Carolina Panthers arrive at Wofford

[cec]

Players arrive at Wofford
July 28, 2006

By Brett Borden
Panthers.com


The pilgrimage began early this morning as players made the trek down I-85 from Charlotte to Spartanburg, SC, home of Wofford College and site of the Carolina Panthers training camp.

Mike Wahle prepares to look at his home away from home for the first time this season. Linebacker Adam Seward has been through this once. That was enough times to know he wanted to get here sooner rather than later.
"I left about seven o'clock this morning," he said. "We had to be here by 10, but I wanted to get in a little early because we have to have physicals and a lot of the guys arrive later and it gets pretty crowded. After the physical, I got fitted for my equipment and then checked into my dorm room. I got everything unpacked, so now I'm just going to get some food and hang out. I haven't seen a lot of these guys for a few weeks. Everybody's pretty excited. We're ready to go."
The physicals the players get here are a lot more involved than the standard physicals most people receive during their checkups. The players get EKGs. Their heartbeat is analyzed. There are blood tests, urine tests, eye tests, ear tests, and dental exams. If a player has had a prior injury, that part of their body is X-rayed.
Then it's on to their home away from home, Greene Hall. Some players rough it, living like college freshmen again. Others go to great lengths to get comfortable.
"I brought a rug," said tackle Jordan Gross. "A rug is key, because without it you get up in the middle of the night and step on that cold linoleum floor. Not good. You bring a rug to trick yourself into thinking you're on carpet and make you feel more at home."

The arrival at Greene Hall at Wofford College involved more work for some players, less for others. Another player actually had his room carpeted and rented nice furniture for his room. Another installed a decompression chamber in his room to help his body weather the pain and strain of two-a-days.
But the biggest luxury of them all is back. The RV that Jeff Mitchell brought with him the last two years provided a sanctuary of sorts for the offensive line. Mitchell isn't here, but Gross and Company decided they had to have the RV.
"Tom Johnson RV set us up with one," said Gross. "It's supposed to be in today. They helped us out a lot. I just have to pay for insurance, so it's kind of my treat. You can't go without it now. It's become a pretty big deal."
Some football analysts are making a pretty big deal of the Panthers chances this season. Guard Mike Wahle said he and his teammates are not only going to work on blocking out defenders, but distractions as well.
"We're all very focused coming in," said Wahle. "I think we're going to have a great camp. We have a lot of guys here who tasted success and we certainly have the talent. A couple of those (media outlets) have jinxed us a little bit by ranking us pretty high, but the reality is we have a pretty good football team and we expect a lot out of ourselves."
The time to think about it is over. The time to begin working on it starts with meetings tonight and the first practice at nine o'clock Saturday morning.

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