Camp Weekend Wrap-Up / Fanfest

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By Coalition Staff Writer Eric Quackenbush

The Panthers had a good day at camp on Friday. One surprise in particular, that has been long overdue, is the upgrade of Gary Barnidge at tight end.

Barnidge lined up with the starters today for one simple reason: He earned it.

"He's a guy that's had a good camp," head coach John Fox said. "We like to keep competition going. There have been no final decisions to this point, but we try to reward guys who are doing well."

However, Barnidge doesn't have the same opinion as coach Fox.

"We're just rotating," Barnidge said. "There's no (No. 1 tight end) or anything; we're just rotating so everybody gets work with all the tackles and everybody gets experience with different players. I'm just working to get better. That's all I'm doing. That's all I can do."

A very team-oriented attitude from a very promising tight end in Carolina.

Interestingly, tight ends Jeff King, Dante Rosario, and Gary Barnidge were all fifth round draft picks in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

While Jeff King is the type of tight end who can block well, Barnidge is a tight end who can block well and has shown that he has good hands to catch a pass.

"The playbook just climbs on you, and you're just trying to learn everything as quickly as you can," Barnidge said. "But this year, it's a lot different, because I understand everything. It's fun."

That speaks volumes and bodes well for Barnidge.

Rosario on the other hand, remains a work in progress, and even though it's early in training camp, he has been very inconsistent in real game situations; not to mention, he has poor blocking abilities.

On Friday running back DeAngelo Williams suffered a toe injury. After getting it checked out, it was ruled to be nothing serious, short of the equivalent of a stubbed toe, to put the injury into perspective. He then took the field and finished the team's seventh practice of the week.

What I like about this year's team is the fact that aside from nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu's season ending injury, this team now returns 20 of last year's 22 starters. No team in the NFL this year has that advantage.

Chris Gamble received his contract extension midway through 2008, Peppers finally broke down and signed his franchise tender, and has been seen going to practice, during practice, and leaving the practice field with a smile on his face.

Even funnier, is Peppers did the Panthers a huge favor. He essentially forced the Panthers to place the franchise tag on him, while freeing up Carolina to work out a contract extension with offensive tackle Jordan Gross, who would have been highly sought after on the free agent market.

Defensive back Chris Gamble and defensive end Julius Peppers have both expressed their happiness with the new style of defense employed by Ron Meeks. It gives the entire defense more of a freedom to react and follow the ball, as opposed to decipher what the offense is doing and reacting on a read.

I am actually quite interested to see how the defensive line fares in the absence of Kemoeatu. Sometimes taking the road less traveled is a better route. Not to say Kemoeatu's presence isn't appreciated or that it won't be missed, but the Panthers are going to find out what untapped talent they have in their midst.

I have three big worries on the season that most fans probably do. One is that the team maintains good health, keeping injuries to a minimum. However, the second concern is the early Bye week and playing 13 straight regular season games after that. Lastly, is the strength of schedule, especially in the last four weeks of the season, with games in New England, New York (Giants), and at home against the Vikings and Saints.

Statistically with an early Bye week, injuries and fatigue increase, thus draining a team's morale. What I am noticing from this year's team is the morale and work ethic has been exceptional in the first week, even with the season ending injury of Kemoeatu.

Another good thing the Panthers have going for them is their defensive coordinator, Ron Meeks. Meeks is well-versed in working with smaller defensive linemen and essentially bringing the size of the fight out of the dog, or in this case, the cat.

Meeks is a great motivator, very hands on with his defenses, and leads by example. I appreciate and respect that from a coach at any level and from any position.

While the amount of experienced depth at offensive and defensive line are limited, this class of Panthers--from the starters to the backups--seem to be ready to take on any task that is presented to them.

Like quarterback Jake Delhomme said earlier in the week--when offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson presented the offense with some new plays--"Quantity is not always better than quality." That not only applies to extra plays in the playbook, but to the quality of depth on the field.

This team, while the depth is inexperienced by NFL standards, has quality depth. How does one guage a player's unproven professional quality, you might ask? By their work ethic during practice.

One simple example is linebacker Dan Connor. While only in his second year and returning from a torn ACL suffered last year in the preseason, he has been doing a nice job filling in for third year defensive signal caller Jon Beason, who sat out Friday night's practice resting a sore hamstring.

This is not my typical quality of work, but in finishing, I would like to share with you some team updates from Friday's practice that backup what I believe will possibly be one of the best teams the Panthers have fielded in their 15 years of existance, as reported by Steve Reed of the Gaston Gazette.

The Panthers defense is kicking tail today in team drills causing several turnovers. Strong safety Chris Harris recovered a fumble and linebacker Mortty Ivy had a pick-six.

Panthers kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd got some rare work in on field goals today. Lloyd has a stronger leg than place kicker John Kasay, but has never been as accurate.

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart participated in team drills today.

Rookie Panthers quarterback Hunter Cantwell has a big strong arm and could challenge Matt Moore for the third quarterback spot, since Josh McCown occupies the second string quarterback position.

Panthers team spokesman Charlie Dayton confirmed that the team will sign an extension with Wofford College to keep training camp in Spartanburg. The two sides were in the final year of a 15-year contract.

The Panthers entered camp with two players competing for the long snapper position, but now they're down to one. The team cut Nick Sundberg on Friday and replaced him with linebacker Kelvin Smith, a third-year player from Syracuse. That means J.J. Jansen is the team's lone long snapper.

Several Panthers are sitting out tonight's non-padded practice -- linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis, running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, safety Nate Salley, and outside guard C.J. Davis.

The Panthers finished a walkthrough practice. It lasted about an hour. The team has an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday so this one was pretty light.

Also don't forget, the Panthers will get their 2009 campaign underway at Fan Fest, on Saturday, August 8 at Bank of America Stadium. All fans are invited, and admission is free. The day will feature a road race, activities inside and outside the stadium and a Panthers practice.

The day will kick off at 7:30 a.m. with the Blue Points 5K Road Race. Events outside the stadium’s North Gate will begin at 9 a.m. with music, games, contests and visits from the TopCats and Sir Purr. The Team Store--selling this season’s new merchandise--and Ticket Office--offering 2009 single-game tickets, hospitality packages and PSL’s--will also open at 9 a.m.

Bank of America Stadium will open at 9:30 a.m., and every fan in attendance will receive a 2009 team roster card. Watch the Panthers 2008 highlight video on the PantherVision screens and performances by the TopCats and Sir Purr. There will also be on-field contests for fans. Then at 11 a.m., see your 2009 Carolina Panthers in action with a practice that will feature stretching, individual drills, seven-on-seven, special teams and team periods and a scrimmage.

Strollers and video cameras will be permitted inside the stadium for Fan Fest only. Bags smaller than 8” x 10” x 14” will be allowed after inspection.