FanHouse RyneRobinson

Remember a few months ago when we were joking about how deep the Carolina Panthers were at receiver? It seemed silly, didn't it? After all, this team's wideout corps has been Steve Smith and the Droptastics for the last three years. Where are all these receivers going to come from?

Apparently, from nowhere. Reports out of camp are that Jason Carter, a former Texas A&M QB-turned-receiver who was on the Panthers' practice squad last season, is making big noise in camp, catching everything thrown his way -- including passes that third-string QB Brett Basanez is intentionally throwing several feet over Carter's head. As Basanez told the Charlotte Observer: "I make him look good. We work on that all the time."

Does Carter's emergence create a dilemma for the Panthers at receiver? We can assume Smith, Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett will make the cut, but what about the guys behind them? Dwayne Jarrett is reportedly much improved this year, and Ryne Robinson is still the designated kick returner, so replacing him with Carter seems highly unlikely. John Fox isn't the kind of team to carry six receivers on the active roster. If Carter continues to impress, would Carolina cut or trade someone else to make room for him? Or does the inevitable D.J. Hackett injury leave Carter plenty of room?

The only thing we know for sure about the Carolina Panthers' receiving corps this season is that Steve Smith is the top dog. Everything else is in flux. Drew Carter is reportedly moving down the depth chart, while Keary Colbert is moving up, and Dwayne Jarrett remains the favorite to win the #2 spot, despite his current hamstring woes.

The receiver that's creating the most stir in camp, though, is Ryne Robinson, the 4th-round pick out of Miami of Ohio who was brought in as a punt return specialist but is suddenly drawing comparisons to Steve Smith. Robinson's not lacking in confidence, either. When asked about his goals this year, he replied:

"Definitely at least two or three punt returns for touchdowns; hopefully some kickoffs for touchdowns, too. ... We're going to progress toward being one of the top teams in the NFL at the return game."

Big talk, considering the Panthers were the worst in the NFL at the return game in 2006. He also has no intention of being just a return man.

"I think I'll play a little more receiver than anyone expects right off. ... I'm not settling with (returning), just like you know that Steve Smith wouldn't settle with that. I have the same mentality."

Robinson is also an inch shorter (5-8) than Smith (5-9), which means it's only a matter of time before someone starts calling the Panthers' receiving corps "The New Smurfs." Still, if Robinson shows the same speed and talent as Smith, he could have a very successful time in Charlotte. Maybe he, too, will one day be a pitchman for fried chicken he'll never eat.

Apparently, the Carolina Panthers receivers aren't just battling on the field at training camp. They're battling at a piano in the lobby outside the Wofford College cafeteria, too.

It's been sitting there for years and generally is ignored. But it became a hot spot when Keary Colbert started playing (surprisingly well). Then, rookie return man Ryne Robinson took over and was even better.

Ignoring the obvious allegory to the quality of their play on the field, Colbert and Robinson clearly need to put another piano in that lobby and have a nightly duel. They could practically build a Rum Runners franchise out of that, which might even help the team pay Julius Peppers' next contract.

Of course, being the piano man has its disadvantages. Back when I was 14 or so, I learned how to play "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters. (You may remember it better as "that really cheesy love song from Family Ties.") For the next five years, every time I sat at a piano around family, my dad would always say, "Play that Billy Beater song." Let's hope Robinson never falls into that trap.

By the way, why is there no YouTube video of this? Someone in Spartanburg is seriously dropping the ball here, and the Panthers did that enough against the Cowboys last season.

By now, my man crush on DeAngelo Williams is fairly well documented, not to mention photographed. It is, perhaps not as strong the crush that this girl Keila Young seems to have on Justin Zwick, but then again, I've never been so hung up on someone that I'd publish my phone number in the comments of a sports blog...

But that's neither here nor there. What's interesting here is that others are finally catching on to this former Memphis star's tremendous upside. ESPN's Len Pasquarelli wrote as much in this column, though he stops short of saying Williams will dethrone DeShaun Foster as the incumbent starter. Like I've said before, I like Foster, and I can see these two splitting carries like Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai did in Indianapolis last year, but I just can't see Williams
sitting on the bench for long. He's too good.

Of course, whenever I see Pasquarelli writing someone up, I immediate think, "Gee, who's that guy's agent?" So far, a Google search has turned up nothing.

In other Panthers news, the team has signed 4th-round draft pick Ryne Robinson to a 4-year deal. The former Miami of Ohio star is expected to save Carolina's punt return game, though early indications are that he might compete for a spot at wide receiver, too. Beyond Steve Smith, whom at least one columnist thinks is the best in the NFL, the depth chart looks pretty wide open right now, doesn't it?