CHARLOTTE -- Just when Charles Godfrey might have thought he was off the learning curve after spending his rookie year adjusting to playing safety after being a college cornerback, along came a new defense to force him back into the classroom again.
But learning a second NFL defense can prove easier than the first -- even if it means he's starting anew.
"No excuses," Godfrey said. "You're not a rookie anymore; you've been in this thing for a year; you played the whole season. There are no excuses. You go out there and you play and you make plays. That's the bottom line."
Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks' new scheme match Godfrey better, anyhow. He contacted one of his friends, Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden, to learn about it and emerged energized, even though he had yet to dive into a playbook or line up at summer school.
"(Hayden) told me what it was -- just run to the ball, make plays, everybody is hitting," Godfrey said. "So that is kind of what you are going to see with the defense because we are stressing that now."
That also plays into
"The ball is the main key. We want the ball. We don't want to be guarding a guy that doesn't have the ball. If we are guarding a guy and the quarterback throws the ball across the field, we are leaving that guy alone and we're going and we're trying to get the ball, because you never know what will happen."
As with every area but cornerback, last year's starters return at safety. The most intriguing scrum at the position could rest in the reserves, as
Then there is Joe Fields, who has been with the Panthers as long as Godfrey, but couldn't gain any game experience last year. He stuck on the practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent, but never made it onto the 53-man roster, as Harris, Godfrey, Salley and Teal all stayed healthy.
Like Godfrey, one of Fields' challenges this year was learning a new defense shortly after he mastered the old one.
"There's definitely a lot of new terminology, (and changes) how we've played certain techniques, like looking at the quarterback as opposed to looking at the man last year in zone coverages," Fields said. "It's just nuances that you've got to get used to.
"It's like all defenses. You've got a chance at flexibility to come down, drop back, lurk in the middle. Coach (Meeks) definitely has a lot of tools for the safeties to be successful; it's just a matter of us learning them and going out and executing."
Fields believes the new scheme offers him a better chance to contribute.
"I definitely think it fits my skill set," Fields said. "It allows you to run. It lets athletes be athletes, and I feel like I can be an athlete and make plays."
The rookie in the mix is
