Panthers/Philly Preseason Game Thread

Pasted from Panthers.com... includes injury update

PHILADELPHIA -- The glow from the starting offense's performance in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday night had barely begun to fade for the Panthers when they began to scrutinize their efforts through the prism of their preseason performance a year ago.

That's because they'd been in nearly the exact same spot.

Carolina left its first preseason game a year ago flush with confidence after a 13-play, 81-yard touchdown march on its first series, a drive that provided the first push of momentum en route to a 24-21 win over the New York Giants.

But a week later in Philadelphia, the progress was thwarted. Seven possessions for the first team yielded as many three-and-outs as points-- three apiece. Two turnovers-- one of which was an interception returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard-- sealed the verdict of what would be a 27-10 draft.

"We laid an egg," Delhomme said.

"We played awful. So we have to go back to work. We have an extremely short week and go against a solid, very good football team."

Throughout the offseason, Carolina's purpose has been to prove that last year's 7-9 finish was an unpleasant aberration, and that the points of emphasis in the months that followed-- on power, simplicity and attacking -- would yield a return to the level that pushed the Panthers to a pair of conference-championship appearances and a Super Bowl during a three-year span from 2003-05.

The first opportunity to show that difference arrives Thursday night.

"You want to treat it just like a stepping stone, and we want to become better rather than get worse," fullback Brad Hoover said. "It's going to be a little different. Philly is a good football team. They're definitely a physical football team. To come in and play them early on like this again is an opportunity to see where we measured up from last year."

"It's extremely important," tight end Jeff King said. "We want to come out and play well against Philly. We didn't last year and it showed."

And if the Panthers can't sustain the momentum from last week?

"We want to go out and do well, but if we don't, it's not the end of the world," Hoover said. "These are preseason games.

"Naturally you play these games because you want to win; you don't go out there to go through the motions and try not to win. I mean, any loss hurts, but you have to put it in perspective -- it is a preseason game, and we're trying to accomplish different goals in what works, what doesn't work."

But what did work against the Colts was an offensive line that blasted open holes and a defensive front that generated consistent pressure on quarterback Jim Sorgi. Similar success Thursday could provide a national-television audience a preview of what the Panthers hope to accomplish in the coming months.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH THURSDAY NIGHT ...

1. MORE WORK FOR DELHOMME: Carolina's starting quarterback only played two series against the Colts, throwing just one pass as running back DeAngelo Williams provided all the necessary yardage on the two quick touchdown drives. But he knew in the moments following the 23-20 overtime win that his on-field time would increase five days later.

"I'll play a whole lot more next week against a salty bunch," he said.

That will prove to be the case, as head coach John Fox said that the first team will play into the second quarter and that Delhomme will receive "most" of the first-team snaps after splitting them with Matt Moore last Saturday, making the game the first extended game-time test of Delhomme's surgically repaired right elbow.

2. RECEIVING DEPTH: The Panthers went into their first preseason game without Ryne Robinson and D.J. Hackett, who continued to nurse knee and toe injuries, respectively, that were incurred during practices in the past two weeks. The win over the Colts saw Steve Smith suffer a concussion, ruling him out for the practices this week and for Thursday night's game.

When Dwayne Jarrett succumbed to a leg bruise Monday night, Carolina's complement of wideouts was down to five, a number more like a regular-season group than that of an 80-man preseason roster. Muhsin Muhammad, Jason Carter, Travis Taylor, Dominique Thompson and William Buchanon are the receivers expected to play Thursday night.

Among those five, the spotlight could shine brightest on Carter and Taylor, both of whom lined up alongside Muhammad with the first team during Tuesday afternoon's practice at Wofford College. Carter has wowed onlookers with some acrobatic catches in traffic, while Taylor has shown a consistency reflective of his eight years of experience. Taylor was also a full-season starter as recently as 2006 with the Minnesota Vikings.

3. THE IMPACT OF INJURIES: Wide receiver isn't the only position with players who will not play Thursday night, as Fox announced Wednesday that the players who were injured and sidelined for Tuesday's last full practice would not be in uniform at Philadelphia.

The Panthers will do without a pair of tight ends for a second consecutive game, with Dante Rosario and Gary Barnidge each sitting out. Cornerback will also be shy two men as Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble not making the trip as they recover from a broken nose and a strained hamstring, respectively. Defensive tackle Ian Scott and safety Chris Harris will also remain sidelined; Scott is recovering from a knee injury while Harris continues to work his way back from a strained groin.

With Rosario and Barnidge out, Chris Conklin and Chad Upshaw could see substantial playing time in Philadelphia, just as they did against Indianapolis. Upshaw, a mid-camp signee who had been waived in July has "done some good things" since returning to the Panthers, Fox said.

Richard Marshall and Ricardo Colclough have worked as the first-team cornerbacks in practice and against the Colts while Lucas and Gamble have missed time. Terrence Holt has filled in for Harris at safety.

4. BEASON BACK IN THE MIDDLE: After missing last Saturday's game with an ankle injury, Jon Beason was back at practice in time for Monday morning's work and will play in Philadelphia, Fox said. But in his absence, the Panthers were reminded of the quality of their depth at the position -- in the form of a stellar performance from Adam Seward, who shared a sack with safety Charles Godfrey, intercepted a pass and tackled Colts running back Joseph Addai for a four-yard loss.

5. SUSTAINING MOMENTUM ON THE GROUND: The power gear in Carolina's offense functioned quite smoothly last Saturday, with Williams rushing for 55 yards on nine carries before the first quarter ended. But the running game's success extended through all four quarters and into overtime, with Decori Birmingham ending the night as the leader in carries (17) and yardage (70). LaBrandon Toefield added 49 yards on 12 carries, while Nick Goings contributed 27 yards on seven runs.

But a question that lingers is this -- will first-round selection Jonathan Stewart make his debut after sitting out against the Colts?

"If we were doing the injury report, he'd be questionable," Fox said.

In other words ... tune in Thursday to find out.

 

Fire up that hen

10-27

 

last year's preseason start was a bigger boost than this one honestly, we made a couple big plays right off but for the most part we didn't finish the game out.
But yeah, either way, we were outmuscled last year in Philly, and this year we're an overall tougher team - it should be interesting to see if we can still be tough against one of the better one-gap teams. We blocked very well last week but against Indy, that's not really a great measure.

 

Big night for Jason Carter.

 

More Jarrett.

 

Philly has the most physical training camp and abundant talent on both lines. They're a good test for us.

 

Got this from philly.com:

 

Shawn Andrews battling depression? Damn that's rough. Who was the dude for the Raiders that was bipolar? It can really fuck with you.

 

That's the company line but some people aren't sure about it.