Carolina Camp Update 08/04/09

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As expected, Julius Peppers showed up for the Panthers first day of training camp after missing all of Carolina's OTA practices. He didn't miss a beat, handling offensive tackle Jordan Gross with relative ease during pass-rushing drills.

"It's fair to say Pep has always been in good shape. He looked the same to me...He has come in well-conditioned and I expected that," coach John Fox said.

Peppers and rookie defensive end Everette Brown have hit it off nicely. Pep has been mentoring Brown during the first practice, and they seem to be hitting it off as well as DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart did last season.

As expected on the first day of any training camp, injuries would loom. The Panthers were not exempt from suffering a couple of their own, and to two major players.

Early in the day, defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu went down with a rolled ankle. It is hoped to be a minor injury, though the latest is Kemo was sent back to Charlotte for X-Rays. At this point we can only hope this might sit him out for up to two weeks depending on the extent and severity of the injury.

In Kemo's place, undrafted rookie Marlon Favorite out of LSU, is now working with the starters.

Around the same time, middle linebacker Jon Beason suffered what seems to be a pulled hamstring, and in all likelihood, he will probably be listed as day-to-day and will miss a couple of practices. He was given ice by the trainers to put on the area and then had it taped up.

Second-year linebacker Dan Connor replaced Beason with the first stringers.

Nothing to be worried about though, as these injuries do occur. No injury is "good," but generally hamstrings, knees, and ankles get a little banged up the first few days. The bad injuries are of the tendon and bone variety.

Monday evening, Day One

The Panthers returned to practice this evening without starting lineman Maake Kemoeatu (Achilles' tendon) and linebacker Jon Beason (Hamstring). General Manager Marty Hurney reported that Beason's injury is not serious, and at the time, Kemo's status was still unknown.

The latest news on defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu is not what we were hoping to hear. It's almost certain that he suffered a torn achilles tendon. He is likely out for the season. The team will announce tomorrow whether he will be placed on Injured Reserve.

In the meantime, undrafted rookie Marlon Favorite has been filling in for Kemoeatu, at least giving him some experience at the position with the starting lineup for now.

At 317 pounds, rookie Marlon Favorite is bigger than fellow backups Nick Hayden and Corvey Irvin. Unfortunately, this goes to show just how thin the Panthers are at this position without veteran tackle Darwin Walker.

The easy solution would be for Carolina to go out and sign a veteran free agent, but with their salary cap being as tight as it is, that solution is almost next to impossible.

“He's a neat, young man,” Fox said of Favorite, who played at LSU. “He gives you everything he's got. We saw that out of college, and I haven't seen anything different than that, which is a good thing.”

Favorite said he welcomes the challenge.

“My motor is God given,” Favorite said. “It’s a blessing to have that feel for the game. I know when I’m out there it’s either go hard or go home. That's the mentality I approach the field with.”

Second-year linebacker Dan Connor has been filling in for Beason, while he recovers from what's probably a tight hamstring.

Running back Jonathan Stewart, who missed OTAs with the team, practiced this morning. He looked fast, breaking through a hole in the line of scrimmage at the start of practice.

Both Stewart and veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad missed the evening practice. After coming off an Achilles injury, Stewart is likely on one-a-day practices for now.

So far, veteran defensive end Tyler Brayton is working with the first team, ahead of rookie Everette Brown.

Rookie Mike Goodson looked good on the field today, as he continues to impress teammates with his speed and versatility as a rushing, receiving, and return threat.

Dwayne Jarrett also made a little noise today, as he made a great catch while defensive back Chris Gamble was sticking to him like flypaper.

That's it for today. The Panthers hold one practice tomorrow at 3:10 in the afternoon.