the Panthers must cut more than 40 percent of the players currently on the 90-man roster, In about 10 days, trimming down to 53 players for the regular season.
Will they keep nine offensive linemen or 10? Six linebackers or seven?
A lot remains up in the air, but this much is a certainty: Carolina will keep only one punter.
"It's a very cutthroat business because you have 32 teams and 32 punters – and there are no backups," punter Michael Palardy said. "The result is out of my control."
The Panthers actually had two punters last season, but not at the same time. They traded for three-time Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee 10 days before the season opener, and in his first game he uncorked a franchise record boot of 76 yards – on the fly – in Denver. Over the course of the Panthers' rough 3-6 start, some labeled Lee the team MVP,
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Enter Palardy,
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Now,
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you do your thing,"I don't like that mentality of trying to psych someone out. No,
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Palardy credits Lee for making the competition fun.
"Andy is a great punter," Palardy said. "The competition side of things isn't really in our control, but he's an even better person. That makes it a lot more enjoyable, so when we come out here we try to have as much fun as we possibly can and we try to help each other.
"There are a lot of competitions where people get territorial, but we don't act that way towards each other."
Turning "territorial" has never been an option in the NFL for Palardy. He was a staple for four years at the University of Tennessee as a punter and kicker, however,
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"I've been on 10 teams in four years. I've been cut multiple times. I've worked out for teams 25 or 26 times. I'm no stranger to adversity,
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"A lot of adversity has hit through this four-year span,
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