When Drew Carter walked into the Carolina Panthers locker room this week, rookie Ryne Robinson had his greeting ready.

"It's touchdown Drew Carter," Robinson said. "All he does is score touchdowns."

Carter caught only three passes for 19 yards in Sunday's 27-13 win over St. Louis, but two of them were in the end zone - and may have even had a bigger meaning than their 12 points. They could be a signal the Panthers will have more options downfield this season than just Steve Smith.

The Rams clearly felt that way. Smith has been constantly double-teamed in the past couple of seasons, but he faced single coverage in the third quarter and blew past Tye Hill for a 68-yard touchdown catch that put the Panthers ahead to stay.

"We want to be able to alleviate some pressure for Steve," said Keary Colbert, who started ahead of Carter and had one catch for nine yards. "Obviously a lot of teams want to do a lot of things to stop him because of what he's done in this league. It kind of challenges us on the opposite side to make plays and to do great things."

The Panthers gambled that Carter, Colbert and rookie Dwayne Jarrett would play well enough opposite Smith that they released last year's starter, Keyshawn Johnson, in the offseason.

Colbert, who had only five catches last season, earned the starting job. But the speedy Carter, the Panthers' fifth-round pick in 2004, was the star Sunday, creating space in a boxed-in red zone to catch TD passes of 9 and 10 yards from Jake Delhomme.

"The one thing I was most proud of was the second catch, not the catch itself but the route he ran," Delhomme said. "He wasn't the primary read but he did exactly what he was supposed to do. He didn't rush it. He did it exactly the way it was drawn up. That's something that's big for young guys to see out there. He did his job."

Carter said it's been stressed to him to stay active if a play breaks down.

"We practice that. You're in the back of the end zone and you've got to come back out when Jake starts scrambling," Carter said. "Obviously it worked in the game."

The Panthers think they have depth at receiver even though rookie Dwayne Jarrett is coming along slower than expected. The second-round pick was projected to replace Johnson as the big possession receiver opposite Smith, but was on the inactive list against the Rams.

"It's not necessarily an indicator of whether we think he's a good player or not at all," coach John Fox said. "But the reality is you are only allowed 46 or 45, depending on if you count the third quarterback or not, active on Sundays. There were four guys that we thought gave us a better opportunity coming into the game. But we feel good about him and his development and his future."

If Carter, Colbert and Dwayne Jarrett can all become reliable receivers, it could mean big things for Smith, a three-time Pro Bowl pick who has proven to be nearly unstoppable in single coverage.

Smith had seven catches for 118 yards against the Rams, and Colbert said Smith often faced one-on-one coverage because of the Panthers' effective running game and the other receiving options.

"He gets singled and our thing is to take advantage of it when it happens," Colbert said. "Steve, more times than not, comes out on top in those matchups."

Notes:@ Panthers safety Deke Cooper was limited in practice Friday with a thigh injury suffered a day earlier. He's questionable for Sunday's game against Houston. DE Stanley McClover (thigh) missed practice for a second straight day and is doubtful. S Nate Salley (knee) will not play. ... Fox stopped a reporter's question Friday on the penalties handed down to New England in the spy scandal in mid-sentence. "I'm not commenting on it, so don't even bother asking me," Fox said.

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