Reeder's Take - CarolinaGrowl.com

LEFTOVERS: WR Smith says he has some "giddy-up" in his step

Steve Reed — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:06:21 GMT

THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: I'm heading over to Wofford College now to talk to some players before they grab lunch. After that, I'll be updating the blog and then heading out on the field for the 3:10 practice. Remember, you can catch all of the updates from practice right here or on Twitter at "@carolinagrowl."

SOME LEFTOVER NOTES: Can't sleep, so I thought I'd give you a few more notes to read when you wake up Thursday morning...

--WR Steve Smith is simply the best practice player I’ve ever seen (and he’s not too bad in the games, either). It seems not a practice goes by without No. 89 making some type of incredible catch or move where he leaves someone hugging air.

Smith just turned 30, but he shows no sign of slowing down.

In fact, he believes he’s getting better.

“I feel like I've got a little giddy up in my step,” Smith said. “I feel fast. I actually feel faster. I'm doing pretty good. Quarterbacks and wide receivers had good connections today. It's a good day, a little breeze, good day today.”

--I'm not quite sure what to make of RB Jonathan Stewart's sore Achilles. He practiced in the morning in full pads, but I didn't see him participate in any of the team drills. He sat out the afternoon practice. I realize the Panthers are bringing him along slowly and making sure not to overwork him -- and that's smart -- but let's just hope this thing doesn't linger into the regular season.

Even Stewart said on Tuesday that his Achilles was still a little sore.

Is there reason to be concerned. Maybe a little, but let's wait a little while on this one. I also wonder if Maake Kemoeatu's injury is in the back of Stewart's mind somewhere.

--QB Jake Delhomme, now nearly two years removed from Tommy John surgery, said his arm feels great.

“That’s the thing, your body gets sore, but knock on wood, my arm feels good,” Delhomme said. “No complaints. I’m unbelievably pleased.”

--Count Delhomme among those who think rookie RB Mike Goodson will be a contributor this year.

“I think he’s going to play a big role,” Delhomme said. “Special teams-wise I don’t know because we haven’t seen enough. But he’s sure running the ball hard. He’s a talent. He catches he ball well. But it’s still so early. I think he’s going to be another weapon.”

Hey, speed turns heads.

--During an individual drill where players lock arms and push against each other, the Panthers have DE Julius Peppers working with rookie DE Everette Brown. The Panthers obviously feel like the more Peppers works with Brown, the better he’ll be. I’m eager to see that combo rushing off the edges.

--Talked a bit to ex-Panther Mike Rucker, who is the color analyst for three preseason games. I asked him if he’s nervous and he said he’s not. Rucker worked before for ESPN-U, but has never broadcast games. He and play-by-play guy Mike Morgan had a “dry run” a week or so ago and Rucker feels ready to go.

--Goodson, Ryne Robinson and Larry Beavers have been working on kickoff returns, while Robinson, Beavers and Kenneth Moore have been fielding punts. Beavers muffed a couple earlier in the week, something he needs to fix soon if he’s to have any chance of making the roster.

ome leftover notes from Wednesday to chew on as we await the start of Thursday’s 3:10 p.m. practice at Wofford College.

AFTERNOON: Kemoeatu lands on injured reserve; Panthers add DT

Steve Reed — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:29:59 GMT

UPDATE: One final item before signing off for the night.

Some folks were wondering what happened to DT T.J. Jackson, who I reported was expected to sign today. We'll it turns out they already had too many players on the roster with initials in their first name -- you know, C.J. Davis, C.J. Wilson, J.J. Jansen, etc... (No, actually Jackson was here, but was sent home when he failed his physical). They signed DT George Hypolite instead.

Don't think that's an enormous loss as he would have been a rented body anyway.

AFTERNOON PRACTICE: The Carolina Panthers have officially placed DT Maake Kemoeatu on injured reserve and added DT George Hypolite to the roster. Hypolite, 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, is a 2009 undrafted free agent out of Colorado who was with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released.

