Comments from Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox following the team's training camp practice.
On injuries: James Anderson - hamstring. C.J. Davis - ankle. Thomas Davis - knee. Brad Hoover - team decision. Landon Johnson - groin. Damione Lewis - team decision. Nate Salley - knee. Steve Smith - shoulder. Jonathan Stewart - ankle.
On if rookie cornerback Captain Munnerlyn has a chance to play in the nickel defense: Right now, he's in the mix with everything. He's exhibited that he's a competitive guy and that's why we're here at camp and that's why we play the preseason games to sort that out. So he's definitely in the mix.
On if Munnerlyn has been flashing with some nice plays: Yeah. The coaches have been real pleased with his effort and how he has picked things up. He's doing a good job.
On if Munnerlyn has shown more than he expected: We expect a lot, so that's hard for me to answer. I think people live up or down to expectations, and we expect a lot. I've been very pleased with what he's done thus far - his mindset, the way he's picking up things mentally. With all young players so much of it is mental. But he has shown some suddenness, some quickness - I'm talking about physically. He hasn't shied away from contact. A lot of the things we look for in good football players he's exhibited.
On if it is normal for running back Jonathan Stewart to get another day off today after resting yesterday: I'm not really sure how to define normal in football. If medically they say that they think it's best for him to rest, then he rests.
On at what point does Stewart missing practice become a concern: I thought he played pretty well last year with some of that rest. I've said many times I prefer when guys are out there, but we've had guys miss time and do just fine. It's part of the game, and we're going to try to do as best we can to get him ready for games.
On if Stewart had a setback with his ankle: No. Just (needs) rest.
On the competition at backup quarterback: Other than Matt Moore of those three guys - Hunter (Cantwell), Josh (McCown) and Matt - in a game Matt's the only one we've seen. We picked up Josh late in the training camp season last year and didn't get him a chance to get live reps, whether it be in the preseason or regular season. So we're excited to see him play. A lot of that is how they do in games, so I think everybody is excited to see how they do in games.
On if this is the most depth the Panthers have had a quarterback since he has been here: Again, we really haven't done anything yet. I know I feel good about our starter (Jake Delhomme). I know I've seen spot looks at Matt. He was able to win two out of three games a couple of years ago. This is a new season, and I think they've all been working hard. I've even seen Hunter do some good things. But until we get into games and those game reps and game management, I'm not going to rank them quite yet.
