FanHouse MikeMinter

When you're stuck in that NFL dead zone in between post-draft minicamp and the start of training camp, you find yourself looking for things to do. This is doubly true in the media, which suddenly has little to write about unless draft picks get signed or sketchy receivers get busted for cutting cocaine in the back of a van.

With that in mind, the gang at the Rock Hill Herald has decided to occupy fans time with a simple question: who's the greatest Carolina Panther ever?

Upon looking at this poll, though, "greatest" suddenly seems relative. Sure, you've got quality players on here -- Mike Rucker, Mike Minter, Steve Smith, Julius Peppers, John Kasay, etc. Some of these names, though, only serve to remind you just how young this franchise is. How many great years did Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster have? Does Kerry Collins deserve to be on here after only one great year? Can we consider his replacement, Steve Beuerlein, truly great? And didn't Sam Mills and Kevin Greene have their best years with other teams?

This year marks the Panthers' 15th season in the NFL. Perhaps we should wait another decade before running such a poll again. I'm not sure the franchise has been around long enough for us to consider this question. Besides, I'm too biased by the current lineup not to vote for Smith.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter, who had been pondering retirement, was even more serious than we realized.

Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter is expected to announce his retirement Tuesday, two team sources confirmed.

Minter had been planning on making 2007 his final season, but continuous knee pain prompted him to change his mind and retire sooner. He was not at Monday morning's practice and did not show up with the rest of his teammates for lunch at the Wofford College Student Center.

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Minter spend his entire career in Charlotte and was an anchor for this defense for many years. On the other hand, he was an anchor that helped sink the Panthers' boat last season, as his play deteriorated with the rest of the secondary. If he's not able to go, it's probably a good thing that he's getting out now before he suffers the ignominy of getting benched.

Minter is expected to focus his post-NFL career on several business ventures. In the meantime, answer this one for me -- if the team saw this coming, why did GM Marty Hurney wait until last week to get a safety? I mean, I'm glad they did, but Minter's retirement means Carolina is no deeper at safety than it was before the Chris Harris trade.

UPDATE: Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald is reporting that the Panthers have called a press conference tomorrow at 1:30 PM. I think we all know what's coming.

Previously at FanHouse:
Mike Minter's Retirement Could Come Sooner Rather Than Later

It seems that the Chris Harris trade may not have been motivated by Nate Salley's knee injury, which most press outlets still describe as a minor injury. According to both Pat Yaskinas of the Charlotte Observer and Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com, Mike Minter's final season may be over before it begins.

Ten-year veteran safety Mike Minter, who had already announced that the 2007 campaign would be his last, acknowledged Friday afternoon that he might retire before the start of the season. The all-time franchise leader in terms of starts (141) and consecutive starts (94), Minter is having knee problems and has missed several practices in training camp.

"Can I still do it at a level that's acceptable to me?" said Minter, who has been limited to just one practice session per day. "I have to go through camp to find that out. We'll just have to see how the knees [respond]. I don't know yet."

If those knees don't respond well, the longtime Carolina Panther safety could decide to call it a career and move on. Good thing Carolina got Chris Harris, then, because rookie C.J. Wilson reportedly isn't looking too good out there.

Minter isn't the only player missing practice right now. Julius Peppers is sitting out with what's being called "an undisclosed illness," prompting speculation that he recently came into contact with someone who just got back from Comic-Con and has contracted a bad case of "San Diego SARS." It's unclear if he'll return to practice in time for tomorrow's Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium, but he's not expected to miss much time.

So safety Nate Salley tweaked his knee in practice yesterday morning and spent the afternoon with Carolina Panthers trainers. His fellow starting safety, veteran Mike Minter, was also held out of the afternoon practice as a precaution.

That means the guys practicing at safety with the Panthers' first team yesterday afternoon were 7th-round pick C.J. Wilson and free agent journeyman Deke Cooper. Last I checked, there was nobody behind them, and doesn't that just warm your hearts, Panthers fans?

Thankfully, Salley's knee injury isn't serious. He's currently listed as day-to-day and might be back at normal speed by the end of next week. John Fox better hope so, anyway, as his team is counting on Salley to be the future at that spot. I get the feeling Marty Hurney saw who was practicing there yesterday afternoon and put a note in his Blackberry to check the waiver wire and the NFL Europe rosters.

Speaking of NFL Europe, Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer has a nice write-up on Philippe Gardent, the French linebacker hoping to find a spot on the Panthers roster. I'll save the cheap jokes about French headbutting for when they're actually funny.

UPDATE (1:15 PM): Carolina just signed a safety today -- former Virginia starter and career NFL reserve-squader Jermaine Hardy. I don't know much about him, but we should be nice to him. He's been through a lot.

FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a Charlotte sports fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?

Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHO | PIT | SD | SEA | STL

Charlotte is a professional sports city in a college sports state. Ask the locals who their favorite teams are and "UNC" and "Duke" will fall out of more mouths than anything. Local sports are about the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Bobcats and NASCAR ... which the Queen City is the capital.

5. Emeka Okafor: Okafor was/is the face of the young Bobcats franchise. He was their first pick ever and the best player on a team that is extremely wet behind the ears.

4. Steve Smith: One of the most exciting players in the NFL. He's fast, tough, personable and filled with character. He also held his own in those endzone celebration battles of a few years ago.
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