"It was kind of expected. Usually an Achilles is that type of injury," coach John Fox said of the decision to put Kemoeatu on IR. "He got it repaired and we will start the rehab process."

You just have to hope that the injury isn't career-ending. It's way too early to speculate on that, but it's also a reality that it's a tough injury to come back from. With Kemoeatu due a $9.3 million option bonus in March of 2010 you have to wonder if he'll be back with the Panthers next season.

--Thomas Davis injured his knee in practice but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. "He just tweaked it," Fox said.

--Other than that it was an uneventful practice with players going in shorts and generally three-quarters speed.

--It is family night, so many of the players have family here.

Those craving even more Panthers news can read my "Camp wrap" which I will post a little later on. I will also be on WFNZ-AM at 6:40 p.m. calling in for the last radio update of the day.

AFTERNOON PRACTICE BEGINS: OK, I'm heading out to practice. Remember you can follow me on Twitter at @carolinagrowl or click right here for real-time updates. Remember, as soon as practice is over I will update this blog right here with more in-depth information.

In the meantime, check out the story on the offense looking confidence.

Tweet to you soon. Reeder

MORNING SESSION: OK, so we're now Tweeting from practice. That's right, we've joined the Twitter revolution.

You can follow me at @carolinagrowl for live updates from practice. We tried to update the blog from the practice field, but after the computer basically blew up in my hands on Tuesday (apparently 100-degree heat and laptops don't mix) we've decided to go the blackberry route and update on Twitter. Anyway, if you don't have access to Twitter through your phone, you can just look me up at http://twitter.com/carolinagrowl (OK, I'll admit, I didn't know that you could do that before a reader pointed it out to me).

But for more extensive updates, check back right here. I will post all of the news here after each practice, as I've done in the past.

(Sorry, got delayed -- just had to interview Jake Delhomme)

--OK, sitting out today are Swiss Family Robinson family (Duke and Ryne), LB Jon Beason and OG C.J. Davis. Duke Robinson sat out after suffering from heat exhaustion on Tuesday. Ryne Robinson is just resting. Beason is nursing a hamstring and Davis wasn't even at practice after messing up his ankle Tuesday. We should know more later today on that injury.

--No word yet on a new DT, but the Panthers will likely sign T.J. Jackson later today and he could be on the field for the afternoon (3:10) practice. Don't get too excited folks, he's just a body.

--RB DeAngelo Williams is really looking like a superstar at practice. He's picked up right where he left off last season and seems primed for another huge season if he can stay healthy.

--QB Jake Delhomme said the Panthers are putting in more plays this year because the offense is returning all 11 startes. I will have more on that in a story later today. Delhomme was also hysterical talking about DeAngelo Williams and other skill position players like Steve Smith trying to throw the ball in games.

--DT Maake Kemoeatu is under the knife as we speak. Hope all goes well with the big man. He's really one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, a sincere, happy-go-lucky fella.

--WR Steve Smith seems to do something in practice every day that makes you go, "Wow!"

--People have asked me how WR Dwayne Jarrett looks and so far he looks really, really good. Jarrett has made a handful of nice plays, most of those in traffic. He looks more confident this year. Sure, we've heard this story before, so we'll have to see how things play out in camp.

--Delhomme also said his elbow feels great.

--Former Panther Mike Rucker was at practice studying the troops. I'm sure he'll get some good inside info. He will be broadcasting three Panthers preseason games on TV. He's the color analyst alongside play-by-play guy Mike Morgan.

--Ron Meeks is really emphasizing an aggressive killer attitude in practice. Here's an example. CB Dante Wesley came up with an interception in practice and began running with it, but stopped at the 20-yard line. He got ripped by teammates who began shouting, "SCORE!!! SCORE!!!" So Wesley ran the rest of the way to the end zone. SS Quinton Teal didn't make the same mistake later in practice, intercepting a pass and sprinting all the way to the end zone.

