Hey folks, after a very busy week covering the Wachovia Championship and the Carolina Panthers minicamp, I finally had a moment to sit down and figure out this new blog format. So here's the latest from Panthers minicamp practice on Sunday:

   Wow!

   It was a fairly mundane three-day minicamp until about 10 remained in Sunday's practice.

   That's when Pro Bowl receiver nearly gave his coach and teammates a heart attack when he landed in a heap after a mid-air collision with a defensive back during a two-minute drill. Smith came down holding his left knee and was seen writhing in pain on the field for several moments. The team was absolutely paralyzed as they looked on. Smith finally got up and hobbled to the side where he was monitored by trainers.

   Smith, however, appears to be OK.

   "He landed on his knee funny but he's fine," said a relieved coach John Fox after practice.

   At first it was tough to tell if Smith injured his knee or his hamstring, a problem that gave him fits last off-season. Trainer Ryan Vermillion attended to Smith, who left the field under his own power. Vermillion, one of the league's better trainers, later taped Smith's knee.

   "Anytime a player goes down, it's scary," Fox said. "It always is, especially when it's that guy. It's like 2004 was flashing in front of my eyes."

   That's when Smith broke his ankle in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers and was done for the year. The Panthers started that season 1-7 and failed to make the playoffs.

   Obviously, Smith is the one guy Carolina can't afford to lose on offense. A year ago he caught 83 balls for 1,166 yards and eight touchdowns and figures to be the focal point of the offense again this season.