Dante Rosario News

As Thomas Davis stood near his locker changing into his clothes, defensive tackle Hollis Thomas called over to him, "Are you OK?" Davis simply shook his head no and went back to what he was doing.

Originally published November 8, 2009 at 2:23 p.m., updated November 8, 2009 at 2:26 p.m. NEW ORLEANS a ' The Carolina Panthers deactivated wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad and safety Charles Godfrey against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday because of lingering injuries that also sidelined the pair at Arizona a week earlier.

For all the plays Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers made last week, there's a sense among those around him that they're only seeing the beginning of what he could do.

The Carolina Panthers will be without several starters who didn't make the trip for Sunday's game in New Orleans.

The Carolina Panthers seem to have re-established their identity as a run-heavy team.A Twice in the last three weeks, the Panthers have eclipsed the 265-yard mark on the ground, racking up 267 in Tampa Bay and 270 last week in Arizona.A Sandwiched in the middle of those great performances is a game that can be summed up with a single character: ? ...

CHARLOTTE The Carolina Panthers will almost certainly be without both fullbacks this Sunday against New Orleans.

The hope is that having Mike Goodson back will help spark the Panthers' return game.

It was third-and-8 and Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams appeared bottled up at the line of scrimmage.

"Possessing the ball and protecting the ball is ... paramount," said Delhomme. The Panthers will face the Saints Sunday in New Orleans' Superdome.

Here are the key injury updates heading into the late games of Week Eight: As expected, Panthers WR Muhsin Muhammad and TE Dante Rosario are inactive.

What has become apparent all season will become official Sunday - Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad won't be a factor.

With three contributing players out with injuries today, there were no surprises on the Panthers' inactive list.

Dwayne Jarrett gets his shot today. With Muhsin Muhammad back in Charlotte with an injured knee, Jarrett will likely start.

If the Carolina Panthers didn't have enough problems this weekend, they appear to be facing a polished Arizona passing game a man down.

A few highlights from practice and today's open locker room period: -- DE Julius Peppers talked for the first time in several weeks.

CHARLOTTE The Carolina Panthers not only emerged from the Buffalo game Sunday with a loss, but also pretty beat up.

Even though it seemed like Carolina Panthers coach John Fox 's Monday post-mortem was all about Jake Delhomme , he had a few sharp words for some other struggling aspects of his team.

A quick peek of the box score and you'd think it was impossible the Buffalo Bills won.

Wide receiver Steve Smith broke down in tears at a post-game press conference while talking about the death of his former Santa Monica Junior College football coach Robert Taylor, who passed away Thursday at 64 of cancer.

With veteran Dante Wesley serving a one-week suspension and unavailable to play Sunday against Buffalo, the Carolina Panthers had a temp job open and switched into rent-a-player mode.