Sports - Panthers

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Many players try to put a positive spin on training camp. Not Brad Hoover.

When the Carolina Panthers break training camp after Wednesday morning's practice, expect Hoover to lead the race home.

"I've been down here so many times it just makes me sick to my stomach to come down here," Hoover said Tuesday. "I'm just ready to get back to the confines of home, see my family at night, just the little things that you appreciate when you're down here."

Hoover's ninth training camp with Carolina is one of the franchise's shortest. Coach John Fox chopped a week off in part because he could no longer add to the 80-man roster with players who had spent the summer in the now defunct NFL Europa.

"It's a lot shorter, even though it doesn't seem that way at times," Hoover said. "Camps aren't fun. You just sort of muster through them and pick something to get better at each day and work on it. But there's nothing fun about it at all."

Not only will the two-a-day practices end this week, but so will the night meetings and the bed checks. No more tiny dorm room and team meals either.

"Not saying Spartanburg is a bad city," Hoover said. "Just I'm not much for Wofford College right now."

With only a walkthrough scheduled Wednesday morning, the defense did its traditional end-of-camp hazing for rookies after practice Tuesday. Charles Godfrey, Dan Connor, Joe Fields, Casper Brinkley, Nick Hayden and Shaun Smith were taped to the goalpost and doused with water, Gatorade and ice.

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SCOTT'S REHAB: After missing all of last season in Philadelphia with a left knee injury, defensive tackle Ian Scott made it through only five days of training camp with the Panthers before he sprained the medial collateral ligament in the same knee.

Nearly two weeks later, Scott believes his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule.

"It's just about getting the range of motion back and putting as much stress on it as you can without having any setbacks," said Scott, who recently shed the leg brace he was wearing. "So far I've been able to do pretty well. I haven't had any setbacks."

Scott wouldn't speculate when he'll return, but it's likely he'll miss at least a couple more weeks. It's put him behind his teammates as the Panthers look for depth at defensive tackle after the offseason trade that sent Kris Jenkins to the New York Jets.

"My focus is on being healthy so I can have a chance to play sometime soon," Scott said.

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REMEMBERING PHILLY: NFL preseason games usually are quickly forgotten. But as the Panthers prepare to visit Philadelphia Thursday for the second straight August, tight end Jeff King vividly remembers how poorly they played there last season.

A week after going on an 81-yard touchdown drive on the first possession in a game against the New York Giants, the Panthers had two three-and-outs and two turnovers in their first four possessions in falling behind 24-0 to the Eagles.

It was a sign of things to come in a 7-9 season full of offensive ineptitude.

"I think last year they gave it to us. They made us look kind of bad," King said. "We definitely remember. We didn't look very good in that first half."

The Panthers are in a similar position this year, after the first team offense and defense dominated Indianapolis in their 23-20 overtime win Saturday.

"We have to go up there and be prepared for what they do," King said.

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EXTRA POINTS: WR Steve Smith missed his third straight practice as he recovers from a concussion. Smith watched some of the workout before riding a golf cart back to the locker room. ... WR Dwayne Jarrett, who bruised his right leg Monday night, did not practice. He could return next week. ... CB Ken Lucas (nose), S Chris Harris (groin), CB Chris Gamble (hamstring), WR D.J. Hackett (toe) and WR Ryne Robinson (knee) remained sidelined. ... DE Hilee Taylor (illness) joined the list of players out. ... The Panthers again practiced a play close to the goal line where the ball is thrown to an offensive lineman. After Geoff Hangartner caught a pass in back of the end zone and wound up to spike the ball, linebacker Jon Beason jokingly yelled, 'Don't do it!' Hangartner didn't listen and emphatically slammed the ball to the turf. ... T Rueben Riley got angry at Hayden during a blocking drill and got into a boxing stance. After a pause, he threw two punches at Hayden while both players were wearing helmets and pads. Hayden wasn't injured and Riley appeared to avoid breaking his hand.