. But it’s nothing to worry about. I will be back out there sooner rather than later.”"
Day to day isn’t so bad. Aren’t we all day to day? If this is no more serious than this we might all be getting all bent out of shape for nothing.
"NOTABLE: The Panthers made a roster move on Tuesday, signing tight end Chad Upshaw and releasing defensive tackle Michael Marquardt.The move was necessitated by a shortage of tight ends.On Monday night, Gary Barnidge injured his glute. With Dante Rosario already out with a strained hamstring, the Panthers were suddenly down to two tight ends. Upshaw gives the Panthers three, but his stay will probably last about as long as it takes for Rosario or Barnidge to recover.Marquardt was signed last week when the Panthers were hit with a rash of injuries at defensive tackle.However, Damione Lewis was back at practice Tuesday, one day after the return of Maake Kemoeatu and Darwin Walker, meaning the Panthers now have three of their top for defensive tackles on the field. Only Ian Scott (knee) remains out.DEPTH CHART WATCH: With Beason out, Adam Seward worked with the first team at middle linebacker. Dan Connor, who continues to impress, worked with the second team… Ricardo Colclough is working as the third corner alongside Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall while Ken Lucas awaits surgery. That tells me Colclough is viewed as the No. 4 corner going into the preseason. He will be challenged for a job by veterans Dante Wesley and Curtis Deloatch… Terrance Holt is working as the first-team safety with Harris out."
I would almost predict that Connor winds up a starter before the season is over. He’s looked more and more solid as camp has gone on. It’s usually hard to keep a guy out of the lineup when he’s got the skills to start. I know that Fox is big on playing the veterans but Connor could wind up forcing his way into the lineup.
"ON THE RISE: Rookie free safety Charles Godfrey continues to impress on the practice field, but he’ll get his first real test when the Panthers host the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason opener Saturday night.Harris says he loves Godfrey’s work ethic and his desire to be a great safety.“I like Charles,” Harris said. “He just wants to be good. He’s not afraid to ask questions at all. He’s always asking me something on the sidelines. We’ll come off the field and a lot of times we’ll talk about something he or I saw that can help us.”"
I talked to Tom Sorensen on the phone today and he said the same – that Godfrey has looked sharp. The kid has been impressive.
"WHAT WE LEARNED: Julius Peppers can still be a beast on any given play. He made an unbelievable athletic move at practice Tuesday, sniffing out a double reverse about 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage. If it were a real game I might be writing, “Muhsin Muhammad was 35….” Luckily for Muhammad, Peppers let off the gas since it wasn’t a full-tackling drill."
J-Pepp said over the weekend that he was ready to go. It sure sounds like it. Jordan Gross is making some glowing comments about him and it’s been rare to hear anything bad about what he’s done in Spartanburg.
"PLAY OF THE DAY: Muhammad would get his revenge though. He made a great catch in the back of the end zone during a “game situation” drill where the offense had only five seconds to score a touchdown from 25-yard line. Muhammad snared a perfectly thrown pass from Jake Delhomme for the score, setting off a celebration on the offensive side of the ball."
Anyone who doesn’t believe that Moose has something left in the tank just might find out different in less than a month.
"THEY SAID IT: “This is the preseason, so I would rather see him later on down the road… like in Week 20.”–Harris on whether he’s disappointed the Panthers won’t get to play against Peyton Manning (injured bursa sac) this week. YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: The Panthers have players from 28 different states on their current 80-man roster, including seven from North Carolina and five from South Carolina.BY THE NUMBERS: 16-8 – Fox’s record in preseason games.IN MY OPINION: Jake Delhomme’s surgically repaired elbow has become almost an afterthought at training camp. He’s looked great throwing the football and now seems ready to take the next step.“We have been pleased with Jake’s progress but it will be good to see him under game conditions Saturday night,” Fox said. “We saw last year just how much he means to this football team.”"
And another thing! Jake is coming back with a vengeance! Write it down. Draft him for your fantasy team. He’s going to play his buttocks off this year.
"INJURY UPDATE: Along with the aforementioned injuries, wide receiver Ryne Robinson and Ken Lucas remain out of practice.ON TAP: The Panthers practice twice Wednesday at 9:10 a.m. and 3:10 p.m."
Next, it’s on to Darin Ganntt of the Rock Hill Herald.
"Fox was even more gregarious than normal during practice, cracking jokes like he was running for something. As practice ended, we found out why. He was wearing a wire, since NFL Films was here covering practice."
I hope he watched his language, otherwise the NFL might fine him for violating the league’s Coaches’ Conduct Policy.
"WR Muhsin Muhammad still has it. He was farther in the air than it was thought possible, hauling in a touchdown to cap a two-minute drill."
I’m telling you, everybody has said great things about Moose. He’s back!
"Retired RB Stephen Davis came by, but showed his veteran savvy by leaving about 10 minutes into practice."
Great to have you back, SD! Can you still play?