More from the Moose

My column for Thursday's paper is on Muhsin "Moose" Muhammad, the Panthers' all-time leading receiver in almost every category.

There were a few quotes from Moose's meeting with the press Wednesday that didn't make it into my column but I thought you might like to hear. First of all, he says he doesn't regret going to Chicago in 2005, when he left the Panthers after nine years.

"It was a great experience," Muhammad said. "A learning experience. This is a volatile business. You never know where you’re going to be year to year. I thought I made the best decision at the time for my family and myself… We had a Super Bowl run up there [Moose has played on two teams that lost Super Bowls -- one in Chicago, one in Carolina). But I missed playing with Jake and with Smitty."

This will be the last game Steve Smith has to sit out in 2008 due to his two-game suspension for breaking Ken Lucas's nose, and Muhammad was honest about Smith's impact. "Steve makes a lot of big plays for us," Muhammad said. "He takes a short wide receiver screen and goes 70 or 80 yards."

Muhammad admitted no other Panther wide receiver likely had the speed to do that, but: "Guys are still catching balls," he said. "We have running backs making big runs and wide receivers making the plays they are supposed to make."

Moose also praised D.J. Hackett and Dwayne Jarrett for big catches over the middle last week against San Diego -- Hackett's went for 37 yards and Jarrett's 25. He said Smith might have taken both of those "to the house," however.

As for his former teammate Devin Hester, the Bears' dangerous receiver and return man, Muhammad said the best strategy was simple: Keep the ball away from him as much as possible.

A bit of national pub for Panthers

The Panthers' slow journey back toward the national spotlight has begun -- although that journey could quickly be derailed if they lose a couple in a row.

Fox Sports spokesman Dan Bell tells me that the Panthers-Bears game will now be broadcast to 25 percent of the country in the Sunday 1 p.m. time slot. That's up from 10 percent. The change came this week after the Panthers' and Bears' surprising wins over AFC powerhouses San Diego and Indianapolis, respectively, on Sunday.

And Fox Sports will send Pam Oliver to do a sitdown interview with Jake Delhomme this week in Charlotte that will result in a national feature on Delhomme to air Sunday on the Fox pregame show (noon to 1 p.m.) Bell said it will more likely air in the first 30 minutes of the show rather than the second.

That's just a trickle of national publicity, really, compared to what the Panthers have gotten before during their playoff runs (or compared to what East Carolina is rightfully getting now). The Panthers have become a very below-the-radar team in the last two years, however, and they are hardly on in prime time at all this season. It's understandable -- they've been a middle-of-the-road team without any superstars (not a single Pro Bowler in 2007).

It's worth noting, though, that a couple of the Panthers' late-season games in 2008 could be pushed into prime time if they continue to win. Not a likelihood by any means, but a possibility.

As for the announcers for Sunday, if you care about things like that, it's Sam Rosen on play-by-play, Tim Ryan on color analysis and Chris Myers from the sideline.

Jake's comebacks that didn't quite make my cut

In the wake of the Panthers' dramatic win on the final play over San Diego Sunday, I wrote a column for the Sept.9 Observer about what I consider Jake Delhomme's five best comebacks, in order. This doesn't include every Panther game, so there's no Steve Beuerlein draw at Green Bay in here. It's Delhomme-focused, so it only counts from 2003 onward. Here's the link.

But Delhomme has led a lot more last-minute drives than that. I gave preference on that list to degree of difficulty (i.e. Steve Smith being out of the lineup), the significance of the game (which is why the St. Louis double-OT playoff game remains No.1 for me) and scoring a TD at the end (because if Delhomme only got them in position for a field goal, then those victories ultimately came by John Kasay's left foot). I ultimately put Delhomme's debut game vs. Jacksonville in 2003 at No.2 and the just-completed San Diego game at No.3. I put the Super Bowl at No.4 and a 2004 win over Tampa Bay at No.5.

Here were Nos.6-8 -- the "almosts but not quites" in my book. If you've got any I've forgotten or games you think I've mis-ranked, feel free to join the conversation.

No.8: Oct.1, 2006, vs. New Orleans -- Delhomme directs a 91-yard drive in the fourth quarter to put Panthers ahead for good.

No.7: Dec.14, 2003 vs. Arizona -- On the road, with the Panthers trying to get out of a tailspin during their Super Bowl year, Delhomme took the Panthers 54 yards in the final 1:09 to set up a Kasay field goal that clinched the NFC South division title for Carolina.

No.6: Nov.9, 2003 vs. Tampa Bay -- I'll always remember this game because it was back when the Panthers did some cheesy "Fan of the Game" promotion and actually handed the fan the microphone to say something. In this case, the fan called out Tampa Bay's defense -- loudly -- and the Bucs responded by suddenly roaring to life and taking a 24-20 lead. Delhomme saved the fan's hide by completing 5-of-6 attempts for 78 yards in the game-winning drive. Smith scored the TD on a 5-yarder.

