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Posted: Friday July 27, 2001 2:53 PM
Updated: Friday July 27, 2001 7:52 PM
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SI's Don Banks checks in from Spartanburg, S.C., to tackle three questions that matter to Carolina Panthers fans:
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Just who are these guys wearing Carolina's uniforms? |
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John Kasay is the only Panther remaining from the team's expansion season of 1995. AP |
Suffice to say the Gray Panthers chapter has closed in the Carolina locker room. Gone are Reggie White, Chuck Smith, Eric Swann, Eric Davis, Steve Beuerlein, William Floyd, Eugene Robinson, Frank Garcia and Michael Bates. All told, nine players who were 30 or older were sliced from the roster, with younger players being installed into the lineup in most cases.
After a 7-9 season in which Carolina paid a lot of money for mediocrity, there will be a minimum of nine new starters this year, with as many as a dozen possible. Kicker John Kasay, who jokes that he can't even grow a beard yet, is the last original Panther remaining from the team's 1995 inaugural season.
On Thursday, the first day of full-squad workouts, the defensive lineup featured six first-team players who are 24 or younger. That group includes weakside linebacker Dan Morgan and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, the team's top two draft picks, as well as top 2000 picks Rashard Anderson at left cornerback and Deon Grant at free safety. None of the four have ever started an NFL game. Defensive end Mike Rucker and linebacker Hannibal Navies have just a single NFL start apiece.
On offense, quarterback Jeff Lewis is getting his first opportunity as a starter, and 2000 third-round pick Leander Jordan, whose rookie year was spent on the inactive list, has begun working ahead of veteran Jamar Nesbit at left guard.
It's far too early to tell if the mass veterans exodus will pay dividends. The Panthers may or may not be better. But they are younger.
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Which training camp battle warrants keeping an eye on? |
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Chris Weinke (left) and Jeff Lewis are battling for the starting quarterback nod. AP |
Fans will tell you it's quarterback, where Lewis and Heisman winner Chris Weinke will be dueling. But left cornerback might be the more compelling competition.
Carolina would love to see Anderson win the job outright over veteran Jimmy Hitchcock, but that's a long way from a lock. The Panthers released veteran Davis this offseason, opening the door for Anderson and Hitchcock to vie for the position. Davis had five interceptions in each of the past five seasons and can still play a little, but the Panthers drafted Anderson in the first round last year and needed to make room for him.
Anderson backed up veteran Robinson at safety last season, shifting there after fellow rookie Deon Grant went down with a hip injury in the preseason. But he was rarely on the field and is now back at his collegiate position.
So far, Anderson is working with the first team, but Hitchcock has had the better of it in the early going. In Friday morning's workout he stepped in front of a Lewis pass in the left flat and made a pretty pick that he took to the house. The Panthers intend to be patient with Anderson, who still looks as if he's thinking first and reacting second. But head coach George Seifert pronounced himself satisfied with Anderson's progress so far.
Come late August, that patience will fade if Anderson isn't cutting it. By then you can look for Hitchcock to be lining up opposite veteran Doug Evans at right corner, with Anderson given more time to learn his craft from the nickel role.
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What's the buzz after just two days of full-squad workouts? |
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Chris Slade may turn out to be a bargain if he can adapt to playing defensive end. AP |
The Panthers got burned last year when they spent big to add Smith, White and Swann to the defensive line, then received a combined 6.5 sacks from the celebrated but creaky threesome. But this year, Carolina may have gotten a steal when it signed former New England linebacker Chris Slade to a one-year, veteran minimum deal laced with incentives.
Slade is slated to play the "elephant" position for the Panthers, lining up as a pass-rushing defensive end. With 51 sacks in his career, and three seasons of at least nine or more, Slade has proven he can create pass pressure. He'll just be rushing from a different angle and drawing attention from a tackle.
That elephant role is one that Seifert wanted Kevin Greene to fill two years ago in Carolina, but Greene refused, saying he wanted to remain an every-down linebacker. Slade showed some early promise Friday, getting into the backfield a couple of times to disrupt the quarterback's decision-making.
Minus the fanfare of last year's signings, Slade could wind up producing more in the way of a pass rush than the now departed Smith, White and Swann.
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