2 Carolina Panthers

ENEMY LINES

AN OPPOSING TEAM'S SCOUT SIZES UP THE PANTHERS

> Very good on defense, respectable on offense. . . . Jake Delhomme is a Jon Kitna-type quarterback--he's O.K., but you'd really love for him to be your backup, not your starter. . . . David Carr is going be a lot better than Chris Weinke if Delhomme goes down again, because Weinke was just terrible. Steve Smith makes any of them better than they are. . . . They won't miss Mike Minter that much on defense because he was slowing down, but their corners, Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas and Richard Marshall, have to play a little better. . . . You look at their division: Tampa Bay is going to struggle, Atlanta is in trouble, nobody knows what to expect from New Orleans. The Panthers could go 8-8 again and be right in the mix. But they should do better than 8-8.

THE KING 500

Dan Morgan

> LINEBACKER

407

Morgan has been great at times in his career, most notably when he made 25�tackles in Super Bowl XXXVIII. He's also missed 40�games in six years and is coming back from at least his fifth concussion, at a time when the lasting effects of head injuries are a hot-button issue. "It means I have to talk more about what I'm doing," says Morgan. "This was a decision I had to think about for a long time."

my SI

SI.com/panthers