Panthers hope consistency will help special teams play

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

CHARLOTTE -- The hope is that having Mike Goodson back will help spark the Panthers' return game. But having the same set of people around him might help even more.

The Panthers are 31st in the league in kickoff return average at 18.7 yards per attempt. Part of the problem is that seven games into the season, they've already had four guys try it, and none of them have been very good.

Kenny Moore actually leads the team at 21.6 yards per return, but that number's buoyed by his 55-yarder against Washington (take it out, and he's at 17.4). Goodson's next at 20.5, followed by Jonathan Stewart's 8.5 and Captain Munnerlyn at 7.5.

None of those numbers are very good and nowhere near what they anticipated out of Goodson, their fourth-round pick who has yet to display the same explosiveness he showed in the preseason. Part of that was because of the concussion he suffered at Dallas which cost him two games.

“The biggest thing is just getting back in it,” Goodson said. “Trying to feel it out, it's a lot about working with the other guys, getting good reps and getting a feel for it. Once I get into a groove, I think we'll pick it up.”

Now that he's back, there's a different cast around him. Already this year, he's had three different guys back with him on returns, with Brad Hoover, Dante Rosario and now Moore serving as his off-back.

“People see it, and they think it's just ‘catch the ball and run,'” he said. “You've got to set up blocks, you've got to know where guys are and really study. It's big. And I'm on top of it, working hard to get it together.

“Working with different guys is hard. But you have to just get together with them, work with them, mesh with them. It all works itself out.”

Coach John Fox is fortunate they won last week, so he can laugh about some of the miscues. On one, Moore was trying to stop Goodson from coming out of the end zone, but Goodson didn't seem to understand and brought it out clumsily. Later, they bumped into each other, giving the special teams a Keystone Cops feel in Arizona.

“I think the message was to stay; the message didn't ring true,” Fox said. “Luckily, it wasn't more catastrophic than it was. We had a similar situation where they mortar kicked it, and I wasn't sure if they were on the same team or not.”

KASAY SORE — Kicker John Kasay was held out of Thursday's practice with what Fox called a “tight left groin.” That's not something they take lightly since Thursday's the main day of preparation for the field goal team each week.

Kickoff man Rhys Lloyd said he expected Kasay would be fine but was preparing to kick field goals if need be.

“Sunday? I'm not used to kicking on Thursday,” Lloyd said. “I'm exhausted. Hopefully, John's going be OK.”

Lloyd hasn't kicked a meaningful field goal since his college days at Minnesota, other than a few in NFL preseasons.

Kasay hasn't missed a game since the middle of the 2004 season, when he was out two games with a sore right calf. He was replaced then by Jeff Chandler, who missed his only two field goal attempts but hit all eight extra points.

THE WAY HE WORKS — Quarterback Jake Delhomme said he was proud of running back DeAngelo Williams for breaking the franchise's all-time rushing mark last week, mostly for the way he got to the number.

Williams surpassed DeShaun Foster's old mark of 3,336 yards and has 3,352 and counting.

Not bad for a guy who took two years to unseat Foster, only to see them draft Stewart 13th overall the following year. Though he's unquestionably the lead dog here, he's never had to carry the ball 300 times a year and might not.

“Certainly, we're a young franchise, but look what he's done in such a short period of time,” Delhomme said.

“After his first couple of years, we draft a running back in the first round, I think there were questions. We always thought he was talented, it was just how much of a true opportunity did he really have?

“I'm a big fan of guys who work their tail off, practice hard and try to do it the right way. He does that. He practices hard. I like him, but even if he's not a good person and I hated him I'd have to respect him because of the way he prepares. Fun-loving, happy, loud. But he practices hard, and he's a good football player. It's important to him, that's the biggest thing.”

EXTRA POINTS — The Panthers were still without five other players in practice Thursday. Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad (knee), fullbacks Brad Hoover (ankle) and Tony Fiammetta (concussion), tight end Dante Rosario (knee) and free safety Charles Godfrey (ankle) were held out.

Muhammad said afterward he had suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament and wasn't sure when he'd be ready to return. “The knee will tell me when it's ready,” he said. ...

The Panthers had former Tampa Bay fullback Jameel Cook in for a visit Thursday, but did not sign him.

He's the third fullback in this week, but the Panthers have yet to make a move.

As per usual, running back Jonathan Stewart (Achilles) was back after his Wednesday off, and linebacker Landon Johnson (shoulder) practiced as well.