More info on Smitty and other stuff

Dan Morgan

 

Smith was doing agility drills and running some short pass routes (not in pads).

The consensus (sp?) was that the drills were the "week away" kind...as in he is likely 1 week away. Officially he is listed a questionable, but I wouldn't be shocked if he played Sunday.

I also wouldn't be shocked if he didn't.

 

http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/
Coach John Fox said Monday that DeShaun Foster remains the starting running back.

Translation: Foster will get the start as a courtesy the next few games. But DeAngelo Williams will continue to get more and more carries. Barring a sudden awakening by Foster, Williams will take over the starting role by midseason.

It’s the same thing as last year when Stephen Davis remained the starter far longer than he should have. Fox believes in giving veterans courtesy and Foster may deserve some. But the fact is he’s averaging 2.9 yards a carry and Williams is averaging 5.7.


Remember all the preseason talk about how the “old” Keary Colbert was back? He is, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Colbert’s the same player he was a year ago when he was basically invisible in the passing game. Colbert has three catches for 32 yards. With Steve Smith out with an injury, Colbert hasn’t exactly taken advantage of the opportunity. He’s fallen behind Drew Carter on the depth chart. By the way, Ricky Proehl is working for the St. Louis Rams radio broadcast.


Since training camp, Keyshawn Johnson has been saying he won’t talk about his time with the Bucs when the two teams play. That time is upon us because the Panthers face Johnson’s former team this week. Maybe Johnson stays true to his word and stays mum on his 2003 feud with Jon Gruden. But keep this in mind: After joining the Bucs, Johnson insisted he wouldn’t talk about his days with the Jets. But he gave in shortly before a game with New York and that’s when he compared Wayne Chrbet to a “flashlight.’’


Wide receiver Steve Smith recently was on Sirius NFL Radio and emphatically shot down a speculative item on profootballtalk.com that said his missing time with injury might be a way of making a statement that he's unhappy he hasn't been given a contract extension.
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1:16 pm | Smith questionable for Sunday's game
STAN OLSON
[email protected]
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith did not practice today, but he did return to the practice field. He did some running on the adjoining field while practice was going on, practicing routes.

He is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report for Sunday’s game in Tampa.

“He’s making progress,” said Panthers coach John Fox. “We’ll take it one day at a time, and it was good to have him out here today.”

Asked if he were optimistic that Smith might rejoin practice this week, Fox said, “again, it’s day-to-day. I’ll talk to the trainers again and see how he reacts to the running around today, what it felt like. And we’ll make that judgement as we move forward.”

Middle linebacker Dan Morgan (concussion) is again listed as out for Sunday. Safety Shaun Williams (foot) is doubtful. Running back Nick Goings (thigh), center Justin Hartwig (groin) and cornerback Ken Lucas (neck) are questionable and didn’t practice.

Wide receiver Drew Carter (fractured finger) is also listed as questionable, but did practice.