Carolina Panthers Anxiously Anticipate Mini Camp Beginning Today

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We’re not the only ones excited about Carolina’s mini-camp which begins this morning.  As I started to write this it was the night before and I ran across a couple of tweets from Panther players about camp.  Some of those Panther rookies were showing that night before the first day of school excitement.



You just have to wonder what these guys are feeling right now.  Are they having trouble sleeping?  Are they nervous excited, or just nervous?  Are they experiencing doubts or focusing more on dreams of success?  It’s probably all of that wrapped up in one intense and emotional experience.  These guys have worked their entire lives for this moment.  Now it is here, and now it is grind time.   



Rivera spoke today about mini-camp and Carolina’s evaluation process for the coming week today with former GM, Marty Hurny, on his new radioshow—Hurney and Gardner. Rivera indicated that the coaching staff will be looking to see what these rookies retained from the ten workouts they had last month during OTAs.  He emphasized that the main thing they want to see is that a guy “learns to do things the way they want them done.”  There’s a lot to be done and a lot to be learned.

It would be unimaginable to think these guys aren’t feeling pressure, that they aren’t anxious, that they aren’t nervous.  Even those who appear roster locks, like Tre Turner, are anxiously anticipating the working towards making the most of this opportunity. Imagine a guy going out there scrapping and clawing for a roster spot, talk about feeling the heat.  Fortunately, Rivera moved practice time up to 10 am and the meetings late in the afternoon to hopefully avoid guys from “overheating.” 


I bet there are a few guys tossing and turning now wishing he could move it up to 8 am just so they can get to work!  I’m excited thinking about it.  It’s awesome to see moments like this where we are reminded that these guys aren’t stats on a page.