NFL Capsules - NFC: Giants defense faces first test under Fewell
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — For the past nine months, the New York Giants have talked about playing defense like the Giants of old.
The style was simple, brute force. No one outmuscled the Giants. No one ran on them.
New defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and his unit will see how far they have come on Sunday when the Carolina Panthers open the season against the Giants in the $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium.
The Panthers are the perfect opponent.
They have two 1,100 yards rushers in Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams and they ripped the Giants 41-9 on Dec. 27. With Williams sidelined, Stewart ran for a career-best 206 yards and the Panthers shredded New York's defense for 416 yards, scoring on six of their first seven possessions.
The fact that New York was playing for a playoff spot and was hosting its final game at Giants Stadium just added to the embarrassment.
"This game is going to tell us a lot about our team," defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. "We are facing a team that makes a living running the ball. We have been preaching all offseason we want to be physical and stop the run, so this is the perfect team to prove it against."
Cofield said the defense has seen the tape of last year's game countless times since the end of last season, especially in cutups of things they did wrong.
"It's ugly," he said. "It gets uglier every time you see it. It's definitely not the way we want to play, but we have a new scheme. We're a new team. We have new faces and we definitely need a different result."
Cornerback Terrell Thomas said every defensive player remembers the Panthers' game.
"They just beat us down to the ground," Thomas said. "They took the physicalness out of us and that's what we were known for. That's why we're going to come out and show the league what we're about this year — being physical. If you're going to beat us, you're going to have to outphysical us."
Backup defensive end Dave Tollefson got his defensive game plan for this weekend and wrote "41-9" at the top of it as a constant reminder.
"That's embarrassing, especially getting the ball run on you like that," he said. "Then you put everything on top of that, the closing of the stadium, yeah, it's embarrassing. You don't want anyone to run the ball on you like that since you play little league football. So we have to stop the run."
Tollefson said the Panthers' offensive line wasn't blowing the Giants off the ball. New York made some of the most fundamental errors and got gashed several times when players got out of their gaps or missed tackles.
"This game has been on our minds for a long time," Tollefson said.
As opposed to last year, the Giants are healthy this year. Defensive end Justin Tuck has had his shoulder surgically repaired. Cofield has had more than a year to recover from knee surgery. The safeties are a lot better with the addition of free agents Anrel Rolle and Deon Grant, and Kenny Phillips back from microfracture surgery on his knee.
Keith Bulluck gives the Giants a veteran outside linebacker and Jonathan Goff is more comfortable in the middle.
"There's absolutely no doubt that we can stop these guys if we play our best," defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "We've domonstrated in training camp and preseason that we can stop the run. We can stop the run. Confidence comes from demonstrated performances and so far we have shown ourselves that we can do it."
Panthers coach John Fox downplayed last year's game, saying it's a new year.
"I don't know about jamming it down their throats," he said of last year. "I think it's fair to say that the run will be part of our game plan."
S Kenny Phillips back in Giants starting lineup
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — After missing most of last season, safety Kenny Phillips is back in the New York Giants' starting lineup.
Phillips, who underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee last September, worked with the Giants' first team Wednesday in preparation for the season opener against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
"This has been a long, long, long, long offseason for me," Phillips said. "It's like I had two because of the surgery. I missed it. I really did. They say you don't know how much you missed it until it's gone. Not to be out there was an eye opener. I am going to go out there and have fun, and not take it for granted."
Phillips practiced for the first time since the surgery Aug. 9. He has made great strides in recent weeks after being only allowed to take baby steps in the early part of training camp.
"For them to have me already penciled as a starter, I must be doing something right," Phillips said. "So I have to go out there and continue getting reps and just work on my technique."
The 23-year-old Phillips always had returning to the starting lineup as his main goal, but was frustrated at times when the coaching staff limited his work load.
He sat out the first preseason game, got 12 snaps in the second, 20-something in the third and slightly more in the preseason finale against New England.
"I felt like I had 80 today, so we are getting ready for it," Phillips said.
His recovery also means that veteran Deon Grant, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, has lost his starting job.
Grant was surprised and disappointed.
"When they came and told Kenny to go with the first group, I was definitely surprised because I know inside my mind, and they know it, I'm not a backup safety," Grant said. "That might be the position I might have to play if that's the case, but I'm not no backup safety. But I am going to support Kenny because Kenny is like a little brother to me, and he has skills."
Still, Grant isn't happy.
"Like I told the rest of the guys, I am not going to sit up here like it's peaches and cream," he said. "It might take me a minute to adjust to that."
There is a chance the Giants may decide to rotate Phillips and Grant.
"They pay me to come here and be a leader and show what I have to show on that football field, in that meeting room and off the field and that's what I indeed did," Grant said.
Phillips said Grant helped him out at practice Wednesday.
"We're still the best of friends," Phillips said.
-- Tom Canavan
Kolb has a friend, mentor in Rodgers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Kolb has Aaron Rodgers on his speed dial.
Kolb began studying Rodgers before he replaced Donovan McNabb as the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. He closely watched how Rodgers handled taking over for Brett Favre in Green Bay, took mental notes and prepared for his time.
