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Lots of ground to cover in the NFC South on this Thursday. We’ll start it off with one that’s close to my heart.

Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn has been selected as the winner of the Tom Berry Good Guy Award by the Carolinas chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. For those who didn’t know him, Tom Berry was the long-time Panthers beat writer for the High-Point (N.C.) Enterprise. I had the pleasure of being around Tom frequently in my days on the Panthers beat and he was a true pro’s pro and a good friend. When we decided to start this award soon after Tom passed away at the start of the 2009 season, we wanted it to reflect what Tom stood for. That’s why this award goes to the Carolina player who is most helpful to the media in doing its job. Munnerlyn was a unanimous choice this year. Jordan Gross was the 2010 winner and Brad Hoover won the inaugural award in 2009.

New Orleans guard Jahri Evans sat out Thursday’s practice with a knee injury. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (hamstring), linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee) and running back Mark Ingram (toe) also were held out.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera said he believes Jordan Senn has a chance to be a full-time starter at outside linebacker next season. Senn has done a nice job since getting a chance to play after the Panthers went through a slew of injuries at linebacker.

Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber will play in his 224^th career game Saturday at Carolina. That will tie the franchise record set by Derrick Brooks. Barber could break the record when the Bucs play the Falcons the following week.

Here’s a bit of a strange one. Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey said New Orleans fans caused the Falcons to have communications problems in the previous meeting between the teams. But that game was in Atlanta. If the Falcons had issues with noise from Saints fans in the Georgia Dome, they better have some new ways to communicate in place before they get to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night.

Although there's still hope veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden (toe) might be ready for Monday, he wasn’t cleared to practice Thursday. Starting cornerback Brent Grimes, who is coming back from knee surgery, did practice. If Hayden isn’t ready to go against the Saints, the Falcons likely will use Dominique Franks as the nickelback. Running back Michael Turner (groin) and linebacker Stephen Nicholas (toe) missed practice.

Martin Fennelly writes that it’s time for the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, to make some noise on what the future holds for Raheem Morris. I know a lot of Tampa Bay fans feel that way. But I think you’re going to have to wait just a bit. If the Glazers are going to make a move, and I think they have no other choice, I don’t see it coming until after the season is over.

Check here for a complete list of the Carolina Panthers’ roster moves.

Surprise move: The Panthers waived fullback Tony Fiammetta, their starter last season and the man who had the misfortune to replace fan favorite Brad Hoover. Fiammetta didn’t do a lot to endear himself to the old coaching staff and that didn’t change after Ron Rivera took over.

The Panthers recently went out and signed Jerome Felton. Presumably, Felton will move right into the starting lineup. Being the lead blocker for DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart could make him look pretty good.

No-brainers: The Panthers released defensive tackles Nick Hayden and Corvey Irvin, who had gotten a fair amount of playing time in recent years. That leaves them with only three defensive tackles, which was the weakest spot on the roster the last few years. There was no sense holding onto Hayden or Irvin because the Panthers already knew they weren’t the answer. This is a position where the Panthers are far from done. Although they have high hopes for rookies Terrell McClain and Sione Fua, they’ll take a look at who else around the league is available. It’s a safe bet they’ll sign a defensive tackle -- maybe two.

What’s next: In addition to defensive tackle, there’s still work to do on this roster. General manager Marty Hurney was very aggressive coming out of the lockout. Look for him to jump back into that mode quickly. The Panthers need a starting right guard after placing Garry Williams on the injured-reserve list. They could also use help at cornerback and wide receiver.

The National Football League announced that it will let 32 former players announcing picks, starting in the second round, during next week’s NFL draft.

The plan is for the former players to announce second-round picks, but the Carolina Panthers fall into a little different territory since they don’t, at the moment at least, have a second-round pick. Instead, they’ll have former fullback Brad Hoover announcing their third-round pick.

The representatives for the other three NFC South teams are scheduled to announce picks in the second round. Former linebacker Jessie Tuggle will do it for the Atlanta Falcons. Retired offensive tackle Willie Roaf will make the announcement for the New Orleans Saints.

In yet another sign that Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden are long gone from the Buccaneers, retired safety John Lynch will represent Tampa Bay. Speaking of Allen and guys who have had unceremonious partings with the Bucs, I’m wondering if there’s a little mind game going on behind the scenes.

The alumni representatives are listed in alphabetical order by the teams’ cities or regions. Two spots beneath the Buccaneers, I looked to see who the Washington Redskins will be represented by. Remember, Allen is now Washington’s general manager.

