Training Camp Battle at QB is for No. 2

The Carolina Panthers have a training camp battle at quarterback. Well, that’s not exactly true. The Panthers have their man, Jake Delhomme, last year’s starter on day one, and one of the most important parts of the team. When he’s on, Jakey-baby is one of the best passers in the league, so he’s the clear favorite to start on opening day. The problem has been staying in the game. Last year he went down with an elbow injury, leading to some platoon action at QB. This year he’s back from surgery and looking good. The real training camp battle at the quarterback position is for the backup. The candidates include Matt Moore, Brett Basanez and Lester Ricard.

Matt Moore got some experience as the starter for the Panthers last year, so he seems like the favorite to get the No. 2 position on the depth chart. However, Ricard might make things interesting if he can do well in training camp. Lester Ricard is a rookie with a lot of potential. If Delhomme goes down (knock on wood that he doesn’t), it’s not inconceivable that the Panthers might try out Ricard to see if he can make plays.

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Favre to Make the Move to Team Panthers?

Now that Brett Favre is back in the game, sort of, speculation is abound that his next “suitors” would be either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers might be a likely pick because their own quarterback Jake Delhomme is recovering from elbow surgery and they might want to cover their bases with a decent pick.  Of course this is all speculation and it is just about anyone’s guess where Mr. Favre might end up since his retraction of claims of retirement.

Favre meanwhile seems to be fairly picky about where he might end up and could also just claim that he is still retired if he is traded to a team that is not to his liking.  According to reports in the St. Petersburg Times, Favre has admitted that he would not favor a trade to a place like Tampa because he prefers a spot with a cooler climate.  Keep up with all of the juicy tidbits and keep track of the Carolina Panthers with your own pair of Panthers tickets.

Barnidge Gets Added As Well

The Carolina Panthers are working their way back on their draft picks and have signed Gary Barnidge to a contract.  The fifth-round choice hails from the University of Louisville, where he was a tight end.  He started 29 out of the 47 games he played at Louisville and was named first-team All-Big East Conference his senior year.  He had 53 catches and 655 yards in his career.  He was chosen 141st overall in the draft and is only the second panther rookie to sign for the Panthers with Nick Hayden being the first to sign.

In other Panther rookie news, the Panthers have decided to waive on fullback Breyone Evans from Massachusetts, cornerback Cortney Grixby from Nebraska and wide receiver Damon Moron from Colorado State.  The players were previously signed by the Panters on May 2 as undrafted rookie free agents.  It looks like the Panthers are slowly figuring out their roster and making sure that everyone is in the right position.  If they are releasing these three, they must be pretty confident in their depth at those positions.   Don’t wait to get tickets to see the Panthers this season and get your Carolina Panthers tickets from StubHub.com.

Hayden Signs

The Carolina Panthers marked the beginning of the rookies signing their contracts with sixth-round pick Nick Hayden signing his.  He is the first out of the nine new draftees to sign and reportedly got a standard salary for a rookie in his position.  Hayden, a defensive tackle, is from the University of Washington.  He is 6’4” and weighs some 292 pounds.  He started in almost all of the 44 games he played for the Badgers.  During his time there, he had 132 tackles, 10 sacks and six fumble recoveries.  His was named All-Big Ten twice.

The inking means good things for the Carolina team.  With training camp fast approaching, getting players signed means undivided devotion to the team without worrying about an impending contract.  He has some great players to learn behind with Gary Gibson, Maake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Ian Scott, Darwin Walker and Stephen Williams.  The Panthers have good depth in that position and adding Hayden will only further help deepen the defense.   Don’t miss your chance to see Hayden and the rest of the defense by getting your Carolina Panthers tickets from StubHub.com.

The Top Ten Carolina Panthers Players of All Time

The Carolina Panthers are a young team by comparison. Many NFL teams have had over forty years to develop a history of great players, an all-star lineup with some of the game’s most famous stars. But that won’t stop the Panthers Blog from coming up with a list of the top ten players to ever don a Panthers uniform. We aren’t going by the players who necessarily did a lot wile they were a Panther, or even those who did a lot in their whole careers. We’re doing a combo, plus adding in a lot of opinion. Hopefully this list just stirs up some discussion and thought.

THE TOP TEN CAROLINA PANTHERS OF ALL TIME
(THE UNOFFICIAL LIST)

1. Steve Smith
2. Wesley Walls
3. Michael Bates
4. Julius Peppers
5. Kris Jenkins
6. Jake Delhomme
7. Kevin Greene
8. Eric Davis
9. Kerry Collins
10. Muhsin Muhammad

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What Teams Do the Panthers Most Own?

The Panthers might not have the extensive history in the NFL that some teams do. They’ve only been a team in this league since they started up in 1995, but they’ve already played in two divisions (the NFC West and South) and they’ve been to the playoffs a couple of times (and the Super Bowl once) so they already have a lot of games under their belt.

