Carolina Panthers musings

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com It's almost here. The NFL roster cut down is imminent. As teams wrap up their preseason schedules later this week, they'll also be thinking about which of their players they'll make part of their final roster of 53, which ones they will add to their 10-man practice squads and which ones they'll give walking papers to. For the Panthers, the focus remains on getting through Thursday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh without major injuries. That game also presents one last opportunity for roster hopefuls to prove themselves under the lights in Charlotte. A lot could change after Thursday's game. Or it might not. Either way, I'm going to take a stab at predicting the final 53 that the Panthers will carry after Saturday's final roster cut. Below are the players I think will take the trip to Santa Clara when Carolina opens the season at the 49ers Sept. 10. I'll also provide some reasoning for why I think s

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com It's almost here. The NFL roster cut down is imminent. As teams wrap up their preseason schedules later this week, they'll also be thinking about which of their players they'll make part of their final roster of 53, which ones they will add to their 10-man practice squads and which ones they'll give walking papers to. For the Panthers, the focus remains on getting through Thursday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh without major injuries. That game also presents one last opportunity for roster hopefuls to prove themselves under the lights in Charlotte. A lot could change after Thursday's game. Or it might not. Either way, I'm going to take a stab at predicting the final 53 that the Panthers will carry after Saturday's final roster cut. Below are the players I think will take the trip to Santa Clara when Carolina opens the season at the 49ers Sept. 10. I'll also provide some reasoning for why I think s

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com It's almost here. The NFL roster cut down is imminent. As teams wrap up their preseason schedules later this week, they'll also be thinking about which of their players they'll make part of their final roster of 53, which ones they will add to their 10-man practice squads and which ones they'll give walking papers to. For the Panthers, the focus remains on getting through Thursday's preseason finale against Pittsburgh without major injuries. That game also presents one last opportunity for roster hopefuls to prove themselves under the lights in Charlotte. A lot could change after Thursday's game. Or it might not. Either way, I'm going to take a stab at predicting the final 53 that the Panthers will carry after Saturday's final roster cut. Below are the players I think will take the trip to Santa Clara when Carolina opens the season at the 49ers Sept. 10. I'll also provide some reasoning for why I think s

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com The dress rehearsal is complete. The Panthers improved to 2-1 in the preseason by slipping past the Jaguars (1-2), 24-23 on a rainy evening in Florida this past Thursday. Carolina wraps up its preseason schedule with a home game against Pittsburgh Thursday. Given head coach Ron Rivera's track record for the final preseason game, don't expect to see many, if any, of the team's starters. I wrote about five things I was watching against Jacksonville. How did those things go, anyway? 1. Cam Newton  There was no last-minute setback and we did indeed see big No. 1 line up behind center, but only for one drive. Newton handed off eight times to Jonathon Stewart and rookie Christian McCaffrey. He tossed two passes and completed both-- a 12-yard check down to McCaffrey and a nine-yard slant to Kelvin Benjamin that went for Carolina's first touchdown. It's hard to put much stock into some handoffs and a pair of passes (neithe

By CORY SPIERS coryspiers@gmail.com The Panthers take the field for preseason Game 3 tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Jacksonville. Carolina carries a 1-1 preseason record into the contest after opening its exhibition schedule with a home win over Houston and a loss on the road to Tennessee this past Saturday. The Jaguars, also 1-1, have a win over New England and a loss to Tampa this preseason. The famed "dress-rehearsal" third preseason game is generally the most exciting so let's buckle up. Here is what I'm watching tonight. 1. Cam Newton A softball at number one. Barring a last-minute setback, seventh-year quarterback Cam Newton is on track to make his season debut tonight against the Jaguars. Newton had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in March and has seen limited action in training camp and was held out of both of the team's first two exhibitions. To say Newton had a rough 2016 is an understatement. The Auburn product and former Heisman Trophy w