Well, Doug Williams, who didn’t have a great parting with Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik when he left the team’s personnel department last year, will be representing the Redskins.

It obviously has been a very tough year for the Carolina Panthers and their fans. However, we’ve got a bit of good news today.

Carolina offensive tackle Jordan Gross has been selected as the winner of the second annual Tom Berry Good Guy Award. This one is very special to me and the members of the Carolina media who cover the Panthers.

We were the ones who were lucky enough to share press boxes, media rooms and flight delays with Tom Berry. He was the longtime Panthers beat writer for the High Point (N.C.) Enterprise. He passed away at the start of the 2009 season.

That’s when the Carolina Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America got together and decided to create this award in memory of Tom. Like the name of the award suggests, it is meant to honor a good guy. Actually, two good guys. The basic premise of picking the award winner is to decide which Carolina player is most helpful to the media in doing its job.

For those who didn’t know him, Tom was a great guy. One of those strong, silent types who was a true gentleman. He was incredibly dedicated to his family and his job. Tom was a pro’s pro.

Former Carolina fullback Brad Hoover, whose career from high school to the NFL was chronicled by Tom was the winner of the inaugural award. That vote was unanimous because Hoover was perfect. He had deep ties to Tom, and Hoover was always a go-to guy in the locker room -- someone who, win or lose, is always going to be courteous and professional.

The same can be said for Gross. I had the good fortune to be a beat writer covering the Panthers when Gross was drafted in 2003. He was a pleasure to deal with on a daily basis and still is as I cover him from a bit more distance and not quite as frequently. The writers who cover the team on a daily basis all said that Gross hasn’t changed, even as the Panthers have struggled through a tough season.

Gross has handled it with class and I’m proud to see his name linked forever to Tom Berry’s name.

We're opening up today's series of team-by-team mailbags with the Carolina Panthers.

Bob in Matthews, N.C., writes: What do think is the real reason the Panthers cannot run the ball this year? Jeff Otah and Keydrick Vincent not playing this year? The fact that Tony Fiammetta can't block nearly as well as the "Hoov"? Jeff Davidson's incompetence as OC? It really seems that both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are just going through the motions this year.

Pat Yasinskas: Most of the above, although I don’t see reason to question the effort of Williams and Stewart. But I think the rest of your points are on target and self-explanatory. The one other big factor I’d include is the quarterback play. Matt Moore finally put up some numbers on Sunday and that was nice. But, up until then, the Panthers had been so ineffective in the passing game that it wasn’t even a threat for defenses. Much of the season, the Panthers have been looking at eight or nine defenders in the box.

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Haile in Durham, N.C., writes: Why haven’t the Panthers opened up with more three-receiver/one back sets and run the ball?

Pat Yasinskas: Great question and only John Fox and Jeff Davidson can give you the true answer. They’re not using a lot of three-receiver sets, even when they’re passing the ball. I think the youth at receiver is a factor and guys like David Gettis and Armanti Edwards aren’t of the Muhsin Muhammad prototype, where they are cut out to be good run blockers. Brandon LaFell has that size. But, I guess the bottom line is, you’re asking for creativity from the Carolina offense. When’s the last time we’ve seen that?

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Scott in New York writes: I'm thrilled the Panthers finally got a W on Sunday. However, week in and week out I'm troubled that a tandem cast as the best RB duo in the game has failed to get the running game in gear. Do you know if anyone has actually looked at the tape to see if one possible cause is Fiammetta doing a worse job than his predecessor? I know of the o-line's troubles, especially with Otah being out, but I can't help but think that Hoover's departure has made a difference.

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, people around the league that study such things will tell you that Fiammetta is not Brad Hoover. But they don’t put all the blame for the problems in Carolina’s running game on him. They point more toward the offensive line and the inability to develop a passing game.

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Lee in Cherryville, N.C., writes: I noticed you had Jon Beason in the Pro Bowl suggestions. I think James Anderson has made a very strong case of playing our best football at the LB position. Beason has absolutely no stats except tackles, whereas Anderson is 8th in the league in tackles, 1.5 sacks. 1 INT, 1 FF, and 2 recoveries. Trying to avoid the popularity contest that is the Pro Bowl I think Anderson is starting the year similarly to how Thomas Davis started last year. He's making plays at a position that isn't necessarily conducive to big plays.

