Panthers Sign Burton, Place Leonard on IR

The Carolina Panthers can’t catch a break this season, and the team is again down on defensive linemen after both Maake Kemoeatu and his replacement Louis Leonard suffered major injuries earlier this season. The Panthers have a huge void to fill at defensive tackle because of Kemoeatu and Leonard’s absences, but the team took steps to move onward yesterday, placing Leonard on the injured reserve to make room for another replacement on the roster. After moving Leonard to the IR, the Panthers signed defensive tackle Antwon Burton, who was released earlier this season by the St. Louis Rams.

Burton, a 6-foot-2, 325-pound defensive tackle out of Temple, played with the Denver Broncos in ‘06 and ‘07, joining the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008 before playing with the St. Louis Rams during this preseason. Hopefully the Panthers’ recent curse on defensive linemen won’t be passed along to Burton; Louis Leonard, who signed with the Panthers less than a month ago, is already off the active roster, having spent just weeks playing with Carolina before fracturing his ankle in last week’s game against the Falcons.

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Panthers Will Need a Replacement for the Replacement

The Carolina Panthers picked up defensive tackle Louis Leonard earlier this season in a trade with the Cleveland Browns to use Leonard as a replacement to the ailing Maake Kemoeatu, who injured his Achilles tendon in the first practice of training camp, and now it looks like the Panthers will need a replacement for Leonard, who broke his ankle in Carolina’s game last week against the Atlanta Falcons. Leonard was injured during Sunday’s 28-20 loss, and while John Fox has largely refused to comment on the situation, it’s almost expected that Leonard will be placed on the injured reserve to make room for another tackle on the roster.

The only other defensive tackle currently on the roster is rookie Ra’Shon Harris, claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh, and it’s still unknown whether or not Nick Hayden will play next week’s game or not, as he was out last week due to a toe injury. The only two other options are Damione Lewis and rookie Sunny Harris, so the Panthers will likely want to find a replacement at DT sooner rather than later.

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Falcons Trump Panthers with Third Down Conversions

Jake Delhomme improved his game yesterday when the Carolina Panthers played the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 of the regular season, but even his progress wasn’t enough for Carolina to post a win on the team’s record so far this year. Atlanta’s strong offense ultimately overpowered Carolina’s in yesterday’s game, leading to a 28-20 win over the Panthers and handing Carolina its second loss of the season. Most of all, the Panthers’ defense was frustrated by its inability to get off the field, as the Falcons’ third down conversions were plenty to credit for the team’s victory.

After the game, Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis commented on Carolina’s trouble with stopping Atlanta’s offense, saying, “Defensively, it’s very frustrating, because you always want to get off the field when it’s third down.” Linebacker Jon Beason also had a similar opinion, stating, “Not getting off the field is demoralizing.” The Panthers are beat up now after starting the season 0-2, but they’ll get a shot at redemption next week in Texas, where the Panthers will take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3 of regular season play.

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Panthers-Falcons Preview

The Carolina Panthers have an uphill climb ahead of them already coming into Week 2 of regular season play, and Jake Delhomme knows all eyes are on him this Sunday to erase the memory of last week’s ugly game against the Eagles. This week, the Panthers take on NFC South rivals the Atlanta Falcons in what’s sure to be one of the biggest games of the week, and the Panthers are out to avenge last year’s 45-28 regular season loss against the Falcons the last time the two teams met. The Falcons are rolling on momentum after thrashing the Miami Dolphins 19-7 last week, and now Atlanta will attempt to do the same to the Panthers at the Georgia Dome this Sunday.

The number one thing for the Panthers to do this weekend is get that stellar offensive running pattern back. Jonathan Stewart has been a question mark for most of the preseason, but now he’s expected to make a cameo in this week’s game. The power punch of Stewart and fellow running back DeAngelo Williams is unstoppable once it gets going, so perhaps this weekend Double Trouble will make its return to the football field. As for Jake Delhomme, the quarterback under fire this week, quarterbacks coach Rip Scherer thinks his psyche will be just fine. “We all have memories. That’s why we have history books,” Scherer said. “I think he’s human. He doesn’t change clothes in a phone booth. That’s a human instinct, but I also know he’s a competitive guy and a tough-minded guy enough to transcend that and to learn from it, and know if he’s in that situation (again) not to let those thoughts creep in there and just move on.” The Panthers and Falcons square off this weekend at 1 p.m. Sunday, so don’t miss the big game!

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Panthers on the Mend

The Carolina Panthers are determined not to be repeat offenders of the turnover this weekend, and the spotlight isn’t just on Jake Delhomme. Carolina’s embarrassing 38-10 defeat to Philadelphia last week will hopefully be the Panthers’ only blowout this season, and there have been a few new developments since the Week 1 travesty that are sure to play out this weekend as the Panthers take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Perhaps the biggest change for the Panthers is the addition of quarterback A.J. Feeley, who jumped ship from Philadelphia to become a replacement of sorts for injured No. 2 QB Josh McCown. In a recent statement, Feeley talked about his decision to pick Carolina over Philly when both teams came calling, saying of the Eagles, “I loved those guys, but it was time to move on.” He also said he hoped he wouldn’t get the chance to play this season, as that would mean that Jake Delhomme was still in a funk.

And as for Delhomme, linebacker Na’il Diggs summed it up by saying, “We know he’s going to get better. We’re all going to get better. We’ve made mistakes, too. Maybe not as evident, but we all had our hand in that game. Everybody is being accountable. He’s being accountable. Coaches are being accountable. So there’s nothing left than to go out and really prove ourselves and get better.” Bring on the Falcons.

