CHARLOTTE -- What looked like a potential weakness for the Carolina Panthers could become one of the more interesting positions to watch in training camp,.

The early returns on their wide receiver corps are extremely positive. They're liking what they see from their rookies, and hoping a new system means a new lease on life for the veterans.

After they cut veteran Keyshawn Johnson following the draft, there were legitimate concerns over the non-Steve Smith portion of the position. That's reasonable, since the 10 not-Smith receivers combined for 146 receptions for 1,954 yards and 12 touchdowns.

"We've got some young guys, especially at receiver," quarterback Jake Delhomme said. "Certainly, we have Steve (Smith), but it's good to see Drew Carter and Keary Colbert do well. And it's good to watch the young guys.

"Just from mini-camp to now, Dwayne Jarrett and Ryne (Robinson) have picked it up. This is the biggest time for rookies. When you come into mini-camp, it's different. Everything is thrown at them and it's so fast-paced. But now they've had a couple of weeks to digest everything and now it's one-a-day and they're seeing things for the second time around. This is when you see the biggest jump for rookies."

The guy making the biggest leap back into the mix might be last year's forgotten man -- Colbert. An afterthought last season, he's shown more life this spring than he has since his rookie year.

Some familiar with his thinking have tied that to the departure of offensive coordinator Dan Henning, carrying the suggestion Colbert was squarely in his doghouse.

His teammates swore the former second-round pick was going to open eyes last year after recovering from a 2005 ankle injury, but it was hard to tell (five catches for 56 yards). So far, he looks sharp running his routes, has caught everything and seems more engaged in the process. He's routinely hanging around after practice to catch balls from the third and fourth quarterbacks, a departure from his funk of the last two years that had some teammates wondering how much he wanted to be here.

As Delhomme mentioned, Dwayne Jarrett has progressed nicely as well. Last week, he began taking some snaps with Smith and the first offense, a sign he's got a real chance to unseat Carter for a starting job quickly. Fourth-round return man Robinson's also showing some ability as an offensive player.

There are also several dark horses to watch. Veteran Chris Horn, out of the league last year, has several supporters in the organization and could latch on as the new special-teams ace. Taye Biddle's also hoping to build on last year's audition.

None of them have anything resembling experience or consistent production, but the group's looking stronger than one could have imagined a month ago.

• DRY COUNTY: As important as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's order last week banning alcohol from team functions was, it was mostly met with yawns here.

The Panthers haven't provided alcohol on team flights, buses, locker rooms or events since the team's inception. Even the company Christmas party is a dry affair, the way it's always been since 1995.

When a team spokesman was asked if that was by direct decree of owner Jerry Richardson, he responded: "It starts there."

"That's just been part of the way we do business here," director of communications Charlie Dayton said.

• NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE: June 1 used to be considered a magical date for releases in the league, though it never seemed to live up to the expected landslide of available veterans. Under the old system, teams would wait to release unwanted players until now to spread the salary cap hit over two years.

A new rule built into the collective bargaining agreement has made the turn of the calendar more anticlimactic. Teams can designate two cuts per year as post-June 1 to spread the cap hit out, without waiting the get rid of the player.

That's what the Panthers did when the cut receiver Keyshawn Johnson. He'll count $1.25 million against this year's salary cap and $2.5 million next year, instead of the entire $3.75 million now.

• EXTRA POINTS: Panthers coach John Fox said last week he tried to hire new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson when he put his original staff together in 2002. He was under contract to New England at the time, working under Charlie Weis as an assistant offensive line coach. The Patriots gave him the tight end duties that year as well.

The Panthers had holdovers from previous regimes at both spots, with elder statesman Don Breaux working with tight ends and Paul Boudreau coaching the line. Both were gone soon, with Breaux retiring the next year (before getting back in with old boss Joe Gibbs in Washington), and Boudreau going to Jacksonville in 2003 along with former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. ... Though he's more comfortable returning punts, Robinson was working on his kickoff returns last week. Also back there for consideration were Biddle, Horn, and running back DeAngelo Williams.

 

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