FanHouse MikeRucker

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.

Mike Rucker's retirement left a gaping hole at the right defensive end spot for the Carolina Panthers. The team thinks, however, that they have just the man to fill Rucker's shoes, and he's been on the roster all along.

Julius Peppers, who has lined up at the left defensive end spot for his entire career in Charlotte, is getting looks on the right side during the offseason. Peppers actually lined up on the right side when he played at UNC, and the thinking is that moving back to his preferred spot will help him overcome his horrific 2.5-sack season, by far his worst as a pro.

Here's what makes this move interesting. During last year's late-season game against Dallas, rookie Charles Johnson lined up at left DE in place of an injured Peppers, and while he didn't have a brilliant game -- what rookie defensive end in his first start does -- he looked like he had potential to be a disruptive force.

Of course, Johnson is expected to compete with free agent signing Tyler Brayton for a starting job, but if Johnson wins, don't be surprised to see Peppers take Rucker's old spot. Anything that helps him get back on track at this stage is a good thing for Carolina.

Someone needs to tell Jordan Gross that sitting and staring at his phone isn't going to make it ring.

Yes, the offensive tackle is eager to get a long-term deal from the Carolina Panthers, and by all accounts, Carolina wants to give him one, but it appears they're using that franchise tag as a crutch and focusing on other deals for the time being. One way or another, Gross will be a well-paid tackle for the Panthers in 2008, but he's clearly bothered by Marty Hurney's pace on this deal.

Of course, Hurney is juggling a lot of deals right now. His focus appears to be on bringing back Mike Rucker and Brad Hoover, though the availability of Alge Crumpler may be complicating Hoover's deal. The Panthers would seem set at tight end with youngsters Jeff King and Dante Rosario, but if the team brings in Crumpler, John Fox could move Rosario to fullback, which would mean less playing time for Hoover, who has a lot more mileage on him.

Plus, while Crumpler might be an upgrade at tight end, signing him wouldn't give Caroilna any real inside knowledge of the Falcons coaching tendencies. (Arkansas won't be on the Panthers' schedule this year.) The perfect player for that? Sammy Knight, who started at safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. Former Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith is now the Falcons' head coach. Then again, the Panthers still don't care who their other safety is, do they?

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. The Rams have been lucky to have an incredible franchise left tackle for the last 11 seasons, and his play did as much for The Greatest Show on Turf as anyone else. But Orlando Pace has been ludicrously brittle the last two years and, at 32, can't really be depended on anymore. The drop-off in production without Pace has been glaring. On the other side, Alex Barron has been disappointing as a first-round pick; there's so much yellow cloth at Barron's feet on gameday that you'd think he stuffed his jersey with Terrible Towels. In the last four years, Barron ranks behind just Robert Gallery in penalties. On top of the starters, after all of the injuries the Rams endured on the line last year, depth should be considered critical. The easy and obvious answer is Jake Long, who should be available when the Rams pick second. Long can play both sides, which certainly helps, and he can immediately take over for Pace should something happen. If the team needs further depth, Kwame Harris or Damien Woody could be affordable options, and Woody triples as a possible guard and center.

Julius Peppers landed on IR. Mike Rucker is talking about playing his last home game. Kris Jenkins sounds like he wants to play elsewhere. Damione Lewis and Kindal Moorehead are unrestricted free agents.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Carolina Panthers' once-vaunted defensive line could get a major overhaul in 2008.

Rucker is expected to announce his retirement soon, and youngsters Charles Johnson and Stanley McClover will likely take his place at defensive end. The big question, however, is what will become of Julius Peppers. He answered Jerry Richardson's leadership challenge with his most lackluster season as a pro, and his salary cap charge ($14 million) requires immediate attention. Do the Panthers give him a new, more cap-friendly deal, or do they decide that Johnson and McClover are better bargains and put Peppers on the trading block -- possibly next to Jenkins?

If there was one thread running through the Panthers' win on Sunday against the 49ers -- aside from the fact that the 49ers are a big gaping maw of suck -- it was this: the Panthers were having fun again.

Mike Rucker felt like a kid again. Silent Bob opened up the playbook and let the team's playmakers run wild. The defense played with a lead (for once) and started attacking. It was all just a fun game, which is what football is supposed to be.

You know what? The Panthers should just have fun like this the rest of the way. Seriously.

This team might be just one game off the pace for a Wild Card spot, like so many other dreadful teams in the NFC, but the rest of the schedule is a bear: at Jacksonville, home to Seattle, home to Dallas, and at Tampa Bay. Those will all be playoff teams this year, and Carolina won't be favored in any of those games.

So what have they got to lose? John Fox should open up the playbook even more. Let guys like Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams keep throwing new looks at everyone. Let Jon Beason keep blitzing. Let the guys have some fun.

Taking into account that it's the preseason, many of the players sitting on the sidelines tonight would normally be on the field if it was a meaningful game. With that said, I'm sure most fans would like to know who they should expect to see this evening. For that reason, I've done by best to create an accurate injury report -- official reports are not posted until week one of the regular season.

New York Giants:

Out: Wide receiver Amani Toomer (knee), wide receiver Plaxico Burress (ankle), linebacker Gerris Wilkinson (knee), center Todd Londot (ankle), long snapper Ryan Kuehl (calf), safety Michael Stone (hip), cornerback E.J. Underwood (hip), cornerback Aaron Ross (glute) and defensive tackle Fred Robbins (calf)

Probable: Tight end Jeremy Shockey (leg) and defensive end Osi Umenyiora (hip).

Playing: Lots of rookies and free agents. (Kidding, obviously. But seriously, can this team ever escape the injury bug?)

Carolina Panthers defensive end Stanley McClover might have been higher than a 7th-round draft pick in 2006 had he stayed at Auburn another year. He racked up 15.5 sacks as a freshman and sophomore, but he left school early because he had to support his family.

The talent he showed as a high school superstar, though, may be on full display in Spartanburg right now. According to reports, McClover is getting reps with the first-team defense while Mike Rucker continues to rehab his knee, and he's looking fairly impressive out there.

A lot of people expected Charles Johnson, the Panthers' 3rd-round pick out of Georgia this year, to be the guy to step in for Rucker, but don't count McClover out. His early departure from Auburn turned a lot of teams off, but he's been a big talent at every level he's played, and he's never had a major injury to hamper his 4.7 40 speed. I suspect he and Johnson will get into a friendly little SEC rivalry, too, as they battle for playing time. Nobody from Auburn wants to get beaten by a Georgia guy.

Then again, if Rucker gets cleared to play this week as expected and returns to his old form, both McClover and Johnson may end up being backups. We'll see.