Black and Blue Review
- THE RETURN OF THE BACK
- LOOK, BUT DON'T TOUCH
- SPARTANBURG'S MISSING SUN
- FIGHT!?
- HARDER THAN RIDING A BIKE
- PANTHERS DE LA CAROLINE
Sunday, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart walked down the path to practice with a helmet in hand for the first time since May. Monday, he not only had a helmet, but he was also in full pads for the first time since December. Then he took some hits. 
“It’s just like a fight. You’re not going to win your first fight unless you’ve been in one — unless you’re lucky and the guy can’t fight,” Stewart said after Monday’s padded practice. “Today was a good first step for me.” The oft-injured Stewart, who tweaked a hamstring shortly before the starting of training camp, is back. And while his doubters will understandably need more time before they turn into believers, the seventh-year back claims he hasn’t felt this good since the end of the 2011 season. “My running motion coming out the gate, making cuts, was as fluid as I’ve been in a while, which is good. I don’t have to second-guess anything,” Stewart said. If you haven’t memorized the numbers by now, you’re at least familiar with them. Stewart had nagging injuries his first four seasons, but he only missed two games. Then, after receiving a contract extension, he sat out 17 games the last two seasons. If healthy, Stewart is arguably the Panthers’ best running back and one of the team’s top-five offensive weapons. Of course, “if” is a rather large caveat. So while many fans are taking a wait-and-see approach before getting too excited, Stewart’s doing the same. “My number-one goal is to play in our preseason game this week,” the 27-year-old said. “My thing is to take one step at a time – one day at a time, one week at a time, one game at a time – and not really get ahead of myself.”
“It’s just like a fight. You’re not going to win your first fight unless you’ve been in one — unless you’re lucky and the guy can’t fight,” Stewart said after Monday’s padded practice. “Today was a good first step for me.” The oft-injured Stewart, who tweaked a hamstring shortly before the starting of training camp, is back. And while his doubters will understandably need more time before they turn into believers, the seventh-year back claims he hasn’t felt this good since the end of the 2011 season. “My running motion coming out the gate, making cuts, was as fluid as I’ve been in a while, which is good. I don’t have to second-guess anything,” Stewart said. If you haven’t memorized the numbers by now, you’re at least familiar with them. Stewart had nagging injuries his first four seasons, but he only missed two games. Then, after receiving a contract extension, he sat out 17 games the last two seasons. If healthy, Stewart is arguably the Panthers’ best running back and one of the team’s top-five offensive weapons. Of course, “if” is a rather large caveat. So while many fans are taking a wait-and-see approach before getting too excited, Stewart’s doing the same. “My number-one goal is to play in our preseason game this week,” the 27-year-old said. “My thing is to take one step at a time – one day at a time, one week at a time, one game at a time – and not really get ahead of myself.”
Cam Newton’s legs have also returned. Well, mostly. The quarterback has been cleared to take off running during plays, but through two practices, he hasn’t yet brought out his complete rushing skill set. And there’s likely to be some worrisome moments with Newton’s surgically repaired left ankle in the preseason, and even through the first few weeks of the year. Case-in-point: During Monday’s practice, Newton limped around for a few seconds after he got caught up with guard Amini Silatolu. Head coach Ron Rivera then had to remind his guys to be more cautious around the team’s most-prized possession. “I talked to them and tried to get everybody to understand that we have to be stout upfront, but as we pass rush we’ve got to realize where the quarterback is and pull off,” Rivera said. “The worst thing you can do is stop right in front of the quarterback because then he can’t step into his throws, or if he does step into his throw, then he’s going to step into you. That kind of tweaks me. It’s a common sense thing.”
Usually, when you go outside on an August day in Spartanburg, you’re sweating in about five minutes. It takes around 20 minutes until you start feeling like you need a shower. So what a strange training camp it’s been. You can count the number of relatively hot days on one hand. Windbreakers have replaced sunscreen. It’s been a glorious change for media and fans, but it hasn’t been a good thing for the Panthers. 
More than any player or position, the cooler temperatures may be Ron Rivera’s biggest camp disappointment. The Panthers have less than four weeks before they kick off their season … in Tampa … on a Sunday afternoon. Essentially, there’s a good chance it’s going to be really hot. Since the current CBA severely cuts back on the conditioning players used to go through, Rivera tries to finagle most of that work in during the smaller practice windows. He finally had a good chance to test them in Monday’s warmer weather, but then his concerns were validated. “As practice wore on, you could see they were getting worn down a bit,” Rivera said. “It was tough. You could feel the humidity, but we’ve got to fight it because that’s probably what we’re probably going to face when we go to Tampa Bay. “This is all part of training camp and part of why you’d love to have hot, muggy days. You build up that feel where you can handle it.”
More than any player or position, the cooler temperatures may be Ron Rivera’s biggest camp disappointment. The Panthers have less than four weeks before they kick off their season … in Tampa … on a Sunday afternoon. Essentially, there’s a good chance it’s going to be really hot. Since the current CBA severely cuts back on the conditioning players used to go through, Rivera tries to finagle most of that work in during the smaller practice windows. He finally had a good chance to test them in Monday’s warmer weather, but then his concerns were validated. “As practice wore on, you could see they were getting worn down a bit,” Rivera said. “It was tough. You could feel the humidity, but we’ve got to fight it because that’s probably what we’re probably going to face when we go to Tampa Bay. “This is all part of training camp and part of why you’d love to have hot, muggy days. You build up that feel where you can handle it.”
The lower temperatures have perhaps cooled tempers as well. Through 13 practices, there hasn’t been a single fight, usually a training camp tradition everywhere. “Do you need to have a fight to have a great day? No,” Ron Rivera said. “Go back to what happened (Saturday, Aug. 2) and point to the intensity we had on the practice field, finished off with Luke (Kuechly) on that fourth-down play. That’s what I’d rather see more than anything else.” 
Charles Godfrey hasn’t had a good camp, but he’s sticking with the starters for now. Rookie Bené Benwikere has flashed tremendous potential, but the Panthers would prefer Godfrey start the season at nickel corner. 
The seventh-year veteran is being afforded plenty of patience from the coaching staff, which is understandable for now. It’s hard enough to come back from a torn Achilles. Godfrey is also trying to learn a new position after spending his first six seasons at safety. “(At safety) you are always taught to look inside and look at the alignment, look at the quarterback,” Godfrey said. “At corner, you have to get back to the receiver … I’m on that now.”
The seventh-year veteran is being afforded plenty of patience from the coaching staff, which is understandable for now. It’s hard enough to come back from a torn Achilles. Godfrey is also trying to learn a new position after spending his first six seasons at safety. “(At safety) you are always taught to look inside and look at the alignment, look at the quarterback,” Godfrey said. “At corner, you have to get back to the receiver … I’m on that now.”
The Panthers got a little culture Monday, even though many admitted they didn’t understand it. Ron Rivera asked offensive tackle David Foucault to break down the team huddle before practice. The large and unassuming French Canadian kept his speech short. “Un! Deux! Trois!,” Foucault yelled before his teammates replied with a staggered, “Panthers!”
