SPARTANBURG, S.C. – When wide receiver Steve Smith came crashing to the ground Monday night, he thought his shoulder was broken and his season possibly over.
   Luckily for the Panthers, the injury is not as severe as Smith first anticipated.
   X-rays were negative, but with Smith's shoulder still sore -- and in a sling -- the big question has been if he'll be ready for the Sept. 13 regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles.
   After Tuesday's practice, coach John Fox did his best to shed some light on the subject, saying he fully expects the four-time Pro Bowl selection to play in the regular season opener and suggested he could even be ready before then. However, it also sounded as though Fox might hold Smith out of preseason games.
   "I'm sure he'll be ready at some point in the preseason," Fox said before adding, "whether we play him in not in the preseason I don't know that."
   When asked if he's optimistic that Smith will be ready for the Eagles, Fox said, "Yeah, he's day-to-day, not week-to-week or out for the season or anything like that."
   Earlier in the day, Smith was vague talking about his return.

   “If I can play, then I’m playing, whether it be preseason or regular season,” Smith said. “If I can’t play, I won’t play. If I’m not going to be effective and be able to compete, then it’s not best for the team. You’ve got to be comfortable where you are, that you can help. If I’m a lame duck out there, just the 11th guy that’s just out there, I don’t think that really benefits the team.”
   In a world where everyone wants answers right now, the reality is it's a matter of how quickly Smith’s shoulder heals over the next month.
   However, quarterback Jake Delhomme doesn’t seem too worried about Smith missing any time in the regular season.
   “I think he will be back quicker than we all think,” Delhomme said.
   Delhomme said it’s not a big deal if Smith misses the preseason altogether, especially since they’ve played together for so long.
   “Certainly you never want someone to miss time, but he has enough time in this offense and he has a pretty strong idea of what we’re doing,” Delhomme said. “You know what; the year we went to the Super Bowl I didn’t have a single rep in the preseason with Moose (Muhsin Muhammad) or Steve (in the preseason). I had a few with Ricky Proehl, but not with those guys. So we’ll see.”
   With Smith out, Dwayne Jarrett will work with the first-team offense opposite Muhammad.
   Smith injured the shoulder in Monday night’s practice at Wofford College when he came crashing to the ground after a mid-air collision with cornerback Chris Gamble during one-on-one drills.
   Smith said he felt pain in his shoulder when he landed.
   “I felt it immediately,” he said. “The good thing is, I thought it was broke, because it started hurting immediately. But it’s not, so we’ll be playing it by ear with (trainer) Ryan Vermillion. The training staff is doing a good job with icing it to death and doing all the stuff that’s necessary.”
   After spending about a minute on the ground writhing in pain, Smith got up and kicked his helmet out of frustration over being hurt.
   “It was two competitors going after the ball, accidents happen,” Smith said. “I know, I spoke to Gamble and I know it wasn’t a malicious act or trying to do it personally, but I was still upset, because going through camp, whether you’re nine years or one year, no one wants to get hurt. That same time, they want to get through camp peacefully and injury free so you can go into the season without little things nagging.”
   Smith refused to say if he plans to get an MRI.
   “As far as (an MRI), that’s going to be determined by the medical staff and myself,” he said. “It’s not something I’m really going to publicize.”
   Smith also wouldn’t discuss the exact nature of the injury.
   "I mean as far as exactly what I did, I’m not going to say exactly what happened," he said. "I still have a lot of games to play and I’m not going to give the opponents a bullseye or a target.”
   Ironically, Smith injured the same right shoulder last August -- although not as severe -- during a preseason game against Washington but was ready to go when he returned from his suspension in Week 3. He wound up averaging more than 100 yards per game receiving and was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl.
   “It did linger a little bit, but I did rehab this off-season and worked on it,” Smith said of last year’s injury. “It was more frustration because I worked my tail off this offseason to strengthen it and make sure it didn’t happen. But then also, those freak things happen.”
   Delhomme admits the Panthers would have to change some of their offensive scheme if Smith isn’t around.
   But that’s not something he’s even thinking about right now.
   He’s just hoping his top receiver can get back on the field soon.
   “Steve is different,” Delhomme said. “There are not many people like Steve. We had to win a couple of games without him last year and we found a way to get it done. It's a lot easier to get it done with him, though.”