Sherrod Martin was fined $40,000 for his hit on Browns TE Evan Moore Week 12, according to Darin Gantt of the Charlotte Observer.
Our View: Martin’s a helmet-to-helmet repeat offender, which is why his fine was so large. Of course, he wasn’t ejected from the game, but this punishment is only a few thousand dollars less than two of his weekly game checks.
According to the Rock Hill Herald’s Darin Gantt, the Panthers have signed free agent quarterback Keith Null.
Our View: Gantt believes he could be Carolina’s number two quarterback against the Seahawks this weekend. As a rookie, he threw for 566 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions in four games for the Rams last season.
The Panthers have placed rookie quarterback Tony Pike (shoulder) on injured reserve, according to the Rock Hill Herald’s Darin Gantt.
Our View: Considering the Panthers thought Brian St. Pierre was a better option at quarterback, Pike’s loss is not a big one. Keith Null has taken his place on the roster.
Updating a previous item, Mike Goodson has missed practice this week because his wife is expecting a baby.
Our View: That would explain why Goodson was “stressed” Wednesday night. Head coach John Fox expects Goodson to play Sunday and the matchup is terrific against the reeling Seattle run defense. Goodson and Jonathan Stewart are both looking good as high-upside RB3 options this week.
Mike Goodson missed his second consecutive day of practice on Thursday, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Our View: Goodson has not practiced this week due to “personal reasons.” He Tweeted late last night that he was “stressed.” Goodson owners are starting to get stressed as well wondering if the late-season sensation is goin to miss a prime matchup against Seattle. Check back for more updates but Jonathan Stewart’s red-hot fantasy value will be blazing if Goodson doesn’t play this week.
The Panthers “would almost have to” pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck if they end up with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft, Darin Gantt of the Charlotte Observer believes. Gantt thinks the Panthers would then let Luck compete with Jimmy Clausen for the starting job.
Our View: The Panthers are 1-10, so we can’t blame their beat writers or their fan base from already looking ahead to their No. 1 pick. It would be easy for Clausen haters to misread Gantt in this article, but he is basically saying that Luck is too good to pass up. Anyway, we have many months ahead to speculate about this.
DeAngelo Williams said Monday if the Panthers keep running backs coach Jim Skipper that will factor in his decision as to whether he wants to re-sign with the team in the offseason, according to beat writer Darin Gantt.
Our View: Williams will be a free agent after this season and ESPN has speculated the Panthers will try to re-sign him or slap him with the Franchise tag and attempt to trade him. The emergence of Mike Goodson, combined with Jonathan Stewart, could make it easy for the Panthers to part ways with Williams after this season. Stewart looks to be the starting RB of the future while Goodson has been a revelation this season as a third-down back.
The Charlotte Observer speculates that Jonathan Stewart will soon displace Mike Goodson as the Panthers’ starting running back.
Our View: It’s hard to argue with that thinking, as Stewart was clearly the better back during Week 12′s loss to the Browns. Goodson is still likely to receive his fair share of touches, however, as he’s played well this season while filling in for Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.
Coach John Fox said Chris Gamble was benched in Sunday’s loss to the Browns due to a “coach’s decision,” according to Darin Gantt of the Charlotte Observer.
Our View: Gamble’s skills just didn’t match up well with Cleveland. He’s a great cover guy, but it made no sense to use such a poor tackler against a run-heavy team. He should be back in the lineup next week.
Spelling Mike Goodson on Sunday, Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 12 times for 98 yards in Carolina’s 24-23 loss to the Browns.
Our View: The 98 yards crushed his previous season-best of 43 from Week 2. Although he looked great today, so did Goodson, so expect Carolina to go with the same back-field (Goodson starting, Stewart spelling) in Week 13.