Panthers Training Camp Digest

[Rod Butsecks]

p/FAN'S GUIDEhellip;/pp/strongTODAY'S PRACTICES: /strong9:10 a.m., 6:30 p.m./pp/GETTING TO KNOWhellip;/pspan class=subheadstrongp/George Hypolite/p/strong/spanp/strongBackground: /strongAn undrafted rookie free agent out of Colorado, the Panthers signed Hypolite earlier this week to take the roster spot of injured nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu hellip; Hypolite was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the spring, but was released in July./pp/strongWhat you need to know: /strongAt 6-foot-1, 305 pounds, Hypolite will compete with Nick Hayden and Marlon Favorite for Kemoeatu's job, but is a long shot to win it. There's also the real possibility the Panthers will sign a veteran after other NFL teams start making cuts in a few weeks hellip; Hypolite, who grew up in Los Angeles, spent his summers in college returning home from Boulder, Colo., and doing lots of community service. He spent between 300 and 400 hours preparing food for homebound AIDS patients and working at a shelter for battered women./pp/OBSERVATIONS/pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanCall it the ldquo;Rhys Lloyd Factor.rdquo; Because of their decision have Lloyd, a kickoff specialist, on the roster, some personnel decisions might be harder for the Panthers than for other teams. With Lloyd, it might mean the difference between keeping a second fullback (rookie Tony Fiammetta) or a fifth receiver. Some players competing for the receivers' spots ndash; such as Ryne Robinson, Kenneth Moore and Jason Carter ndash; can also return kicks and punts. That kind of versatility will help each of them./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/span Just wondering: Remember when none of the Panthers' played in last season's exhibition finale at Pittsburgh? Will coach John Fox make the same decision this year in the last exhibition at home against the Steelers? It's one thing to hold starters out so they won't get hurt ndash; a completely understandable decision ndash; on the road. But doing so at home, with your own fans wanting to see the stars for at least one series, is another matter. We'll see./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanNip this kind of talk in the bud early this season: There is no chance Lloyd will kick field goals. John Kasay is still one of the best in the league./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanHard to tell who has the edge among the long snappers yet, but J.J. Jansen hikes a fast, tight spiral. Maybe he has the early edge on Nick Sundberg on who replaces Jason Kyle./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/span Kyle, who signed with New Orleans in the offseason, also was the Panthers' player representative. They'll elect a new one in a few weeks. Logical candidates for the position are Muhsin Muhammad and Kasay. /pp/BY THE NUMBERS/pp/10: Forced fumbles by safety Chris Harris in 2007 and through the first two games of the 2008 season, most in the NFL during that time./pp/0: Forced fumbles by Harris the rest of '08./pp/8: Games-played needed by fullback Brad Hoover to take over second in team history in that category (he's got 141 now; retired Mike Minter has 148). Kasay (189) leads the way./pp/QUICK HITS/pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanThursday was Harris's 27{+t}{+h} birthday./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanNice catch from in the end zone by Moore (Butler High, Wake Forest) from Jake Delhomme on a long route against rookie Sherrod Martin./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanElon coach Pete Lembo was a sidelines observer during practice./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanThe Panthers still haven't run their goal-line package in practice. Fox isn't saying when they'll start doing so./pp/span class=icon icon-bullet/spanCornerback Richard Marshall came up limping after diving to break up a pass, but he looked OK later./pp/QUOTING/pp/ldquo;Nice job butterball!rdquo; ndash; strongOffensive line coach Dave Magazu to center Ryan Kalil during a drill. Kalil has jokingly talked about how muscular he became during the offseason./strong/pp/ldquo;I'm sorry Everette!rdquo; ndash; strongDefensive line coach Brian Baker to end Everette Brown, apologizing for another lineman's failure to do his job in a tandem drill with Brown./strong/p

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