Pat Yasinskas: I agree that James Anderson is having a very nice year and has been one of Carolina’s true bright spots. But, given the way Carolina’s season is playing out, the Panthers probably aren’t going to have a lot of representatives in the Pro Bowl. Beason is a name player, so I think he at least has a chance.

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Jeremy in Minneapolis writes: Serious question. What happens if the panthers go 11-5. ... that just screws everything up doesn't it?

Pat Yasinskas: Let’s just suppose the Panthers somehow run the table. I still think John Fox would be gone as coach. Even if he were to get offered a contract extension, I think he’d walk because he’d be a pretty hot commodity if he won 11 straight. He’s a guy who can get a head coaching job elsewhere no matter what, and I think everyone that matters in Carolina knows that Fox’s tenure there has run its course.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A quick note as I get settled into Bank of America Stadium. If you want a Julius Peppers replica jersey from his Carolina days, you can get some pretty good deals.

Walking into the stadium, I came past Al’s Caps & More, a souvenir stand on College Ave. They had a pretty good selection of Peppers jerseys, and they’re only $29, roughly a third of what more current jerseys are going for. Also on the clearance rack, were a bunch of Jake Delhomme jerseys, also $29 each. Apparently former Carolina fullback Brad Hoover still is a good bit more popular than his former teammates.

Hoover jerseys also were on the clearance rack, but they were priced at $45. on a side note, the owners of the souvenir stand were happy to report they sold their last Maake Kemoeatu Carolina jersey this morning.

All right, I’ll be back in a bit with today’s inactives.

You probably have heard by now that Carolina coach John Fox said he will start quarterback Jimmy Clausen on Sunday against the Bengals.



You might have already read my thoughts on this topic here and here. So I won’t run through that again. I’ll just summarize and say Fox made the only choice he really could have and let’s all be thankful he announced it today, instead of dragging it out all week.

Now, a few more thoughts on Clausen and the Panthers. Don’t expect Clausen to just come in and make everything better in Carolina. That doesn’t happen with rookie quarterbacks. Besides, the Panthers have lots of other issues that have to be fixed and we’ll touch on a few of those a bit later.

But it’s the right move to go ahead and get Clausen on the field, because the Panthers are in an all-out youth movement and it’s time to find out if he’s the guy they want to build around. Honestly, if you told me to name one person who will be in Carolina’s building next year (and I’m talking coaches, players and front-office workers), I’m thinking Clausen is the safest bet. Go ahead and roll him out there and see what you’ve got.

However, it might be nice to give the kid some help, and that goes to the other issues I mentioned above. Did you happen to notice Carolina had only three receivers active in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay? One of them was Steve Smith, who is an elite receiver. The other starter was rookie David Gettis, a sixth-round draft pick. The third receiver was Dwayne Jarrett and "active"’ is a relative term for one of the biggest busts in Carolina draft history.

Jarrett actually played, but the Panthers didn’t even throw a pass his way -– and I’m not disagreeing with that choice. But now that the Panthers are fully into this youth movement, they might as well go ahead and throw rookie Armanti Edwards on the game-day roster. Yeah, I know Edwards is a project because he was a college quarterback at this time a year ago. But let’s face it, this whole team is a project.

Speaking of other issues, how about the running game? It hasn’t been horrid, but it has been far from dominant. Has the absence of injured right tackle Jeff Otah or the departure of veteran fullback Brad Hoover really made that much of a difference?

Oh, and that defensive line that was so stellar in the preseason? It still hasn’t produced a sack. The Panthers have only one sack, and that came from linebacker Dan Connor in the opener.

The fullbacks are the next stop on our tour of NFC South position rankings.

The quick overview for this position is the NFC South doesn’t have any dominant fullbacks, just three very solid guys and one unproven young player with potential. On to the rankings.

NFC South Position Rankings

•  Offensive line | DT | DE
•  Linebackers | Quarterbacks
•  Tight ends | Receivers
•  Safeties | Cornerbacks | Fullbacks

