* Fan Fest ** Exhibition, vs. Indianapolis (Bank of America Stadium)

Notebook

Beason, Harris dinged up

Injuries continue to nip at the Carolina Panthers' defense.

Linebacker Jon Beason didn't practice for a second day Tuesday because of a minor ankle problem. And strong safety Chris Harris isn't likely to play in Saturday's exhibition opener against Indianapolis after injuring his groin in practice Monday night.

Harris was carted off the field.

“It scared me a little bit,” said Harris. “I didn't know exactly what was going on. (But) it's nothing to worry about. I'll be back out there sooner than later.”

Harris said he expected the Panthers would be cautious about his return to make sure he's ready for the Sept. 7 regular-season opener at San Diego.

He said he's receiving treatment from trainers between three and five times a day.

Coach John Fox said Beason's injury is “day-to-day. It's nothing really serious. It's not week-to-seek, but sometimes day-to-day can stretch to that.”

Briefly

As training camp heads into the middle of its second week, the Panthers begin to turn their focus to the first game of the exhibition season, Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts at Bank Of America Stadium.

“The first week, we're trying to get one up on each other,” said reserve quarterback Brett Basanez. “We're over-analyzing and critiquing things in practice. Now we'll start fine-tuning what we're going to do and what we're going to see from. Then it'll be, ‘Let's go beat the Colts.'” D.S.

With their defensive line becoming gradually healthier, the Panthers cut tackle Michael Marquardt, who signed last week when several linemen went down with injuries. But with players like Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis back, Marquardt was let go.

The Panthers signed tight end Chad Upshaw after two tight ends -- Gary Barnidge (glute) and Dante Rosario (hamstring) – sat out Tuesday.

Left guard Travelle Wharton is impressed so far with the Panthers' remade offensive line, which includes three new starters and two holdovers (Wharton and Jordan Gross) playing different positions than last year.

“We just keep working every day, learning each other,” said Wharton. “We have to communicate and everybody is on the same page.”

Wharton said he's satisfied the offensive linemen are developing the closeness they'll need to be a cohesive unit.

“We learn a lot about each other every day, not just out on the field, but in the meeting rooms,” said Wharton. “Everybody is communicating, not just on the field, but off the field, eating together, learning about” each other.

Competition is tough at camp, especially after lunch at the Ping-Pong table in Wofford's student union. Most days, reserve quarterback Matt Moore and kicker Rhys Lloyd play several games with Moore having the upper hand (according to Moore, at least). But Moore recently bought new paddles, which have allowed Lloyd to use his abilities to spin the ball to his advantage.

“I dominate,” Moore said. “But Rhys has the ultimate ‘cut' shot now with the new paddles. So it's about 60-40 now, with me winning. Actually, it might be 50-50.”

Observations

With Lewis and Kemoeatu back from injury, the starting defensive line was intact for full-team drills Tuesday. Adam Seward replaced Beason at middle linebacker, Terrence Holt took Harris's place at safety and Richard Marshall was in the injured Ken Lucas's spot at cornerback.

Rookie offensive tackle Jeff Otah struggled a bit in a pass rushing-blocking drill. Defensive end Tyler Brayton beat him on one play, then linebacker Na'il Diggs blew past him on a quick move to the inside.

The Panthers worked on a two-minute drill late in practice. The first play was a double-reverse, which resulted in a fumble between Smith and Muhammad. Later, though, the offense clicked with Jake Delhomme completing two straight passes to tight end Jeff King. After rookie safety Charles Godfrey helped break up a pass intended for Smith, Delhomme hit Muhammad for what appeared to be a 25-yard touchdown pass to the side of the end zone. The Panthers defense insisted the Muhammad was out of bounds, however.

When offensive linemen move early in scrimmages, their punishment is to run a lap. Jeremy Bridges did so on one play, with his assignment being to pull and block. So, since he had already started running toward the sideline, he didn't even break stride as he started his lap.