FanPost

Top Ten Highlights from Fan Fest 2014

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

I enjoyed attending last night's Fan Fest at Bank of America stadium. Here are some highlights for those who didn't attend.

1. Kelvin Benjamin looked great. He was the most impressive receiver on the field. Like Cam, he looks like a man among boys. Ran decent routes and showed good hands.

2. Cam looked fine. While he claims to not yet be 100%, there was no noticeable lingering effects from his off-season ankle surgery.

3. I liked what I saw in Tyler Gaffney. He looked decisive and with a burst as a downfield north south runner. Possible Nick Goings type back for us for now, and maybe feature back material two years from now. If Barner doesn't hold onto the ball and step up his game this year, he might be looking up at Gaffney on the depth chart.

4. Brenton Bersin looked better than Tavarres King and Marvin McNutt. Just one practice, yes. But considering his willingness to work with special teams, I give him a shot at WR 5.

5. I saw no evidence that DeAngelo Williams has lost a step. No need to pin the "hitting the over 30 wall" on him prematurely.

6. Joe Webb didn't show much to me. Nice insurance for camp should one of our QBs get insured, but I don't see him challenging Derek Anderson for the backup QB position.

7. Brandon Williams had alot of catches. (And like most of our receivers, a drop or two) I think they are going to give BW a chance to show what he can do this preseason. I believe his upside is higher than Ed Dickson; they might be in competition for TE2. And, one of the best highlights of the night:

Williams ran a slant route, made the catch, and inadvertently ran into Thomas DeCoud, who of course was not allowed to tackle. Williams was not able to stop in time, ran into DeCoud, and sent him flying about 3 yards in the other direction : )

8. The in-stadium fireworks were off the chain, including some pulsating rock music and creative laser show thanking the fans for 20 years of support. The fans really loved the show, very well done. If you get a chance to go see them in the stadium, do it.

9. Cam Newton really loves the fans. During down time in drills, Cam more than once successfully started The Wave, a really fun highlight to the night. Don't mistake this for lack of focus. It was just a really cool thing to do at a Fan Fest night. And as always, Newton stayed longer than any to sign autographs. Critique him for other things, but no NFL player loves the fans more than Cam Newton. He is the antithesis of the No Fun League, joking around, smiling, interacting with the fan base.

10. Did I mention Kelvin Benjamin looked good? I fell in love with our rookie receiver last night, in a similar way that I fell in love with our rookie QB named Newton 3 years ago. Kelvin Benjamin belongs. This level is not too big for him. A star is born. I'm telling you, we have a keeper in Kelvin Benjamin Panther fans!!

In a no pads, no tackling practice, there isn't much you can say about the defense and special teams. But I hope these highlights from our offense and the fan experience whet your appetite for the coming 2014 Panther season!

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