Friday practices during the season are traditionally a walkthrough for the upcoming game, and today’s practice session, even though it was on a Tuesday, had that Friday feel. A slight drizzle to begin practice kept most fans away, and when the drizzle turned into a driving rain, many who had braved it earlier tucked tail and headed back to their cars. Perhaps they knew they could watch the team play tomorrow night, either from the comfort of their own home or from their seats at Bank Of America Stadium. The crowd missed a sloppy practice, with even head coach Ron Rivera expressing disappointment with the self-inflicted mistakes the team made, be it jumping offsides, forgetting the snap count, or just plain dropping catchable balls. Safety Colin Jones had an interception bounce off his hands in the endzone and wide receiver Keyarris Garrett had two egregious drops throughout team drills.
Quarterback Cam Newton, whom Rivera confirmed would not play tomorrow night, continued his routine of the past few days, tossing the ball for a few minutes during quarterback footwork drills, this time subbing trainer Ryan Vermillion for fellow injured player Curtis Samuel. While he appeared to be putting some extra velocity on the throws, his limited work has had fans nervous. The real test will be next week when the team has joint practices with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Here were some storylines we noticed:
Injury Update
Earlier in the week, there were so many Panthers on the sidelines that it seemed like a third of the roster was missing practice, so much so that it was hard to even get confirmation on who had what ailment. Heading into the first preseason game, the list has shrank greatly, with the two most exciting developments coming from wideout Curtis Samuel, who was running routes slowly and playing catch with quarterback Cam Newton; and rookie cornerback Corn Elder, who shed the bulky knee brace he had been wearing the past two weeks and was able to do some work riding the bike. While Samuel seems poised to return to practice any day now; the same can’t be said for Elder, whose timeline seems longer. The brace coming off is a good sign, but it will still be a while until he is able to get on the field. Others missing practice were offensive linemen Blaine Causell and Tyrus Thompson, defensive tackle Toby Johnson, safety Dean Marlowe, and wide receiver Fred Ross.
Another Day, Another Receiver
Today’s wide receiver to shine was former Memphis Tiger Mose Frazier, who had two touchdowns on the day, one of which came on a long pass from Garrett Gilbert that floated in between Colin Jones and Jeremy Cash. The offense found a mismatch when the linebacker had to cover the speedy Frazier down the field and exploited it. Frazier will need to continue to make plays (most definitely in the preseason games) to have a shot at even the practice squad, let alone the active roster. Fellow wide receiver hopeful Kaelin Clay had a nice over-the-shoulder touchdown grab as well.
Fullbacks Again
The amount of work the fullbacks have received in practice is definitely ramping up, with Darrel Young getting multiple goal line carries in succession, and both fullbacks acting as a pass catcher and scoring touchdowns during team drills. Rookie Alex Armah has an uphill battle, as Young is a better blocker and more skilled around the ball; Armah may be a great fit for the practice squad as he is still quite raw.
Exploit Mismatches CMC
Rookie Christian McCaffrey continues to impress, being lined up in multiple formations and utilized all over the field. In one instance, McCaffrey started in the backfield and motioned to the slot, ending up one-on-one with nickel cornerback Cole Luke. McCaffrey ran a pristine route, gained a step on the undrafted free agent and caught a pass fifteen yards downfield, finishing by sprinting to the endzone. These types of mismatches are exactly why the Panthers drafted him and fans are so excited to see him in action.
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
- August 7, 2017
