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Panthers: Camp report | 
Prisco
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Observations from Carolina Panthers' camp:
1. If there is a hangover from the Steve Smith-Ken Lucas fight, it wasn't evident in the locker room after the Panthers-Colts preseason game. Smith spoke on the subject immediately after the fight -- which landed him a two-game suspension -- but he hasn't talked about it since. Smith is a vital part of the Panthers' offense, so he will be missed in those two games. The bigger issue is how his teammates handle his second fight with a teammate in his Panthers career. Because he apologized and Lucas forgave him, it appears to be in the past -- for now. Any more incidents and it could be really bad for Smith, maybe even a yearlong suspension.
2. With Smith out two games, the Panthers need to have somebody step up as the second receiver in a big way. They brought back Muhsin Muhammad, but he's 35. They signed D.J. Hackett, but he's been out with a toe injury. Dwayne Jarrett needs to show he isn't a bust. Without Smith, somebody has to step up early in the season.
3. The Panthers are thrilled with the way Julius Peppers is responding to a bad season in 2007. Peppers appeared much quicker in the preseason opener against the Colts, getting a sack and a forced fumble on the game's third play from scrimmage. Peppers had 2½ sacks last season and many wondered why. There were rumors of an illness, but never substantiated. Peppers has moved from the left side to the right side, which should help his sack numbers go up. "He had some great years on the left side, too," Panthers coach John Fox said. "He came off a bad year, but there are a lot of circumstances. It's hard to get sacks when the other team is running the football. He's had a great offseason." Peppers will be a tough battle every week for the left tackles he faces this season. He's got to prove he still has it -- and that last season was a fluke. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, so this is a big one for him.
4. Fox is a big believer in running the football, playing a power game. He felt the team got away from that in recent years, which is why the Panthers drafted 330-pound tackle Jeff Otah and big back Jonathan Stewart in the first round of this year's draft. Otah is starting at right tackle, and Stewart is expected to split carries with DeAngelo Williams. "We've gotten bigger and we've gotten more physical," Fox said. "We drifted a bit and got too athletic. When those big bodies are leaning on teams for four quarters, you can see it."
5. With Otah in as the starter at right tackle, the line has a new look, with no starters in the same place as 2007. Jordan Gross goes from right to left tackle. Ryan Kalil moves in as the center with Travelle Wharton at left guard and Keydrick Vincent at right guard. People should pay close attention to how well they mesh early in the season, especially because Fox wants to run it more.