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Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008

Who'll help Moose?

WR spot thin with injuries, suspension

CHARLOTTE -- It wasn't that long ago that wide receiver was one of the Carolina Panthers' deepest positions.

Now, they're looking under every rock for enough to play the regular-season opener.

With Steve Smith suspended the first two games, Jason Carter out for the year with a knee injury, Ryne Robinson looking like he'll miss a few regular season games and the perpetual questions about D.J. Hackett, the Panthers are wondering who's going to line up with Muhsin Muhammad when they go to San Diego in less than two weeks.

"It is a concern," Muhammad said Monday afternoon. "It's really amazing as you look across the league at how many receivers are down right now. It's given opportunities for a lot of other guys. The whole Steve being out the first couple of games and with our numbers being depleted, it's a good thing that our running backs are running as well as they are right now. We're going to have to step up and make some plays."

Muhammad even joked that he might "file an appeal" on Smith's behalf, but the honest answer is there's not a savior riding over the hill on a white horse.

General manager Marty Hurney said there was no urgency to look outside at this point, since there won't be many available options until teams make final cuts Saturday.

"Right now, we're going to see how some things play out," Hurney said. "We'll wait to get through the next five or six days."

That doesn't mean they're not looking for upgrades, or at filling in some blanks, and toward that end, they've already started beating the bushes.

They recently inquired about former San Diego starter Eric Parker, who missed all of last season. His agent said Monday that the 29-year-old Parker was still a month or two away from a return from toe surgery, but that the Panthers called in the last two weeks to check on his availability.

In a perfect world, Parker would have been a perfect fit, since he doubled as San Diego's punt returner when he was well. Beyond that, there aren't many options out there until this weekend's final cuts. They've bypassed multiple chances to bring receiver-returner Koren Robinson home in the past, and the current organizational direction points away from a geezer such as 36-year-old Joe Horn, just released by Atlanta.

"Right now, we're looking at some of the younger options we have on hand," Hurney said.

Guys such as Dominique Thompson and Chris Hannon have better chances now. Journeyman Travis Taylor's looking more legitimate than before.

Part of the problem is they have no idea what to expect from what's already here.

It sounds like Robinson's a month away, after spraining the lateral collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee during camp. And they were thinking Hackett might practice Monday, but he didn't, running on the side instead. He made it through just 10 sessions during training camp, though he looked good when he practiced.

When asked if he thought Hackett could be ready for the Chargers game, Hurney sounded optimistic: "We hope so, sure. We don't try to predict these things, but he's certainly making progress."

The most progress, however, might have come from Dwayne Jarrett.

Muhammad said he's been impressed with the second-year wideout's work lately,

"I wasn't here before, so I don't know what Dwayne's history now. I just know what I see now," Muhammad said. "We've been really pushing him hard to work, just to work hard. That way, you don't have to turn it on, or try to turn it on, in a game. That's what you do all the time, and he's done that.

"He's really working hard. It's kind of showing up in the games. He's working hard in knowing exactly what to do out there and just finishing. He's making some plays. He's gaining some confidence in his game, and that's one of the most important thing at this level, confidence."

So while the current pinch is bad, it's hardly unprecedented.

Muhammad couldn't help but laugh when asked about the similarity to 2004, when Smith broke his ankle in the opener, but his six catches from that game still ranked fourth among receivers for the entire season.

They had Muhammad, and elder third receiver Ricky Proehl. They were also fortunate to get the one good year of Keary Colbert when they did, because there were few other options. The other receivers on the roster that year included special teams captain Karl Hankton, Eugene Baker and odds and (split) ends Micah Ross and Jamall Broussard.

The good news was Muhammad responded with the kind of season that paved the way for his Chicago payday -- 93 catches for 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The bad news was there wasn't much else to choose from, and by the time they figured things out, they had already started 1-7.

"We do have some guys with a little bit more experience," Muhammad said, emphasizing the word "little." "Keary Colbert was here that year and we were fighting to find our identity the first half of the season after Steve was hurt. (Quarterback) Jake (Delhomme) and I really had a good connection and thing going there in '04. Of course, we know all the things that happened there: We won I think six out of our last eight games.

"I'm just hoping we're able to win two games without Steve and it doesn't take half of the season to find an answer. We need to find an answer now what we're going to do for those first two games."

• EXTRA POINTS: The Panthers got to the 75-man roster limit a day early. In addition to placing Carter on injured reserve, they released veteran cornerback Curtis Deloatch and waived quarterback Lester Ricard, tight end Chris Conklin and defensive end Casper Brinkley, a former South Carolina standout. The deadline to do so was today.

They'll have to cut down to the 53-man roster limit by Saturday afternoon, though they'll get an extra player for two weeks during Smith's suspension.

Strong safety Chris Harris returned to practice Monday, his first work since a groin strain Aug. 4.