A to Z with the Panthers: An alphabetical guide to training camp

The Panthers kick off training camp later this evening Carolina Panthers Hoodie , and to get you ready for the big event I’ve stolen an idea from our friends over at Windy City Gridiron by breaking down the topics you should follow in a handy A-Z format. So, without further ado, let’s alphabet together, y’all!A-Z guide to Panthers training campA - Mike Adams: Adams is the senior member of the Panthers secondary at 37 years young. The biggest question for him heading into the season is can he withstand the grind of a full 16-game season at his age? The Panthers are counting on his veteran leadership to lead a young secondary, so hopefully he’ll be able to produce at a high level for at least one more season.B - Backup QBs: The backup quarterback situation is probably the biggest question no oneknows the answer to heading into training camp. With the Panthers parting ways with Derek Anderson, there’s a big question mark over who will backup Cam Newton this year. The two biggest candidates for the job are Garrett Gilbert and Taylor Heinicke, but Kyle Allen will also give it a go in camp for the next few weeks. Hopefully one of them pulls away as the clear leader of the pack at some point this preseason.C - Cam Newton: The Panthers will go as Cam goes this season, so hopefully his recent Instagram posts are indicative of the kind of season Newton will have. He’s opened up more on social media as of late, and we all know that when Cam’s having fun positive results on the field tend to follow (see: 2015). D - D.J. Moore: The Panthers drafted Moore in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft in an effort to boost the offense around Newton. Moore will have a chance to make an impact almost immediately, and it will be interesting to see what he does with that opportunity.E - Elijah Hood: The Panthers acquired Hood off waivers after he was released by the Raiders earlier this offseason. The Panthers have a crowded backfield at running back, but Hood could latch on to the roster as the third or fourth stringer with a solid training camp and preseason. He’ll be competing with Cameron Artis-Payne and Kenjon Barner, so he’ll most likely have to contribute on special teams to make the 53-man roster.F - Devin Funchess: Funchess is in the final year of his contract and would probably like to prove that he deserves a long-term deal either here in Carolina or somewhere else in the league. I would expect to see good things from him this season.G - Rashaan Gaulden: Gaulden is one of the rookies trying to make an impact on the team in his first year. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft and will play safety for the Panthers. He’s definitely one of the ones to watch in training camp this year, as the Panthers desperately need quality depth at the safety position. Hopefully he can provide some.H - Daeshon Hall: We didn’t get to see Hall last year due to a knee injury Cheap Customized Carolina Panthers Jerseys , so this is almost like a second rookie year for him. The Panthers need youth at defensive end, so his development into a quality rotational player (and future starter) is critical for the defense this year. I - Ian Thomas: The Panthers drafted Thomas in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the hope that he can be the No. 2 tight end by season’s end. An injury to Chris Manhertz will give Thomas a head start on his quest to see the field, and the Panthers will certainly hope he can step up to the task at hand.J - Donte Jackson: Donte ‘Action’ Jackson was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and should compete with Kevon Seymour and Ross Cockrell for playing time across from James Bradberry in the No. 2 cornerback position. Jackson could also spend a lot of time in the nickel corner spot, which probably suits him best.K - Luke Kuechly: Kuechly is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but is cleared to take part in training camp practices. He’s not expected to miss any time and he’s prepared to dominate the league like he does every other year. L - Left guard: In what will probably be the biggest position battle of training camp, the Panthers have several candidates to fill the void left by the departure of Andrew Norwell. Amini Silatolu is penciled in as the starter, but the Panthers brought in a veteran (Jeremiah Sirles) and a group of UDFAs to compete for the open spot on the offensive line. The Panthers’ season could depend on who wins this camp battle, so watch it closely.M - Christian McCaffrey: Run CMC is back for his second year and is expected to feature a lot more heavily in the Panthers’ offense this year. Can he succeed as an every down lead back? The Panthers are hoping so. I still expect them to use him as an X-factor weapon as well by lining him up out wide several times per game to get him the ball in space so he can do what he does best—make people miss.N - Norv Turner: The Panthers replaced former offensive coordinator Mike Shula with seasoned veteran Norv Turner this offseason, and the Panthers are expected to see an improvement on offense under his tutelage. Whether that brings better on-field results is yet to be seen, but I’m confident that we will see a positive difference in the offense this