Jeremy Igo

Camp opened up in Spartanburg in the sweltering heat. Attendance is said to have been 17,000 but I am not so sure of that number. It was a decent crowd, but did not seem as large as last season. Curious, after a playoff season that it was not more crowded.


As the players warmed up I noticed Kuechly and Deangelo talking. Sometimes I think players talk to Deangelo just to check themselves out in his helmet shield.


Kugbila was at practice. He has yet to be claimed off of waivers, and will probably not be. In all likelihood he will be on the Panthers IR list this season.


Tiquan Underwood is looking better in camp than in the OTA's. While he doesn't appear to have the speed that Ted Ginn did, he does know how to run routes well enough to get some separation. His hands seem to be pretty good as well. I feel he is a lock to make the team.


Rivera looks as relaxed as he ever has in camp. Its amazing what job security can do for your stress level.


Cam wears a helmet shield in practice. It is unclear why, but once could imagine a stray lineman finger in the eye would be devastating for this team, so why not wear the shield.


Charles Johnson is probably one of the more under appreciated players on the team.


Not only is Charles one of the better defensive ends in the league, but he also can return punts. Although, to be fair, he waived for the fair catch. What is the point of a defensive lineman returning the ball if he isn't going to run with it?



Bene Benwikere had a few technical miscues in drills and was quickly coached up by defensive backs coach Steve Wilks. Bene has looked pretty good overall, and the occasional miscue early can be expected.


Defensive line coach Eric Washington is a big guy in his own right. He isn't afraid to get in and grab the guys to get their attention either.


The crowd got excited when passing drills began. Cam looks like he does at every camp in his career. Mostly sharp, but has the occasional overthrow.


One quick fix for the overthrows could be to throw to Benjamin more. I ran into Kelvin in the media room yesterday and was reminded how tall he really is. Sometimes rosters fluff the height numbers a bit in favor of the player, but Bejnamin is every bit of 6'5. One thing I noticed was how perfect his hands are when catching. He really does wrap those huge hands around the ball. It is textbook fundamentals every dad teaches his son. I will be showing this image to my boys before our next round of football toss.



Greg Olson is also having a great camp so far this year. He has made some acrobatic one handed grabs. Greg isn't the most talkative guy on the practice field, instead he lets his play do the talking. However, I have seen him really help out the younger tight ends on their route running. Greg fits the wise veteran mold well.


During blitz drills, Derek Anderson connected with Pilares deep on badly blown pass coverage by the defense. No safety was anywhere close to Pilares. However, before you get too excited... Derek Anderson would have been sacked long before the throw was made by a blitzing Jason Williams.



I noticed a curious thing Cam has been doing lately that I did not notice last season... or at least that I can remember. In a play action drill he squats down, seemingly to hide behind the line. Could this be a way to compensate for his height?


Nate Chandler was at left tackle for the majority of the last half of practice. I felt Chandler would end up at left tackle this season during OTA's, and my opinion has not changed on that matter. Nate can get off the ball and into position very quickly. Below he has Greg Hardy matched up right off the snap.


Byron Bell was in at right tackle with Nate at left....



...but then did get some more time at left tackle before the practice was over. While Byron is larger and takes up more room, his feet are heavier. It is a trade off that the coaches will have to decide on.



Mike Tolbert had a few more carries at running back with Stewart and now Tyler injured. Tolbert somehow gets lost in all the running back talk sometimes, which is a shame. In my opinion, he is the most talented and effective guy we have that can run the ball.



Cam also targeted Tolbert in the passing game. Tolbert caught every ball.


Philly Brown made a really nice grab at the end of practice. He was able to get behind and out leap Cason, who is a starting defensive back in this league. This is great news for Philly Brown fans.


I hope you enjoyed these photos and will share this link on your social media sites. Sharing the link is the single most important thing you can do to keep the Huddle plugging away.

Today is the first practice in pads. I will be there covering the action. Follow @CarolinaHuddle for updates on twitter.

 

You've read the announcement. You've seen the schedule.

