Panthers looking for new leadership

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Carolina Panthers came to training camp looking for receivers, defensive linemen, new backups and a handful of starters.

But one thing likely will be settled at Wofford: The Panthers should leave with a clearer idea who's going to direct the team this season.

Although a vote for captains won't be held until the regular season begins, the building blocks of a new leadership are being laid.

The team's youth has given this camp a different feeling, one that should allow some new players to take on roles.

"The vibe around here is unknown," receiver Steve Smith said. "Literally, half of them just pulled up.

"I think it's going to be fun. We've got a lot more younger guys, so I think things are going to be different, a little bit more loose, a little bit more fun, a little bit of guys trying to establish their own traditions.

"I'm excited to see, to observe what's going to happen in camp."

Smith was doing much more than observing while he recovers from a broken left arm. He stalked the sideline as plays were run and wove in and out of huddles. You would see him pointing out the details of a play with linebacker Jon Beason but also going around to individuals, including a moment with fourth-string tight end Jamie Petrowski.

Though Smith can be prickly at times, he's still regarded as one of the cornerstones of the organization, a role he takes pride in even if he sometimes doesn't act interested in it. "I guess so, I think," he replied when asked if he was looking to expand his own leadership role here.

But when quarterback Matt Moore - himself stepping to a new plateau - was asked who he turned to, he replied without hesitation: "Definitely offensively, you look at [No.] 89."

Smith is one of just four players on the roster who have been voted captain before, along with Beason, kicker John Kasay and left tackle Jordan Gross.

The Panthers lost 13 captain's Cs in their offseason purge, with quarterback Jake Delhomme (six), receiver Muhsin Muhammad (four) and defensive end Julius Peppers (three) leaving. Out the door with them were other trusted voices, such as fullback Brad Hoover, defensive tackle Damione Lewis and safety Chris Harris.

That had the players who were left looking around at each other through spring practices as they searched for an identity.

"There's a lot of wide eyes with the youth," Moore said. "Being here four years, you kind of have that feeling, you speak, guys are going to listen. Obviously, that's easier being an older guy, but it is easier.

"The more we work together and play together, and the more natural I think the leadership thing will be, and the communication will flow through everybody.

"That's what's good about this team. It's a close bunch, I think, and that's what training camp's for also, to grow and watch those leaders establish themselves within the team."

Some of the picks are natural: Beason has the ears of the entire defense.

But looking elsewhere around his huddle, and it's hard to see who else might take on such as role. Elders such as defensive end Tyler Brayton and cornerback Chris Gamble are quiet guys. Of course, both are also regarded as hard workers, which makes them candidates to lead in a non-traditional way.

On the offensive side, tight end Jeff King, center Ryan Kalil and running back DeAngelo Williams are often mentioned.

Though the Panthers might not be long on speech-makers, they have collected a sizable group of grinders.

"You have to have both, vocal and non," second-year defensive Everette Brown said. "I think the most important thing is to have a guy lead by example. I think that's more contagious than anything. After a while, voices get old, guys don't take it as seriously, it doesn't have as much meaning.

"But if you have a guy lead by example, it goes a lot farther."

Gamble, going into his seventh year, admitted that being a talker wasn't natural to him. But after Harris left, he felt a responsibility to help shepherd along safeties Charles Godfrey and Sherrod Martin, who have three years experience between them.

Another example of the search for new voices is the new responsibility given to middle linebacker Dan Connor. Beason, now playing on the weakside, is still making the defensive calls in the huddle, but once they break, it's Connor's responsibility to direct traffic on the field. Beason called the split duties "weird" but understood the aim of the coaching staff.

"Coach wants to put more of a load on Dan," Beason explained. "He's a quiet guy, and he wants him to open up a little bit and show his personality. I think it'll be good for him.

"You want guys to develop into leaders. You don't know what guys can do. But at this point, you're still trying to find out who the 11 guys are that will be starters."