year versus the last several seasons.O - Greg Olsen: Olsen is ready to go after missing over half the season in 2017 due to a broken ankle that robbed him of a chance to be the first tight end to have four straight 1000-yard seasons. He’s expected to be 100% for the start of camp and should be an important piece to the offense this season, as usual.P - Julius Peppers: Peppers will begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list due to offseason shoulder surgery, but he should be ready to go by the time the regular season starts. Besides, he could probably get 8-10 sacks with one arm tied behind his back anyway. Friendly reminder for when he blows your mind at how dominant he is—he’s 38 years old. We’ll type that a lot this season.Q - Quinterrius Eatmon: Eatmon is one of the players competing for a guard spot. I’ll be real with you—nothing else starts with Q. You probably knew that already www.panthersfootballauthentic.com , though.R - Ryan Kalil: Will Kalil’s neck hold up for one last ride? He’s expected to retire at the end of this season, so hopefully he can make it through the year in one piece while grooming the center of the future—whoever that may be. Also, can we win a Super Bowl for him in his last year, please? That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?S - Shaq Thompson: Can Thompson step in to the starting linebacker role for the first four games of the season while Thomas Davis serves his suspension? The Panthers drafted him in the first round a few years ago to be Davis’ eventual replacement, so they’ll get a good look at him doing that for the first four games this year.T - Thomas Davis: With Davis suspended for the first four games of the season, can the defense function without him? Will those four games off actually benefit him this year? Will the extra time off save some fuel in the tank for a late-season playoff run? Only time will tell.U - Underdogs: The Panthers are heading into the 2018 season with hardly anyone believing they can return to the playoffs despite going 11-5 last year. That’s just the way we like it, though, since they seem to play much better when no one believes in them.V - Greg Van Roten: Is Van Roten in the mix at left guard, or do the Panthers see him as Ryan Kalil’s eventual replacement at center? Either way, I’d like to see him get some snaps this year because I think he’s pretty good.W - Wofford College: The Panthers will host training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC again this year, as they have every year since they joined the league. X - X-Receiver: The Panthers have an interesting position battle going on at wide receiver. We have a good idea of the six guys who will make the 53-man roster (Funchess Carolina Panthers T-Shirt , Moore, Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd, Torrey Smith, Jarius Wright), but where those six players stack up on the depth chart and/or line up on the field is still a mystery. I think we’ll learn more about who goes where as training camp progresses.Y - Youth movement: The Panthers need to get younger at a few positions (defensive end, notably) and are experiencing an influx of young players at others (secondary, for example). Watching the younger players integrate into the team will be something to look out for over the next few weeks.Z - Zero losses: That’s the goal, of course. And yes—nothing starts with Z either.There you go, Panthers fans. Your handy dandy guide to Panthers training camp. We’re mere hours away from the start of the first practice, y’all! Can you feel the excitement yet?FanPulse: Panthers fans are slightly more confident ahead of clash with the Giants; Giants fans not so much Welcome to SB Nation FanPulse, a survey of fans across the NFL powered by SurveyMonkey. Each week, we send 32 polls to 100+ plugged in fans from each team. Panthers fans Carolina Panthers Hats , sign up HERE to join FanPulse.The Panthers didn’t play last week due to their bye, but they did make their team better after picking up free agent safety Eric Reid. This move to improve the defense gave Panthers fans a bit more confidence heading into their Week 5 clash with the Giants, and our Week 5 FanPulse results show that improvement. 90% of our fans who participated in our survey are confident in the direction of the franchise, up 2% from last week. Giants fans, however, are not feeling the love.54% of Giants fans who took part in the survey were confident in their team’s direction in Week 4. Now, only 18% of their fans are confident. Nerd Alert: That’s a 36% differential. I guess that’s what happens when you’re 1-3 following a 33-18 walloping from the Saints.If there’s one thing that both groups of fans can agree on, it’s who will win the game on Sunday. Both Panthers and Giants fans agree that the Panthers will leave Week 5 victorious. The only disagreement between the two groups of fans is the point differential. Panthers fans believe the Panthers will win the game by 10 points, while Giants fans believe the Panthers will win by six. Captain Obvious alert: Hopefully the fans are right about this, because being 3-1 is much better than being 2-2.What do you think, Panthers fans? Are you still confident? Do you think the Panthers will beat the Giants on Sunday? Why or why not? Share your thoughts with us!