Carolina Panthers News

As they expected when they opened training camp, the Carolina Panthers won't be playing this week. Of course, they assumed they would be enjoying a first-round bye and preparing for a home playoff game _ the natural scenario for a Super Bowl favourite. Instead, the Panthers have already packed up and scattered after a disappointing 8-8 season that left one thing for certain: Many of the players who were a ...

While they have only been in the same division for five seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers sure have a lot of stories to tell. The rivalry has produced last-second finishes, the first blocked extra point to force overtime in NFL history and a war of words _ between a kicker and a punter. Even the cheerleaders aren't safe when these two teams meet. ``There are different rivals ...

With the minutes ticking away, Carson Palmer found his touch and got the Bengals into the end zone. Given a chance to match him, Jake Delhomme came up one throw short. Palmer finally mastered the wind and led a fourth-quarter drive Sunday that culminated in his 1-yard throw to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, giving Cincinnati a 17-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers. The Bengals (4-2) overcame three lacklustre quarters to get their ...

Thomas Davis and Al Wallace missed practice for the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday and are questionable for Sunday's game at Cincinnati. Running back DeAngelo Williams also missed practice and is doubtful with a sprained right ankle. He is expected to be out for a couple of weeks. Davis, who has been starting at outside linebacker, injured his ribs against Baltimore last Sunday. He played mostly at safety as a rookie. ...

Ravens quarterback Steve McNair left Sunday's loss to Carolina with a concussion and a neck sprain, though tests showed no structural damage. Vince Young managed to play through an ankle sprain and lead the Titans to victory. McNair got hurt when he was sacked by Mike Rucker and Chris Draft late in the first quarter of the Panthers' 23-21 victory. The Baltimore quarterback was slow to get up and, after ...

To put it bluntly _ and Jake Delhomme did _ Steve Smith is the most valuable non-quarterback on any NFL team. ``Losing him would be like taking Michael Vick from Atlanta or taking Peyton Manning from the Colts,'' the Carolina Panthers' quarterback said after Smith caught eight passes for 189 yards and a back-breaking 72-yard touchdown Sunday in the Carolina Panthers' 23-21 win over Baltimore. Delhomme didn't have to say ...

Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis scored rare Tampa Bay power-play goals, helping the Lightning stop a three-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. The Lightning, who entered the game 1-for-26 with the man advantage, converted two of six power-play chances. Ruslan Fedotenko and Dmitry Afanasenkov had the other Tampa Bay goals, while Marc Denis stopped 23 shots. Ed Belfour made 32 saves in his second start this season for Florida. He ...

John Fox was so concerned about making the right choice with the No. 2 pick in the 2002 draft that he watched hours and hours of film on Julius Peppers. And it wasn't only football tape. Fox, just hired as coach of the Carolina Panthers, was trying to determine if Peppers, a freakish athlete, didn't play hard on every down. ``That was the knock,'' Fox recalled this week. ``We worked ...

Carolina Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan will miss the rest of the season as he struggles to recover from at least the fifth concussion of his career. ``He did meet with the medical people and they felt it was in his best interest not to play the remainder of the season,'' coach John Fox said Wednesday. Morgan was injured after his head hit the turf in the season-opening loss to Atlanta. ...

Cleveland's banged-up secondary held its own against Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson. Trouble was, the Browns had no answer for Carolina's defence. Julius Peppers had a sack, forced a fumble and hit quarterback Charlie Frye five other times and Richard Marshall returned an interception for a touchdown as the Panthers beat Cleveland 20-12 Sunday. Al Wallace also had a sack for Carolina (3-2), which held the Browns to 98 yards rushing in winning its third straight game. Frye was ...

Carolina Panthers tight end Mike Seidman has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will likely miss the rest of the season. Seidman, who had been starting, injured his knee in the win over Tampa Bay on Sept. 24, but coach John Fox claimed they didn't know it was a torn ACL until ``the last couple of days.'' Seidman is not yet on injured reserve. ``There are ...

Justin Hartwig saw the replay of Albert Haynesworth kicking a player in the head and wasn't surprised. For good reason: The Carolina Panthers' centre was a victim of Haynesworth's temper three years ago. The Tennessee Titans defensive tackle was suspended five games _ the longest suspension for an on-field incident in NFL history _ for twice stomping on the head of Dallas centre Andre Gurode on Sunday Gurode, who lost ...

Jake Delhomme's four-yard touchdown pass to Drew Carter midway through the fourth quarter earned the Carolina Panthers a 21-18 win over New Orleans on Sunday, the Saints first loss of the season. Playing on the road six days after an emotional Monday night rout of Atlanta in their return to the Superdome, the Saints took their first lead early in the fourth quarter. Then Smith got loose late. Smith caught ...