A gray, overcast day in Spartanburg led to lower temperatures at Carolina Panthers training camp today, but that didn’t keep the defense from having another banner day, landing three interceptions and multiple stops, outplaying the offense for most of the drills even though the team was not wearing pads. While the practice may not have been full pads, the team condensed what they usually do on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the regular season into today’s practice, so there was a lot of situational football. One reason for the offense being overmatched was the absence of starting quarterback Cam Newton, who threw lightly on the side with trainers for the second straight day after not throwing for a week of practice. Head coach Ron Rivera says he’s “not necessarily concerned” with Newton’s progress, but it seems as if the Panthers are heading towards their first preseason game with their starting quarterback on the shelf.
While the defense impressed for most of the day, one standout on the offensive side of the ball was wide receiver Kaelin Clay, who is locked in a battle with Damiere Byrd, Brenton Bersin, and Austin Duke for the fifth wide receiver roster spot. Clay had an electrifying touchdown grab on a well-thrown ball by Joe Webb, diving towards the sideline to make the catch as the ball sailed past two defenders’ outstretched hands before gathering himself and hurdling across the endzone. He also had a nice move and catch in front of linebacker Shaq Thompson, it will be extremely interesting to see which wide receiver is able to separate themselves from the pack throughout the preseason. As always, here are the storylines we followed today:
Poor Quarterback Play
While many fans are focused on the state of Cam Newton’s shoulder, the poor play of Derek Anderson during the first two weeks of training camp has come to the forefront with the backup taking most of the snaps with the first team offense. Anderson’s accuracy has been erratic, overthrowing receivers on deep routes and putting balls behind receivers in shorter routes, not to mention committing the most cardinal sin on the football field: turning the ball over in the endzone, throwing an interception to cornerback Zack Sanchez during today’s practice. On this particular play, Devin Funchess (6’5″) was matched up one-on-one against recent signing De’Vonte Johnson (6’0″) on the outside, but Anderson never looked his way and threw a painfully underthrown ball into a crowded area that Sanchez easily intercepted. Anderson also threw a ball that James Bradberry easily jumped the route on and returned for a score in yesterday’s session. Joe Webb and Garrett Gilbert have not been much better, with inaccuracy and poor decision making abound. Should Cam Newton miss time with his shoulder injury, the backups will have to play much better, or the Panthers will be in real trouble.
LJ McCray
With Dean Marlowe again missing practice, safety LJ McCray made his mark on today’s practice with perhaps the play of the day, a leaping interception in the back of the endzone to end a two minute drill. As he stood up, veteran Kurt Coleman came running off the sidelines yelling, “Finish! Finish!” So the Harding High School graduate gained his footing and took off towards the opposite endzone. When I asked head coach Ron Rivera about McCray after practice, Rivera said, “LJ’s got some extended time and LJ has shined. He had a good day yesterday and a good day today. So we’ll see him get his opportunity on Wednesday to show us what he can do. I’m excited to watch him because he’s a very physical football player.” Practices like the last two sessions will go a long way towards helping McCray to secure a roster spot.
Fullback Update
Darrel Young continues to get more reps in practice, getting two draws during the two minute drills and a few short pass receptions throughout the rest of practice. Being used in the passing game will be essential for Young, so to see him getting open and showing his hands is crucial to his success and whether or not he will make the opening day roster. Unfortunately, Alex Armah has not been as involved, it seems that Young has the clear upper hand in the battle for fullback.
Be sure to follow us on twitter at @RRiotReport for constant updates as they happen. Have questions or want us to focus on a specific player or matchup? Let us know in the comments!
Previous Training Camp Reports:
- July 26, 2017
- July 27, 2017
- July 28, 2017
- July 29, 2017
- July 30, 2017
- August 1, 2017
- August 2, 2017
- August 3, 2017
- August 4, 2017
- August 6, 2017
