Dwayne Jarrett Getting Mixed Signals

Panthers 2nd round pick Dwayne Jarrett remained inactive for the Houston game and his status is up in the air for Atlanta. I’m bewildered by this development and believe its time to get the rookie in the game. It appears he’s just as confused as me.

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know," the Carolina Panthers rookie receiver said Thursday. "They really haven't told me anything. All I can really control is for me to just keep practicing hard. Eventually, hopefully I get to show what I can do - soon."

He has big catch potential and all we need to is one or two key catches a game. Remember that long pass to Carter that went through his hands? I bet Jarrett makes that catch. All he needs is experience. The word is he is finally fully recovered from the hamstring injury.

Instead, Jarrett has struggled. He was slowed by a hamstring injury early in training camp and fellow USC alum Keary Colbert secured the starting job. Then receivers coach Richard Williamson referred to him as "Tinkerbell," challenging him to "knock those guys around, get off the line of scrimmage."

I’m not crazy about the "tinkerbell" comment. The Panthers expect their receivers to block and if that is Jarrett’s weakness then he may not get on the field very soon.

This is probably the first time in his life he hasn't had a uniform," quarterback Jake Delhomme said. "That's the NFL. You're talented and everything, but it's that mental grind. This is a long season. It's not only physical and extremely brutal, but mentally it's tough. You've got to stay focused and that's one thing we want to see with him. This is a test for him right now."

So is it physical ie... blocking or getting off the line or is mental? Confusing signals to say the least. The Panthers certainly didn't draft him to let him languish on the inactive list. The test I want to see is on the field against Atlanta. I don’t need to see umptine more drops form Colbert to know he’s not a reliable receiver. Smith, Carter & Jarrett should be our three receiver set this weekend.