Panther Paw Prints - Stewart Rehab Update Edition

I never really knew what to make of RB Jonathan Stewart's foot injury last season. He was essentially too injured for him to practice most of last season yet he still put up 1,100+ yards and seemed capable to carry to rock whenever called. Yet now that Stewart is well past his offseason surgery he's talking about the pain he endured and what he is going though to get back on the field, pain-free:

Panthers Jonathan Stewart's goal: To be pain-free - CharlotteObserver.com
"I wish I was able to be out there," said Stewart. "That's the reason (for the) surgery, so I can get back to my regular routines. When I was in college, (with) my work ethic ... the offseason was where I got better.

 When I was in college, (with) my work ethic ... the offseason was where I got better. "That's where I was able to develop speed and strength. ... Missing out on that is something I definitely don't like. But with the surgeries and the injuries, I had to play it smart and just kind of wait until it was time to go."

Just imagine this guy pain-free and running wild! Take your time J-Stew and get better, we want to see 100% this season....On a lighter note it appears our RB's are a tight bunch that hangs out together, many times at Stewart's place. Here's one piece of advice for anyone visiting Stewart, watch where you park:

Twitter / Home
TSutt22 Got fined for fishing w/o a license - $160. Got towed from stewie's crib - $120. Sleeping on stewie couch cuz I dnt have a car - priceless!!

First Kenny Moore and now Sutton. Some cop has found his honey hole and I'm not talking about fishing. Rumor is  Sutton did catch one catfish...but it wasn't priceless: $280!

In the 'WTF' move of the offseason the Redskins traded...well you surely know already:

Eagles send McNabb to Redskins - CharlotteObserver.com
"Donovan McNabb was more than a franchise quarterback for this team," Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie said. "He truly embodied all of the attributes of a great quarterback and of a great person. He has been an excellent representative of this organization and the entire National Football League both on and off the field. I look forward to honoring him as one of the greatest Eagles of all-time and hopefully see him enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton one day."

What, no tears? Lurie's got balls if nothing else. So how many "Former player returns to old stadium" story lines are we going to have this season?

We love those UNC d-linemen and I like 2nd round DT picks (a la Jenkins):

Thomas to shine in NFL draft - CharlotteObserver.com
"That doesn't matter," Thomas said. "That's part of the job (at defensive tackle). You're there to let other guys make plays."

Speaking of DT's, our 2009 starter got picked up by the Patriots:

Darin Gantt's Panthers Blog | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
The former Panthers continue to scatter, as DT Damione Lewis has agreed to a deal with New England. Lewis confirmed the moved Friday afternoon. The 31-year-old Lewis should fit in nicely, replacing some of the inside rush the Pats lost when Jarvis Green went to Denver. Also, former Panthers LB Na'il Diggs is close to a deal with St. Louis. He's got a shot to remain a starter there.

Replacing the inside rush? I liked Lewis but we never used those terms when describing him around here. Funny how much better players get when they leave one team for another... But I have no Doubt Diggs will start for the Rams, he's still got some game.

Though many draft boards have this guy as a 3rd rounder I bet he's gone before 48:

McCoy shows scouts his arm - CharlotteObserver.com
The former Texas quarterback showed off his healed right shoulder for NFL scouts for the first time on Wednesday, completing all 46 of his passes in a controlled workout. "I've been waiting for this day a long time," he said. "I thought I went out there and killed it today."

So who is the Panthers back-up Center? The Panthers still have a slot to fill in o-line depth and I bet they target a guy that play guard and center:

Scout.com: NFL Draft Buzz: Colt McCoy To Visit Redskins
University of New Mexico center Erik Cook is scheduled to work out for the Bengals this week, but has also been drawing interest from the Browns, Bills, Titans, Panthers, Dolphins, Texans, Raiders and Redskins. The Lobos' Most Valuable Player Award winner in 2009 was a three-year starter who also gained some experience at tackle and guard earlier in his college career.

He's 6-6 305 Lbs and a projected late rounder...sounds like a typical Panthers target. In researching Cook I noticed that HoF Center Bruce Mattews son Kevin Matthews is also prospect out of Texas A&M. He's 6-3 298 and its hard to ignore the pedigree.

I realize we've talked plenty about WR Javon Walker but there was another aspect of his recent interview that we didn't discuss much, the fact the Raiders apparently declined his offer to return money (if true):

Javon Walker: I offered to give the Raiders their money back - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
As far as the Raiders turning it down, of course they would — as would any other NFL team. No one wants to admit they made a huge mistake like that, and then draw attention to it by accepting charity from a failed player.

It makes sense, getting money back is unheard of and I bet even if the Raiders were willing to accept it the Player's Union would have protested it. What a bad precedent it would set huh?