Saints Pick up Panthers’ Discard

The Carolina Panthers reluctantly gave up veteran long snapper Jason Kyle earlier this offseason as the team ran out of salary cap room from Julius Peppers’ $16.7 million franchise tender, and it looks like replacement J.J. Jansen will have big shoes to fill this year, as Kyle is most certainly not coming back to the Panthers. In a move announced yesterday, the New Orleans Saints have capitalized upon Carolina’s loss, releasing their long snapper Kevin Houser to pick up Jason Kyle in an undisclosed deal.

Saints Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis said the team saw value in Kyle from the second he was released from the Panthers, saying, “Jason is a quality veteran player and we saw in him a chance to upgrade our kicking game. I’ve known him since we drafted him in Seattle and going up against him twice a year for the last eight seasons with Carolina, he has always been impressive.”

Kyle, a 15-year veteran in the NFL, played with the Panthers from 2001-2008. Prior to being Carolina’s long snapper, the Arizona native spent time playing for the San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks.

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Panthers Sign More Rookies

After signing rookie Captain Munnerlyn to a contract last week, the Carolina Panthers have added more numbers to the team’s roster, signing its pair of fourth-round draft picks, Mike Goodson and Tony Fiammetta, to four-year deals on Friday. Goodson, a rookie running back out of Texas A&M, was added to the team to add depth behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, while Tony Fiammetta is a former Syracuse player who will compete with Brad Hoover for the team’s starting position at fullback.

While Goodson, Fiammetta and Munnerlyn have all been signed, two more players were waived during this deal: Patrick MacDonald, a long snapper out of Alberta who’s played for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and CFL’s Calgary Stampeders in the past; and defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo, a former player at Stanford who has also made stints with the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles since his inception into the NFL in 2006.

Now that three rookies have been signed to contracts and several more players have been waived in the weeks leading up to training camp, the Carolina Panthers have just four picks from 2009 NFL Draft that have yet to be signed.

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Panthers Sign Rookie Munnerlyn

Completely sure of their seventh-round draft pick from earlier this offseason, the Carolina Panthers have signed rookie cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Munnerlyn is the first of the Panthers’ seven draft picks to secure a spot on the team with the Panthers, and he’ll try to make the team’s roster as the fourth or fifth-string cornerback, also expected to fill the open role of kick returning for the team.

Captain Munnerlyn was drafted into the NFL out of the University of South Carolina as the 216th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Mobile, Alabama native is a former First-team All-SEC player and posted five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 36 games played in college. Munnerlyn is the first of Carolina’s long list of rookies to get signed, but he certainly won’t be the last, as the Panthers were without a first-round pick this year.

In another strategic move done Wednesday alongside the Captain Munnerlyn deal, the Panthers waived undrafted rookie running back Markus Manson (Valdosta State) and also cornerback Reggie Sullivan (Johnson C. Smith). The Panthers took 29 rookies in the weeks following the draft, and more are expected to be waived before the start of the regular season.

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Peppers Finally Signs His Franchise Tender

The stalemate between Julius Peppers and the Carolina Panthers is finally working itself out. Peppers, who has refused for months to sign the franchise tender granting him $16.7 million this season, signed the tender yesterday, making it all but official that he will remain with the Carolina Panthers this season. In a statement released by his agent Carl Carey, Peppers said, “Recently, I’ve had positive and productive discussions with the organization. I am optimistic and focused as I look forward to the upcoming NFL season.”

Julius Peppers has been working out in Arizona during this tumultuous time, and by signing the franchise tender he’s agreeing to attend the Panthers’ training camp at the beginning of August. Should the Panthers make the playoffs this year, Peppers could earn $250,000 for each playoff win, also raking in another $1.5 million if he makes the Pro Bowl again, making his yearly salary one of the most lucrative in NFL history. While the whole Peppers situation initially came about because he was dissatisfied with playing for the Panthers, however, signing this one-year deal may not solve the problem long-term, as the Panthers have made no promises not to slap the franchise tag on Peppers once again next year.

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Will Lee Return to Canada?

Jamall Lee is in a tough predicament. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound running back is one of the very best players to come out of British Columbia over the past several years, and he’s been recruited by both the NFL (National Football League) and the CFL (Canadian Football League) for the 2009 season. For now, Lee has expressed interest in joining the NFL, taking part in the Carolina Panthers’ rookie minicamp over the last several weeks instead of reporting for duty with the CFL’s B.C. Lions, where he was selected as the No. 3 draft pick. In Carolina, Lee’s speediness on the field and extreme politeness has earned him quite the reputation, and he’s already getting in good with the team’s starters. Fullback Brad Hoover recently said, “We tease him just how polite he is. He goes around calling all the veterans ’sir,’ all the coaches ’sir.’ And you just don’t get that in this league.”

Don’t let his well-mannered persona overshadow his playing, however - Jamall Lee has proven he’s good enough to hang with the tough guys in the NFL, likely being able to sign with the Panthers’ practice squad this year. As a running back, Lee has to compete with backups like Mike Goodson and Decori Birmingham while also going up against DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers’ lethal duo. Lee may not be good enough to be a starter for the Panthers this year, so will he take the bump and sign with the Panthers’ practice squad this year if offered, or will he return to Canada and become a CFL superstar? Stay tuned to find out!

