CHARLOTTE -- Eight down, eight to go.

CHARLOTTE -- John Kasay will be one of the oldest kickers -- and among one of the richest -- when he finishes his recently extended contract with the Carolina Panthers.

CHARLOTTE -- It's been so long since his last day off, so Brad Hoover thought somebody was kidding.

CHARLOTTE -- We've finally arrived at something DeAngelo Williams likes better than Halloween -- being the prime running back of a good NFL team at Halloween.

CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers coach John Fox watched the tape again, and he's still not sure how wide receiver Steve Smith kept his foot up.

CHARLOTTE -- Jon Beason still looked winded and weary, and this was nearly an hour after his big play.

CHARLOTTE -- The flip side of making big plays is that big mistakes sometimes tag along.

CHARLOTTE -- When next week rolls around and the Panthers don't have an opponent to prepare for, they'll prepare for themselves. Coach John Fox said Friday that part of the bye week will be devoted to "self-scouting," or studying their own tendencies through the first half of the season. The topic came up when Fox was asked how he thought his team had progressed in terms of short-yardage rushing, and he admitted not having any evidence.

CHARLOTTE -- For the second week in a row, the Panthers' secondary is going to be tested.

CHARLOTTE -- There haven't been that many opportunities for Panthers wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett. But it's the timing of his few catches, as much as anything, that's earning him some respect around here.