1. Heath Evans, Saints. He’s going to be a bigger part of the New Orleans offense than most people realize. If you think back to last year before he got hurt, Evans was doing a lot of different things for this offense, and the Saints had to do a lot of compensating once he went down. With a healthy Evans, the offense should be even better. Evans’ main role is to block, but he can catch the ball and handle some short-yardage carries.
2. Earnest Graham, Buccaneers. He’s not the traditional fullback, because he’s spent a good chunk of his career as a tailback and doesn’t have great size. But Graham is one of those guys that can do a little bit of everything on the field. He can get the job done as a blocker, and he can run and catch.
3. Ovie Mughelli, Falcons. Might be the best pure blocker in the division at this position. He doesn’t do much else, but that’s because he’s not asked to do much else. His job is to clear the way for Michael Turner.
4. Tony Fiammetta, Panthers. The pressure is on this second-year player, because he’s stepping into the shoes of fan favorite Brad Hoover. Fiammetta didn’t get a lot of playing time last season, but the Panthers must have seen something in him to decide he could replace Hoover. The main job, really the only job, for a Carolina fullback is to block for DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

There was a lot of outrage in the Carolinas early in the offseason when the Panthers pulled off what some fans called a purge and some called a bloodletting.

The Panthers let go of seven popular veterans and I’m not even counting the fact they simply let Julius Peppers walk into free agency. The cries back in February were that the team was being cheap and dumping salaries. I never truly bought into that because it looked to me like the Panthers were just getting rid of some old guys who they didn’t think were worth their contracts anymore, although I admit I wasn’t a big fan of seeing Brad Hoover pushed out the door.

I stand by all that, but now I feel even stronger that this wasn’t purely a case of owner Jerry Richardson trying to save money. I’ve had a chance to look at and crunch some numbers and I think we can put what Carolina did in the offseason into better perspective.

First off, let’s remember there is no salary cap for 2010. If there was, the Panthers would be sitting at $124 million right now. Here’s the part that’s highly significant -- $29.2 million of that is in what would be called “dead money’’ in a capped year.

What the Panthers did was to decide essentially to dump a lot of future big-cap figures in a year in which there are no cap consequences for that. No one -- not even Richardson, who is heavily involved in the negotiations -- knows what’s going to happen with the labor situation going forward. There’s the possibility of a lockout in 2011. There’s also the possibility an agreement will be reached and a salary cap will be in place.

If that happens, the Panthers are sitting in very good shape. Even if coach John Fox, who is beginning the final year of his contract is gone, whoever is running the show likely will have a ton of cap room to work with.

As it stands right now, the Panthers have just about $70 million committed toward a 2011 cap. Only the Chiefs, Raiders and Buccaneers have less committed and none of them are dramatically below the Panthers. The league average teams have committed toward the salary cap right now is $96 million.

If there’s a cap in place for 2011, I'll guess and say it's likely to be somewhere around $130 million to $140 million and those numbers could be on the low end. That means the Panthers will have at least $60 million to re-sign some of their own key players and go out and get some new ones. That’s not a bad spot to be in.

Now, let’s move on and try to shred one other myth about the “bloodletting.’’ When the Panthers let Hoover, Jake Delhomme, Na'il Diggs, Landon Johnson, Maake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis and Chris Harris go, it wasn’t totally about saving money.

To start with, the Panthers had to hand Delhomme a $12 million check (money he was guaranteed) when he walked out the door. Diggs was scheduled to make $1.1 million this season and the Panthers had to write him a check for $1.233 million. They had to pay Kemoeatu, who was scheduled to earn $755,000 in base salary, $2.63 million because they didn’t exercise the option on his contract. It was kind of the same deal for Lewis -- he got $1.42 million for not having his option exercised and was only schedule to earn $855,000 in salary and a workout bonus.

In other words, the Panthers paid those guys a lot of money just to go away and get them off the books for the future. In the cases of Hoover, Harris and Johnson, the Panthers saved some money, but, relatively speaking, it wasn’t all that much.

By cutting Hoover, they saved his scheduled $850,000 base salary. Unloading Johnson saved the Panthers just over $2 million. Trading Harris to Chicago pushed his $2 million salary over to the Bears. Theoretically, the Panthers would be taking a $2.145 million cap hit for Harris if there was a cap this year because of pro-rated money.

But Harris, and all the others, are off the books for 2011, when the Panthers conceivably could go out and buy about half an NFL team.

Jimmy Clausen looked very good at times in his NFL debut. Matt Moore looked mediocre at times.

Does that add up to a sudden quarterback controversy for the Carolina Panthers? Not just yet. I’ll explain why as we run through seven observations from Thursday night’s preseason game between the Panthers and Baltimore Ravens. By the way, for those who actually track preseason results, the final was Baltimore 17, Carolina 12.