That arrived when the Eagles traded McNabb to Washington in April. Naturally, Kolb reached out to Rodgers for some advice. They spoke several times in the offseason, communicated during training camp and even exchanged text messages this week — a little unusual considering the Eagles will host the Packers in the season opener Sunday.
"The big thing I pull from him is how he handled everything, the whole picture, that's with Brett leaving, similar to me with Donovan," Kolb said Wednesday. "Also, it's taking over a good team. It's not like young guys who come in and they're doing a rebuilding thing. We both had good teams coming in, too, so success is demanded right off the bat, and it's no different here."
Rodgers had no reservations about sharing his thoughts with Kolb.
"I was just honored that he would seek my input-slash-advice, whatever he wanted," Rodgers said. "Definitely have been a fan of his since he got his opportunity, and being in a similar situation he's definitely a guy I want to pull for 15 weeks out of the season. He's a very talented guy, so I think he's going to make the transition very smooth as I think was witnessed in his two games last year when he threw for over 300 yards."
Rodgers, a first-round pick in 2005, sat three full seasons before he got his chance. Kolb, a second-round pick in 2007, also waited three years for his opportunity.
Both had to fill big cleats.
Favre went to nine Pro Bowls, won three MVP awards and led the Packers to a Super Bowl title in 16 seasons with Green Bay. McNabb went to six Pro Bowls and led the Eagles to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl loss in 11 seasons in Philadelphia.
"I looked at the situation in Green Bay. He's done a phenomenal job taking over for an obvious legend," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Rodgers. "I feel that way about Donovan, that Kevin is having the opportunity to take over for a legend. I looked at a lot of different situations. Most of all, I looked at Kevin and the way he handled things last year and really since he's been here.
"Aaron Rodgers is tremendous. I think he's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. All the quarterbacks are different. It's important that I sit there and spend the most time making sure I analyze Kevin and that's what we did."
Rodgers didn't get any starts playing behind ironman Favre. However, he filled in nicely when Favre got hurt during an important game at Dallas on Nov. 29, 2007. Rodgers was 18 for 26 for 201 yards and one touchdown in a 37-27 loss.
"That was a game that had playoff implications on it and when I put Aaron in the game, we didn't back off schematically," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We stayed right on the call sheet. He did a heck of a job and gave us an opportunity almost to win the game. That was a very important day for our football team."
Kolb started two games last year after McNabb got hurt in the opener. He put up impressive numbers, becoming the first player in league history to throw for 300 yards in his first two starts.
"I think it helps that he's had an opportunity to prepare himself as a starter last year and I think that will help him this year," Reid said
There's one major difference between Rodgers and Kolb. Packers fans didn't embrace Rodgers. Eagles fans are excited to see Kolb.
Favre was revered in Green Bay. Fans wanted him to stay, even though his waffling on retirement put the team in a tough spot. When Favre was traded to the New York Jets in 2008, Packers fans took out their disappointment on Rodgers. They booed him during an intrasquad scrimmage.
But Rodgers never showed any resentment and quickly made them forget about No. 4. Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards and 28 TDs in '08. Last year, he had 4,434 yards passing, 30 TDs, only seven interceptions, made the Pro Bowl and led the Packers to 11 wins.
In Philly, many of the die-hards were ready for a fresh start and they've welcomed Kolb. Though McNabb is the best quarterback in franchise history, he didn't win a Super Bowl and his personality rubbed some people the wrong way.
If Kolb struggles, however, he'll certainly hear plenty of criticism. He can draw from Rodgers' experience in Green Bay.
"I watched him when he got real tough when everybody was expecting him to say something," Kolb said. "I know that time will come for me and he handled it with great poise and that's what you have to do as a quarterback. You look now at where that's taken him."
-- Rob Maaddi
MVP talk doesn't rattle Packers QB Rodgers
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — During training camp, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers noted that the team has a different kind of swagger this year. He called it "real confidence."
Now that Rodgers enters Sunday's regular season opener in Philadelphia as a fashionable pick to become the league's MVP and lead his team on a long playoff run this year, Rodgers said his own approach hasn't changed.
"I've always had real confidence," Rodgers said, holding eye contact for emphasis.
It seems like everybody else has confidence in Rodgers, too.
After spending most of the first three years of his NFL career on the bench, Rodgers faced plenty of skepticism — even from his own fans — when the Packers traded icon-turned-malcontent Brett Favre and handed Rodgers the keys to the offense.
Rodgers played well in 2008 despite sustaining a significant shoulder injury early in the season. Rodgers then led the Packers back to the playoffs last year despite taking a league-high 50 sacks.
In two seasons as a No. 1 quarterback, Rodgers has started all 32 regular-season games, throwing 58 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. In the preseason this year, he completed 77.4 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
With Rodgers running what is shaping up as one of the NFL's best offenses, pundits are hailing him as a potential MVP. If he leads the Packers on a long playoff run, he could barge his way into conversations about the league's elite quarterbacks.
And given what he already has shown the ability to handle, wide receiver Greg Jennings said there's no reason to doubt he'll be able to deal with high expectations.