Got to go do some interviews folks. Also, you can hear my training camp update around 12:40 on WFNZ-AM. And I'll have more up on the Growl site soon.

Panthers likely to add DT to the roster today

Steve Reed — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:11:52 GMT

Down a body with Maake Kemoeatu going under the knife today, the Carolina Panthers have brought in former Auburn DT T.J. Jackson and is expected to sign today providing he passes a physical. Don't view him a replacement for Kemoeatu, but more of a body to fill in.

Jackson, 25, is 6-foot-4 and 304 pounds and has played in seven games the last three years with Atlanta and Kansas City. He has seven career tackles and one sack, which aren't exactly starting calliber numbers.

Kemoeatu to have surgery, holding out slim hope of returning in '09

Steve Reed — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:50:55 GMT

LIVE FROM PRACTICE: Panthers DT Maake Kemoeatu is still holding out a ray of hope that he can return to play this season.

No offense to the big fella, but that notion seems highly unrealistic.

Kemoeatu said he completely tore his Achilles tendon, an injury that normally takes three to six months to recover from. Even if Kemoeatu were to make it back, it’s still would mean the Panthers would have to hold a roster spot for him all season, which seems rather unlikely.

Kemoeatu will undergo surgery Wednesday.

“Maybe I can make it back for the playoffs or the last month of the season,” said Kemoeatu, who showed up at practice on crutches and with his foot in a boot. “But we’re not sure yet. I’m holding to every little bit of hope that I can still get back on the field and play with the boys, but we’ll see.”

As of yet, the Panthers haven’t filled his roster spot -- so he can still hope.

“Right now we’re going off the surgery tomorrow,” Kemoeatu said. “They are going to get in there and fix it up and see how long it will take for me to come back.”

Kemoeatu said he felt a pop in his leg while running pursuit drills.

“I felt it tighten up,” he said, “We only had to run a little ways to run and I had like five more yards to go and I felt it tighten up. I thought I would push through it. I took another two more steps and it popped off.”

--Rookie OG C.J. Davis got his leg rolled up on by DT Corvey Irvin on Tuesday and was carted off the field. A few minutes later another rookie OL, Duke Robinson, was also carted off the field. Coach John Fox said he didn't have an explanation and it may have been as simple as Robinson being overheated. Nobody saw him get hurt.

--The team's wide receivers met as a group and prayed after practice.

   --Panthers coach John Fox was miked up for today's practice by NFL Films.

   --Dan Connor is working with the first team at middle linebacker in place of Jon Beason (hamstring).

   --DT Maake Kemoeatu, who tore his Achilles in Monday's first practice, just showed up at the field wearing a brace and on crutches.

   --Panthers rookie CB Sherrod Martin showed some toughness when he lowered the shoulder on TE Jeff King, forcing him out of bounds. King tapped him on the helmet afterward and said, "Good hit."

   --SS Nate Salley nearly took WR Kenneth Moore's head off with a downfield shot. The Panthers don't want to see anyone else get hurt.

   --   --The Panthers are on the field stretching at practice. MLB Jon Beason (hamstring) and DT Maake Kemoeatu are not participating in practice. No word yet on if Kemo is going to IR. We'll hafve live updates from practice periodically.

There are no new defensive tackles at practice today, so no roster moves yet. We'll talk to John Fox after practice to see about Kemo.

--Jake Delhomme's arm looks lively during warmups.

MEEKS TALKS ABOUT PEPPERS: New defensive coordinator Ron Meeks hadn't met Julius Peppers until the two men caught up in Spartanburg, S.C.

But Meeks said Tuesday he's not worried about the practice time Peppers has missed

"I wasn’t worried about Julius Peppers. Believe me, I wasn’t worried about him," Meeks said. "We felt all along that he would be in camp. Obviously we would have liked him be there early, but in his case I wouldn’t worry about Julius Peppers. He has come in and has a great attitude. His relationship with other players and the coaches has always been great. He’s a great player to work with... He’s wonderful. He’s done all of the things we’ve asked him to do.”