 

Now, I will give you the inside scoop on the Panthers Training Camp. I have seen a lot of rookie fan mistakes out there, and I aim to clean it up.

 

Camp begins with the Back to Football festivities at Gibbs Stadium. Be sure to arrive early, there are lots of great things to see and hear before practice begins. Typically there is live entertainment including a band as well as an appearance by a few select topcats. This takes place in front of the stadium close to the parking areas.

 

Practice takes place inside of Gibbs Stadium. Most people head for the seats closest to the parking. However, I feel like the best seating for Gibbs Stadium is on the east side of the field, especially if you are looking for player autographs. These bleachers are adjacent to where the players enter and leave the practice. The lower corner of these bleachers are prime autograph real estate.

 

You will be in the sun a bit more, but as the practice is later in the evening, that may not matter much to you.

 

 

Most of the practices at Training Camp are done on the three practice fields adjacent to Gibbs Stadium. There are a few key things here you should know...

 

AUTOGRAPHS

The autograph area is along the fence near where the players enter and exit the locker rooms (pictured below). The key here is to position yourself in the right area. Typically the closer to the locker rooms the better. A you move farther away from them, the likelihood of an autograph decreases. Even farther away and you chances of getting an autograph drop to zero, as this would force the players to go far out of their way to get to you.

 

Preferential autograph treatment is given to kids, as it should be. My advice is to stand next to a kid, wait for that kid to get his or her autograph, then also get yours signed as well. If a player stops to sign once, he typically will sign a few within the same group of people. DO NOT push a kid out of the way or try to get yours first, you will be chastised by other fans, and probably me.

 

Players/Coaches I have seen give the most Autographs: Cam Newton, Deangelo Williams, Ron Rivera, Luke Kuechly.

 

Practice Viewing

Once you arrive at camp, take note of where the blue lifts with the video cameras are situated. Take note on where the video cameras are pointed. This will give you a heads up on which field the main action of the day is located.

 

Most fans will simply sit on the hill. This is a convenient way to watch all of practice in a leisurely manner from an elevated location. The only downside to the hill is the limited shade, so consider bringing an umbrella, and don't forget your sun screen.

 

In the morning, if practices are on the two conjoined fields, my advice is to head to the trees after applying your mosquito repellant. You will be in the shade for a good part of the practice and also will have a great view of the action. I am not kidding on the mosquito repellent. You have been warned.

 

 

Photography

If you are interested in taking photos at camp, I recommend a digital SLR camera with a lens that is capable of 300mm shooting at least. Quarterbacks are easy to photograph, they are stationary and predictable. Other skill positions can be much trickier. During wide receiver drills, the players will typically all run the same route, one after another. Watch the first route, then use that to determine and plan ahead the angle you would like your capture to be.

 

Etiquette

There are a couple things that fans do that tend to bother me at practices.

 

Don't yell at the players during practice. They are there, in many cases, fighting for their job. They will not respond to you. Not because they don't hear you, but because they are working.

 

Know the players names if you want an autograph. Yelling "Hey 88" will likely annoy more than impress, making a signed jersey unlikely.

 

Where to Eat

Most people will tell you to stop by the Beacon for a burger and fries. This is fine and something everyone must do at some point. My favorite.place, however, is closer to the training Camp. Wade's is a smorgasbord type restaurant. The best thing about it is the fact that when you purchase an entree, you get as many sides as you like. They are all amazing.

 

The Pizza Inn is also a great place to go, especially if you grew up in the 80s. It is a virtual time warp including table top pac-man and 19 inch picture tube televisions, The chocolate pudding typically has a half inch skin on it, roll it up as a snack on the way home.

Last season, Brandon Williams entered training camp as a long shot. Williams was signed to the Panthers roster in April of 2013 after having been out for football for two years. In 2011 he was diagnosed as having a narrow spinal canal and bulging disk that prevented him from continuing at Oregon. Instead, Brandon played basketball for a small bible college.

What a difference a year makes.