"He handles it all great," Jennings said. "No. 1, in this league, you've got to be able to handle adversity, and he's shown he can handle adverse situations. No. 2, you've got to be able to handle success, and he's shown that he can handle success. We're not worried about Aaron handling any situation."
Rodgers' ascent has become a blueprint for new Eagles starter Kevin Kolb, who will try to outduel Rodgers on Sunday after turning to him for occasional advice in the offseason.
"He has no idea how much of a fan of him I am because of what I got to see him go through and the way he handles the adversity," Kolb said. "He always took it back to football and didn't get caught up in it."
Kolb is trying to replace Donovan McNabb, and perhaps only Rodgers can understand what that's like.
"I've talked to him and definitely shared thoughts with him, I'm impressed with the way he's handled himself," Rodgers said. "He's definitely endeared himself to his team and his fan base and the coaching staff and organization by the way he's handled the whole situation, which is never the easiest situation following the guys we followed."
Rodgers, meanwhile, will gladly take the MVP talk after spending two years fielding questions about replacing Favre or taking sacks.
"I think it's a lot easier," Rodgers said. "It definitely is. But it's honestly never entered my thought process. You know, the awards and the predictions and stuff, really, I think that's preseason fodder. Just stuff to chew on while the games may not be as meaningful. But once we get into the everyday grind of the season, guys are just focused on that week."
Still, that didn't stop a few Packers players from wearing cowboy hats to a recent season kickoff luncheon — an allusion to the Super Bowl in Dallas, and an idea that apparently can be traced back to the quarterback.
"He kind of was the leader on that thing, no question," veteran tackle Mark Tauscher said.
The expectations are out there, so why not have fun with them?
"This is a fun job, but it's also a grind," Tauscher said. "You have to be able to have some fun and have laughs and I think Aaron does a great job of trying to keep guys loose when it's the appropriate time."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy made a point of embracing Super Bowl expectations at the beginning of training camp. But with a tough road opener looming, he doesn't want to hear a word about how his quarterback is considered an MVP candidate.
"I would say Aaron Rodgers is handling his business in a very professional manner, just like he has in the past," McCarthy said. "All of those types of awards, Super Bowl talk, frankly that is preseason talk. That is over in our mind. The only thing we are interested in is Philadelphia."
-- Chris Jenkins
Spotlight shines on Bears offense
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Mike Martz, you're on the spot. You, too, Jay Cutler. And the same goes for the rest of the offense.
The Chicago Bears insisted their struggles during a winless preseason were no cause for alarm, that they were simply holding back. Well, now it counts. The season opener is Sunday against Detroit, and it's time to see what they have.
"It's much easier to wire in on an opponent," Martz said. "It's a lot easier for the players. It's a lot easier to coach that way, too."
Cutler said he's confident in Martz's newly installed system, that there's "some really good stuff on film that we're building on."
"The guys had a great summer," Cutler said. "With Mike calling the plays and making sure every detail is taken care of, we're going to be good."
How soon until the offense starts clicking?
"First quarter," Cutler said.
The offense didn't exactly click in the preseason, when he got sacked 10 times behind a shaky line and led the Bears to just three scoring drives in 16 possessions before sitting out the final exhibition game. The Bears insist better days are ahead.
That hinges largely on how they adapt to Martz. Particularly Cutler, who continues to heap praise on his new offensive coordinator.
"It's similar to what I had in Denver — a high energy guy, he's very confident in his calls," Cutler said. "He's very confident in what he's going to see defensively. He's able to change rapidly. He doesn't really get stuck on stuff. He can see ahead a couple of plays what's going to happen. It makes it fun."
The Bears hired Martz hoping he could get Cutler to cut down on the interceptions after throwing a league-leading 26 last season — his first in Chicago — and provide the sort of early lift he helped give St. Louis and Detroit.
In his first year as offensive coordinator under Dick Vermeil, the 1999 Rams won the Super Bowl and produced the first of a record three straight 500-point seasons as part of "The Greatest Show on Turf." Kurt Warner threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns while starring alongside Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
Martz replaced Vermeil as head coach in 2000 and went on to produce a 56-36 record in five and a half seasons, leading the 2001 team back to the Super Bowl.
As offensive coordinator in Detroit, he coaxed the first 4,000-yard season out of Jon Kitna, and he held the same job in San Francisco in 2008. The exits in all three cases were ugly, whether it was after a reported clash with management (in St. Louis) or because of his pass-oriented ways (with the Lions and 49ers), but if the on-the-field pattern repeats itself in Chicago, the Bears could at least be in better shape this season.
If nothing else, Bears coach Lovie Smith should know exactly what he is getting, since he worked for Martz in St. Louis. So if he's rolling the dice, he understands the risk that comes with the potential reward.
Besides the knock — fair or not — that the running game gets ignored, high sack totals are also part of the equation. Cutler was quick to point out that's where new line coach Mike Tice comes in, but Tice can't protect him during the game. He's relying on left tackle Chris Williams, who struggled during the preseason, not to mention players like Frank Omiyale, Lance Louis and Roberto Garza along with veteran center Olin Kreutz, the line's longtime anchor.
