Leonard Fournette Will Visit Panthers Next Week.

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The Panthers will meet with top running back prospect Leonard Fournette out of LSU next week. 

Things started stirring on Wednesday when neither head coach Ron Rivera or Dave Gettleman showed up at LSU's pro day. It seems now that's because they knew they would be bringing him to Charlotte to meet. Running backs coach Jim Skipper and offensive coordinator Mike Shula both made the trip to Louisiana for the pro day.

Fournette made another impression when he weighed in at 228 pounds, down from 250 at the combine and back to his college playing weight. When asked about the weight at the combine, Fournette said it was "water weight" and he would be losing it. Fournette commented on this to Charlotte Observer's Jourdan Rodrigue later.

“I think some (teams) wanted to see if I could get down to that size. I think it was a plus for me. ... I might be 250 playing, so I just wanted to show them that I can do what I need to do to get my business in order.” 

It seems the closer the draft gets, the chances of Fournette being around at eight are getting slimmer to many. Carolina has stated all off season that they want to be able to run Cam less to help preserve him for the long haul. Jonathan Stewart's recent one-year extension was more of a cap space move than anything else and Fournette could be a bruising replacement when Stewart is gone. But then again.

Then with all of this you have the Christian McCaffrey rumors at an all-time high and he could be a big help in "evolving" the offense and be a key weapon to Cam Newton as well. Buckle up Panthers fans, the next few weeks are going to be interesting.

Written By Tripp Morgan

Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and updates surrounding the Carolina Panthers.

Article photo by Jesse Fraetis.

 


 

Steve Smith Tells Charlotte Observer Reporter His Article "Sucked"

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He’s right, it sucks.  Cutting Steve Smith, the greatest Panther ever, sucks.  Oh wait, he was talking  Rick Bonnell’s article “Steve Smith release hearkens back to Bobcats’ Gerald Wallace trade?”  Well, that sucked too!



I don’t follow the NBA all that closely.  But reminiscent of Gerald Wallace?  Gerald Wallace...Gerald #$%#$%^ Wallace!

Look, at this point we don’t have any choice as fans but to let this play out.  We’ve been reminded numerous times that Gettleman has a plan and that cutting Smith was necessary.  I’ve been opposed to this move from the beginning, but Gettleman has made the decision to move on and it is what it is.  

Let’s be real though, this isn’t like cutting a journeyman player like Gerald Wallace.  Sure the guy is talented, and I’m not trying to trash on him, but he’s no Steve Smith.


Honestly, I really don’t know much about Gerald Wallace, but it’s obvious that I know more about Steve Smith than Rick Bonnell knows about Gerald Wallace.  

Remember how Steve Smith threatened to “bust,” Janoris Jenkins, “in the f------ mouth” for Googling his wife? Well, I had to Google Gerald Wallace because I knew about him as about I knew about Janoris Jenkins, Steve Smith’s wife, or Rick Bonnell (Syracuse Orange, Charlotte Observer reporter).  

Wallace looks to be a solid player who has managed to play a productive role on numerous teams, 5 of them in 12 years to be exact.  He wasn’t really the signature player on any of those teams except for the Bobcats, and they were terrible….really terrible.  He’s a journeyman—a professional, but never a superstar.

I’m not trying to trash on Wallace, but it’s whack that Bonnell is trashing on Smith here. Steve Smith is in a different league than Wallace, and I don’t mean a different sport. I mean a different league--like stratosphere.

I’m not talking about a good player, I’m talking about a great player.  Bonnell stated, that Wallace was “like an iconic player.”  Well Mr. Bonnell, Steve Smith was an iconic player. He is a hall of famer and Carolina’s only real superstar before Cam Newton. He’s been among the top players at his position for a decade, and at times arguably the best at his position (2005-103 receptions 1563 yards 12 receiving touchdowns).  

Gettleman made the choice to part ways with Smith, and all of us have to live with it--Gettleman, Rivera, Smith, and the people of Charlotte and Baltimore.  Some people outside the capital are all smiles right now I guessing.  Smith may be a little salty, but he has to live with being 3.5 million richer right now too.

Smith has handled this as best as he could.  He’s expressed his gratitude to the organization, Jerry Richardson, the people of Charlotte, and his fans.  He’s given a ton to the community and pledged to continue to in the future.

Sure, my man has punched the occasional dude in the face, but he has also been the backbone of this Carolina Panthers team  for more than a decade.  He’s matured a lot in that time. He’s more reserved these days.  Now he only punches dudes in the face via the media.

ICE UP SON!


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