This year in offseason workouts Williams, or "Swole" as his teammates call him, is spending a good amount of time with the starting offensive unit. This is a big leap from last season when he mainly spent time with the third string units. It appears one of David Gettleman's gambles could be paying off again.

I caught up with Brandon after practice to get his thoughts on his progress.

"I feel a lot more relaxed. Having that year of experience under my belt, everything is starting to slow down for me. I also know the play book a lot better. Whatever the coaches want me to do, I am going to do what I can to get comfortable doing it."

Williams understands that the more versatile he can make himself, the more likely he will be again earning a roster post this season. This means not only performing on offense, but special teams as well.

After practice, Williams spend a long while with Special Teams Coordinator Richard Rogers. They were going over his stance and tweaking the things Williams needs to do in order to excel.

Not many players stay after practice to put in extra work, and even fewer stay to practice special teams. But Brandon seems determined to do whatever is necessary to succeed as a Panther.

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The Carolina Panthers opened up their annual mini-camp in the blistering heat. That heat, however, did not keep them from participating in one of the most impressive mini-camps I have seen. It felt less like a June mini-camp and more like an early August Spartanburg practice.

This is not to say the day didn't have some light hearted and even touching moments...

Cam Newton rolled up flashing an award winning smile, and he had good reason. Cam was playing host to rising first grader George Gring who attended practice through the efforts of the Make A Wish foundation. George, who was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma ,wished to play football with Cam Newton. Cam went the extra mile and acquired matching gold cleats for George.

As Cam was stretching, he was having his fingers taped up. This got jeers from the Panthers defense, who were taunting him with "Does Cam have a boo boo?"

I spotted Kelvin Benjamin on the sidelines learning how to juggle. Tennis balls have been a common theme this year. Time will tell if they had an impact on hand eye coordination.

Practice started with punt returns. The punt returners in order were Antoine Cason, Kenjon Barner, and Philly Brown. Of the three, Cason continued to look the most promising and reliable. While no balls were dropped, Barner did have a bobble.

Byron Bell and Nate Chandler again split time at left and right tackle throughout the day. Garry Williams was also thrown into the mix. Ron Rivera after practice describes Williams as a "Jack of all trades", indicating he will be used everywhere along the line this season.

One area where Chandler has an all too obvious edge is getting off the ball quickly. Notice the difference in body positions in the above picture. Chandler, while giving up a bit of bulk to Bell, has much lighter feet.

Offensive line drills began and were very physical. They worked on a variety of techniques under harsh criticism.

Then, the practice really began. The day was filled with spirited offense versus defense play with a bit of contact.

Stock Rising:

• Brandon Williams. Williams saw extended time with the first string today. He grabbed a couple of nice throws over the middle and on a quick out. He was also used as a lead blocker at times.
• Bene Benwikere. Benwikere abused Underwood on an extended pass play, blanketing him and helping to cause what would have been a sack.
• Trai Turner. Turner continues to impress and has the most nimble feet of any guard in recent memory. His pulling to the left to block for Deangelo Williams got me very excited.
• Chris Scott. Scott made it onto the practice field today and participated fully. That is a win for him.
• Mike McNeil. Mike had the best grab of the day in the end zone, leaping over Colin Jones who could not make the play.

Stock Falling:

• Byron Bell. Bell struggled most of the day today. On one play in particular, Mario Addison was able to get low and gain the outside edge on Bell with ease, resulting in a would be sack. Bell also struggled in blitz pickup, allowing blitzing linebacker DJ Smith to get the the quarterback. Which leads us to the next falling...
• Blitz Pickup. Head coach Ron Rivera remarked after practice "Sean put in some new blitzes today, they were new and different for our offense to try to pick up". There needs to be much improvement in this area if we want Cam Newton to stay healthy.
• Marvin McNutt. While McNutt did make a few routine catches, he missed a ball that he had to extend for that did hit him in the hands. You have to make those plays if you want to make the roster.

Overall, it was a solid practice that both showcased what the Panthers can do but also a few opportunities for improvement.

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