The Carolina Panthers had their annual Fan Fest today at Bank of America Stadium. Admission was free to the stadium, but parking wasn't ($5.00). I thought about trying to find a parking space on the side of a road in Charlotte, but I learned my lesson a few years ago with the Bobcats. I thought that I was in a legal parking spot, but the no parking sign was hidden. They towed the car that day and it cost over $100.00 for parking that day. Five dollars today wasn't so bad.
I got to my seat around 10:40 and the refs were on the field warming up before the scrimmage. I was not sure if they were plotting how to make bad calls, or if they were checking the over/under line on upcoming games. I guess time will tell on that.
The 2007 Topcats came out to entertain the crowd for a few minutes. Sir Purr joined them later, but I did not get a good picture of the Panther's Mascot. I know whoever was inside of Sir Purr's costume had to lose 10-15lbs today. It was very warm and humid this morning and I would have not wanted to be in that costume today. I could use the weight loss, but I don't want to lose it that way. I hope that the new Topcats will not be traveling to anymore road games like those 2 did a few years ago in Tampa. It gave the Topcats a bad name but sure made the comedians happy for weeks.
At 11:00am, the Panthers finally came out on the field. They went through their typical football stretching and routine. It was cool to hear young kids around me talking about how they do the same drills and stretching. I know that helps the kids to relate to the pro players. One of the kids asked if they had to do "six inches" too, but the Panthers did not do that one to their disappointment.
The team then broke into individual group skill drills, and it was great to see John Kasay still with the Panthers. John is the only original Panther left from our first team (1995). He is 37 years old, so he has a few more years left. I think he is better today than he was when he got there. He was hitting field goals over 50 yards in practice, and ever tried a 63 yarder and missed by just a few yards. He is the 17th on the NFL All Time Scoring List. I know kickers do not usually make the Hall of Fame, but it would be nice if he can somehow pull it off.
I guess this was the most important thing of training camp. Steve Smith was able to participate. He injured his hamstring last year, and missed the first 2 regular season games for us last year. He is one of the most exciting players in the NFL and I'll never forget that TD against the Rams in OT on our way to the Super Bowl in 03. I enjoy hearing Steve Smith on WFNZ during the season also. He is a guest on the Morning Sports Page on a regular basis.
Jake Delhomme looked good at Fan Fest today in my opinion. He completed a high percentage of his passes in the passing drills, and he led the offense to a TD on their first drive of the scrimmage. It was good to see him not throw it to the defense, but the it was practice. Jake has a history of winning close games down the stretch (see 03) and of losing them too (see 06). It will be very important that he gets back to the "Got Jake" days. I saw some of those "Got Jake" t-shirts at the stadium today. They were very popular a few years ago.
I know that I'm excited to have David Carr as our backup, after year of having Chris Weinke. He looked a little nervous today, and I think that Jake Delhomme did look better that Carr today. Carr did not lead the offense to a touchdown in his scrimmage time, but he did make some good passes. He is an improvement over Weinke. It was very interesting to see the new philosophy of the offensive coordinator in action. Jake and Carr both had completions to the Tight End. I know it's amazing because I don't think we have used a Tight End since Wesley Walls. Wesley was one of my favorite Panthers "back in the day". I wonder what he is up to today, because you never hear anything about him. The tight end getting the catches was Jeff King, a second year player from VT.
In conclusion, I think the Panthers will have a good year and I'm excited that football is just around the corner. The Panthers play the Giants next Saturday for their first preseason game.
I love this final picture as you can see Old Glory surrounded by the North and South Carolina flags. I know that I'm proud to be an American and from the "Carolinas".
God Bless America!!!
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