Capping and Discussions: Sunday September 10th, 2006
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Keyshawn Johnson looked at a group of reporters and tried to guess what the newspaper headlines would be. "Steve Smith not here. Panthers doomed," Johnson said Wednesday.
Not quite, but there is reason for concern as Carolina's All-Pro receiver experienced more hamstring trouble. He is questionable for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Smith, who missed 17 days of training camp with a strained left hamstring, did not practice Wednesday because of pain in his right hamstring. Coach John Fox said Smith suffered the injury in practice Tuesday.
"He tweaked his other hamstring and we rested him today," Fox said. "We'll see how he looks tomorrow."
Smith, who didn't have either hamstring wrapped while in the locker room after practice, was evasive when asked if he'll play Sunday.
"Today is not Sunday," he said. "I didn't get my Ph.D., so I don't know. I've had worse days, so I'm just going to plug away."
Smith injured his left hamstring during the second practice of training camp July 29. He missed more than two weeks with the injury before returning to practice.
Smith was then sidelined another week with an ingrown toenail that required stitches, and did not play in any of Carolina's four preseason games.
"He practiced 10 times and he's in great physical condition," Fox said. "We're just taking it slow, but he had a little setback."
Smith was the league's top receiver last season with 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming the first player since Sterling Sharpe in 1992 to lead the NFL in all three categories.
If Smith can't play, either Keary Colbert and Drew Carter will line up opposite Johnson against the Falcons.
But Johnson believes Smith will suit up.
"I expect to see him playing. I don't know anything different, other than he looks fine to me. But I'm not a doctor," said Johnson, who has yet to play with Smith in a game since signing with Carolina in the offseason. "I think when it happens it will be fun. Hopefully he's playing possum."
If Smith does play, expect him to be fired up. Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall took a shot at Smith this week despite the fact Smith beat him for the decisive touchdown in a 24-6 win last December.
"I didn't think he had much success against me. Period," Hall told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "They weren't trying to go downfield with him at all. They threw a couple little narrow routes. Obviously, he broke that one. Bad tackling. Fluke play. You do it 10 times, I make that play nine times. So besides that one fluke play, the guy didn't have that much success against me."
Smith was quick to respond Wednesday.
"I guess when you're on the top you have a lot of people trying to knock you down," Smith said. "Some people are lower than others on the totem pole by age, performance and talk.
"When you talk, you're obviously insecure about something. You talk long enough, you'll hang yourself."
That competitive streak has led Falcons coach Jim Mora to plan on seeing Smith on the field Sunday.
"Lots of him," he said.
The Panthers also have some other injury concerns. Cornerback Ken Lucas bruised his arm in practice Wednesday and his status for Sunday's game is unknown.
Linebacker Na'il Diggs dressed for practice Wednesday and is listed as questionable with a sprained right knee suffered in the third exhibition game.
Defensive tackle Jordan Carstens practiced, but is listed as questionable with an elbow injury.
hmmmm with a healthy steve smith i think carolina punks atl cause carolina is a bad matchup for them (can limit the run and force vick to throw = bad for atl)
things a lot closer now but still think carolina takes it
I really think that without injuries Carolina will be in at least the NFC championship game.
I think Vick is good and all but it seems most running quarterbacks eventually stop doing that because it takes a toll on them. I don't think that Vick is all that great a passing quarterback and that all that running will eventually lead to him being an average quarterback.
In the last 20 years or so there have been a number of good scrambling quarterbacks but eventually they slowed down on there scrambling because of injuries.
I see Carolina covering this spread because in reality they are just the superior team overall.
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Capping and Discussions: Sunday September 10th, 2006
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