"It's Week 1, we're good to go," Omiyale said.
Cutler's also relying on precise routes and timing with an unproven group of receivers.
"I love the offense," Cutler said. "I love working with Mike. We just have a limited amount of time to put in his offense and try to make it work. So that's been the struggle with the guys, trying to run an offense that we're still trying to learn."
Cutler said the Bears actually ran most of their plays during the preseason, although they had repeatedly said they were holding back, but they just weren't adjusting to the defenses. That will be one of the biggest differences come Sunday.
Martz doesn't script, say, the first 15 plays. He has an idea of what he wants to run early on, but he'll adjust depending on ball position and the defense.
"You might have to change the third play," Martz said. "If it goes as planned, then great. But you have to be flexible. We try to, in my mind, have an idea of what we want to get to — maybe not in a real order, but we're going to get to these plays. But sometimes situations change that."
-- Andrew Seligman
Lions hope to snap 20-game skid on road at Chicago
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Entering their third NFL season, Detroit Lions offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus and running back Kevin Smith can't remember winning on the road.
It's understandable.
Both were still in college the last time it happened.
Detroit has lost 20 straight games on the road, the fourth-longest losing skid in league history. The last win came Oct. 28, 2007, at Chicago and the Bears are the opponent this Sunday in the season-opener for both.
Cherilus, who played at Boston College, is confident he won't have to endure another season without winning away from the Motor City.
"I don't like to make guarantees, but I promise you we'll end the streak," Cherilus said Wednesday.
Smith is sure, too, that he will experience a victory on the road for the first time since he played at Central Florida.
"We've got a lot of new players and a relatively new team," Smith said. "Guys are excited to get that negative stuff out of their minds to move forward with this team."
The Lions, who won just two games at home last season and none anywhere the previous year as the NFL's first 0-16 team, have revamped their roster. Detroit quickly signed the top two free agents it wanted — defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and receiver Nate Burleson — during a busy offseason.
The Lions also added a slew of veterans, including tight end Tony Scheffler, guard Rob Sims, defensive tackle Corey Williams along with cornerbacks Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade. They drafted two players in the first round — defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and running back Jahvid Best — hoping they would make an instant impact.
If Detroit doesn't win in Week 1, its road to end the streak doesn't get any easier with matchups at Minnesota, Green Bay and the New York Giants. If the Lions lose those four games, they'll tie the NFL record for consecutive road losses set by their floundering franchise from 2001 through 2003.
The Houston Oilers lost 23 straight road games from 1981-84 and the Buffalo Bills, the fifth team Detroit will travel to play this season, dropped 22 in a row from 1983-86.
Lions center Dominic Raiola, who has been a part of both the record-breaking skid and the current one, said beating the Bears would give the team and its economically depressed city a big boost before its home opener in Week 2 against Philadelphia.
"It would be huge for this organization and I think it would be even bigger for this city because Ford Field would be rocking next week," Raiola said. "I know we're focused on this week, but just think about it. If we win this week, how are they not going to sell out Ford Field? There's already so much excitement."
Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said his current players shouldn't be saddled with the lack of success previous teams have had.
"You can't hold these guys accountable for what has happened in the past," Schwartz said.
Raiola agreed.
"It's a totally different team," he said. "It's so unfair to associate it with all these guys — some of them were in college or different teams — with the losing streak."
-- Larry Lage
Don't worry, Panthers insist, about offensive woes
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — When asked about Carolina's offensive woes on Wednesday, DeAngelo Williams responded with a question of his own.
"In the preseason?" Williams asked. "You're talking about the preseason?"
Yes, the preseason. The Panthers did go the entire preseason without scoring an offensive touchdown — the first NFL team in at least 14 years to do that. Still, Williams shook his head and declared he wasn't concerned. Why?
"Indianapolis Colts. They're what, 2-28 in the preseason and haven't lost more than three or four games in the regular season," Williams said. "Granted, we're different than the Indianapolis Colts, but it's the preseason. I told a lot of people we're saving all our touchdowns for the regular season."
The Panthers can only hope so. With star receiver Steve Smith and running back Jonathan Stewart ready to play in Sunday's season opener at the New York Giants after sitting out all four exhibition games, the Panthers think they can "flip a switch" and become the offensive juggernaut they were at the end of last season.
"That's the plan," quarterback Matt Moore said.
Moore, taking over following Jake Delhomme's offseason release, was 4-1 as a starter late in 2009. It included outplaying Minnesota's Brett Favre in a late-season game and throwing for three touchdowns in Carolina's 41-9 rout of the Giants. Stewart added a franchise-record 206 yards rushing in the Giants' final game at their old stadium.
Now Carolina is the opponent for the Giants in the first game in their new, $1.6 billion home, but it comes after the Panthers went 52 preseason possessions without reaching the end zone. Moore had a passer rating of just 56.1 and no clear No. 2 receiver emerged.
"Anytime you're playing a game you want to see everything go right," Stewart said of the preseason, which he sat out following heel surgery. "But preseason is over with and once the regular season starts everything is a different speed, a different level of competition, so you can expect totally different things. I'm expecting the best."
