I'm reading between the lines here but I'm sure Smitty returning to practice just in time for game planning says he plans to play. Right now we all just happy to see him back in practice:
It was good to have Steve back. Right off the bat he went back to his normal practice mode – 100 percent, all the time," Rivera said. "So it was a lot of fun watching Steve back on the football field for sure."
You got that right BAMF! The offense just wasn't the same without the spark plug at WR. As far as what happened with his foot:
"We honestly don’t know" what caused it, Smith said. "It was just one of those things where everyone looked at each other and said, ‘Whoa, this isn’t supposed to be happening.’ So just trying to get through that part."
Glad we got through that before the season started. We need Smith and LB Jon Beason for that matter in the line-up. I've got an update on Beason as well, after the jump...
Beason on his hamstring:
"I feel great. I haven’t tested the hamstring at top-end speed, but I don’t feel it at all," Beason said. "If I could put a number on it, I guess I’d say about 85 percent. But as we get closer here, there will be times at practice where I really get to open up and see how it feels."
I was hoping for a higher number than 85 but I'll take it. I can't wait to see he and Kuechly on the field at the same time.
Speaking of numbers, Smitty made a few predictions himself:
On the first day of camp, Smith said he hoped the Panthers could double their offensive output from last season when they finished in the top seven in the league in scoring (25.4 points a game) and total offense (390 yards a game).
Averaging 50 points and 780 yards might be unrealistic. But Smith’s point was the Panthers should be better in their second season in Rob Chudzinski’s offense.
"Offensively, hopefully we’re heading up," Smith said. "But you can’t rest on your laurels from last year or believe you have it. You’ve got to work just as hard to stay on top or stay in the middle and work your way up to the top."
You have to love the optimism. I'm feeling it myself.
Happy Labor Day Everyone!