I seriously considered moving this game higher and hated to leave it out of the column, but the Top 5 picks were all pretty good games, too. And in this game (as opposed to the No.5) Delhomme had Smith on his side and uninjured.

Dante Rosario's secret identity revealed!

I've gotten several e-mails about this today and chuckled about each one. At the end of Carolina's 26-24 win over San Diego Sunday, Fox Sports put up a graphic entitled "UPS Leaderboard." There it displayed the Panthers' passing, rushing and receiving leaders -- standard practice for Fox Sports.

What was not standard was the fact that hot young actress Rosario Dawson was listed as the Panthers' leading receiver rather than Carolina tight end Dante Rosario, who had just caught the winning TD pass from Jake Delhomme. Oops! I talked to Fox Sports spokeman Dan Bell Monday afternoon. He said it was a "simple mistake" and apologized for it.

There's no connection between the two except their shared "Rosario" name. Does anyone else out there know of another famous or semi-famous "Rosario" that maybe Fox Sports could use the next time Dante Rosario does something good? Let me know. Sounds like the least Fox Sports could do as a "make-good" for this one is invite the actress Rosario to meet the football player Rosario at a Panther game at some point.

I looked up Rosario Dawson's movie career on imdb.com and have only seen one thing she's ever been in -- she was one of the stars of "Rent," the fantastic, rock-out Broadway play turned into a movie in 2005. On the positive side, her NFL career is apparently going very well.

Topsy turvy AFC

Who's going to win the AFC now? While those in Carolina are still celebrating the Panthers' last-second victory over San Diego, a lot more happened around the league than just that.

The top 3 teams in the AFC -- New England, Indianapolis and San Diego -- all suffered serious losses in Week 1. New England won but lost quarterback Tom Brady for the year, according to various media reports. Indianapolis took an absolute whipping courtesy of Chicago, the Panthers' next opponent. And San Diego... well, you know what happened there.

My new dark horse in the AFC to go with the Super Bowl? Pittsburgh. If Brady is truly out for the year, as it sounds like he is, I don't think New England will get there. Too early to rule Indy or San Diego out, of course, but the AFC balance of power certainly took a seismic shift Sunday.

10 things I liked about Panthers' season opener

Welcome to "Scott Says," the online edition -- my new blog on all things related to sports in the Carolinas.

Let's get right to it -- here are the 10 things I liked the most about Carolina's dramatic 26-24 win over San Diego Sunday, which was decided on the final play of the game when Jake Delhomme drilled a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dante Rosario in the back of the end zone:

Jake Delhomme is unable to get the team in the end zone all day and yet gets them there on the final play. The guy has always had serious mojo. Didn't this remind you of Delhomme's first-ever game as a Panther, when Carolina edged Jacksonville on the pass to Ricky Proehl at the very end?

2. Dante Rosario. Can you say Wesley Walls? This guy was the Panthers’ best receiver all day.

3. Chris Harris stripping the ball to cause a defensive touchdown. Harris gets burned occasionally in coverage, but no one can get the ball out like he can.

4. The Panthers’ “alternate” blue uniforms, which they should wear more often.

5. John Fox teams on the road. It’s been Fox’s trademark here through the years – his teams play far better on the road than at home. Can they continue this momentum in what should be a very winnable game against Chicago at home next Sunday?

6. DeAngelo Williams and the offensive line. I liked Stewart, too, but DeAngelo was superb.

7. The Panthers’ run defense against LT.

8. Muhsin Muhammad back in his familiar No.87.

9. Rhys Lloyd on kickoffs and John Kasay on field goals. If you don’t think that’s worth two roster spots, you’re crazy.

10. Scoring 26 points without Steve Smith in uniform. Even though seven came courtesy of a defensive touchdown, that’s very impressive. Just a superb effort for the Panthers today.

3 things I didn't like about the Panthers' opener

And now, following the 10 things I did like, here are three of the things I didn't like about the Panthers' season opener:

1. Carolina’s pass defense when it counted. Thanks to the offense, the Panthers got saved, but they allowed Philip Rivers to throw three TD passes – two of them in the fourth quarter.

2. D.J. Hackett losing that fumble that set up the Chargers’ last TD. Hackett also had some nice moments, but that one could have been a killer.

3. The call the Panthers came up with when going on it on fourth-and-goal from inside the San Diego 1 in the first quarter. Kudos to John Fox for going for it there, but a play-action pass when all you’ve talked about all season is running the ball better and being more physical? It served the Panthers right for Jake Delhomme's throw to fall incomplete.