Panthers Paw Prints: Rookie Interviews - Independence Day Edition

Happy Independence Day, Carolina Panthers fans. These interviews just popped up on the Panthers' website. I haven't listened to them all yet, but they seem to have ben done immediately post-draft. They say "posted april 24, 2010," but I don't remember seeing them on the site before. There's one for each Panthers draft pick (except Brandon LaFell). Your daily links are after the jump. For now, take a listen:

Audio Gallery: Jimmy Clausen Interview

Audio Gallery: Armanti Edwards Interview

Audio Gallery: Eric Norwood Interview

More after the jump.

Audio Gallery: Greg Hardy Interview

Audio Gallery: David Gettis Interview

Audio Gallery: Jordan Pugh Interview

Audio Gallery: Tony Pike Interview

Audio Gallery: R.J. Stanford Interview

Here are your links for Sunday July 4, 2010:

Talk about a player who is a true sleeper in terms of the national media:

Seven NFL Teams Relying On Highly Inexperienced Quarterbacks (SBNation.com)
Matt Moore is another quarterback from that fabled '07 crop, though he was not drafted (Dallas signed him as an undrafted free agent, and he ended up in Carolina at the start of that season). Like Kolb, he'll turn 26 in August, and is the oldest player on this list. Now that the Panthers have bid adieu to Jake Delhomme, they're giving the offense to Moore, an efficient player that has put up a surprising six wins in his eight career starts. Carolina is hopeful that the team's 4-1 finish to the 2009 season behind strong play from Moore isn't a mirage; he'll be assisted by one of the league's best rushing attacks and a conservative-minded head coach in John Fox. Consistent, heady play from Moore should keep the Panthers in the Wild Card conversation this season. Moore totals: 8 career starts, 6-2 record.

I wish there was more of this. We are able to celebrate independence day because of our men and women in uniform:

2010 NFL Photos - USO Coaches Tour (NFL.com)
Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox visits with MP's at Kaiserslautern Air Base in Germany during a USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour stop on June 30, 2010. This is the first overseas USO tour for Fox who is joined by three other top NFL coaches touring bases in Germany and the Persian Gulf region.

He wasn't the first, he was just unlucky. I think Darin is right. This just means other players will be hush-hush about risky off the field activities:

Carolina Panthers WR Smith isn't first to take chances. (CharlotteObserver.com)
Smith’s broken left arm suffered last month – the same one he broke last December against the New York Giants – shouldn’t be career-altering. But Lewis’ case underscores the chances pro athletes can take doing the things they’ve always done. Smith wasn’t the only NFL player competing with the weekend warriors, as Panther wideout Kenneth Moore and free agent quarterback Josh McCown played in the same flag football league. The standard NFL player contract prohibits activities that "may involve a significant risk of personal injury." The clause is vague on purpose, and teams frown on anything that might keep a player off the field.

I really hope the UNCC 49ers do well. Who knows, with all the college football craziness, they may end up in the ACC... I think Minter would be an excellent candidate for the job:

Minter still wants Charlotte 49ers job. (CharlotteObserver.com)
While current NFL players are trying to get in the last bit of vacation this month, former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter is preparing for a pair of coaching jobs. He’s getting ready to lead Concord’s First Assembly Christian to a defense of its N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II title, but he’s also continuing preparing for the chance to become the Charlotte 49ers’ first football coach. The 49ers plan to add football for the 2013 season, and to hire a coach next summer. Minter has lobbied for a chance to be the first coach, and said school officials have promised him an interview when the process begins next year.

Not Panthers news, but NFL + Charlotte region news:

A Happy Tiger (WFNZ.com)
Newest Buffalo Bill and former Clemson Tiger running back C.J. Spiller called into Primetime and told Pack and the boys he can’t wait to get started next month in the NFL! Take a listen!

And in honor of Independence Day, one of my favorite all-time Simpsons clips: