CHARLOTTE -- Finishing college doesn't mean that one's studying is done.
Few Panthers know this better than safety Charles Godfrey, who successfully navigated a rookie year that saw him transition from college cornerback to pro safety, learning the nuances of his work in on-the-job training that placed him on the first team from his first minicamp 13 months ago.
He spent endless hours studying video, poring over playbooks and going over every detail of his game. Few moments were wasted; even rest time on the sideline at practice was spent in educational conversation with secondary coach Mike Gillhamer.
And just as that process was complete, along comes a new defensive coordinator and a new defense. Just as he'd gotten the hang of the old one, he had to start 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."
And truth be told, Ron Meeks' scheme would seem a better fit for Godfrey. His fellow University of Iowa alumnus, Bob Sanders, earned league defensive MVP honors two years ago in the safety-friendly scheme, which emphasizes turnovers and being around the football above all else. But it's Godfrey's friend Kelvin Hayden, a Colts cornerback, who has given him the lowdown on what Meeks expects.
"He 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.
"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."
Pursuit to the football is right in the wheelhouse of a converted cornerback who finds himself preparing for a "center field"-type of role where he is free to attack wherever the football goes.
"I can use my athletic ability. I can run around run around a lot, kind of roam and read the quarterback a lot," he said. "I'm kind of comfortable there."
TWO WEEKS INTO summer school, the learning curve on Meeks' defensive scheme -- and the adjustment to their new defensive boss's style -- has gradually grown less steep for Godfrey and the Panthers' defenders.
"At first it was kind of hard, but every day it gets better," cornerback Chris gamble said. "He's an old-school type of coordinator, and I kind of like that. He's always hard on us - running to the ball, running back to the huddle and stripping the ball.
"I think that's good for us because it's going to help us out during the game, and good things are going to happen for us."
The pace and tenor of summer-school practices makes the emulation of game conditions impossible; a defense can't truly "fly to the ball" -- as Meeks wants to see this season -- without tackling, collisions or any kind of contact. But the Panthers' defenders can work on getting near the football, being in position to swarm a ballcarrier. The final steps come in August and September, when those swarms can become hits, and the hits can provide loose footballs.
"It's running around, trying to get the ball out, basically making plays," Godfrey said. "That's we're emphasizing in practice. I think that's kind of what we missed last year, emphasizing on making plays, because if you do it in practice it will transfer to the games."
SPLIT SECONDS: Weakside linebacker
... Wide recever
... Tight end
... For running backs, wide receivers, defensive backs and some linebackers, the 75-minute session concluded with windsprints across the width of the playing field. Leading the way throughout the runs were rookies
David Monroe contributed to this report.
MORE FROM SUMMER SCHOOL:
• O-line on guard against complacency
• Day 7 photo gallery
• Foxhole Team-building
• DE Johnson out front
• Day 6 photo gallery
• Goodson turning heads as he zips by
• Day 5 photo gallery
• Muhammad back and watching the wideouts
• Foxhole: Swarming defense
• Day 4 photo gallery
