Jon Beason News

Captain Munnerlyn, the Carolina Panthers' loquacious rookie defensive back, can't remember who it was he was talking to last week.

Call it innovative, or call it desperate. But make no mistake, the Carolina Panthers are pushing buttons on defense, throwing new looks out on the field weekly.

In the multi-billion dollar world of the NFL, how much is a win worth, especially if it avenges one of the bitterest defeats in a team's history? The question comes to mind after defensive end Julius Peppers' dominating performance in the Carolina Panthers' 34-21 win at Arizona.

A few years ago I took a look at the top 10 NFL players you didn't know, but needed to .

Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers made a rare appearance in front of reporters Thursday, but his teammates say his presence around them is growing by the week.

Carolina Panthers coach John Fox wouldn't say Monday whether he'd stick with quarterback Jake Delhomme this week or not, but insisted he needed to see improvement from his passing game.

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.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas The Carolina Panthers are the final stop in our series of team-by-team mailbags.

CHARLOTTE After three games, there were plenty of questions about the effectiveness of defensive coordinator Ron Meeks' new scheme.

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason said Thursday he shouldn't have told a radio audience last week that he planned to talk to defensive end Julius Peppers about playing harder.

Panthers linebackers Jon Beason and Na'il Diggs said Monday they understand where receiver Steve Smith was coming from Sunday when he said he was "no longeran asset" to the team.

The Panthers won 20-17. His teammates call him "T.D.," which is ironic because Thomas Davis has never scored a TD in his four-year NFL career.

Dante Wesley spent the second half of Sunday's game against Tampa Bay watching it on television from the Carolina Panthers locker room after being ejected for a cheap shot on unprotected Tampa Bay returner Clifton Smith.

Here are five things to watch in Sunday's game: 1. Downfield passing. The Panthers have been pretty much void of big plays in the passing game this season with only one reception of longer than 30 yards, that coming on a 37-yard catch by Te Jeff King.

Jon Beason apologized for calling out Carolina Panthers teammate Julius Peppers for his lack of production last week, saying he shouldn't have discussed internal matters publicly.

Panthers linebacker Jon Beason admitted Thursday that he made a mistake by saying he intended to take defensive end Julius Peppers to dinner to talk about his effort, and that the dinner never actually happened.

The Panthers are wearing white jerseys today with their white pants. -- The other dominant color around the stadium is pink, as the Panthers and NFL continue to draw attention to finding a cure for breast cancer.

At least for a week, the Carolina Panthers were the type of defense fans want them to be.

He pumped both fists and yelled, letting out a month of frustration. His eighth interception of the season earlier in the day? Forgotten.

What does $1 million per game buy? That's the question I set out to answer. To do so, I reviewed every Carolina Panther defensive snap for the first three games of this season.