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Panthers Speak on Peppers Situation

By now, it’s hard to imagine Julius Peppers going anywhere for this upcoming football season. He’s been slapped with a hefty franchise tag and hasn’t lured in any big bites while fishing for a new contract, so now the question that remains is not where Peppers will go in 2009 but when he will show up. Coach John Fox has reiterated several times over the past couple months that he fully expects Julius Peppers to show up at the team’s mandatory training camp starting August 2 in South Carolina, but what will happen once the disgruntled defensive end rejoins the team he spurned earlier this offseason?

“Personally, I’ll give him a high five and a hug and then I’ll start worrying about one-on-ones in practice,” left tackle Jordan Gross said. “He’ll be fresh and ready to go. Everybody will be happy to see him. It’s no big deal to us.” Gross went on to talk about Peppers’ humble nature, also saying that the Panthers will welcome his return to the team for the upcoming season. “He’ll be back, and he’ll be ready to play. I think when he gets that first sack, everybody will forgive him.” Will the Peppers saga have a fairytale ending, after all? We doubt it, but let’s see what 2009 brings for the Carolina Panthers.

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Otah Ready to Go in ‘09

Jeff Otah, the 6-foot-6, 330-pound tackle in his second year with the Carolina Panthers, isn’t expecting to have trouble with his ankle this year in the upcoming football season. Otah spent a majority of last year on the sidelines while nursing a high ankle sprain he suffered in his last year playing at the University of Pittsburgh, but now that he’s had time to rest up to heal the injury, Otah is looking for the 2009-2010 NFL season to bring more prosperous results.

So far (after the Panthers’ summer school practices so far,) Otah’s ankle is still holding up, and he addressed time off as one of the biggest benefits to his well-being, saying, “That really helped the ankle heal. I felt it (healing) a little bit (during the season), but now it just feels great. I don’t feel it at all.” This month’s OTAs have already been an improvement for Otah from this time last year, as the tackle spent the first week of his rookie season benched due to the ankle injury. Pushing last season’s injuries out of his mind, Otah said, “I wish I wouldn’t have gotten hurt last year, but it happened. I think it made me stronger as a player. This year I’ll try to keep it clean.”

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Sizing Up Sherrod Martin

The Carolina Panthers’ several rookies have gotten a chance to prove their worth over the past couple weeks in the team’s scheduled OTAs, and everything checks out when it comes to Sherrod Martin, a rookie out of Troy University who was the Panthers’ second round draft pick in this spring’s draft. While Martin has had to make a huge adjustment in switching from safety, which he played the majority of his time in college, to cornerback, coach John Fox has already expressed confidence in the 24-year-old rookie, giving Martin something to be hopeful about in the upcoming season. Fox recently spoke of the stellar rookie, saying, “(He’s done) excellent. He’s a good young talent that still has a lot to learn. He’s in the process now, but he’s made a lot of progress.”

Sherrod Martin was drafted into the NFL after the Panthers released CB Ken Lucas in April, and he’s expected to take over the No. 3 spot for Carolina at corner, behind starters Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall. Martin’s athleticism and hard-hitting style are coveted aspects of his football game, and he’s expected to mesh well with the Panthers’ new defensive coordinator Ron Meeks.

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Fox Says to Remember the Cardinals

Summer school is officially out - for the Carolina Panthers, at least. Coach John Fox dismissed the Panthers (still sans Julius Peppers) from their organized team activities this week, leaving the team with one final thought: remember Arizona. The last time the Panthers were on the playing field they were embarrassed with a 33-13 loss on their home turf to the Cardinals in the 2008 playoffs, and Fox wants to make sure his players keep that grounding incident at the forefront of attention as the next several weeks ensue before the team’s mandatory training camp starts at the beginning of August.

Fox left his team with words concerning the ‘08 playoffs to kindle the fire that’s still burning from last year’s devastating loss to the Cardinals, bringing up the topic again on Tuesday because “it’s like that elephant in the room. It’s there. You can’t pretend it’s not.” Fox also expressed his goal for 2009, saying, “Unlike some levels of football, there’s only one happy team. I don’t care if you get to the Super Bowl or the championship game. If you’re not that one in the end, it’s disappointing… You are after one prize, and there’s only one.”

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Stewart Confirms Injury as Reason for Missing Summer School Practices

Star running back Jonathan Stewart has been noticeably missing from the Carolina Panthers’ recent set of OTAs, and while he wasn’t the only player sitting the bench during practice, No. 28 confirmed suspicions yesterday and came out to the media that he’s been experiencing difficulties with an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon, thus contributing to his time away from the football field over the last several weeks. Determining the injury to be mild, Stewart said his aggravated tendon probably stems from favoring his left foot after having toe surgery last year during the offseason. The pain in his Achilles’ tendon started in February during offseason conditioning, but the running back is expected to be in full recovery for the Panthers’ training camp starting August 2.

Not one to be held down, Stewart has proven his resilience several times over, most recently last year after coming back from toe surgery to become one half of the explosive duo that has been hailed “Double Trouble,” that with RB DeAngelo Williams. “I don’t see why we should lower our expectations from last year,” Stewart recently said of what he expects for this season. “I think me and DeAngelo are capable of more.”

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