1. Clausen looked very NFL ready, at least until the rain started. He made some nice throws and seemed to have a good sense of awareness. But let’s remember a few things. Clausen was playing against Baltimore’s backups and the Panthers pretty much decided Moore’s performance at the end of last season earned him the right to open this regular season as the starter. Clausen landed some jabs, but nothing close to a knockout punch.

2. Moore was far from horrible. He wasn’t spectacular, but he did some nice things. Something else to keep this in perspective -- Moore was playing against a very good Baltimore first-team defense. He also was doing it without receiver Steve Smith, right tackle Jeff Otah and running back Jonathan Stewart. All three are expected to be ready for the start of the regular season and they will make Moore a much better quarterback. Moore would have to absolutely bomb to lose the job now and he didn't do that.

3. What was the deal with Jordan Gross? The left tackle got called for three penalties in the first 12 minutes and that didn’t help Moore. I wouldn’t be too concerned with this and I doubt the Panthers are. Gross is one of the best left tackles in the league. He’s not going to have games like that in the regular season.

4. The pass rush is very much a work in progress. When it mattered with the first and second teams, the Panthers had stretches when they didn’t generate any pressure on Joe Flacco and Marc Bulger. But they also had a few flash plays where they did. The good news is veteran Tyler Brayton had two sacks on Flacco. The bad news is Brayton suffered some sort of ankle injury on his second sack. We don’t know the extent of that injury yet. The most encouraging news is rookies Greg Hardy and Eric Norwood showed some real flashes. If I’m John Fox, I let Brayton sit for most (or all) of the rest of the preseason. The Panthers know what they can get out of Brayton. They need to find out more about what they can get from Hardy, Norwood, Charles Johnson and Everette Brown.

5. Whoov? Like a lot of Carolina fans, I was more than a little concerned when the Panthers let fullback Brad Hoover go after last season. It was hard to find a fullback more dependable than Hoover. But I liked what I saw of replacement Anthony Fiammetta. He blocked well and looked good as a receiver out of the backfield.

6. Backup running back Tyrell Sutton had a few nice plays. But I wouldn’t go drafting him for your fantasy team. As long as DeAngelo Williams and Stewart are healthy, they’re going to get almost all of the carries. Besides, Sutton fumbled at the goal line and Fox isn’t big on giving the ball to guys who fumble.

7. Rookie Armanti Edwards will be a factor on offense, but not immediately. Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski both talked about how the former college quarterback is adjusting to playing wide receiver and implied it might take until about midseason for him to have much of a role in the offense. That’s the exact word I got from the Carolina brass when I visited training camp. But don’t be surprised if Edwards is handling punt returns sooner than that. That’s a new task for Edwards, too. But he showed he can catch punts, even in the rain, and the guy has the dynamics to make things happen in the open field.

ESPN.com NFL Power Ranking (pre-camp): 22

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- In the kindest of terms, fans and media are referring to the Carolina Panthers as a team in a youth movement.

There’s some basis for that as they opened camp with the league’s third-youngest roster after saying farewell to popular veterans such as Julius Peppers, Jake Delhomme and Brad Hoover.

In the harshest of terms, fans and media have referred to those departures as a “bloodletting’’ and are talking about the Panthers as a team without an identity, a team that’s not going to be very good.

Now, let’s turn to two guys who beg to differ.

“How do you say we’re going through a youth movement, when we beat those teams late in the season using the same key components?’’ running back DeAngelo Williams said. “People can say what they want to say. But we know what it takes to win and we have what it takes to win.’’

“The way I look at it is, I like our core guys,’’ linebacker Jon Beason said. “I think we have a great nucleus. Now we’re looking for a few good men, a few young guys who are talented. For those young guys, it’s an opportunity to come in and do great things.’’

Maybe Beason and Williams have valid points. They’re two team leaders with a pretty good feel for the pulse of the locker room. They also have impressive résumés. Williams was one of two Carolina running backs (Jonathan Stewart was the other) to run for 1,100 yards last season. Scouts, coaches and players everywhere will tell you Beason is one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

Can you really call the Panthers a team without a face?

That’s kind of a difficult statement to make when you look at Carolina’s roster and see Beason and Williams. Then, keep looking and you see Stewart, left tackle Jordan Gross, center Ryan Kalil, right tackle Jeff Otah, receiver Steve Smith and cornerbacks Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall. Those are all guys the Panthers view as core players. Look around the league and see how many teams have that many core players in place.

“There are question marks, sure,’’ coach John Fox said. “Anytime you have question marks, the expectations on the outside might not be that high. But on the inside, we know we’ve got some very good core players and those core players are going to have to have big seasons.