So is Smith, the speedy, four-time Pro Bowl pick who declared himself fit after going through practice Wednesday. Smith scored a touchdown against New York last season before breaking his left arm. He broke the same arm in a different spot playing flag football in June. The arm, now held together by three plates and about 20 screws, kept him out of the preseason.
"If I dig deep enough I can feel all the screws up and down but other than that it's not bad," Smith said. "It's kind of weird but it's all right."
Stewart, who combined with Williams to become the first NFL teammates to each rush for over 1,100 yards, said he feels good after being "literally, on my last leg" late last season.
But there are still concerns. The Panthers practiced Wednesday without right tackle Jeff Otah, who had arthroscopic knee surgery last month. Geoff Schwartz is expected to start in his place Sunday.
Rookie Brandon LaFell or the disappointing Dwayne Jarrett is expected to start at receiver. The five receivers after Smith have combined for just 34 NFL catches and one touchdown. All had trouble holding onto balls and getting open in the preseason, meaning Smith could see constant double teams and bracket coverage.
The receivers aren't alone in being inexperienced on the NFL's youngest roster.
"Because we have such young guys, that's the reason why we didn't score any touchdowns in the preseason," Williams said. "It's a mesh thing. You've got to mesh with the younger guys, and once you've get the unit all together, then it flows a lot better. We didn't have Steve Smith. We didn't have all our guys, all our bullets."
The Panthers also showed little of their playbook. They focused on routine passing plays to get the receivers work, throwing 146 times to 91 running plays. The Panthers would like to reverse those numbers with Williams, Stewart and a stout offensive line.
So Williams insisted there should be no panicking about Carolina producing just 899 yards and seven field goals in four exhibitions.
"Because what we did last year and how we did it last year," Williams explained. "We beat a Vikings team last year with Matt Moore. We beat a New York Giants team with Matt Moore. We came close to beating a New England team. New Orleans Saints, granted they didn't have Drew Brees, but it's hard to get a win in this league.
"That's what makes me optimistic. I know what he's capable of doing."
Notes: CB Captain Munnerlyn said he'll return punts Sunday. It's an area that produced preseason headaches, including miscues by rookie Armanti Edwards. "Right now I'm the No. 1 guy, so I'm expected to do some things back there," Munnerlyn said. "Hopefully, I can take one to the house." ... DE Tyler Brayton (ankle) returned to practice and is expected to start Sunday against the Giants. ... RB Tyrell Sutton (shoulder) sat out practice. ... LT Jordan Gross joins Smith as the other offensive captain. Brayton and LB Jon Beason were voted defensive captains and K John Kasay special teams captain. Fox will pick a sixth captain each game. ... The Panthers released G C.J. Davis after reaching an injury settlement. He was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a concussion.
-- Mike Cranston
Youth movement makes Panthers NFL's youngest team
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers weren't fooling around when they started their youth movement. It's produced the NFL's youngest team.
According to STATS LLC, Carolina's average age of 25 years, 233 days is the most youthful in the league based on Wednesday's 53-man rosters. It comes after the Panthers shed numerous veterans — and payroll — in the offseason. Carolina then kept nine of 10 draft picks and undrafted rookie defensive tackle Andre Neblett.
"You can tell a little bit. I think that's good and bad," said running back DeAngelo Williams, one of only 14 players with four or more years of NFL experience. "We've got youthful legs, they don't have as many miles as a lot of the teams have. But with that comes maybe mental mistakes."
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the second youngest team at 26 years, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars at 26 years, 31 days, the Miami Dolphins at 26 years, 121 days and the Houston Texans at 26 years, 150 days.
The oldest team is the Washington Redskins with an average age of 28 years, 69 days. To compare, only six of Carolina's 53 players are 28 or older. Receiver Steve Smith, at 31, is the oldest non-special teams player and one of only five players over 30.
Panthers management bristles when asked if it's not a youth movement, but a cheap movement, just as owner Jerry Richardson is set to play a key role in labor negotiations with a lockout possible in 2011.
"The players we kept didn't have anything to do with money," general manager Marty Hurney said.
But Carolina was much older, and had a much larger payroll, in 2009. Since then the Panthers decided to let five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers (30 years old) leave in free agency. Seven-year starting quarterback Jake Delhomme (35) was cut. So was fullback Brad Hoover (33), defensive tackles Damione Lewis (32) and Maake Kemoeatu (31) and linebacker Na'il Diggs (32). Receiver Muhsin Muhammad (37) and guard Keydrick Vincent (32) weren't re-signed. Safety Chris Harris (28) was traded.
While it allowed Carolina to avoid taking a salary-cap hit in a non-capped year by releasing veterans with big deals, Hurney insists it was part of a plan to get younger, faster and more homegrown. The Panthers have 35 of their own draft picks on the 53-man roster.
"We feel good about our team in general and the young players we have and their skill level and what they can bring to us," Hurney said. "A lot of the people I've talked to I think are very excited about the energy and the competitiveness that all of our young players have shown in the preseason."