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Panthers O-Line Stands Behind Delhomme

It seems as if everyone from the media to the public and even Panthers fans have been attacking quarterback Jake Delhomme over the past few days for Carolina’s faltering offense in Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but coach John Fox and now even the team’s offensive line have stepped up to defend their starting QB, claiming that some of the blame from Sunday’s stomping should be placed on the offensive line’s shoulders. Center Ryan Kalil was one of the first to defend Delhomme in the wake of Sunday’s embarrassing game, saying that the O-line didn’t do its part to cover Delhomme and commenting, “You obviously feel awful. That’s why I’m talking to you guys right now, so we can clear that all up. A lot of pressure is put on Jake, as the average Joe would view it, but in reality, it’s kind of tough for him to make plays when he’s got guys in his face and guys are tipping balls and the pocket’s breaking down because we’re not on the same page.”

Left tackle Jordan Gross also shared Kalil’s feelings, and he’s already looking onward to this week’s game, saying, “It’s only going to get worse, going to Atlanta. They did a great job pressuring (Miami QB Chad) Pennington (on Sunday) and they’re going to be loving what they see on film.” The Panthers have their work cut out for them this week in preparing for this Sunday’s game against the Falcons, so stick around to see how Carolina fares in cleaning up its act for Week 2.

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Jake Delhomme Will Start, but Feeley Is Close Behind

Though coach John Fox reiterated his confidence in starting quarterback Jake Delhomme over the weekend, the Panthers are still taking extra precautions in covering him, especially as backup Josh McCown was placed on the injured reserve yesterday following an injury of reported sprains in his foot and knee in last week’s game against the Eagles. Several teams have been after released Eagles QB A.J. Feeley over the last week, and yesterday the Panthers scooped him up, adding Feeley to their roster to back up Delhomme in the absence of McCown.

A.J. Feeley, a nine-year veteran and former Eagles player who has also spent time with Miami and San Diego as a backup quarterback, was released by Philadelphia on Sept. 6 and was reportedly being courted by the New England Patriots as a replacement to Matt Cassel, though yesterday he instead went to the Panthers, with a chance to become starting quarterback should Jake Delhomme get yanked from another game. McCown could be out for up to six weeks, and who knows what the situation will be in Carolina by the time he’s ready to get back out on the football field.

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Panthers Get Pummeled by Eagles in Week 1

Jake Delhomme did nothing to help win back Panthers fans over the weekend as he threw four interceptions and fumbled the ball once during Carolina’s catastrophic 38-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday in Week 1 of the NFL’s regular season, and word on the rumor mill today is that the Panthers should and possibly are considering signing a free-agent quarterback to the team’s roster in the meantime. Delhomme was benched yesterday for the first time in his seven seasons with Carolina, and although the QB had another less-than-stellar game after pulling a repeat performance of last year’s Panthers-Cardinals playoff game, his fate (for now, at least) has been sealed by coach John Fox, who again reiterated his confidence in Delhomme as starting QB and blamed some of the problems on Carolina’s faltering offensive line.

After yesterday’s blowout, Fox addressed the quarterback issue, saying, “Obviously, I think we start back with Jake. I think we’ve got to go back and evaluate what happened to us. Personally, after not seeing the tape, I don’t think that’s all Jake’s fault.” Still, there’s word spinning that the Panthers could pick up Oakland QB Jeff Garcia, as the Panthers’ backups are running thin with Josh McCown out with a knee injury.

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Panthers-Eagles Preview

The Carolina Panthers have a lot to prove Sunday afternoon when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in their first game of the 2009 regular season, and Carolina is most certainly out to erase the team’s 0-4 preseason record as well as an embarrassing 33-13 loss to the Cardinals in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs. Can the Panthers overcome two big deficits to punch out an impressive regular season record this year? It all starts with Sunday’s game against the Eagles, so look for this explosive team to be on the prowl as the season begins this weekend.

The Panthers have 20 of 22 starters returning this season including Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, and although injuries have seemed to plague the team (Thomas Davis, Na’il Diggs, Maake Kemoeatu, Jon Beason and Jonathan Stewart have all sat on the sidelines lately) so far this offseason, coach John Fox is still optimistic for the season, claiming that the team’s 0-4 preseason record shouldn’t be counted against the team, as “we’ve had a lot of nicks throughout the preseason,” Fox said. “I don’t think we’ve had our whole starting group out there at all.” The Panthers will get their chance to shine Sunday as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles, and it may be to their advantage that Michael Vick cannot yet play in regular season games. Philly leads the regular season series against Carolina 4-1, so look for the Panthers to claw their way back into the forefront of the league this weekend when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.

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The Guessing Game: Which Panthers Will Return to Play This Week?

The Carolina Panthers have been plagued with injuries ever since the start of training camp in early August, but it looks as if the tides may be turning for the Panthers, as both Jon Beason and Jonathan Stewart have returned to the practice field. Will either Beason or Stewart make appearances in the Panthers’ first regular season game this upcoming Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Bank of America Stadium?

As of now, everything’s still up in the air, as star running back Stewart missed all four preseason games with an injury to an Achilles tendon and middle linebacker Beason has recently missed play and practice time due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The injuries that Beason and Stewart sustained were both more than minor but definitely not season-ending, and as of now neither player is on the Carolina Panthers’ first injury report, meaning that their statuses for Week 1 of the regular season could be advantageous for Panthers fans. Of Stewart’s injury, coach John Fox recently said, “We just didn’t want it to be a month during the regular season. The good news is it was a month during the preseason. That was the plan, and if we had our druthers that is the way we’d prefer it… I thought [the medical staff] handled it right, and he was out practicing today.” Fox also said both Beason and Stewart are looking good, so perhaps the Panthers will get two of the team’s star players back on the field sooner than expected, after all.

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