Comments from Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox following the team's practice.
On injuries: Did not practice - Tyler Brayton (ankle), Jimmy Clausen (toe), Quinton Culberson (quad), Thomas Davis (PUP - knee), Aaron Francisco (hamstring), Jordan Gross (ankle), Richard Marshall (knee), Sherrod Martin (groin), Captain Munnerlyn (calf), Jeff Otah (PUP - knee), Hilee Taylor (knee), and C.J. Wilson (head). Fully practiced: Trent Guy (hamstring), Steve Smith (arm) and Jamar Williams (shoulder).
On the struggles on special teams against the Jets: Number one, I thought it was obvious at the punt returner position we definitely had our struggles. We've got young guys there. We tried them all out. We kind of anticipated it would be this type of situation. Again, it's like anything else - the more you do it, the better you get. I think Captain Munnerlyn probably came out of that bunch probably the best. He got hurt in the game, so he wasn't able to do it again. We'll re-evaluate that as we go. When you have young players that have never done it in the National Football League, that tends to be the case, and we've got two preseason games to get that squared away.
As it relates to the other phases, we took a look at a lot of different people. The (Jets) one big (punt) return was late in the game. Again, it's something we're not satisfied with, but those are all part of what you use the preseason for - to evaluate who to pick for your 53-man roster, and we're continuing to do that.
On if he is surprised by the play of the defense in the first two preseason games: I'm not sure it's a surprise. Again, we've got a lot of new people there, and I think they've seen some success. Hopefully, we can continue that and stay healthy.
On helping some of the team's young players not lose confidence because of mistakes in games: They're all athletes. They've been athletes most of their lives. They understand one play doesn't define them. If you get knocked off the horse you've got to get back on. They're not going to crumble with a poor game. If you haven't had a bad day or haven't had a bad play, you haven't played. That's all part of competition. They understand that and will continue to try and improve.
On how defensive end Eric Moore has played in the first two preseason games: He's performed well in both the Baltimore and the Jets games, along with the guys like Derek Landri that came on with us late last year. We're getting to know him, and he's stepped up pretty good in the last two games.