When asked if Peppers is behind on things, Meeks replied, "Not at all. Not at all. The game of football is not being invented by us. It might vary scheme wise but fort the most part he’s done all of the things we’re doing. It’s just a matter of learning the terminology and how you fit on this play, things like that. But he’s not doing anything he hasn’t done before.”

Earlier this offseason Peppers said he wanted to be used in different ways, saying that is one of the reasons he wanted out of Carolina. So will Meeks being using Peppers in different ways this season?

"Every player on the team, you look at their skill set and try to set the defense up to get the best out of each player," Meeks said. "We will utilize him in the best way we can to be productive. We will definitely utilize what he has to bring to a football team. There’s no question about that.”

Meeks also talked about how things change now that DT Maake Kemoeatu is hurt. We'll have more on that later.

HAYDEN TO RUN WITH FIRST TEAM: Just talked to second-year DT Nick Hayden this morning and he's been told he'll be running with the first-team defense alongside Damione Lewis (and ahead of rookie Marlon Favorite). On Monday, the team went with Favorite as the fill-in for Maake Kemoeatu, but it looks like Hayden will get some looks today while the Panthers decide what to do and if they want to sign a free agent.

Hayden lost about 10 pounds in the offseason and now weighs about 295 pounds, which is a little small for playing the one-technique or nose. But he said he and Damione Lewis can alternate between the one- and three-technique.

"We did it a little of that (in Monday night's practice)," Hayden said. "Damione played left and right. It depends on the call," Hayden said. "Either me or him played one technique. It's the same thin, but it's definitely better to have a bigger body in there."

Hayden played in two regular season games last year as a rookie for the Panthers and the playoff game against Arizona.

Kemoeatu loss won't change Panthers defensive scheme

Steve Reed — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:04:48 GMT

UPDATE: Maake Kemoeatu is likely done for the season after tearing his Achilles tendon, and that is a huge loss to the Panthers.

Although he doesn't make a lot of tackles or register many sacks, it's very difficult to replace a player like Kemoeatu because it's hard to find 350-pound guys (I'm being generous here) to plug the middle of the line. They aren't just on every street corner -- at least not ones that can play football.

So what do the Panthers do now?

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was asked if if the Panthers might change their defensive scheme now that they don't have a big man in the middle, but said, "I don't think so. I don't think the scheme changes because you lose one guy."

So don't expect the Panthers to be changing to a 3-4 defense anytime soon.

It's very possible the Panthers could bring in a veteran defensive tackle as a replacement. Among the possible replacements is former New York Jets star defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson, but Hurney isn't saying what the team's options are right now. The Panthers did contract Robertson's agent earlier this offseason, but never signed him. Some others still available are Brian Young, John Thornton, James Reed, Ellis Wyms, Antwan Lake, Langston Moore and ex-Panther Darwin Walker. But few fit the role of a true nose tackle.

"It's early. We just got the news and we're going to take a few days and see what our options are," Hurney said. "It's too early to get into specifics on it."

All of the current nose tackles on the Panthers rosters -- Marlon Favorite, Lorenzo Williams and Lonnie Harvey -- have no experience.

Hurney said he talked to Kemoeatu and said he's extremely disappointed.

"That's a hard thing," Hurney said. "Nobody wants to get injured but it's part of the game."

As for the length of the rehab, Hurney said it is undetermined. "That is what we will look at in the next few days."

NIGHT PRACTICE: LB Jon Beason is here, but not practicing. He's working on the side with trainer Jerry Simmons along with Muhsin Muhammad and Jonathan Stewart. Muhammad and Stewart are probably both on the one-practice-a-day schedule. Stewart missed all of OTAs with a sore Achilles. Muhammad, 36, is simply getting up there in years and the Panthers may want to keep him fresh.

