Race for Panthers' No. 4 receiver spot is one to watch

[Rod Butsecks]

(By Tom Sorensen, [email protected]) p/ Competition for the fourth wide-receiver spot on an NFL roster rarely is a subject that Saturday nights or newspaper columns are built around./pp/ But if you watch tonight's exhibition between the Carolina Panthers and Miami Dolphins, watch the three Panthers who are fighting to claim: ldquo;I'm No. 4!rdquo;/pp/ They are Ryne Robinson, Jason Carter and Kenneth Moore./pp/ And if you're wondering about Larry Beavers out of Wesley, a rookie from a small school has almost no chance to claim a receiver's job. If he makes the team, it will be as a return man./pp/ The fourth receiver on this season's Panthers will be important, and here's why./pp/ The receivers behind Steve Smith are Muhsin Muhammad and Dwayne Jarrett. /pp/ Muhammad does a lot of good work and is in exceptional condition ndash; for his age. /pp/ Alas, saying that an athlete is in exceptional condition for his age is like saying a guy has great hair for somebody with male pattern baldness. Muhammad, 36, is one of only four Panther starters (excluding kickers) older than 30./pp/ I've been a proponent of Jarrett since he left Southern California. At 6-4, he is 2 inches taller than Muhammad, and there are things he can do. Running fast is not one of them./pp/ The Panthers need speed. Whomever the Panthers drop into the slot needs to be fast enough to do what Muhammad and Jarrett can't./pp/ Carolina typically keeps five wide receivers, so Robinson, Carter and Moore are vying for a position on the field and a spot on the roster./pp/ Robinson, 24, is the only player drafted among the three. He was taken in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, two rounds behind Jarrett. In his rookie season he returned kicks and punts and, after a sluggish start, looked as if he was going to be good. But he missed last season after blowing out his knee in camp./pp/ Of the three, Robinson probably is the quickest and, once he has the ball, probably has the prettiest moves./pp/ Last summer, Carter, 25, was impossibly good. At the beginning of camp, he'd make a catch and you'd check the roster to see who No. 11 was. By the end of the camp, fans would cheer and you wouldn't even look to see who they were cheering. You knew who made the catch. Carter also blew out his knee before the 2008 season began./pp/ At 6-feet and 210 pounds, Carter is the biggest of the three, and he is adept at finding open space. But he wasn't as legendary in camp this summer as last summer, and he dropped an easy pass from Hunter Cantwell in the exhibition opener against the New York Giants./pp/ Impressive against the Giants was Kenneth Moore of Butler High and Wake Forest. He caught two passes for 27yards, scrambling to turn the first pass into a nice gain and going high for the second. /pp/ Practice game performances will play a major role in determining who plays in the games that count. /pp/ Because he played at Wake Forest, fans often want to compare Moore, 24, with legendary Deacons route-runner, and former Panther, Ricky Proehl. But that's not fair to Moore, at least not yet. /pp/Moore, however, has an opportunity to do what nobody has. He could be the first Charlottean to play for the Panthers. The closest anybody has come is Richard Huntley of Monroe, who played for Carolina in 2001./pp/ A smart and instinctive player, Moore starred at Butler, usually the second best team in the city. If he survives the Panthers' upcoming cuts, Butler finally will have something that Independence High, the city's best program, does not./pp/Even if you don't ask him, it is possible that Moore could be coaxed into bringing the subject up. /p

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[Sam Mills Fan]

lrn2paragraph

[Davidson Deac II]

Here is the important part of the article. The rest is irrelevant.

Impressive against the Giants was Kenneth Moore of Butler High and Wake Forest. He caught two passes for 27yards, scrambling to turn the first pass into a nice gain and going high for the second.

Practice game performances will play a major role in determining who plays in the games that count.

Because he played at Wake Forest, fans often want to compare Moore, 24, with legendary Deacons route-runner, and former Panther, Ricky Proehl. But that's not fair to Moore, at least not yet.

Moore, however, has an opportunity to do what nobody has. He could be the first Charlottean to play for the Panthers. The closest anybody has come is Richard Huntley of Monroe, who played for Carolina in 2001.

A smart and instinctive player, Moore starred at Butler, usually the second best team in the city. If he survives the Panthers' upcoming cuts, Butler finally will have something that Independence High, the city's best program, does not.

Even if you don't ask him, it is possible that Moore could be coaxed into bringing the subject up

When Wake Forest was suffering from injuries at running back, Moore shifted to running back from wide receive and all he did was help lead Wake to the Orange bowl while averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. He knows how to run with the ball.

[Peppers90 NC]

This week will be a good chance for these players, especially Moores, since he started at the #3 last week, to show what they can do against first teams. Another good reason why Smith will not be playing.

[DaCityKats]

he will make the team....

[Brandon]

I'm pulling for Moore on this one, hopefully all goes well.

[grateflday]

The injury to Robinson last season sucked. I was looking forward to see what he could do as a received. At the end of the '08 season when he played in games he looked good playing in the slot. Going on that and hoping he is fully recovered I am leaning on Robinson to be the number 4.