Now after not one but two pre-season losses I have some serious questions about the team for this year.

The positives I have seen so far are not that many. The first team proved they can score. But the defense proved they have some work to do to stop the opposing team from scoring. Philadelphia threw almost at will, and New England ran the ball right down the Panther's throat.

If the defense can't stop the run, they are not going to get off of the field. During the New England game, Delhomme made a bad pass that resulted in an interception. But a number of times he was scrambling for his life, and the offensive line didn't seem to be able to establish the run.

Preseason Win!

I had a chance to review the Panthers preseason win against the Giants Saturday night.

I have a few thoughts on the game and what I saw.

First I was pleasantly surprised to watch the first team move the ball down the field and score a touchdown. I may be mistaken, but I don't remember them doing that during the preseason games last year. The zone blocking scheme worked well, and Deshaun Foster (5 rushes for 62 yards) was able to get a number of nice carries off of it. I think this will bode well for the team this year. Foster, and Williams are not the big, bruising backs that play their best games between the tackles. They are built more to take advantage of their speed (and the athleticism of the offensive line) by finding holes and cut-backs and exploiting them.

The defense looked good, if not stellar. I wasn't disappointed in what I saw, and think they are improving nicely. Beason led the team in tackles and forced a fumble so what more can you ask of your first round draft pick?

The part of the game that still looks sketchy to me is special teams. I am not convinced that the Panthers special teams are where they need to be. John Kasey is still accurate in the kicking game and has plenty of leg. Jason Baker is more than serviceable as a punter. However, kickoff coverage and the return game still need to be better if this team is going to be considered a serious contender this year.

I'm hoping to attend the training camp on Wednesday, and will try to post my thoughts (along with some photos) when I get back.

Michael Vick is facing suspension by the league. Yahoo! Sports reports that the front office has seen enough to warrant suspension.

I am a big believer in our system of justice. It is by no means infallible, but it is the best we have. Innocent until proven guilty is the cornerstone on which it is built. Now that some of the other members in this drama are turning on him, his fate looks sealed, at least from the NFL's standpoint. If Vick had no direct involvement, he still should have known what was taking place on his property.

I will be following this with much interest, that's for sure.

Degree Work at the Lodge and my thoughts on Clinton Portis

We had a second degree last night at the lodge and didn't make it home until late.

We're beginning to see the slow down here at the office for the summer. With a long weekend ahead and gas prices up, I think that will have an impact on sales this year. However, last year we saw a good summer despite the gas prices, so hopefully that will continue this year.

I had a chance to read the comments on dog fighting by Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins. I have to say I was more than a little disgusted by the whole thing. How anyone can condone dog fighting is beyond me. He put his comments out there and apparently his agent or the organization had a little heart-to-heart talk with him, because the very next day he was retracting and trying to distance himself from his previous days comments. I'm afraid it is too little and too late for him on that front. Hopefully for him this story will die, and his comments will be forgotten, but the story is showing no signs of doing so.