HEALTH WATCH
- TE Greg Olsen was held out after he suffered back spasms on Sunday. Coach Ron Rivera indicated Olsen could miss Tuesday’s practice as well.
- DE Charles Johnson went inside near the end of practice to get an IV on a very hot morning in Spartanburg. RB Fozzy Whittaker and DT Kyle Love also left early for undisclosed reasons.
- S Dean Marlowe, who’s nursing a sore hamstring, missed his fourth straight practice. “Slowly,” Rivera answered when asked about Marlowe's recovery. “Not as fast as I wish he would, and I'd like to see him get back on the field a little bit sooner.”
- WR Brenton Bersin (ribs), TE Ed Dickson (groin), OL Chris Scott (undisclosed), DE Rakim Cox (back), DE Larry Webster (hamstring) and LB Ben Jacobs (ankle) remained out.
- DT Paul Soliai had a veteran’s day off.
PLAY OF THE DAY
If there were an MVP of OTAs and minicamp, it would have been WR Devin Funchess. Same thing for training camp.
Funchess, who in the preseason opener used his big frame to catch the Panthers' lone touchdown, did it again Monday. This time, as Funchess was sprinting down the sideline, he held off CB Robert McClain to catch a touchdown toss from QB Cam Newton.
PLAYER NOTES
- WR Kelvin Benjamin continues to slowly add reps. Rivera said the hope is for Benjamin to play about 30 snaps in the Panthers’ third preseason game against the Patriots.
- WR Stephen Hill finished the second team's 2-minute drill with a touchdown catch over LB Brian Blechen.
- WR Keyarris Garrett had a drop versus McClain in 1-on-1s, but Garrett bounced back in team drills with an impressive grab against CB Lou Young.
- WR LaRon Byrd had his best day of camp. The Miami (Fl.) product laid out to snag a deep ball from QB Derek Anderson in a 2-minute drill, and a bit later, he appeared to get both feet in bounds while leaping for a touchdown pass from QB Joe Webb in the back corner of the end zone.
- OT Daryl Williams hasn’t made up much ground on starting RT Mike Remmers.
“I'd love to see him push Remmers even more,” Rivera said. “But to Mike's credit, Mike is having a very good camp. Mike had a really good OTAs and minicamp and he's continued that pace.”
- DE Wes Horton did a good job keeping his contain when WR Philly Brown came his way on a reverse.
- LB David Mayo had a couple good reps in 1-on-1s. He first helped cause an incompletion by sticking with RB Fozzy Whittaker about 30 yards downfield. Mayo later forced RB Jonathan Stewart to make a 1-handed catch for what would have been a minimal gain near the sideline.
- CB Daryl Worley went 2-for-2 in 1-on-1s, knocking away passes intended for Hill and Garrett.
- CB James Bradberry ended practice by picking off a Newton pass that was tipped by LB Shaq Thompson.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
This practice was much quieter than the two over the weekend, especially Sunday’s, which saw tempers rise to their highest level this camp. Monday wasn’t completely calm, though, as Brown and linebacker Thomas Davis went back-and-forth in the day’s final team drill.
“It got a little chippy at the very, very end, but they can't help themselves,” Rivera said. “They're going to find a way to chirp. That's who they are. They want to compete, stomp their feet, make some noise, get a little attention — so we let them do it.”
On the first four plays of the second team drill of practice, Newton checked down twice and held the ball twice. But it wasn't necessarily a sign of an offense that was shut down.
“The defense was working on some new things,” Rivera said, “and when you’re not game-planning and they throw something at you, it can be tough. That’s where being stymied came from.”
It was pretty clear Thursday night, but Rivera confirmed RB Brandon Wegher “did not have a lot of room to run” against the Ravens. Wegher gained just 13 yards on 10 carries.
According to Webb, Remmers, Davis, Benjamin and LT Michael Oher make up the final four of the Panthers’ annual training camp P-I-G tournament.