But the Panthers became the first team in at least 14 years not to score an offensive touchdown in the preseason. After Smith, Carolina's five other receivers have combined for 34 career catches and one touchdown. Starting quarterback Matt Moore has eight career starts, and his two backups have none.
That means the Panthers will likely lean on Williams and Smith, who has become a virtual old-timer in the locker room.
"I'm not the oldest guy. John Kasay is the oldest guy," Smith said Wednesday.
Told he's the oldest position player, Smith argued that Kasay, Carolina's 40-year-old kicker "is a position" just as Kasay walked by his locker.
"There he is. There's the oldest guy," Smith said.
Kasay didn't break stride, but had a short reply.
"Just to make you feel good," he said.
-- Mike Cranston
Fitzgerald healthy, ready for Cardinals opener
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Larry Fitzgerald is back in practice and, even in a knee brace, will provide new quarterback Derek Anderson a welcome big-play target when the Arizona Cardinals open the season Sunday in St. Louis.
Fitzgerald has started all 92 games, plus each of Arizona's eight postseason contests, since he came into the NFL, and he and his coach have every intention of keeping that streak intact.
"He was moving along just fine," coach Ken Whisenhunt said after Wednesday's practice, Fitzgerald's second of the week. "He is progressing very well. I know he's ready to play because it's been tough for him to watch the last two weeks."
Fitzgerald sat out the final three preseason games after spraining his right knee on a nasty hit from Houston's Eugene Wilson in Arizona's preseason opener Aug. 14. The injury occurred as Fitzgerald caught a pass over the middle from Matt Leinart. Fitzgerald stayed in for another series and reciprocated a big hit on Wilson, then left the game.
Fitzgerald said that the coaching staff insisted on a cautious approach to his injury.
"I wanted to go earlier," he said, "but they kept holding me out and I think that was good. Injured, you can be worst enemy sometimes. "
Fitzgerald enters his seventh NFL season acknowledged as among the top receivers in the game. Now, though, he must adjust to the absence of fellow standout receiver Anquan Boldin and, most significantly, quarterback Kurt Warner. Boldin was traded to Baltimore and Warner retired.
No matter, Fitzgerald said.
"I've got to continue to raise my level of play," he said. "No matter what's going on around me, I have to go out there and do my job and win and be somebody that my teammates can count on to make plays for them, week in and week out. That's what I pride myself on."
Fitzgerald was elected one of the offense's captains for the second year in a row.
"I'm honored to have that," he said. "I just want to make sure I'm carrying the flag positively every single week and doing the things a captain should do."
Fitzgerald seems comfortable in the leadership role in what he has said could be the mid-point of his career. Once shy of the press, he is exceedingly accommodating these days. Back from his annual overseas summer trip, this one to Asia, he gave 2-year-old son Devin rides on his Segway after training camp workouts. The two also were fixtures courtside at Phoenix Suns games.
Maturation, he said, "is just something that happens" with time.
He emphatically denied rumors that he had urged the coaches to go with Anderson over Leinart, who was released by the team Saturday and has signed with Houston.
"I want to clear the air on that one," Fitzgerald said. "I had nothing to do with that. Somebody told me I was pulling for Derek. I've never taken a snap with Derek, so how can I vouch for a man that I haven't even played with. ... I think it's unfair to point (to) me as somebody that would do that. I just want to win. I believe in coach Whisenhunt and what he's done here over the years.
"Your job is not to talk in the media or have an opinion. It's your job to go out there and produce and do what you're asked to do."
Fitzgerald must make an adjustment from Warner, one of the best touch passers in NFL history, to the rocket arm of Anderson.
"We play receiver," he said. "If it comes hard, we've got to catch it. If it comes soft, we've got to catch it. If it's high, we've got to catch it. If it's low, we've got to catch it. It's part of our job description. As long the ball's coming my way, you're never going to hear me complain."
The ball has come his way more than often, with spectacular results, since he was drafted No. 3 overall as a 19-year-old out of the University of Pittsburgh.
In week 15 of last season, he became the youngest player in NFL history — at 26 years, 111 days — to reach 7,000 yards receiving. Since 2005, he has more receptions (465) and yards receiving (6,287) than anyone else in the league. In the playoffs two years ago, he shattered most receiving records.
Last year, despite new defensive schemes designed to take away his downfield plays, he topped 1,000 yards receiving for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in his six NFL seasons. His 13 touchdown catches were a career best and tied for the most in the league.
Still, it's not enough for a player who seems driven to be acknowledged as one of the best.
"Every day I step out on the practice field, I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make sure I'm doing the best and I'm following the lead of the best," he said, "guys like Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter, Michael Irvin, Tim Brown. They set the blueprint on what it was to be a great receiver. All I have to do is try to follow it the best way I can."
-- Bob Baum
49ers ready to see former GM McCloughan, Seahawks
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Players and club officials switch teams so regularly these days it's not uncommon to line up against a familiar face any given week during the course of a 16-game NFL season.
Or see an old friend on the sidelines before kickoff and say hello.
When the favored San Francisco 49ers open the season at NFC West rival Seattle on Sunday, it will be a little different. The Seahawks recently signed departed San Francisco defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer and, shortly after, wide receiver Brandon Jones before waiving him on cutdown day. Then on Monday, they added running back Michael Robinson.
