“It doesn’t hurt as much,” said Smith. “Sleep is kind of difficult, but it’s all right.”

This is obviously great news for the Panthers. Smith is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and his big play ability is invaluable. Without Smith, the Panthers’ hopes of bringing home a Super Bowl trophy would have all but evaporated.

Although Smith didn’t participate in the team portion of the practice, he was in pads and went through the individual drills. With plenty of time before the start of the regular season, there’s no reason for Smith to not be 100% by Week 1.

With Smith healthy, Muhsin Muhammad will likely be the second wide receiver and Dwayne Jarrett the third wide receiver.

Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Steve Smith Already Back at Practice

Kemoeatu is one of the most underrated players on the Panthers. The native of Tonga was extremely valuable as his 6-foot-5, 345-pound frame made life difficult for opponents — especially on the ground.

After playing his first four seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, the 30-year-old Kemoeatu played his last three years with the Panthers. Last season, he had 36 tackles after recording a career-high 46 tackles in 2007.

To see just how valuable Kemoeatu is, simply look what happened last year when he didn’t play. In Week 16 against the New York Giants, the Giants were able to run for 301 yards with Kemoeatu sidelined.

Right now, it is unclear how the Panthers plan to replace Kemoeatu. Chances are that the team will have to find a defensive tackle in free agency.

Maake Kemoeatu - Carolina Panthers (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: EveryJoe

Maake Kemoeatu Out for the Season

In terms of guaranteed money, this new deal reportedly has $20 million in guarantees. The structure of this deal helps the Panthers gain financial flexibility this season.

Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers (Image: Newscom)

Delhomme has had a roller-coaster last few years. He missed nearly the entire 2007 season due to an elbow injury. He returned last season to throw for 3,288 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, in the playoffs, Delhomme was horrible. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Delhomme completed only half of his 34 attempts and threw five interceptions as the Panthers lost 33-13.

The best season of Delhomme’s career came in 2004 when he threw for 3,886 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Despite Delhomme’s poor end to the 2008 season, expect him to start for the Panthers in 2009. There isn’t much talent behind him on the quarterback depth charts and the coaching staff values his experience and leadership.

Post from: EveryJoe

Jake Delhomme Gets Five-Year Extension

For me, it’s an easy choice. I watch Run DMC tear it for three seasons for the Arkansas Razorbacks. In my opinion, McFadden has everything and more than last year’s rookie phenom Adrian Peterson. Sure, Stewart is probably going to have a passing game on his side to get defenses to back up, but did you ever see Arkansas’ offense under Houston Nutt? McFadden can handle eight or nine men in the box.

But if you need some time to chew it over, take a look at the video.

Post from: EveryJoe

VIDEO – Darren McFadden vs. Jonathan Stewart

Back on July 10th, Quenton “Rampage” Jackson lost his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Forrest Griffin via the judges’ decision, and then, just 10 days later, Jackson was all over the news again when he was arrested and booked on account of felony reckless driving.

Well, it’s no big secret that most professional athletes tend to follow other sports outside of their own, so it’s no surprise that Carolina Panthers WR Steve Smith heard about Jackson’s endeavours on the news as well. His reaction to the situation?

As you can see, Smith is an athlete of the purist form as he holds true to the age long motto that ‘actions speak louder than words’, and all indicators are that Smith’s got his sights set on the big prize over in the UFC. Unfortunately for Steve, though, Panthers Head Coach John Fox wasn’t all too impressed with his assault on teammate Ken Lucas, and as a result, he was removed from Panthers training camp and suspended for the first two games of the season.

To add insult to injury, apparently after taking the long walk of shame, once he got home Smith realized one of two things:

A) Chuck Lidell – the man that Jackson originally defeated for the title – will be fighting on pay-per-view on August 9th, and that a win will likely put him back in contention for another title fight;
or
B) UFC President, Dana White, was just flat-out equally unimpressed with Steve’s fight tape audition, and the road to a title fight might take just a tad longer than originally expected.

Whatever the case may be, Smith has since returned to Panthers training camp, and has issued formal apologies to his coaching staff, his team, and most importantly, to Ken Lucas, whom suffered a broken nose as a result of the incident. Smith will be allowed to participate in team practices and exhibition games, but as of right now, his 2-game suspension to begin the season remains in tact.

Written by Tim Zaegel

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Steve Smith’s Short-Lived UFC Tryout