I am not a weatherman, nor do I claim to be a weatherman. A weatherman would be a good job though, considering no matter what they say, most people believe and more times than not, the forecast a weatherman makes, is not true. A job as a weatherman is clearly the only job where you can continually be wrong and keep your job.
However, just because I am not a weatherman, that does not mean I do not know the difference in the temperature just by walking outside. When I walked outside Friday, it felt to me like a nice, warm, May Carolina day. The high on Friday reached 85 degrees, not counting the humidity, which was a comfortable temperature for most individuals.
Now think, if you are Devin Funchess coming from the University of Michigan and being a native of Michigan, how would you feel in the warm Carolina weather for one of the first times? Not to mention, participating in the Panthers Rookie Minicamp during this warm weather.
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Something tells me you might not be as comfortable as you would like. That is exactly what happened to Funchess, as he left Friday’s practice with cramps in his left calf. It is evident the heat played a major factor in this, as he is used to the average 71 degrees in Michigan this time of year.
While he was on the field, it was evident offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, wanted to play Funchess in areas where he would excel and benefit from his first day, which is why Funchess ran deep routes and was placed in a position in those routes where he was the primary target. The goal was to have Funchess get as many reps as possible on his first day to have an initial idea of how him and Kelvin Benjamin will compliment once the season starts.
With the blocking ability Funchess has, it is easy to have him either block once Kelvin makes the catch, or run a route where Funchess is the primary target and excel down the field.
Although Funchess plans to practice Saturday after receiving an IV on Friday for the cramps, it was not a nice welcoming gift on his first participation with the team. Funchess will adjust to the weather, same as he will adjust to the NFL and bring good things to the Panthers this coming season.