A New Beginning

Young Panthers ready to start season
By "Bucky Katz"

Off-Season 2157 (Charlotte) - A mixture of excitement and trepidation is evident here at the Carolina Panthers team headquarters as they prepare to open their season up north tonight at Minnesota.

This team will live or die with their young players this season, and league pundits have various opinions which way it will go, or at least, how badly it will go.

But these young Panthers are optimistic.

'I've seen some weird stuff happen in this league,' defensive tackle Neil Lewis, one of the few veteran contributors still left on this team, told reporters. 'We thought we'd be .500 last year and you know what happened.'

Former USC quarterback Courtney McLemore pulled off the surprise of camp by unseating expected starter and former OSU signal caller Joe Brady. His mobility and good hands seem to have been the difference between them, despite McLemore being taken two rounds later in the same draft.

'I get keep right on going out there and doing what I do, ya know?' McLemore told the media after being named the starter. 'I have skills, and I showed Coach Mason that in camp.'

Halfback Chuck Fairchild is far from the typical bust-you-in-the-mouth-and-run-over-you Carolina running back, but everyone here seems to think the elusive back will do the job.

'Chuck thought he was going to be working at Best Buy and now look at him,' McLemore joked. 'Seriously, dude is a great back. We can't wait to get out there. We can run it and throw it just as well.'

McLemore will have a lot of speedsters to throw to in receivers Dick Allen, David Bowyer, Shawn McGee, and Antone Neilson. Panthers fans are real excited to see the results when these guys have a more refined game that comes with more experience. The two tight ends from last season, Stefan Steele and Grant Ilesic, are expected to get their mitts on a few passes themselves in this West Coast scheme.

The offensive line of mostly youngsters, along with a couple of key veterans among them to keep them going in the meantime, are tough in the trenches but lack experience overall, which may present the biggest challenge this season for this team. Especially when you consider that Carolina is in a division with pass rushers such as those found in Minnesota and Chicago.

'They have to go out there and line up just like we do,' veteran Owen Madsen said, a waiver wire pickup who can't wait to play his old Green Bay squad.

The Panthers own defensive line has a new face in waiver wire pick up Leon Jenkins from Buffalo, who joins veterans Derek Tyler and Neil Lewis as the first line of defense in their 3-4 scheme.

The four linebackers, with the two Brads (Brad Lowery and Mark Brad) on the outside along Adam Dowling and Walter Gibson on the inside, are all experienced from last season and expected to produce in this new defense.

Reggie Hill is now joined by Calvin Watson at corner to give the Panthers two fine cover men, while Shawn Brock and Chris Castille are the new starting safeties.

New defensive coordinator and former Panthers LB Brad Jones is willing to take his chances.

'These guys are hungry to show what they can do,' Jones said about his defense. 'I wouldn't rule them out.'

Rounding out the team is the rookie kicker Darren Starks, while Bruce Robertson is still booming punts like he did last year.

With fourteen waiver wire pick ups and ten draft picks taking the field in the opener, who knows how this team will mesh. Many fans are excited to watch this team grow, while others expect them to actually contend this year. Either way, they are sure to be watching in Carolina...and waiting for the Panthers to rise again.

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