A big reason they have all headed to the Pacific Northwest: Scot McCloughan. He is another Niners castoff.
McCloughan, who abruptly left the 49ers in March in what team president Jed York called a "mutual parting," is finding ways to boost the Seahawks with players he already knows so well.
"It's one of those situations you have someone like Scot McCloughan there, maybe it eases some of the fact of not knowing some of our guys," San Francisco coach Mike Singletary said Wednesday. "I'm sure Scot has really talked about the personality of our guys. That's really what a team wants to know more than anything else. He may be a great player but is he a player that we can rattle? Is he a player that we can get to? And Scot knows those things. But I just think that once again, in the final analysis, the most important thing for us is to go up there — we're not going to change anything."
How McCloughan's expertise on the 49ers might help come Sunday is anybody's guess. Perhaps not at all, yet it sure could appear to be advantageous.
Then, there's also longtime Niners linebacker Jeff Ulbrich helping coach Seattle's special teams unit as an assistant.
"I put in a call to Jeff threatening him to keep his mouth shut," 49ers quarterback Alex Smith joked Wednesday.
Singletary knows San Francisco must take care of its business, something the 49ers didn't do often while struggling away from Candlestick Park last year. They lost six straight road games, five in a row by a combined 19 points, before winning their season finale at St. Louis. That stretch included a 20-17 loss at Seattle in early December in which San Francisco gave the game away late.
"They have several of our players, some of our players that are really bright guys," Singletary said. "You know Jeff Ulbrich, Mike Robinson. Robinson knows our offense as well as anybody, and Jeff knows our defense as well as anybody. But at the same time, it's just a matter of us going up there and being prepared to play and to focus on the details of what we have to do."
McCloughan caught on with the Seahawks as a senior personnel executive in June, now working as the right-hand man to general manager John Schneider. McCloughan is someone Schneider considers a top talent evaluator, and McCloughan worked as Seattle's director of college scouting from 2000-04.
"It makes sense when you look at it. To have Scot go up there in the personnel department, they're the same guys he evaluated and brought here," Smith said. "It makes sense he would give them a shot up there."
When Balmer refused to show up at training camp for a week last month, the Niners traded their 2008 first-round draft pick out of North Carolina to Seattle. After San Francisco cut Jones, he briefly earned another shot with the Seahawks. Robinson, the former Penn State quarterback who had been the 49ers' special teams captain, got a fresh start with a division opponent.
"It's kind of what you expect because most of the guys he drafted them, so of course he likes them," receiver Josh Morgan said of McCloughan's influence. "He drafted them for a reason."
Since McCloughan and the 49ers parted ways, San Francisco's football operations have been run by Trent Baalke. He was responsible for selecting two offensive linemen with the team's first-round draft picks in April, and both Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati will make their NFL debuts at Qwest Field on Sunday as starters on the Niners' revamped offensive line.
Until recently, McCloughan's name marking his parking place was still visible despite efforts to cover it up — though now it is completely blacked out. It's Baalke's spot these days.
McCloughan did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment. He has been traveling regularly in recent weeks, according to first-year Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Carroll has found McCloughan helpful.
"Scot has answered the questions we've asked of him and given us information whenever needed," Carroll said. "We have picked up a couple guys from San Francisco and we feel like we did have some good background info. That happens often, guys who have been in other programs have information on guys or relationships that help you. That is something Scot did offer us a little bit uniquely."
The 49ers hired McCloughan in February 2005 to supervise their personnel department for Mike Nolan, a career assistant coach who was improbably given total control of the club's football operations by owner John York, Jed's father and the brother-in-law of former owner Eddie DeBartolo.
McCloughan became San Francisco's GM in January 2008.
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck doesn't think too much of all the current Seattle connections to the 49ers.
"Scot, I think I've seen him one time in the cafeteria," Hasselbeck said Wednesday. "Quite honestly, we're just trying so hard to get on our stuff in terms of getting to know each other. We've got a new offense, all that stuff."
Notes: Nate Davis, the third-string QB before being released Monday, was signed to the practice squad. San Francisco cut QB Jarrett Brown to make roster room. ... Smith was named a captain. ... The Niners spent the morning workout with crowd noise in an effort to prepare the young players for what they'll face Sunday. "We need to get them all the noise that we can feed them, and that's not even enough," Singletary said.
-- Janie McCauley
Williams ready to make start for Seattle
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Entitlement is a tricky topic for Seattle's Mike Williams.
When he was young and brash, Williams felt a certain sense of it. He was, after all, taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft by the struggling Detroit Lions, expected to be the big play threat the Lions offense lacked after two standout seasons at Southern California.
And now that he's 26, spent the past two seasons out of the NFL and has his college coach to thank for a chance to resurrect his career, Williams is fighting another perception of entitlement — that the association with Pete Carroll is the only reason he's back in football.
"A lot of people think this is because of my relationship with coach Carroll that the position was given to me, that was his old coach so of course it was going to work out this way," Williams said on Wednesday. "I just think the only thing I can take from it is how I've controlled my emotions, how I've handled the situation. Every day is a new day. Every day is an audition all over for me."