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Can this team win with Matt Moore as the quarterback? Let’s cut to the chase. This team already has won with Moore as the quarterback. Moore started the final five games of last season after Delhomme was injured. The Panthers won four of those games and Moore looked sharp the entire time.

Sure, that’s not the longest of track records and the Panthers did draft Jimmy Clausen in the second round. But this isn’t the Carolina camp of 2001, where the Panthers were kind of expecting Jeff Lewis to fail and to hand the job to rookie Chris Weinke.

Williams’ point about the youth movement taking place last year might be right. Moore won this job with his play down the stretch and, so far in camp, the team’s confidence in him is only growing.

“Matt Moore is a gamer,’’ Williams said. “When he mentally locks in, the game comes easy for him. All quarterbacks in the league are pretty much the same. They can all throw the ball or they wouldn’t be here. The thing that separates the good ones from the bad ones is decision making. Matt Moore can make decisions. Matt’s going to be fine.’’

Let’s keep one other thing in mind. With an excellent offensive line, two very good running backs and Smith at wide receiver, Moore has a pretty strong supporting cast. He doesn’t need to be Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. He just needs to keep mistakes to a minimum and the job can be his as long as he wants.

2. Can the defensive line be any good? For much of Fox’s tenure, the defensive line has been the foundation of the team. But Peppers was the last in a line of supernovas that used to include Mike Rucker, Kris Jenkins and Brentson Buckner. There are no current stars on this defensive front.

But Fox and the Panthers don’t appear to view that as a bad thing. They’re not expecting any single guy to come in and replace Peppers. They believe they can get quality out of quantity and are hoping the defensive front can attack in waves. They’ve got high hopes for Charles Johnson and Everette Brown, and rookies Eric Norwood and Greg Hardy have been very impressive in camp. They brought back Tyler Brayton for a bit of continuity, but they feel they’ve got some pass-rushers who can emerge.

They also have a better feeling about defensive tackles Louis Leonard, Tank Tyler and Ed Johnson than a lot of people realize. This might not be the traditional Fox defensive front with a huge run-stuffer in the middle and a big name on the outside. But, keep in mind, the Panthers brought in Ron Meeks as defensive coordinator last year and his system is based more on speed than power up front.

“We were eighth in the league in defense a year ago with a new scheme,’’ Fox said. “It’s kind of early to tell, but we should be better with our scheme the second time around.’’

3. Does all this talk about Fox being in the last year of his contract really make a difference? Not at all. Fox is a creature of habit and he’s going to coach the way he always has coached.

He’s a confident guy with a pretty solid résumé. He’s not losing sleep because he knows he can get another job if it comes to that. But he wants to make it work in Carolina, a place where his family has set down roots. Keep in mind, Fox never has had a truly bad season. There have been some disappointing years, but the record’s always been close to or above .500. He’s sometimes stumbled a bit when expectations were high, but he always has done his best job when people weren’t counting on much out of the Panthers.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Greg Hardy. The defensive end was a sixth-round draft pick because his college career didn’t end all that well. But the Panthers took a shot because they thought there was uncommon physical talent sitting out there late in the draft. So far, they feel as if they might have hit a home run. Hardy has looked great in camp. Coaches are noticing him and so are other players. There were some questions about Hardy’s ability to focus on football at the pro level. But so far, so good on that end. Brayton, Johnson and Brown are competing for the starting jobs, but Hardy appears to be carving out some playing time.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Dwayne Jarrett. As they’ve been doing for his entire career, the Panthers are hoping the light suddenly comes on for this wide receiver. He’s still running with the first team, but all indications are it’s just not happening for Jarrett. There’s still some work to be done and polish to be added, but the Panthers are starting to think rookie Brandon LaFell is their best option at the starting position opposite Smith. Jarrett basically is fighting for a roster spot at this point. The fact he’s still making mental mistakes this far into his career means there’s a good chance he’s gone before the preseason is over.

