Now if you think back to April 27 when the Chris Harris – Jamar Williams trade went down, many fans disagreed with the move, saying we were trading a starter for a backup. That looks to be different now, as Williams will most likely be taking Davis’ spot at the WLB position. Williams was drafted by the Chicago Bears to take the place of pro-bowler Lance Briggs in case they couldn’t reach a new contract.

Williams only has three starts since he was drafted in 2006. While the first two starts were average-at-best, the last start against the St. Louis Rams in Week 13 of last year, he came up with a total of 18 tackles. He took the chance he had and made the most of it by tackling Steven Jackson 13 times during the game.

While Jackson still had 112 yards for the game, it wasn’t at cost of Williams. Out of the 13 plays Williams tackled Jackson, he averaged only 2.46 yards a carry. So while losing Davis for the season is no doubt a huge loss, there are still players on the roster who can fill the position and play well.

Also during today’s OTA practices, they were experimenting with the linebacking core. James Anderson stayed where he has been since mini-camp at strongside linebacker, but Jon Beason moved to weakside linebacker in place of Davis, and Dan Connor took the place of Beason at MLB. It’s good to know they will experiment to make sure they have the best at each position starting this season.

With Beason, Anderson, and Connor being the most well-known to fans besides Davis, it’s good to remember Williams will turn out to be a great acquisition in time. We also have Eric Norwood; fourth-round draft pick out of South Carolina. With those five players, there’s no doubt that John Fox and Ron Meeks will find a great solution to the injury of Davis.

This posting is property of Cat Crave and the Fansided Network.

The most exciting part of last nights game was watching Goodson run the ball.  I flipped between the Panthers and the NC State/South Carolina game.  Wait…why was I watching NC State…I am a Tarheel fan?  Oh yeah, I was dying to see a game that mattered.  Either way, last night I was bored.  A sluggish defensive mood from the Panthers and no offense on the college front.  Between the two I was bored.

Now that the preseason is over we can start looking ahead to the first game.  In Week 1, the Carolina Panthers will be hosting the Philadelphia Eagles.  Luckily, we will not have to plan for Michael Vick.  The NFL Commissioner announced that Vick will not play until Week 3.  I guess the football gods are shining on us after all.  Ron Meeks and the Panther defense can now turn it loose and start “flying all over the field”.

We can wash away the memories of last year’s playoff loss to Arizona by taking the Eagles to the woodshed in Week 1.  Julius Peppers can turn on the turbo boosters and set the record for most sacks in a season.  DeAngelo Williams can run roughshod into the Eagles secondary.

The first game of the season is always exciting and hopeful.  As a Panther fan we can hope that our team plays at its highest level and gets us to the promise land.  We need to get back to the playoffs and show the world that we can win a Super Bowl.

As the first game approaches we will be looking at both sides of the ball and talking enough smack to anger all of our rivals in the NFC South.  It’s on like Donkey Kong!