Pre-Game Recon: Five Questions With Cat Scratch Reader

1.  So, David Carr, huh?  How's that working out for you guys?  We know that Delhomme is still the starter and looked awfully good last week.  And we're sure that he's a fine person and a man of steadfast character.  Nevertheless, we probably speak for most Texans fans when we say that we hope he contracts a mean case of dysentery sometime Saturday night.  We desperately want David Carr under center on Sunday.  Wait...what was my question again?  Oh yeah...has the Charlotte media gone live to any of Zoolander's salon appointments yet?

CSR:  David Carr is an upgrade from what we had in Chris Weinke. So far the Panther faithful have embraced Carr, and he in turn has performed pretty well in training camp and the preseason. That might change if he is forced into action and doesn't perform. Delhomme is the better QB right now, so we want him to stay healthy, obviously (no uncooked chicken for dinner). Personally when I watched Carr in training camp, I wasn't too impressed, though he throws a nice ball and is fairly mobile. He has a weird throwing motion so I don't see how he was seen as #1 pick material. Regarding his 'Zoolander' hair, no one has commented on it much except the Giants fans back in Preseason Game 1. That's funny though, I must say.

2.  DeShaun Foster.  DeAngelo Williams.  Two fine running backs, but who's the lead dog?  How do you figure the carries will split over the course of the season?

CSR:  Foster is definitely the lead dog. and as long as he continues to run with power and holds onto the ball, he will continue to get 15-20 carries per game. D-Will should get around 8-12 carries, depending on how the game is going. We liked what we saw from the running game last week, but realize St. Louis is not good at stopping the run. Houston should provide more of a challenge.

3.  We fully expect Julius Peppers to be a factor on Sunday.  Maybe not a conference player of the week factor, but a factor nonetheless.  Given the problems the interior Texans line had against the Chiefs, however, Kris Jenkins looms particularly large.  Correct us if we're wrong, but hasn't there been a bit of a love-hate relationship between Jenkins and Carolina management?  We seem to recall that he was on the verge of being waived or traded at some point last year.  Is that just the Lone Star talking?  Regardless, what do you expect out of Jenkins this year?

CSR:  Jenkins wasn't going to get waived, but we tried to trade him for a #1 pick prior to the draft. St. Louis offered a #2 and we declined (I was unhappy at the time). Jenkins then skipped OTAs, and there were rumors he was overweight and out of shape. Much to our pleasure, he showed up at camp in shape and hasn't had a negative thing to say. He addressed it in a professional manner, said he had no hard feelings, and then said "Let's move on." It was nice to see a mature response from an NFL player. I stood next to him at training camp and was bug-eyed at what a huge man he is and how he moves at 340 lbs. If I was Schaub, he is the last Panther I would want to have a clean shot at me. Just ask Mark Bulger. So now, I'm obviously very pleased we kept him. I think he will have another Pro Bowl year.

4.  Everyone knows that Steve Smith is a freak.  But now that Meshawn is gone, who else is Carolina counting on to produce in the passing game?  Do you see Dwayne Jarrett staking his claim to the No. 2 WR spot by season's end?  How has he looked so far?

CSR:  Keary Colbert won the #2 WR spot going into Game 1, but #3 WR Drew Carter was the star with 2 red-zone TDs. We've been waiting for either Colbert or Carter to step up and perform, so it was nice to see one of them do it. Jarrett wasn't even active for the game because he is behind from missing time during training camp due to injury. I don't expect Jarrett to have a significant impact until later in the season, but I think eventually he could move into the #2 or #3 slot. If Carter continues to produce, he should overtake Colbert. He has the size (6-4, 215) and speed to be a weapon in this league.

5.  Fill in the blank:  The Carolina Panthers will finish with a regular season record of 11-5 and will win ??? playoff games.

CSR:  I haven't been shy about my 11-5 prediction and NFC South Championship. As far as the playoffs, it sounds clichéd to say SB champs, but I also can't bring myself to say we will lose to any other team in the NFC or lose in the SB, so I'll leave it at that.

BONUS::  Game Prediction: Panthers 34, Texans 16.