HEALTH WATCH

 

• DE Kony Ealy was cleared from the concussion protocol. He was limited in his first practice since he took a helmet-to-helmet hit on Saturday.

 

• DE Rakim Cox was held out after he tweaked his back midway through Wednesday's practice. Coach Ron Rivera said Cox could return for Friday's practice at Bank of America Stadium.

 

• WR Philly Brown also didn't practice after he rolled his ankle late Wednesday. Like Cox, Rivera is hopeful Brown can return for Fan Fest.

 

TOP PLAY

 

Shortly after WR Devin Funchess connected with QB Cam Newton after CB Daryl Worley slipped during a 7-on-7 drill, Funchess and Newton did it again. This time, it was in team drills and against S Tre Boston.

"It was a 1-on-1 with me and the safety," Funchess said, "so I just had to get on my high horse and go get it."

 

 

PLAYER NOTES

 

• RB Brandon Wegher scored on a short pass from QB Derek Anderson during red zone drills.

 

• WR Damiere Byrd continued to turn heads. During team drills, he made a couple receptions, flashed his speed on a reverse and drew a pass interference flag against CB Robert McClain.

 

• WR Keyarris Garrett had a full day. He made a few nice grabs in 1-on-1s and team drills, but then he emerged from a pile without a helmet after a brief scuffle with CB Lou Young. A few minutes later, Garrett jumped offsides.

 

• TE Beau Sandland made another impressive catch when he dove to reel in a pass from Anderson against S Travell Dixon.

 

• DE Larry Webster snuffed out a reverse to Funchess for the second time in the past four practices.

 

• LB Ben Jacobs wrapped up practice with an interception of QB Joe Webb.

 

• CB Bené Benwikere continued to ease back into things. He again lined up at nickel during limited snaps in team drills.

 

• S Tre Boston broke on a Newton pass intended for WR Kelvin Benjamin and returned it down the sideline for what would have been a pick-6.

 

• S Kurt Coleman had a nice pass breakup of a Newton pass intended for TE Greg Olsen near the sideline.

 

RANDOM NUGGETS

 

• P Swayze Waters again drew cheers for a couple big boots, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's pulling away from Mike Scifres.

"I thought they both punted well, but there’s a little something I see," Rivera said. "Every time they get to the left hash, they both seem to shank the punt. We are a directional punting team, so we’ve got to find somebody that gets on that left hash and is comfortable.

"I believe the competition will come down to the end of August."

 

• The Panthers were joined by the Spartanburg High School football team for pre-practice drills and stretching. It was the first time an NFL team welcomed a high school team onto the field during a practice.

"It was awesome, not only for the kids but for us," linebacker Thomas Davis said. "I know it's going to go a long ways in these kids' lives to have had this experience."

 

 

• With seven practices down and seven to go, the Panthers have already broken their training camp attendance record. Through Thursday, 79,804 fans have showed up at Spartanburg. Last year's total of 77,625 fans destroyed the previous record. 

 

• Keeping the mean streets of Spartanburg safe: