Panthers prepare for the season

It's official. The 2003 Super Bowl season is history. Time to make some more. Defensive end Al Wallace checks into his dorm and receives his playbook Friday. The Carolina Panthers arrived at Wofford College for training camp on Friday to begin preparation for the 2004 season. To a man, they said they couldn't believe how soon this day got here. "It's been a short summer and short offseason," said kicker John Kasay, who is attending his 10th training camp as a Panther. "It almost feels like we had a Christmas vacation, and now we're right back at it again. "On the other hand, you have a body clock that works on a daily basis, but you also have a seasonal body clock. When it starts getting real hot and sweltering outside, you know you are supposed to be in Spartanburg for training camp." The vacations at the beach and the family outings are over. It's time to hit restart in more ways than one. Like many players, wide receiver Steve Smith came to camp with the bare essentials, meaning toiletries and X-Box. He says this day is a transitional period more than anything.
It's work," said Smith. "It's always nice to get some time off and some relaxation before you come back to work. You leave your family to be with your second family, which is the guys on the team. "Last night was the hardest because it's the last time you put your kids to bed for awhile. I had to spend a little extra time with my daughter. I kissed her and all her baby dolls. My son was like 'Hey, I'll see you Wednesday, Dad. Leave me some money.'" Just like last season, a lot of people are putting their money on teams other than the Panthers this season. That's fine with Smith. "There are a lot of things out there that can serve as motivation. Unfinished business is just one of many. There are a lot of positives and negatives to be taken from last year. The best part is no one expected us to do anything. I love reading the media's predictions on who is going to be the next Panthers. There won't be any next Panthers. We're the only ones."
For center Jeff Mitchell, the onset of this particular camp was almost like a quick count at the line of scrimmage. "It's total denial up until the last minute," he said. "The last two days I was scrambling to get everything done because I was in denial. This is my fourth year coming here, and I thought I had it down pat, but I forgot my alarm clock. I even had all my stuff from last year saved in the corner of the garage. "I did bring something a little different this year, my motor home. Just to hang out in the afternoons. It's got the satellite TV in there." If that sounds luxurious, don't worry. The Panthers will have plenty of two-a-days and meetings every day to keep them from forgetting why they're here. "At first, it's survival, and then you start to focus on things," said Mitchell. "They become pretty evident. In camp, everything gets amplified, so it's not hard to see what you should work on. It's going to be tough, especially for the offensive line because of the changes. It's going to take all of camp to know that we're all on the same page. "It's just shifting gears. Getting mentally ready to come out here and do this is a challenge. The toughest part is the first few days and getting into the groove. It's getting hit in the mouth the first four or five times and then getting things going." The boys are back in town.

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