Locked On Panthers Hit - Quick Takes on the Carolina Panthers

Carolina and Jacksonville came into the league the same year, and the whole thing started with a coin flip that had both logos stamped on it. The Panthers won that one. The Jaguars won the other next coin flip. Two drafts, two coin flips, one apiece.

In this Double Hit: how the 1995 expansion draft worked and why it made both rosters out of other teams' castoffs. The Hall of Fame Game that was the first game either franchise ever played, and every matchup since that mattered -- the Delhomme game, Monsoon Bowl, and the opener that kicked off a Super Bowl run.

Then the part that still stings for both fan bases: 31 years in, neither team has won a Super Bowl. Carolina has been there twice and lost both times. Jacksonville is still chasing their first Super Bowl appearance.

So who gets the Lombardi first?

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Carolina and Jacksonville got together for a joint practice Wednesday and it went the way a lot of Panthers days go. A scuffle early, nobody threw a punch, nobody got hurt. Then a tale of two halves.

First half, Bryce Young had guys in his face all practice long. He would have taken multiple sacks in a real game as the offensive line is still banged up and the starters are still missing, but both guards are on the road back and should be ready for the regular season.

The best news came from Dave Canales on Ikem Ekwonu. There is a possibility he returns for the start of the season. That is not what I expected from a torn patellar tendon.

Monroe Freeling keeps holding up. With both tackles out, our first-round pick is getting real starting reps, and he handled Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. If you do not hear his name much on Friday, that is a good thing.

Injuries were light. Xavier Legette got rolled up on and is still expected to play Friday.

What do you want to see against the Jaguars on Friday?

(0:00) The scuffle in Jacksonville

Panthers Hit is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. New episodes every weekday.

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My top five Panthers on offense, then my top five on defense, two weeks out from a season that follows the franchise's first division title since 2015. On offense it comes down to projection. Bryce Young went from 11 touchdowns to 15 to 23 in three years and the interceptions never moved. Tetairoa McMillan won Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1,014 yards. Jonathon Brooks is back from two ACL tears. And all of it sits behind a line missing both starting tackles. 

On defense it comes down to who they brought in. Jaelan Phillips at four years and $120 million, Devin Lloyd at three and $45 million, Jaycee Horn already one of the highest paid defensive backs in the league. Derrick Brown is still the one nobody blocks with a single body. What Panthers made your top 10? #Panthers #KeepPounding #NFL #CarolinaPanthers #BryceYoung #DerrickBrown

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Your daily hit of Carolina Panthers news, trade rumors, game reactions, and sharp takes on everything happening with your team, all in five minutes or less. Done before your coffee is. New hits drop throughout the day, every day, all year long. Your Team. Every Day.

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