Lewis hopes to stick

CHARLOTTE -- With veteran Dante Wesley serving a one-week suspension and unavailable to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the Carolina Panthers switched into rent-a-player mode.

Because NFL rules give them an extra roster spot during Wesley's absence, the Panthers set out to find someone who could fill the role of a special teams gunner -- an outside defender who races downfield on kickoffs and punts to either disrupt the opponent's return or make a tackle.

Wesley roared downfield in this past Sunday's game against the Buccaneers at Tampa Bay, but he hit Bucs return man Clifton Smith too early and got hit with a flagrant foul that earned him an unwanted mini-vacation.

To take his place, the Panthers signed Keith Lewis, who was a special teams standout for the San Francisco 49ers from 2004 to 2008.

Lewis is expected to be activated against the Bills, though the Panthers aren't confirming that officially.

Lewis (6 feet 1, 220 pounds) was known as an aggressive player and hard hitter with the 49ers. His statistics include two blocked punts.

He was a fixture in San Francisco before getting released in February. The Arizona Cardinals signed him in March but released him in August. He has been unemployed since but had a recent workout with the Tennessee Titans.

He said his routine the past couple of months has included not only the typical stay-ready-for-football exercises but a spin class at a local gym, his girlfriend's suggestion.

"It was pretty intense," he said.

Lewis, a resident of Sacramento, Calif., said he usually headed to the gym by 9:30 a.m. on Mondays, but that he slept late this Monday. When he awoke at 10 a.m., he had a text message from his agent telling him he had a 12:30 p.m. flight to Charlotte.

"It was a matter of trying to hurry up and throw a couple of things in the bag and get out of there," Lewis said.

His Tuesday workout consisted mostly of agility drills, and the Panthers didn't sign him right away. Lewis said he waited in a hotel "staring at the ceiling" until it became clear that Wesley wasn't going to appeal the suspension.

Lewis was signed Wednesday afternoon and practiced with the team Thursday.

He already had some Carolina connections. He was a college teammate at Oregon of Panthers quarterback A.J. Feeley and tight end Dante Rosario. Carolina secondary coach Mike Gillhamer coached him with the Ducks, and Panthers special teams assistant Jeff Rodgers was in San Francisco when he arrived in 2004 as a sixth-round draft pick.

He said he's taking his stay in Carolina "game by game, day by day" but refuses to view his status as a one-game-and-done scenario.

"My mindset is to look at it as a long-term deal," he said. "I didn't sign my contract for one week. I signed it until the end of the season.

"That's how I'm going to go about it."

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