CHARLOTTE – While Wofford College does everything possible to make the Panthers feel at home, there really is no place like home.
"A bed makes all the difference in the world," cornerback Antoine Cason said Thursday following the team's first practice back in Charlotte. "It definitely does change things, being back home.
"Spartanburg was definitely an experience being in the dorms, just outside of your element. I hadn't been in a dorm since 2004 – my first year in college. It was a good experience, but coming to Charlotte and being back on our practice field is good."
The players were a spirited bunch from the start of practice to the end, perhaps helped by a day off after the Panthers concluded their two-and-a-half week training camp Tuesday.
"The transition from Wofford to here has been very good," head coach Ron Rivera said. " We left on Tuesday, gave them Wednesday off so they could get re-acclimated, and then they came out and gave us a really good practice with great effort, great tempo and mistakes at a minimum."
For a family man like tight end Greg Olsen, the return home can present a whole new set of challenges. But Olsen, who didn't practice Thursday after being kicked in the back of the calf, isn't complaining.
"Sometimes being home is harder," Olsen said. "But it is nice being able to go home at night and see the kids at least a little bit before bed."
