CHARLOTTE
Starters for the Carolina Panthers will barely break a sweat tonight in Pittsburgh, and some might not play at all to avoid injury. And although the final week of the NFL preseason has been called everything from a sham to a snoozer, it could define the careers of several players.
"It's a big game," rookie quarterback Tony Pike of the Panthers said. "For me, it's like going into a Super Bowl or something."
Long after starter Matt Moore plays part of the first quarter and backup Jimmy Clausen perhaps makes a brief appearance, Pike and Hunter Cantwell will take over Carolina's struggling offense. The one who plays better could end up with the No. 3 job. The other could be unemployed Saturday, when the Panthers will cut 22 players.
"You don't really know what the coaches are thinking and the decisions they've already made," said the undrafted Cantwell, who spent most of last season on Carolina's practice squad. "You just know that every rep is important, not only for the Carolina Panthers in evaluation, but other teams around the league."
Cantwell entered training camp as Moore's backup but was quickly overtaken by Clausen, a second-round draft pick. Cantwell's work in practice then dropped significantly. Although he has a strong arm, the Panthers didn't use a draft pick on him like they did on Pike, a sixth-round choice from Cincinnati.
Neither has had much chance to do anything in the preseason, and Carolina's offense has yet to score a touchdown in three preseason games. Cantwell is 6 of 17 for 68 yards. Pike is 0 for 1.
"Both of those guys have gotten minimal reps," Coach John Fox said. "This will probably be the most significant playing time they'll both get. We'll evaluate that during the game, after the game, and go from there.
"I think for a lot of guys, especially the bottom half of the roster, this is a big weekend."
There are other crowded races. Kenny Moore, David Gettis, Trent Guy and Charly Martin are most likely fighting for the final one or two receiver spots. There may only be room for one of Carolina's seventh-round picks at cornerback, R.J. Stanford or Robert McClain. There's uncertainty with backups on both lines.
But quarterback will be one of the toughest calls. The 6-4 Cantwell might have the best arm on the team. Pike is 6-6 but fell behind in his transformation from a spread-offense quarterback when he wasn't allowed to participate in June's organized team activities because classes were still in session at Cincinnati.
"It was kind of hard because the first day I got here we were installing two-minute and no-huddle," Pike said. "You're just playing catch-up. But once OTAs broke and you got the chance to go back and look at everything and then start fresh at camp, you really get back up to the level you want to be at."
Fox said yesterday that Moore and the starters will play as much as one quarter tonight before the reserves take over. Cantwell said that it's important not to press if he finally gets significant playing time.
"You can't try to go out and create something out of nothing. That's when you get yourself in trouble," he said. "The coaches don't want to see that, they just want to see you run the offense, that you're efficient with the ball and you can move the offense up and down the field. That's what they're looking for."
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