Richardson's subtle message: Win or else

Without saying a word, John Fox and Marty Hurney issued a huge statement back on draft day in April.

By giving up their 2009 first-round draft pick to jump back into the first round to get Pittsburgh tackle Jeff Otah, the coach and the general manager of the Carolina Panthers declared they have to win this season. After two straight disappointing seasons that came short of playoff berths, Fox and Hurney have pushed their poker chips to the center of the table and declared themselves all-in.

They're pretty much assured of being all out if they don't make the playoffs this year. Although owner Jerry Richardson rarely speaks to the Charlotte media, it's become common knowledge around the league that Fox and, possibly, Hurney will be gone if the Panthers fall short of the playoffs. That will leave the burden of a missing first-round pick on someone else in 2009.

What we learned from minicamp

Sticking with the all-in theme, Fox and Hurney, who used to be more conservative than Joe Paterno, are taking an enormous gamble on the health of quarterback Jake Delhomme. He's coming off Tommy John elbow surgery after going down in Week 3 last year.

So far, all the early signs are good. The Panthers never would make public a timetable for Delhomme, but it became obvious in minicamp he's way ahead of schedule. Looking in better physical condition than he ever has, Delhomme got almost all of the first-team work in minicamp and his throws seemed sharp. Delhomme, who said his elbow had been bothering him for several years, claims he's feeling better than he has in years and has added arm strength.

Carolina has a top-notch medical and training staff and those folks must have convinced Fox and Hurney that Delhomme is as good as new. Fox spent most of last year telling anyone who would listen how tough it is to win after losing your starting quarterback. That statement's usually valid, but Fox's argument looked particularly feeble because he had handpicked David Carr to step in if anything happened to Delhomme and there was even some speculation Carr might, at some point, take the starting job away.

Instead, Carr had a season that's bound to forever rank him among the all-time busts in free agency. By the end of the year, the Panthers didn't even want to play him in home games because they knew fans would boo him out of Bank of America Stadium. They limped along with the ancient Vinny Testaverde for a bit before finally putting the ball in the hands of undrafted rookie Matt Moore in December. Moore played surprisingly well and the Panthers also have high hopes for Brett Basanez, who sat out last season with an injury.

But the high regard for the potential of Moore and Basanez isn't a total endorsement of either young quarterback. The Panthers, who made no attempt to bring in a veteran backup, simply are placing a huge bet that Delhomme will be as good as he was before the injury and will hold up for an entire season. If that doesn't happen, Fox's excuse, which might have saved his job last year, no longer will be valid.

Still unresolved

Remember when people used to talk about the Carolina defensive line as one of the league's elite? It was true in 2003 (the team's Super Bowl season) and maybe a year after that. That reputation has lingered, but it's a total myth that Carolina has had a good defensive line the past few seasons. And it's hard to imagine this line suddenly becoming great again. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, the team's best defensive lineman last year, was shipped in a trade to the Jets because he and Fox didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. Defensive end Mike Rucker retired.

The Panthers did little to replace them. Sure, they still have defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu, but he's basically Jenkins with the size, but without the talent. The Panthers are hoping Damione Lewis can give them an interior pass rush and he just might. But watch how many teams target Lewis and try to overpower him in the running game.

The Panthers also are gambling defensive end Tyler Brayton, a first-round bust in Oakland, can be an effective starter. That leaves the biggest question mark of all. Defensive end Julius Peppers is one of the most physically talented defensive ends in the league, but he's coming off a hugely disappointing 2007 season. Peppers had only 2½ sacks and barely made any other plays. His supporting cast isn't as good as it was, but he is playing for a new contract. So, if motivation (and there a lot of other theories out there) was Peppers' problem last year, he should have plenty of incentive to bounce back.

Injury analysis

The Panthers are always politically correct and they're implying veteran running back DeAngelo Williams will get the first shot at the starting job. But that's not going to happen. The Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart 13th overall for a reason -- they want to get back to a power running game that's been lacking since Stephen Davis started falling apart.

Stewart missed most of the offseason after having toe surgery, but he's making good progress. Stewart's out of the boot he was wearing and is expected to be 100 percent for the start of training camp. Williams will probably open camp as the starter. But, if Stewart can pick up the offense quickly, he'll leave camp as the starter.

Line changes

Adding a big runner like Stewart isn't the only step the Panthers have taken to get back to a power running game. An offensive line that was undersized and underachieving as the team unveiled a zone-blocking scheme last year has been bulked up and overhauled. Otah was brought in to be a road grader at right tackle and Jordan Gross, who played the right side last year, will move to left tackle. Former left tackle Travelle Wharton will move to left guard and second-year pro Ryan Kalil will take over at center.

Otah brings more size, Wharton has bulked up for the move inside and Kalil has added some weight, but still is not particularly big for a center. The right guard job appeared wide open early in the offseason. But Toniu Fonoti, who has had trouble keeping his weight under control elsewhere, appears to be in shape and the favorite to win this job.

Training camp start date: July 27