--Dan Connor is working in Beason's spot and Marlon Favorite and Nick Hayden are sharing time in Kemoeatu's spot.

--Ryne Robinson, Mike Goodson and Larry Beavers are working as kick returners.

Kemoeatu sent back to Charlotte for x-rays; Beason OK

Steve Reed — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:19:52 GMT

Just spoke with middle linebacker Jon Beason, who said is hamstring is not a major issue. He said he actually aggravated it working out about a week-and-a-half ago and felt something during practice.

"I didn't warm up well enough -- that's my fault," Beason said.

However, he said the injury was not a big deal, although he might sit out the night practice. The Panthers might be wise to keep him out a little longer and let it heal.

As for Kemoeatu, his injury might be a little more serious. According to a team source, he was sent back to Charlotte for X-rays on his ankle.

He injured it during "pursuit drills" where the defense is NOT working against the offense. They are basically just running to the spot where they're supposed to be. So there was no contact during his injury. It actually happened on the first play of practice. According to coach John Fox he injured it running. The Panthers are certainly hope it's an ankle sprain and not a break.

We'll keep you updated.

Here was Beason's take on Kemoeatu's injury: "We were doing pursuit drills and we did a rep with Maake and he came flying in there. And then we looked up for the next play and were like, 'Where's Maake?'"

UPDATE: Coach John Fox said Beason's injury is to his hamstring and Kemoeatu injured his ankle. Fox said he hasn't talked to the medical team, so there is no update on the extent of those injuries. Hopefully we'll know more later on today. It's safe to say neither will practice tonight at 6:40.

MORE BREAKING NEWS (10:30 a.m.) Now MLB Jon Beason is on the sidelines. He just had his left hamstring wrapped in ice and he appears to be done for the day. We'll give you an update when we have it. For now, Dan Connor is working with the first team.

BREAKING NEWS (10 a.m.): Defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu was just carted off the field after what appeared to be a lower leg injury. It's unclear the severity of the injury at this point. That's bad news for the Panthers as defensive tackle is one of their weakest positions.

Currently, Marlon Favorite is working with the ones.

Practice is ongoing and the team has now moved on to some special teams work.

Earlier, Dwayne Jarrett made a nice catch in practice on Chris Gamble. Gamble has also looked good, coming up with a pick earlier in practice.

MORNING UPDATES: The Carolina Panthers have taken the field this morning for their first of two practices and here's some early news.

1. All 80 players are on the field working, including DE Julius Peppers.

2. Tyler Brayton is currently working with the first team ahead of rookie Everette Brown. That could change as camp progresses.

3. WR Muhsin Muhammad is working with the ones ahead of Dwayne Jarrett.

4. The first team offense looks like this: QB Jake Delhomme, RB DeAngelo Williams, FB Brad Hoover, TE Jeff King. LT Jordan Gross, LG Travelle Wharton, C Ryan Kalil, RG Keydrick Vincent, RT Jeff Otah, WR Steve Smith, WR Muhsin Muhammad.

5. The first team defense looks like this: LDE Tyler Brayton, LDT Maake Kemoeatu, RDT Damione Lewis, RDE Julius Peppers, OLB Thomas Davis, ILB Jon Beason, OLB Na'il Diggs, CB Chris Gamble, CB Richard Marshall, FS Charles Godfrey, SS Chris Harris.

We'll have more updates as the day progresses...

Coach Fox talks about the team's interest in Mike Vick

Steve Reed — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:46:14 GMT

Carolina Panthers coach John Fox was asked Sunday if the team has any interest in signing recently conditionally reinstated quarterback Mike Vick, and this was his predictable response.

"I think we're always having an interest in anybody who makes us better," he said. "I don't know, right now we're pretty set at quarterback, we like the guys we have, and I wouldn't want to rule in or rule out anything. I tell you guys that all the time. We're always looking to upgrade. At this point, we feel comfortable where we are."