Some trends have already started to develop. Some teams regularly beat the Panthers, but others have traditionally been the whipping boy of the men from Carolina. We got this info from pro football reference. So here they are, the teams with the worst overall record versus the Panthers over the history of the Panthers franchise:

THE PANTHERS TRADITIONALLY
OWN THESE TEAMS

1.Cleveland Browns (3-0, 1.00)
2.Baltimore Ravens (3-0, 1.00)
3.Indianapolis Colts (3-1, .750)
4.Detroit Lions (3-1, .750)
5.Arizona Cardinals (5-2, .714)
6.Seattle Seahawks (2-1, .667)
7.San Diego Chargers (2-1, .667)
8.New York Giants (2-1, .667)
9.New England Patriots (2-1, .667)
10.Cincinnati Bengals (2-1, .667)

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Favre to Carolina Pt 3!

I would like to take this moment to personally thank Brett Favre for helping breathe new life into my Panthers blog.  This is the deadest time of year for sports, and especially for the NFL, and for Brett Favre to decide that he was going to make some comments that help me find things to write about in this blog, well I just don’t think I can say enough to thank him.  Today we have another article on Brett Favre’s possible trip to North Carolina from the Gastone Gazette.  Their take doesn’t differ much from the others, but it’s still a very fun read.

The take in Panthers country seems to be that they don’t need Brett Favre.  I mean, I understand that.  I really do.  I understand that the Panthers obviously can’t come right out and say they want Favre.  And I understand that the media feels an affinity toward Jake Delhomme.  But in all honesty, I really think Brett Favre makes your team better, almost immediately.  It’s not like you have to worry about him learning an offense.  The man is a veteran and a hall of fame quarterback.  He gets the job done and is a proven winner.  I just don’t see how the media isn’t latching on to this.

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Favre to Panthers? Probably Not

Yesterday I brought up the point that Brett Favre might possibly maybe kind of expressed interest in joining the Carolina Panthers, if the Packers don’t want him back.  While this story is literally based on pure conjecture, it’s still insanely fun to discuss what might become of the NFL if Favre returns but the Packers don’t want him.  However, even when faced with the prospect of having a future Hall of Famer in their midst, Carolina print media is saying they don’t want Brett Favre to play for the Panthers.  This is surprising to me.

The Panthers certainly don’t need Favre.  I understand that they have a quarterback the fans love in whom the coaching staff and front office have placed their confidence.  However, they also have a quarterback who didn’t play much last season.  Jake Delhomme is coming off elbow surgery.  Brett Favre is old, but he’s not Vinny Testaverde old.  Beyond that, he had an amazing year last year.  I think the Carolina media needs to stop jumping the gun on this one.  Though it doesn’t appear to be a good fit for Favre, I wouldn’t go slamming the door just yet.

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Favre Expresses Interest in Panthers?

Sometimes, there are magical moments in the offseason.  You never know what’s going to cause these moments.  You certainly never know when exactly they’re going to happen.  However, you do know that when these moments happen, you want to be there for the magic.  Today is one such moment.  Apparently, with the inanity of the pre-training camp offseason blending so well with a complete lack of football news during the holiday weekend, somehow this story about the fact that Brett Favre might want to come out of retirement to play for the Carolina Panthers made it to print.

This is the epitome of “slow news day,” folks.  I want to go out on a limb right now and say that there is no way this actually happens.  If it does happen, I’ll have quite a bit of crow to eat, but I really feel pretty safe in proclaiming this to be just an unsubstantiated rumor.  First of all, the Panthers have a QB.  Second, Favre is retired.  Third, I can’t imagine Favre wearing anything other than a Green Bay jersey.  While it’s an enticing idea, I can’t say that it has enough support right now to be what I’d actually call news - not in the sense that it could actually happen, anyway.

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Connor Ready for Camp

Once again, I have to give major props to the print journalism team covering the Panthers.  These guys are really on top of their stuff.  While most of the publications I hit for news have taken a vacation in this dead period between the mini camps and training camp, the journalists in North Carolina just never seem to quit.  They have continued to pump out some great content in the form of player training camp previews.  This particular preview focuses on the preparations of rookie Carolina linebacker Dan Connor, and the climb ahead of him to become an elite NFL defensive back.

Connor will be dealing with the regular hazing that all young NFL rookies go through.  It won’t be anything terrible that might make headlines, but it’ll be things like picking up lunch tabs and carrying water bottles for veterans.  Connor seems more than ready to take on every task.  In this article he is put forth as a very smart  young man with a good head on his shoulders.  He seems to really understand how lucky he is to be able to play in the NFL, and I think he’ll make the most of it.  All in all, Connor looks like a great fit in Carolina.

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