OBSERVATION DECK

• As mentioned above, the Panthers are singing Moore’s praises and that’s all very legitimate. But behind the scenes, the Panthers also are thrilled with what they’ve seen from Clausen. His physical skills and mechanics are as solid as expected and Clausen’s doing everything right on and off the field. There’s not a sense of urgency to play him because Moore has looked so solid. But the Panthers believe they got a steal when they took Clausen in the second round.
• There’s been a lot of hype about third-round draft pick Armanti Edwards. Understandable because he was a college quarterback and came from Appalachian State, which automatically makes him popular in the Carolinas. The Panthers aren’t disappointed with Edwards by any means, but the reality is he’s just feeling his way as a receiver and a return man. Don’t look for him to be a huge contributor instantly. There’s big upside here because Edwards is so dynamic and he might be in a few packages early on. But it’s going to take some time for him to become a staple in this offense.
• The Panthers let go of Keydrick Vincent, who played every snap at right guard last season, for a reason. He was older and they had Duke Robinson waiting in the wings. Coaches, players and the front office believe Robinson can be a punishing run-blocker. Put him on the right side with Otah and the Panthers believe that side of the line can be just as good as the left, where Gross and Travelle Wharton are outstanding.
• If you’re looking for a long shot to make the roster, I’ll throw out Trent Guy’s name. This is a tiny wide receiver, but every time I looked up during my visit to Wofford College, Guy seemed to be making a play. He’s got rare speed and good hands, and also could be a factor in the return game.
• Thomas Davis, who had major knee surgery in June, has been hanging around at camp and working hard at his rehab. The Panthers haven’t ruled out a possible return for him later this season, but I don't see that happening for a guy who has torn his ACL twice in less than a year. The Panthers wouldn’t have moved Beason from the middle to the weak side unless they thought he’d stay there for the long haul. At the moment, they’re happy with what they’ve seen from Dan Connor in the middle and James Anderson on the strong side. That better stay that way because, aside from Jamar Williams, there’s no real depth at linebacker.
• A lot of people have questioned why the Panthers would take Beason out of the middle where he’s been such a dominant player. The answer is simple. Under Meeks, the Panthers run the “Tampa 2’’ defense. In that scheme, everything goes through the Will linebacker. Think Derrick Brooks.

Here’s a detailed look at Atlanta’s cornerback situation. Dunta Robinson was brought in to be the top guy, but all the other jobs are up for grabs.

Tom Sorensen takes a look at new Carolina fullback Tony Fiammetta, but it also is a look back at former Carolina fullback Brad Hoover, who was a big presence on this team for a decade.

The Saints gave punter Thomas Morstead some work as the place-kicker Tuesday. But Garrett Hartley, who was given a day of rest, doesn’t have anything to worry about. Morstead isn’t all that accurate and only would be used in an emergency situation.

Tampa Bay’s Stylez G. White has his eyes on a season with double-digit sacks. Pretty lofty goal for a defensive end who never has come close to that level. But White’s got a point when he points to Tampa Bay’s upgrades in the middle of the defensive line. Having guys like Gerald McCoy and Brian Price in the interior could make life a lot better for the ends.

Thought I would take that list of 2009 playing time I mentioned yesterday and take it in another direction.

I just looked at how many snaps each running back in the NFC South got last year and the results were interesting. In the case of the most used running back in the division, the result was surprising.

Tampa Bay’s Cadillac Williams, far and away, led NFC South running backs in playing time last season. He was on the field for almost 60 percent of Tampa Bay’s offensive plays and was the only division running back to take part in more than 50 percent of his team’s offensive plays. Not bad for a guy who has endured two major knee injuries in his career.

Let’s take a look at last year’s numbers on playing time for the running backs on all four teams (we’ll only delve into the significant ones), translate what that meant in 2009 and analyze what it could mean in 2010.

Tampa Bay: The Bucs ran a division-low 999 offensive plays and Williams was on the field for 593 of them. Derrick Ward, who was signed as a free agent, was out there for 34.7 percent of the plays and Earnest Graham, who made the transition to fullback, participated on 23.1 percent of the snaps. Ward really didn’t have the impact the Bucs hoped for, but they haven’t given up on him. Williams is firmly established as Raheem Morris’ No. 1 back, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs let Ward take away some of his snaps (but not carries) just to preserve Williams.

New Orleans: This might be the most interesting running back corps in the division because everyone talked so much about the three-headed backfield last year. That was true as Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell got relatively equal playing time. Of New Orleans’ 1,067 offensive plays, Bush was on the field for 389. Thomas was out there for 372 and Bell got 262 snaps. Bell is gone and you might see playing time for Bush and Thomas go up a bit, but only slightly because Lynell Hamilton, who played 5.9 percent of last year’s snaps, is likely to take on some of Bell’s load. One other interesting note here is that fullback Heath Evans took part in 23.1 of the offensive plays, despite missing almost half the season with injury. Evans is healthy now and I’d look for him to be on the field about 40 percent of the time.

