The Carolina Panthers will open up their season on Sept. 9 at Tampa Bay. They will get used to the Florida heat before that. 

With Bank of America Stadium hosting the Democratic National Convention, the team will have to hit the road.

Courtesy of Panthers.com:

When the Democratic National Convention takes center stage in and around Bank of America Stadium, the Carolina Panthers will take their show on the road.

The team announced Thursday that it will prepare for its regular season opener at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. The facility is located an hour south of Raymond James Stadium, where the Panthers will kick off the 2012 season Sept. 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Democratic National Convention will be held in Charlotte on Sept. 3-6, with President Barack Obama expected to deliver a speech at Bank of America Stadium on the final day of the convention.

The Panthers had requested a road game to open the season in light of the convention, which is expected to draw upwards of 40,000 visitors.

"We researched places on the West Coast, Midwest and East Coast in anticipation of the 2012 schedule release," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. "After the opener at Tampa Bay was announced, we scouted a few places in the Tampa area, and IMG made the most sense. The facility offers the privacy and infrastructure that we need to prepare for the season opener."

Quarterback Cam Newton is among the players already quite familiar with the facility. He trained at the IMG Madden Football Academy before and after the Panthers selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

"IMG is a great venue and it will offer us everything we need in our preparation for Tampa Bay," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. "We could have stayed here in Charlotte, but we see this as a great opportunity to get away, continue to bond as a team and focus on the opener."

IMG Academies encompasses more than 400 acres and features training facilities for football, basketball, baseball and several other sports. IMG attracts more than 12,000 athletes from about 80 countries each year.

This will hopefully shed some light on who the first round pick of the Carolina Panthers will be in the 2012 NFL draft. The Panthers will have the eighth or ninth pick depending on a coin toss with the Miami Dolphins.

This is not a 2012 Carolina Panthers mock draft, though I am working on one, but rather a look at the players who should be available to the Panthers with their first pick. I feel the biggest needs for the Carolina Panthers are defensive tackle and cornerback. I also feel wide receiver or offensive line could be addressed if the right player is available to them.

It is possible that the Carolina Panthers will trade down to get extra picks. For that to happen a player, probably a quarterback would have to fall to their spot. I am not sure there is a defensive tackle worth picking at eight or nine so I would not mind trading down.

If Morris Claiborne the LSU cornerback is on the board when the Panthers are up, then he is a no brainer. However I find it more likely he will be gone and the Panthers could draft Dre Kirkpatrick the tall corner from Alabama. Kirkpatrick has all the tools but you have to question his intelligence after a marijuana arrest recently.

The person I have in my mock as the Carolina Panthers first round pick in 2012 is Quinton Coples from UNC. Coples is an end and not a tackle but he would improve the Panthers defensive line from day one. Coples reminds people of Julius Peppers without the weird factor.

Defensive tackle Devon Still out of Penn State will probably be the Panthers pick if the draft strictly for need and go to that position. Still can disrupt the backfield but seldom gets to the passer. Still his job would be to tie up blockers to free the Carolina Panthers linebackers, and he can do that.

If wide receiver Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State falls to the Carolina Panthers then they will pick him quickly. Blackmon is the most talented wideout in the draft and a chance to team him with Cam Newton would make the Panthers forget their defense in the first round.

If you have any thoughts on who the Carolina Panthers will draft in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, please leave a comment below. I would love to talk 2012 NFL draft with some Panthers fans.

This is my list of 2012 NFL free agents the Carolina Panthers should be looking at. Now I don’t expect the Carolina Panthers to spend a lot of money on 2012 free agents as they are committed to growing through the draft. But the Panthers will probably sign a few players to fill a need.

I feel that the Carolina Panthers 2012 needs are at defensive tackle, cornerback, wide receiver and offensive line in that order. So I took a look at 2012 NFL free agents at those positions that the Carolina Panthers may sign.

Defensive Tackle Free Agents

Antonio Garay- San Diego Chargers

Antonio Garay is a solid veteran defensive tackle whom Ron Rivera is familiar with. Garay can help stop the run and even gets the occasional quarterback sack.

‘Antonio Dixon- Philadelphia Eagles

Dixonis another solid defensive tackle who won’t break the bank if he is signed by the Carolina Panthers. Dixon will know this defense as he played under the Panther’s current defensive coordinator in Philly.

Fred Evans- Minnesota Vikings

Fred Evans has been a spot player for the Vikings who would do well in the rotation on the Carolina Panthers defensive line.

Cornerback Free Agents

Chris Gamble- Carolina Panthers

I think the Panthers may resign Gamble but he will command a large salary if they do. Chris Gamble has had his ups and downs in Carolina but had a solid season in 2011.

Donald Strickland New York Jets

Strickland is just a guy type of free agent that the Panthers target at times. Strickland has bounced around and played for Rivera in San Diego at one point.

Kelvin Hayden- Atlanta Falcons

Haden is a solid veteran player who is a good athlete and can score when he intercepts a ball. He played for the Colts for several seasons before joining the Falcons in 2011.

Aaron Ross- New York Giants                                                                                                                                                     Ross has been around a while and started off and on for the Giants during his career. Ross would be a solid pickup for the 2012 Carolina Panthers.

Wide Receiver Free Agents

Laurent Robinson- Dallas Cowboys

Robinson may desire more than the Carolina Panthers are willing to spend but he had an eye opening season and would be a great red zone target for Cam Newton.

Early Doucet- Arizona Cardinals

Early Doucet is a solid veteran wide receiver who wouldn’t command too much money. Doucet would be a nice fit with what the Panthers are trying to do on offense.

Vincent Jackson- San Diego Chargers

Jacksonwill probably be out of the Panther’s price range and his DUI baggage may not allowed him to be considered. ButJacksonknows Panthers coaches and is the tall wideout this offense usually calls for.

These are the 2012 NFL free agents I think the Carolina Panthers should consider signing. Please check back here soon for more news and opinion about the Carolina Panthers.

We now know who the 2012 Carolina Panthers will be playing. The dates for the 2012 Carolina Panthers Schedule have not been set but the teams on it have been. In the next paragraph I will list the opponents for the 2012 Carolina Panthers.

Atlanta, New Orleans, TampaBay, Dallas, New York Giants, Denver, Seattle and Oakland are the home games for the 2012 Carolina Panthers. The away games are Atlanta,New Orleans,TampaBay,Philadelphia,Washington,Kansas City,San Diego and Chicago.

I find it interesting that former Carolina Panther coach John Fox will be returning to Charlotte. Tim Tebow may even still be the starter to take on Cam Newton. The Panthers will be seeing Julius Peppers again when they visit the Bears. And I would bet money that Cam Newton and the Panthers against Michael Vick and the Eagles will be a prime time game.