Gantt's goodies

I know that some of this has been touched on in other threads, but I thought that I would pull it all together with already talked about stuff and new stuff:

No. 1 pick will start camp at strong safety


By Darin Gantt The Herald
(Published April 27‚ 2005)


CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers coach John Fox cleared up part of the mystery surrounding first-round pick Thomas Davis on Tuesday.
But it remains to be seen how his announcement that Davis will begin this weekend's minicamp at strong safety will affect the rest of the roster.

During an appearance on WFNZ’s “PrimeTime with the Packman,” Fox said his first-round pick would work with the second team at strong safety, receiving roughly the same number of snaps as incumbent starter Mike Minter.

"We want to see him at safety first," Fox said of Davis, who was recruited to Georgia as a linebacker but ended up in the secondary when injuries left the Bulldogs short there. When asked if that changed Minter's role, Fox said it didn't now, but said if the decision was made to leave Davis at strong safety "we'd have to make some adjustments."

Minter's entering the final year of his contract, and carries a $5.9 million salary cap number into the season.

The eight-year veteran has played free safety in the past, but it doesn't suit his strength, which is coming up against the run. There's less difference in the two safety assignments in the Panthers' scheme than in others, but there are still more deep coverage assignments asked of the free safety.

Colin Branch struggled with that part of the job last year, leading the Panthers to sign free agents Marlon McCree and Idrees Bashir. They also used a fifth-round pick last weekend on UCLA free safety Ben Emanuel.

Given the uncertain status of Mark Fields, it was widely assumed the Panthers would use Davis at linebacker. And Fox was careful to point out that Davis could still end up there, but it wouldn't be the first position he worked at.

Fields' agent, Jim Steiner said that an announcement on Fields' future would likely come "pretty soon." But he didn't want to elaborate on his plans, Fields' health or whether they were affected by any personnel moves the Panthers made.

Fields said he'd announce his intentions in early May. He's waiting to see the results of a battery of tests conducted on the one-year anniversary of his Hodgkin's disease going into remission.

• TICK, TICK, TICK, ... : In yet another clear sign that punter Todd Sauerbrun's days with the Panthers are numbered (as if you needed another one), the team issued his uniform number 10 to rookie free agent wide receiver Taylor Stubblefield.

According to league sources, the team is still trying to trade the troubled punter. The only reason he retains any shred of trade value is that there are several teams interested in bringing him in as soon as he's released.

Though no team has come forward -- since it would violate league tampering rules -- it is believed that Denver, Tampa Bay and Minnesota would be among the teams looking to upgrade at his position.

The Panthers have no beef with his production, but off-field distractions had them shopping before he was named in the recent steroid investigation by "60 Minutes."

• NELSON'S DAYS NUMBERED? The brief career of 2003 second-round pick Bruce Nelson will come to a crossroads Thursday when he takes his pre-season physical.

The versatile center-guard didn't play last year because of a degenerative condition that required surgery on both hips. He's continued to rehabilitate, but given the fact the Panthers drafted three interior linemen, it appears obvious they've planned to move on without him.

If he fails his physical, he could be released before this weekend's mandatory minicamp.

• BUD, ... TRUE: In a recent press release announcing Budweiser as the Panthers new beer sponsor, Anheuser-Busch referred to having "a presence on WRFX radio's game broadcasts."

The only problem is, WRFX (99.7 FM) hasn't been announced as the team's new flagship station, though they have been for the last five years. The information in the release was likely a simple case of inertia, rather than any inside information on the beer giant's part, according to a Panthers spokesman.

That being said, it looks like WRFX will remain the team's flagship after a recent round of negotiations.

Morgan Bohannon, the regional vice president and market manager for Clear Channel Communications (the parent company of WRFX) said Tuesday that he had talked with team officials in the last two weeks, and was confident something would be finalized soon.

"I'm reasonably confident that we're very, very close to working something out," Bohannon said.

WBT (1110-AM) is the only other station in the running, and they've never been ardent suitors.

Rick Jackson, the senior vice president and general manager for WBT-parent Jefferson Pilot's local stations, said Tuesday there was nothing new to report regarding his station, pointing out: "We're not pursuing them. They're pursuing us."

For the record, Bud replaces Miller as the team's official beer sponsor through the 2010 season.

• EXTRA POINTS: The Panthers announced the remainder of their undrafted rookie signings Tuesday. The team added California defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander, Nebraska cornerback Lornell McPherson and West Virginia left tackle Michael Watson, who'll be tried at guard.

The other four, as previously reported, included Purdue receiver Stubblefield, South Carolina linebacker Marcus Lawrence, Samford wideout Efrem Hill and Kansas State tackle Jon Doty.

• The team also added a free agent wide receiver Tuesday, signing Eugene Baker, who has spent parts of the last two seasons with the Panthers.

Contact Darin Gantt

[email protected]

 

So Gantt says its Bud and todays Greensboro paper says Miller extended through 2010. So who do you believe? I say Gantt is right, he usually is.