August 10th, 2009, 6:44 pm · Post a Comment · posted by sreed
UPDATE: The Carolina Panthers were able to breathe a sigh of relief Monday night after x-rays on star receiver Steve Smith’s shoulder were negative. However, that doesn’t mean Smith won’t miss significant time, perhaps most, if not all, of the preseason.
He was seen walking around campus with his shoulder in a sling last night.
Smith, who recently turned 30 and has been to four Pro Bowls, came down wrong on his right shoulder while attempting to catch a pass in practice. He appeared to collide with CB Chris Gamble in mid-air and landed on his right side. Moments after the injury Smith rested on his knees while moving his upper body back and forth in obvious pain. Then, as he stood up, he kicked his helmet across the field in frustration giving onlookers reason to believe the injury was serious. He was walked to the trainer’s tent in the middle of the field and was treated by trainer Ryan Vermillion. Then he was carted to the locker room where he had x-rays taken.
Smith will have a little more than a month to recover as the team doesn’t open the regular season until Sept. 13.
All of that said, don’t be surprised if Smith is listed as day-to-day by coach John Fox, although this is clearly more of a week-to-week injury. Smith went to the Pro Bowl again last season and is considered Carolina’s most dangerous weapon on offense.
With likely to miss a significant amount of practice time, look for Ryne Robinson to step into the starting lineup. It’s unlikely it would be Dwayne Jarrett since he plays Muhsin Muhammad’s position. There’s a small difference, but still a difference in playing the two receiver spots and Robinson would be next in line unless the Panthers decide to move Jarrett to Smith’s position.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Reader Comments
Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our User Agreement.