SPARTANBURG, S.C. — It's been an eventful week-and-a-half for the Carolina Panthers, including a defensive back being cut after a questionable hit on a teammate and questions about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Wednesday's practice got off to an unusually cool start with temperatures in the 60s. If you've ever been to training camp, you know how unforgiving the South Carolina heat can be. But despite the cool temps, this year isn't the coolest camp in team history.
First Warn meteorologist Brad Panovich keeps records on this (because of course he does) and confirmed the coolest camp in team history was in 2014.
With that said, here are the key takeaways from Wednesday's practice.
Welcome to Fight Club
The first rule in Fight Club was nobody talked about fight club. Well, the first rule at Panthers training camp is if you fight, you're going to run. Head coach Matt Rhule made that clear after wide receiver Robby Anderson and Troy Pride had a short scuffle when Pride tackled Anderson out of bounds.
Anderson took exception to the hit and shoved Pride. They were quickly broken up and took a lap around the field. Rhule said it's up to the players to handle themselves but there will be repercussions for fighting.
"If you're gonna fight, fight," said Rhule. "But understand you're going to run afterward."
Darnold looked good again
Rhule has gone out of his way to compliment Sam Darnold's transition to a new offense in a short amount of time. On Wednesday, Darnold picked up where he left off with some nice passes in team drills.
He connected with Robby Anderson and DJ Moore for touchdowns and all found Christian McCaffrey over the middle for another score. It's been a pretty good start to camp for the former New York Jet who's looking to revitalize his career in Carolina.
Grier embraces backup role
Will Grier is entering his third season with the Panthers and has embraced his role as the team's backup quarterback. Grier started two games for Carolina in 2019.
"You've just got to be ready to play," Grier said. "You never know when you're going to get your opportunity so you've got to be ready."