In retrospect, it's clear Muhsin Muhammad and the Carolina Panthers never should have parted ways.

Muhammad fit here, and his career flourished here (1996-2004), in a way never fully duplicated during his past three seasons with the Chicago Bears.

But there are clear benefits from his time away from the Panthers. It's likely he and the team appreciate one another more because they spent so much time apart.

Once the Bears released him last spring, the Panthers quickly turned to Muhammad to be part of their attempt to restore the principles that helped them reach the Super Bowl during the 2003 season.

Who better to do that from the receiver position than Muhammad? His blocking boosts the running game and he remains one of the NFL's strongest, most physical possession receivers.

“Our quarterback has a lot of confidence in him, our other wideouts have a lot of confidence in him, and, as a coaching staff, we have a lot of confidence in him,” coach John Fox said of Muhammad.

Muhammad is 35 and nearing the end of his career, but Fox insists he hasn't seen a drop-off in Muhammad's play. Muhammad is in excellent shape and always relied more on strength and savvy than raw speed.

He returned to the Panthers with a touch of gray in his hair and a maturity beyond what he achieved in his first Carolina tenure, which has naturally translated into him becoming a team leader.

Muhammad was a calming influence in the Steve Smith-Ken Lucas preseason storm that never seemed to blow the team out of control. Muhammad also is mentoring second-year receiver Dwayne Jarrett, with promising results so far.

Once again, Muhammad's familiar first-down signal is expected back at Bank of America Stadium, along with fans' spirited shouts of “Moooooooose!” whenever he catches the ball.