Now before this gets blown up into some rumor and folks begin thinking the Panthers are actually players in the Vick sweepstakes, let's remember who we're dealing with.

First, understand that this is pretty much Fox’s patented answer to any available free agent.

And second, read between the lines. You can pretty much tell Fox was trying to say -- not once, but twice -- that the Panthers feel pretty good about their quarterback situation.

Now, all of that said, Fox and GM Marty Hurney are wise to keep their options open in all cases. Because, if Jake Delhomme, Josh McCown and Matt Moore were (God forbid) to suffer season-ending injuries and Vinny Testaverde, Brett Favre and Rodney Peete refused to come out of retirement (thank God) would the Panthers decide to take a chance on Vick?

At that point, well, maaaaaaybe. Then again, probably not.

But that gives you an idea of why the Panthers never like to rule anything out, even when things are a tremendous long shot. Besides, there's no need to give a player ammunition by saying you don't need him only to have him sign with a division foe a few days later, giving him added incentive to kick your tail on game day. (Despite what some fans think, Fox and Hurney are pretty smart guys who think things through before reacting.)

Here's the bottom line: Don’t lump the Panthers into the dwindling list of teams that may actually be seriously interested in Vick. That simply isn't the case.

ROSTER MOVE: The Panthers have cut tight end Kevin Brock, the team announced. By cutting Brock, the Panthers are now at the league limit of 80 players.

PEPPERS UPDATE: Just in case some of you were still wondering if Julius Peppers would be at training camp, he is.

I haven't seen him yet, but quarterback Jake Delhomme confirmed that he saw Peppers during weigh-ins on Sunday morning. Not sure if Peppers plans to talk to the media today.

However, in an exclusive interview with the Charlotte Observer, Peppers said he was committed to the Panthers.

“Definitely, " he told the Charlotte Observer. "I have no reason not to be. I'm under contract to play for this team. During this time, everything I can do to help this team win is going to be done on my part. That's been my attitude and approach in every season I've played. I have no reason not to put forth full effort in any game that I play.”

Three games already soldout, tickets going fast

Steve Reed — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 18:41:50 GMT

Three Carolina Panthers home games soldout on Saturday (Philadelphia, Washington and Buffalo) and there are only about 1,000 tickets remaning for three others (Atlanta, Miami and Minnesota), according to Director of Ticketing Phil Youtsey.

Tickets for those three games as well as the two remaining regular season games (Tampa Bay and New Orleans) and the two preseason games (Baltimore and Pittsburgh) remain on sale.

Tickets can be purchased at any Ticketmaster location.

"Again the support of the Panthers fans and strength of the Carolinas market is very evident," Youtsey said. "We thank the fans for the tremendous home field advantage they provide, which helped in winning the NFC South last year."

Martin signs, all of Carolina draft picks under contract

Steve Reed — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:04:04 GMT

The Carolina Panthers don't have to worry about any contract holdouts.

The team reached an agreement with their final unsigned draft pick, cornerback Sherrod Martin, on a four-year contract Friday, according to his agent Hadley Engelhard. Martin was the last of Carolina's draft picks to agree to terms, assuring the Panthers will have no distractions when players report to training camp Sunday.

“The deal is done,” Engelhard said via email. “Everything went smooth (in negotiations). The Panthers are a first class organization. Sherrod is excited to have this done and he's looking forward to a productive year."

The team will have to cut one player from its roster before Sunday to get down to the league limit of 80 players.

Panthers close to signing second-round pick Martin

Steve Reed — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:35:39 GMT

If all goes well, the Carolina Panthers should have all of their draft picks signed by Friday morning, two days before the team is scheduled to report to training camp.

The Panthers are closing in on a deal with their final unsigned draft pick, second rounder Sherrod Martin, a cornerback from Troy, and it's anticipated a deal will be finalized by Friday. There are only a few minor details left before the contract is finalized, according to league sources.

That's great news for the Panthers, who have a reputation of getting their draft picks in to training camp on time.