The last of the original Panthers, Kasay turns 40 in October and enters his 15th season with Carolina after four years with the Seahawks. He ranks among the greatest placekickers in NFL history, with his 386 career field goals seventh in the league and his 1,634 points standing 11th.
Yet Kasay was stripped of kickoff duties last season in favor of Rhys Lloyd, who led the NFL with 30 touchbacks.
Does that mean Kasay is on his way out?
Not quite. He signed a multi-year contract extension last October and produced another solid season in 2008, going 28-of-31 on field goals and not missing an extra point. His number of field goals marked the most since drilling 32 in 2003, and the former University of Georgia star missed just one field goal inside 50 yards.
He made 90.3 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, a personal record.
Kasay’s job appears secure for a few more years, but he never looks at the future that way.
“I’ve always tried to take it one day at a time and I still do that,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to play this long. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to do it tomorrow. We’ll see.”
Kasay must adjust to another long snapper since Jason Kyle was waived for salary-cap reasons after eight seasons. But he still has punter Jason Baker as his holder and feels confident enough to return to being an effective kickoff man should something happen to Lloyd.
“I can still do both,” Kasay said. “It’s kind of like riding a bike, in certain ways. Rhys did a great job last year, and you like to see guys do well because that helps the team.”
By bringing in Lloyd, the general feeling was that the move would help keep Kasay fresher for placekicking. Kasay saw no correlation.
“Through the course of a game, I’ll kick 100, 120 balls,” he said. “I’m still going to do the same load of work; they’re just not all game-line reps. So there’s no real difference (in work load).”
Is Kasay making long field goals at his former pace? Not quite.
He stands fourth in NFL history in successful field goals from 50 yards and beyond (36), but went only 1-of-3 from that distance in 2008. It marked the first time he made less than two from 50 yards since 2002, when he missed all but two games with a sports hernia.
“One of the fun things for me is to continue to train and work and prepare well,” Kasay said. “I’ll let you (media) judge if they are going as far as they used to be. I can’t remember back that far.”
Goodson looks good
Mike Goodson, a rookie fourth-round pick from Texas A&M, appears likely to contribute on offense this season. The 212-pounder has size and quickness along the ability to catch passes.
“Oh, man! Mike’s going to be a change-up guy for us,” said linebacker Jon Beason. “He’s good coming out of the backfield, especially on screen plays and dump downs. He has a great burst and he’s got good vision too, so he’s a home-run hitter.”
Beason uses Twitter
Beason, a third-year pro who made the Pro Bowl last season, has become one of the Panthers’ best and most popular players. He has slowly started to send messages via Twitter in order to accommodate his many fans.
“It’s something that I didn’t think was very cool,” Beason said. “What are you doing, Tweeting? It doesn’t even sound cool. But the guys on my website said, ‘You should do it. It’s good publicity.’
“So I’m trying to get into it. It’s kind of fun, but it’s a little too close to home. But if the fans like it, I’ll give them a little something every once in awhile.”
Beason has been bothered early in training camp by a hamstring injury. Does he keep fans informed about his progress?
“I won’t Tweet about my hamstring,” Beason said.
Speaking for Peppers
Defensive end Julius Peppers has yet to speak to the media during training camp, but teammates don’t mind discussing one of the NFL’s most dominant defenders. The former University of North Carolina All-American did not take part in any minicamps or offseason workouts because of a contract controversy, and eventually signed a one-year tenure for almost $1 million per game.
“It feels good that Pep is back, obviously,” Beason said. “He demands a lot of respect. He’s another guy who takes pressure off me.
“He looks good and he’s happy to be here. Regardless of the business aspect of it, he’s happy to be here.”
Offensive tackle Jordan Gross’ training camp is tougher with Peppers lined up on the opposite side. But he’s also glad the four-time Pro Bowl star is back with the Panthers.
“Pep is the best athlete you’ll see in the league, and that will be true until he retires,” Gross said. “He definitely didn’t drop off despite not being around this offseason.
“It’s great for our team. We don’t have to answer questions about where he is. It’s not as big a deal in the locker room as everywhere else. Whoever is here to play, we make our team from that, and I’m really glad he’s here.”
Camp notes
Gary Barnidge, expected to trail Jeff King and Dante Rosario at tight end, took snaps with the starters during Friday’s practice. The second-year pro from Louisville played in 14 games as a rookie, but did not make a catch. “There has been no final decision to this point, but we try to reward guys who are doing well,” head coach John Fox said about Barnidge. “It’s not where you start the race, it’s where you finish. He’s had a good camp, he had a good offseason, and we’re giving him a chance in there with the ones some.”
tberry@hpe.com | 888-3518
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