Running back Williams held out of practice

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

CHARLOTTE -- As much as they've struggled throwing the ball lately, the Carolina Panthers could at least count on their running game.

The only problem was, it was absent Wednesday when they began practice for the Atlanta Falcons.

Fullback Brad Hoover's going to be out for another few weeks at least, but running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were out of practice as well, leaving them just rookies Mike Goodson, Tyrell Sutton and Tony Fiammetta in practice.

Wednesdays off are common for Stewart, who's battled soreness in his Achilles tendon all year. But Williams absence was rare.

“He kind of tweaked his knee,” coach John Fox said. “It's something we'll evaluate day-to-day and see where it brings us tomorrow.”

Getting Fiammetta helps, anyway, as it keeps them from having to improvise for lead blockers. They also got tight end Dante Rosario (knee) back on a limited basis, and he can fill in as a fullback as well.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY: The remnants of Hurricane Ida soaked the area Wednesday, and the associated high winds had the Panthers seeking shelter at a nearby indoor facility.

The facility has a field-turf surface, but it's not as wide as a regulation field, so they had to do team drills crossways. But it beat working out in the monsoon, and no one was complaining.

“It's not a full field, but we can get enough movement,” Fox said. “We've got some young players that need to see the visual looks. It's a little bit better than working upstairs on the club level (of Bank of America Stadium) as far as just a walk-through. So they get a little bit bigger field than that to look at it.

“It's a lot of wear and tear on a body to go out when it's real windy and rainy, especially for your skill people as far as the ball gets heavier, the wind is pretty severe. Sometimes, that's a fairly sloppy environment for practice. I think it's a good place, and we appreciate them letting us use it. I thought we got a lot of work done today.”

MOOSE IS LOOSE: Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad was back on the practice field after missing the last two weeks with an MCL sprain.

It's unusual that he takes any time off, as he's only missed two games because of injury since 2002, when he was held out of a pair with a hamstring strain.

“I haven't been sidelined with an injury since 2003 or 2002,” Muhammad said. “So you want to be cautious and be healed 100 percent. I'm not 100 percent, but I did go out and practice today and was able to be run around a little bit. I will a little tomorrow and see how it feels.

“It was nice to be back in the mix. I don't do good watching. I'm anxious to grab the rope and start pulling with the guys. I'm not 100 percent on the game yet. I need to get another day in and make sure it's healing up right.”

SURVEY SAYS: Throw another log on the fire. Sporting News Today just conducted its midseason player poll, getting responses from 99 players across the league. Under the category of “biggest disappointment,” Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was second with nine votes, behind only Buffalo wide receiver Terrell Owens (15). Former Panthers quarterback Kerry Collins, since benched in Tennessee, was third with six votes.

The list featured a quote from former Panthers safety Deon Grant, now with Seattle: “You've got Steve (Smith), still got Muhsin (Muhammad), still got the two monsters in that backfield. So I'd have to say Jake.”

In the same issue, The Sporting News named linebacker Jon Beason to its midseason All-Pro team. In an interesting twist, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis was also there. Those two were the key components in the 2007 draft-day trade, which also netted the Panthers center Ryan Kalil in the trade-down.

EXTRA POINTS: As for the rest of the injury report, defensive end Julius Peppers was limited after suffering a right hand injury in New Orleans. Safety Charles Godfrey (ankle) was out, although he walked through the locker room without a limp or so much as a brace.

Also, kicker John Kasay (groin) returned to full practice after missing time last week.

Darin Gantt

daringantt@carolina.rr.com