Black and Blue Review
What Does It Look Like When a 6’5″ Man Rides a Small Motorbike?
Hardy’s Awkward Timing
I t’s completely understandable Greg Hardy couldn’t touch questions about his legal situation, and if he didn’t feel the need to apologize for the negative publicity the case has brought to the Panthers, ok. He still has the right to a jury trial, which may — sometime in 2015 — clear his name.
What was strange, and honestly, inappropriate for the setting, was the defensive end felt his first public comments since he was found guilty by a North Carolina judge in his domestic violence case was a good time to promote himself.
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Transcript of Hardy’s Press Conference
Media: “Have you talked to your teammates, just to clear the air? And what kind of support have you felt from them?”
Hardy: “I can’t answer that question.”
Media: “Are you concerned the events of the last couple months would hurt your ability to stay here?”
Hardy: “I can’t answer that question.”
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Former Teammates Exchange Friendly Barbs
S ince the Panthers’ playoff loss to the 49ers in January, longtime left tackle Jordan Gross has dropped 70 pounds. But not everyone is impressed.
“I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of it. I think he looks kind of weird. He looks really unhealthy,” Panthers’ center Ryan Kalil joked.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
OBSERVATIONS
- QB Cam Newton looked sharper than he did during the Panthers’ first two practices. One thing that hasn’t seemed to be an issue yet is his timing with WR Kelvin Benjamin.
- QB Derek Anderson had a great day throwing the ball, but the second-team offensive line struggled, so Anderson was fortunate it wasn’t live game action.
- RB Kenjon Barner, WR Philly Brown and CB Antoine Cason all dropped punts Sunday. The Panthers had to let Ted Ginn go — it would have been foolish to match Arizona’s money — but the early results from the current options could make one yearn for the days of Chris Gamble’s limited punt returns.
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PLAYERS OF THE DAY
OFFENSE
WR Kelvin Benjamin: So many plays. While he hasn’t been in a true competitive setting yet, for what it’s worth, he’s looked the part of a first-round pick nearly all summer.
DEFENSE
DT Kawann Short: He’s carried the momentum from the end of last year into his second season. Short’s great Sunday included his steamrolling of T Oscar Johnson in a one-on-one drill (which you can watch in the video below).
QUOTES TO NOTE
Click on a name to reveal quotes.
“It was a little sloppy, and I think part of it is getting to understand what our tempo is now that we are in pads. I talked about that with the guys after practice. They have to understand how we practice in pads. I expect a better practice tomorrow.”
On the early struggles of the punt returners
“The thing we have to understand is first and foremost, we’ve got to catch the ball … I could care less if we fair caught it every time, but we need to catch it.”
Why he’d like to make a call on offensive tackle after the first two preseason games
“Buffalo is a good pass-rushing team. I hope they play their first bunch of pass-rushers a good spell. Kansas City is a good pass-rushing team as well. The real true test will be against good pass-rushing players and teams when we get into the preseason.”
When asked if he wants fullback Mike Tolbert, who lost 13 pounds this offseason, to be fat
“I want Mike to be round.”
“The weight was a hindrance in the past, so now that I’ve dropped it and I’m feeling great, I don’t see a reason to put it back on. I took it off the right way, and getting it off the right way is definitely helping me.”
On how his summer workouts helped his conditioning
“I feel like I can run for days. And you usually don’t see short, fat guys that can do that.”
When asked to describe his boxing style
“My boxing style is a little bit Tyson mixed with Mayweather.”
“I’m like a fine wine. No, I’m just kidding.”
On why he chose to sign with the Panthers, “an organization that cares about people”
“You can sit down and talk to Dave Gettleman for 20 minutes each and every day. He’ll just sit down and talk to you. You really don’t see access to GMs and things like that around this league. Our head coach is in the locker room more than any other head coach I’ve had combined at any level.
When asked if he had better hair than WR Tiquan Underwood
“No. I have no hair.” (laughs)
“A lot of people didn’t give us a chance last year. And this offseason, a lot of people have questions. There’s a competition aspect that I haven’t seen here in a couple years.”
On the slimmed-down Jordan Gross
“He doesn’t even look like a normal person. It’s weird. You know when they draw those stick figures? That’s what he looks like.”
“I’ve been asked if my brother plays pro football. I don’t even have a brother. People look at me funny. I was actually out on our boat and this girl said, ‘Are you Jordan Gross?’ and I said, ‘No. He’s fatter than I am.’ And she said, ‘Yeah and you’re probably better at football than him, too.'”
