Thanks for checking out my recap of the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers preseason game. Carolina lost to Miami 20 to 10 in the 2^nd preseason game for both teams.

Cam Newton looked like what he is, a rookie quarterback. Newton completed 7 of 14 passes for 66 yards in the game. Cam Newton is showing poor mechanics namely in throwing off his back foot which greatly affects his accuracy.

 Newton continues to impress me however with the fact that he has not turned the ball over in two preseason games. Steve Smith didn’t play against Miami despite reports that he would. The Panthers offense needs Smith to be healthy. WFNZ’s Brett Jensen reported that Cam has only completed one pas to a wide receiver in the 2011 preseason.

 Jimmy Clausen had similar numbers to Cam Newton in the Miami game. Jimmy completed 9 of 15 passes for 69 yards. Josh Vaughn and Tyrell Sutton led the Panthers in rushing with 21 and 19 yards respectively. Sutton did score the team’s only touchdown in the game and added four receptions.

 The tight ends continue to be a Panther focus with Shockey catching three passes and new fan favorite Olsen adding two more. Blocking tight end Ben Hartsock even caught a pass for five yards.

Thomas Williams had a nice night with six tackles against the Dolphins. Ugo Chinasa a rookie defensive end out of Oklahoma State had two tackles a sack and a forced fumble. As a whole the Panthers defense didn’t play overly well and needs everyone back and healthy to look their best.

I keep hearing that the Panthers are not done picking up players. Look for the team to keep an eye out for veteran defensive linemen, cornerbacks and maybe even a wideout. I am not sure they will add a receiver but it’s possible.

Some Panthers fans here in Catawba County are hoping that the team grabs Justin Harper if he is waived by the Baltimore Ravens. Harper is a former Virginia Tech wide receiver who is from Catawba North Carolina. Harper has spent most of his time in the NFL on the Ravens practice squad.

The Panthers are expected to announce Cam Newton as the starting quarterback for the regular season, early this week. I urge the fans not to come down too harshly on Newton. He has to learn and needs time to develop. At least he has a happy center in Ryan Kalil who is now the highest paid center in NFL history after signing his new deal.

The Carolina Panthers head into week two of the preseason a little banged up as they prepare to play the Miami Dolphins. According to Steve Reed of Carolinagrowl.com (via Twitter) Stewart, Gamble, Goodson and Gary Barnidge are questionable. Beason, Schwartz, Otah, Hardy and Fiammetta are out for the Panthers/Dolphins preseason game.

The big news heading into week two of the 2011 Panthers preseason is Cam Newton’s first start. Newton played fairly well last week and will start and play mostly with the starting unit. Jimmy Clausen is expected to see a lot of playing time with the 2^nd string with Anderson getting some spot duty.

The big things the Panthers want out of the preseason game with the Dolphins is for everyone to stay healthy and for Cam Newton to keep progressing. There is little doubt now that Newton will be the regular season starting quarterback from day one unless he has a major meltdown in the preseason.

Charles “Big Money” Johnson will be playing this week against the Dolphins and may have a good game. As Jason Roberts points out at his excellent “Bottlenose Blogging” site, the Dolphins have a less than stellar offensive line.

Panthers fans will see a familiar face in Matt Moore who is probably going to be the second string quarterback this season for the Dolphins.  I look for Moore to play well against the banged up Panthers defense.

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Steve Smith will be playing against the Dolphins after sitting out last week due to an injured hand. Contrary to some reports it was a pass from Jimmy Clausen (not Newton) that injured Smith. Between Smith and tight end Greg Olsen I think the Panthers offense will have some pop this week.

Due to the short offseason and new coaches and systems, I expect the Panthers starters to play more than they would in most preseason games. The Panthers are still installing their offense and defense. Fan reaction to both systems has been positive everywhere I have seen or heard it mentioned.

Two players I am interested in seeing against the Dolphins are wide receiver Armanti Edwards and running back Tyrell Sutton. Edwards has had a great training camp and may be ready to assume more of a wide receiver role. Sutton is a good running back who just needs opportunities and he will get some playing time inMiami.

The Panthers preseason game in Miami will be a success if there are no injuries and the team continues to jell. I don’t pay much attention to wins and losses in preseason; I just want to see solid play with few turnovers and penalties. Let the Cam Newton era of starting begin!