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Mike Goodson taking the ball on a hand-off.
During the Panthers team practices practically the only thing that can be heard is whistles and horns echoing off the field, or in some cases the coaches getting on the players during drills.
Last Tuesday morning was the exception, it was a awesome play by rookie Mike Goodson. Goodson left most of the players in awe with his speed. It was not a technical move he just stepped to the right followed by a quick cut up the field. But his speed on the play was the Panthers were looking for when they drafted him in the fourth round.
"He's got some jets, I know that," said quarterback Jake Delhomme
Goodson's speed has been on display since the Panthers' summer-school sessions opened last week. But this cut and run was as impressive a moment as you'll find in a practice where pads are absent, tackling is forbidden, contact is non-existent and instruction, rather than performance, is the highest priority.
"We're still in (shorts) right now. You always have those guys that look good, but this guy, he's got some explosiveness," Delhomme said. "In the little time we've been out here, (you can see that)."
It's an element that could provide a zesty dash to an already tasty offense that was among the league's best at the end of the season, averaging 3.7 touchdowns per game in the final seven weeks of the regular season.
"I think I'm kind of like a curve-ball guy -- a different element," Goodson said. "We have a good slasher (DeAngelo Williams), and Stew (Jonathan Stewart) is a big guy. I just bring some speed on the edge and speed through the holes."
"He impressed me on tape; that's why we drafted him," added head coach John Fox. "He's a young guy that's learning our system, both on offense and special teams. I think he's got those kinds of abilities, and that's why we're out here."
Look for Goodson on kickoff returns, where his speed could prove invaluable as teams adjust to the league-mandated outlaw of the wedge return formation. But on punt returns, the work Tuesday morning was ceded to wide receiver Larry Beavers
Comments
I'm SOOO excited about Goodson. Had his college team, Texas A and M, had a halfway decent O-Line, Goodson would have been a 1st round pick - FO SHO.
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