Sheppard joins Panthers flock

Carolina acquires prime time running back from Skins
By "Bucky Katz"

Off-Season 2123 (Charlotte) - The Carolina Panthers pulled off their biggest deal in years this afternoon as they acquired HB Tommy Sheppard from the Washington Redskins in a seven player deal.

They had to give up their 2nd round pick this year and last year's 1st round pick, FB Alec Smith, in the deal but the team feels they now have that last piece of the puzzle that has been eluding them the past couple of seasons.

'We feel Tommy is going to come in here and give a big lift to our offense,' Panthers GM 'Trader' Lee Remley said at the press conference announcing the deal. 'We had big plans for Alec after drafting him. We had no intention of dealing him until Ben and the Redskins came calling. But after making the playoffs last season, we decided that we needed to keep up with the Green Bays and the Minnesotas of the world now.'

The Panthers also picked up some depth in the deal in WR Brett Perryman, TE Bob Franklin, and S Alvin Hinton, as well as Washington's 2127 2nd round pick.

Fans in Carolina hailed the deal.

'This guy is a back in the great Panthers tradition of Robert Hickman and Leonard Castillo,' one fan buying a new Sheppard jersey said at the team's pro shop. 'We like them bowling ball backs. And this guy is faster than those guys too!'

Is this indeed the last piece of the puzzle to get the Panthers back to the Sundby Cup? Are the Panthers done dealing yet? How will their division rivals respond? Will the Panthers meet their fans expectations? And what was it with that Britney Spears chick 115 years ago, anyway?

The answer to most of these questions will come with the new season.

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