Carolina: The Panthers have one of the league’s most dynamic combination in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The playing time numbers pretty much back up coach John Fox’s view that these two guys are equal. Williams was on the field for 46.5 percent of Carolina’s 1,053 plays and Stewart participated in 40.3 percent. That breakdown should be pretty similar in 2010, barring injury. The Panthers let veteran fullback Brad Hoover go in the offseason and that’s significant because he took part in 31.2 percent of the plays. Tony Fiammetta took only 10.3 percent of the snaps as a rookie last year and he’s going to have to step into Hoover’s role.

Atlanta: The Falcons ran 1,093 offensive plays this past season and their participation got really out of whack because of injuries to Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood. Jason Snelling wound up leading Atlanta’s backs with 497 (45.5 percent) plays. Turner was on the field for 335 (30.7 percent) and Norwood for 284 (26 percent). The Falcons don’t want to overuse Turner, who carried 385 times in 2008. But I think it’s a safe bet a healthy Turner will stay on the field for more than 30 percent of the plays in 2010. His mere presence brings a threat that should make things easier for the passing game. Snelling earned a role in this backfield, but if Turner and Norwood stay healthy, his playing time should dwindle. Turner and Norwood both are home run threats. Snelling is a big back, who is best suited as a blocker in passing situations and as a short-yardage runner.

Three random thoughts as training camps get closer.

Just a hunch, but I’m pretty sure you’re going to see the New Orleans Saints sign a quarterback sometime in the next week or so. They need a veteran, just in case anything happens to Drew Brees. Their hands have been tied in free agency because they were one of the final eight teams. But those rules are about to expire. I’m thinking there’s a good chance you’ll see Patrick Ramsey joining the Saints soon.

One player we haven’t heard much about in months is fullback Brad Hoover, who was released in Carolina’s purge early in the offseason. Hoover said at the time he wanted to continue playing. This is a guy who might have a little left in the tank and he’s a great locker room guy. It might only be in a backup role, but I think you might see Hoover sign with a team soon and it could be a team in the NFC South.

The Falcons make it sound like defensive lineman Jamaal Anderson remains in their plans. That may be true and you could see another year of Anderson sliding back and forth between defensive end and defensive tackle. But Atlanta’s added some depth on the defensive line. If Anderson, a former first-round pick, doesn’t show something in the preseason, I’m thinking the Falcons may not even keep him on their opening-day roster.

I just sent in my final ballot for the Pro Football Writers of America annual awards and it’s fair to say there were a number of NFC South votes on there.

The ballot had been narrowed down to five finalists for each award. I had made an NFC South nomination in each of the five categories and I do have to admit I’m a little disappointed that former Tampa Tribune sports editor Tom McEwen was not a finalist for the McCann Award and former Carolina fullback Brad Hoover didn’t make the final cut for the Good Guy Award. I had nominated both and felt very strongly about those nominations.

Anyway, we’ll move on to the people who are finalists for each of the awards. Tampa Bay running back Cadillac Williams, who has overcome two major knee injuries, is a finalist for the Halas Award, which is given to the person who overcomes the most adversity.

Atlanta’s top-notch public relations staff of Reggie Roberts, Frank Kleha, Matt Conti and Brian Cearns is a finalist for the Rozelle Award, for the league’s most helpful PR staff, for the second straight year.

Longtime New Orleans Times-Picayune columnist Peter Finney is a finalist for the McCann Award, which goes to a writer for long-term contributions to the business. That helped me absorb the McEwen blow. Finney is to New Orleans what McEwen is to Tampa Bay -- a sports face of the area. McEwen gave me my first job in the business, so I’m admittedly partial. But I’ve gotten to know Finney through the years and he’s a fine gentleman and a very worthy candidate.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees is a finalist for the Good Guy Award, which goes to the player who does the most to help the media do its job. No argument against Brees. One other thing on Brees I should share with you: A lot of times, the media might paint a guy to be better than he is just because he can throw a football -- or run fast or whatever. But Brees is one of those guys who is every bit as good of a person as you'd imagine.

There is no NFC South tie to the five finalists for the Horrigan Award, which goes to a person who is not a player or public relations worker, who does the most to help the media do its job. I made a nomination for a certain NFC South executive. He didn’t make the cut, so I won’t name him. He’d be embarrassed (and turn red) anyway because he doesn’t like attention.