Williams' attempt at putting to rest his first three lackluster NFL seasons begins Sunday. He'll start for Seattle when the Seahawks open the season at home against San Francisco.
It'll be the first time in Williams' career he's an opening day starter — and he understands the significance. It's validation of the work he put in to get back into football after ballooning to 270 pounds. It's affirmation of the chance Carroll and Seattle general manager John Schneider took in the spring to give Williams another opportunity.
"I'm here to prove that if given the opportunity you give me this is what you are going to get," Williams said. "That was going to be the case with any team, whether that was coming to play for coach Carroll or going to play for another coach. They were going to get the same because that's what I wanted to bring to the table."
What Williams brings is speed, size and youth. At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Williams is instantly one of the largest receivers in the NFL, but with the speed to shed defenders and turn short passes into touchdowns. He did just that in Seattle's preseason opener against Tennessee, taking a short hitch and turning it into a 51-yard touchdown.
Carroll and Schneider were so impressed with how Williams performed during the preseason, they felt comfortable cutting loose veteran T.J. Houshmandzadeh — eating more than $6 million in the process — and giving Williams the starting nod.
"He has been impeccably directed throughout this whole time. He has just been a tremendous competitor in every way that he could present himself," Carroll said. "I was probably tougher on him than anybody because of my background with him and knowing him and knowing inside of it and all, and probably more thrilled than anybody to see him get to this point where he's got a significant role to play on this team now."
The reconnection between Carroll and Williams first started last fall when Carroll was still at USC and Williams stopped by campus. Carroll noticed the weight Williams gained after he was released by Tennessee at the end of the 2007 season had started to disappear. Williams spoke of rededicating himself to getting another shot in the NFL.
Carroll then came to Seattle and wanted to see if Williams was true to his word.
"I really had to wait and see. There was some time, I've even reserved my judgment on this all the way through the OTA season and see how Mike was and if he was really dead serious about this," Carroll said.
Williams caught 10 passes and averaged more than 17 yards per catch in his limited preseason action. It was nearly a quarter of the receptions Williams has in his NFL career, hauling in just 44 passes in his three seasons with Detroit, Oakland and Tennessee.
Sunday will be the first time Williams takes the field in a regular season game since Dec. 9, 2007. His last catch came in October 2007 while Williams was with the Raiders.
"I don't look at it as my last chance. This is the chance that is presented to me right now," Williams said. "If I can take anything it's that I've stayed focused, kept my nose down and just tried to take care of what I can take care of and that is being the right guy in this locker room."
-- Tim Booth
Clayton thinks he can be ready Sunday
ST. LOUIS (AP) — After one practice, new St. Louis Rams wide receiver Mark Clayton thought he'd be ready in time for Sunday's opener against Arizona.
Rookie quarterback Sam Bradford was optimistic, too, after seeing Clayton in action on Wednesday. Bradford said it appeared Clayton already had a "great grasp" of the offense.
"He didn't ask a lot of questions," Bradford said. "He just got in the huddle, I called the play and he knew where to go, knew where to line up and knew what to run.
"I think he's got a lot of speed. I think if we can get him the ball, he can definitely do some things with it."
Coach Steve Spagnuolo also thought Clayton was a quick learner after noting he knew where to line up during a pre-practice walkthrough.
The Rams acquired Clayton on Monday from the Baltimore Ravens, who needed to make room for T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He adds needed experience at the position, especially after deep threat Donnie Avery was lost with a knee injury in the preseason.
Clayton and Bradford are both Oklahoma products and worked together on some 7 on 7 drills the summer before Bradford's junior year with the Sooners. Clayton text messaged Bradford after he signed with the Rams as the No. 1 pick.
The veteran receiver had gotten a crash course on the offense from coaches to ease the learning curve, and told them he didn't care where he lined up, just that he played.
"I've been all over," he said. "Backfield, running, I can throw it, kick it. Whatever you need."
Clayton has nine 100-yard receiving games, most in Ravens history, and in 2006 he caught 67 passes for a team-leading 939 yards and five touchdowns. His reception totals declined each season after that and he's looking forward to a fresh start with the Rams.
"You've got to have the ball thrown your way to catch them," Clayton said. "What matters is right now and what matters is moving in the right direction and winning games."
Before the trade, Clayton was with a playoff team. He didn't seem to mind landing with a team that landed the No. 1 pick.
"The difference between a champion and a team that has won a game is very minute," he said. "It all comes down to just details, fundamentals and being consistent It's not killing yourself, especially for this offense."
NOTES: Players voted running back Steven Jackson and free safety Oshiomoghe Atogwe team captains for the season. Spagnuolo will name two additional captains each week, with long snapper Chris Massey and defensive end James Hall honored for the opener. ... Strong safety James Butler (knee) returned to limited participation but the starter will be Craig Dahl, who made eight starts last season. ... Former Oklahoma RB Allen Patrick, who's bounced around several NFL rosters the last three seasons, was signed to the practice squad.
-- R.B. Fallstrom
