SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The closer the preseason opener comes, the more John Fox knows that he needs to push his players into game-time mode.
So after seeing some infractions from a pair of his young offensive linemen, he bellowed a reminder as they walked to the sideline:
"We're gonna have officials Monday night!"
While the Panthers went through four practices with NFL officials on hand late last week -- including one under game conditions at Bank of America Stadium -- Monday night represents a clear change in dynamic for the team, especially for the rookies. Saturday afternoon was about easing the transition.
The Panthers also continued to emphasize game-situations, spending the final periods of the practice working on "Hail Mary" passes and other end-game scenarios, including last-second field goal alignments.
"We started introducing a lot of that stuff to encourage the guys thinking on the sideline and being alert," Fox said. " It was our first taste of some of the real technical things, but we'll continue that as we move forward."
Added Fox later: "We've got all kinds of different things scheduled as far as uniforms and whatnot, but we had work to do. We have installation still going in, so we went shorts to freshen them up a little bit but we still got work done."
There's more to come on Sunday morning, as the Panthers' last practice before the first preseason game typically includes rehearsal of everything from substitutions to running onto the field and in position for pregame calisthenics.
It's designed with being ready for the season. But first the Panthers must be ready for Monday.
SPLIT SECONDS:
There were no changes on the injured players from the day before; running back
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ROARS:
3:27 P.M. EDT: "Warm out today. Warm yesterday. Even warmer today." -- Stewie Griffin, #FamilyGuy
3:35 P.M. EDT: Working on position drills. LBs spent a good chunk of time on ball drills, fading back and chasing after errant throws.
3:43 P.M. EDT: Into 7 on 7. D. Jarrett nearly had a long catch near the left sideline, but bobbled it & couldn't hang on. Made a nice leaping grab later.
3:47 P.M. EDT: INT Joe Fields ... but credit to Captain Munnerlyn, who knocked a pass out of Jeff King's hands, allowing Fields to get the pick.
3:50 P.M. EDT: "Focus on your pad level, even though it's not live," #JohnFox tells his team. W/ shorts instead of full pads, this isn't full contact work.
4:08 P.M. EDT: A lunging catch by
Interlude: If there is a danger in Twittering from practice, it is this: Sometimes you get the call wrong and don't have replay. Earlier, I wrote of a great catch by Jason Carter. On second glance ... not quite, as revealed below:
4:25 P.M. EDT: 
4:36 P.M. EDT: Working on lining up for endgame field goals. This is dotting the i's and crossing the t's time. It may seem mundane, but it's vital.
For live updates from the field, interviews and wherever the Panthers roam, follow us on our Twitter feed at Twitter.com/cpanthers.
SNAPSHOTS:
I would be remiss if I did not include a picture from our special guest photographer for the day -- No. 43 in your program, No. 1 with your zoom lens, starting safety
UP NEXT:
A single session at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday before the Panthers pack up and head for northern New Jersey and Monday night's preseason lid-lifter with the Giants.
