CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers claimed tight end Andrew Davie off waivers from the New York Jets on Thursday. Davie signed with the Jets as a rookie free agent from Arkansas in April and going undrafted. Davie, 6-6, 275 pounds, caught 24 passes for 199 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas.

   But rest assured Panthers general manager Marty Hurney has already set aside money to account for their draft picks and the team shouldn't have to cut any key veteran players to make room for them.

   The Panthers have already signed three of their draft picks.

   So I realize a bunch of you were anxious to read about Julius Peppers last week and were a little disappointed when we didn't have the story up right away. I apologize, but I truly had my hands tied. At the Gazette, we were forced to take a week-long furlough before the end of June. I pushed mine back to the last possible week, which was, of course, when the Peppers story broke regarding his signing his tender.

   While I begged my sports editor to allow me to write the story, he was insistent that I not because of legal ramifications. So I reluctantly had to hand the story off to another writer, which, believe me, really bothered me. It took a little longer than I'd like for the story to be posted here on the site, but again, my hands were tied.

   Again, my apologies.

   as it turns out, less than an hour I could really care less about Julius Peppers and franchise tags as life was put in perspective.

   (The rest of this, by the way, has nothing to do with football, but you're welcome read on if you'd like...)

   While at the beach in Hilton Head last Wednesday "vacationing" (is it really vacation if you're not getting paid?) with my wife and two boys, I received a call from the nearby kennel where they were keeping my great dane, Madison. She'd grown ill and they called me to come over.

   Ironically, the morning before my son Connor and I had taken her for a walk on the beach and, even though she was 10, she acted like a new puppy, full of energy and enthusiasm. At 147 pounds, our Maddie girl always commanded a lot of attention anywhere we went, but always upheld the great dane tradition of being a true gentle giant. Folks even stopped us on the beach and asked to have their pictures taken with us. We had a great morning.

   It's hard to believe things could change so quickly.  

   The next day her stomach turned (like what happened in "Marley and Me"), causing her great pain. Surgery, at her age, simply wasn't an option.

   At about 4:30 p.m., I had to make the most difficult decision of my life, having to put Maddie to sleep. To say Maddie was a member of our family would be a disservice to her. She was much more. She was my best friend, always there to cheer me up after a rough day.

   As crazy as it sounds, it's tough to focus on anything else at times as her memories are omnipresent. Our family shed a lot of tears over the past week and anyone who's truly loved an animal knows that pain.

   I'm not really sure why I'm sharing all of this except that after 15 years I feel a certain connection with you, my readers. I feel like you deserve to know what's going on in my life away from my computer. And, I guess, somehow writing about her in some way helps the healing process. So thank you for listening.

   Rest in peace, my gentle giant. I'll never forget you, Maddie.

   Folks, I'm on furlough this week from the Gaston Gaston, which means I'm not legally able to write for the week for the newspaper or our website Carolina Growl. Richard Walker will be handling things until I get back over the weekend. Check back then and thanks for understanding.

Steve

   Running back Jonathan Stewart continues to be held out of OTAs and with Tuesday being the final day it will mark the second straight year he has missed all of the summer school sessions. He's expected back for training camp. I'm hoping to talk with Stewart tomorrow to get an update.

   Tight end Dante Rosario also remains out while recovering from back surgery.

   Kicker John Kasay did not practice Monday.

   Dan Morgan's comeback never got off the ground.

   Morgan, who has been attempting to make a comeback with the New Orleans Saints, strained a calf muscle in the Saints minicamp on Friday. Morgan had retired before, but announced he was trying to make a comeback this year. But that didn't last long.

   “Dan Morgan has informed the Saints that he has decided to retire due to continued injuries,” agent Drew Rosenhaus wrote on his Twitter account. “Dan would like to thank the Saints for the chance to come back this year, but injuries would not let him continue his career. His decision is final and he will be moving on to focus on his restaurant business in Charlotte. Dan also wants to be able to spend more time with his wife and children.”

   It's too bad that things never worked out for Morgan, who played the game it was meant to be played. I wish him the best.

   Some quickie notes from Monday:

   1. Linebacker Thomas Davis, who missed all of last week attending to personal matters, was back on the field Monday running with the first team defense. Because the workouts are voluntary, Davis did not need an excuse to miss practice. Still, the coaches were aware that he wouldn't be there.

   2. It's Week 3 of OTAs and running back Jonathan Stewart still hasn't practiced due to an ankle injury. A handful of reporters, including myself, requested to talk with Stewart on Monday, but he declined. There's hope that Stewart, who also missed all of last year's OTAs as a rookie, will talk at a later date. So far all we have on the injury from coach John Fox is "ankle." Stewart is expected to be fine for training camp, but it can't help that he's missing significant time again here in the OTAs.

   3. The Panthers continue to practice with three long snappers but it's beyond me which one has the edge at this time. Personally, they all look like clones to me. Surely this will get sorted out in training camp and in the preseason games. My hunch is J.J. Jansen has the edge since the Panthers actually struck a trade for him.

   4. Running back Jamall Lee, the kid who was selected third overall in the 2009 CFL draft, continues to look very good -- and quick -- although he runs a little upright. That's not always a bad thing, just a style. I'm getting anxious to see what he can do in the preseason. Sure, he's a tremendous long shot as an undrafted rookie, but so were Fred Lane, Nick Goings and Brad Hoover -- and they all carried the ball for the Panthers.

   5. Keydrick Vincent said he actually tore a small muscle in his groin last year, but reiterated that he never needed surgery. Vincent, who spent the last few weeks of the 2008 season on injured reserve, has been working with the first team at right guard during OTAs and looks healthy now. "I took my time and let it heal up naturally. But it was disappointing because we were on a roll last year," Vincent said.

   6. In cross-field sprints, rookie wide receivers Larry Beavers and Jason Cherry have been competing against each other running the drills as fast as they can. At the one of one sprint, Cherry jokingly pushed Beavers in an effort to get across the line first. Mike Goodson also tried to keep up and was close behind. On the final sprint, Steve Smith seemed to join in from farther down the field and showed he still has some good wheels by keeping up with the rookies. Still, Beavers and Cherry may be the fastest two players on the team when it comes to pure track speed, although odds are neither will be on the roster come September.

   7. Beavers made a nice grab down the left sidelines on Monday.

   8. Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Brandon Jamison was arrested in South Carolina on traffic and weapons charges.  According to The State newspaper in Columbia, Jamison was arrested early Sunday in downtown Columbia and charged with reckless driving and illegal possession of a gun. Lt. Jay Evans said both charges are misdemeanors. According to The State, police said the 27-year-old Hopkins man was arrested after he made a skidding, sliding turn at an estimated 70 mph shortly before 4 a.m. Evans said Jamison gave permission to have his car searched and officers found a .40 Ruger handgun with 10 bullets.

   After Wednesday's practice, the Panthers were heading down to Springfield Golf Club for a "team outing."

    It's become an annual event for the Panthers under coach John Fox, although few were expected to threaten par. The Panthers aren't nearly the golf team they were when they had the likes of Brian Kinchen, Chris Hetherington, Steve Beuerlein and Frank Garcia, among others. The good news is they're a better football team.

   Fox likes to plan such outings as a way for players to bond off the field.

   We'll give you updates from the tournament here on Thursday.

   Also, wide receiver Steve Smith talked Wednesday about the team's OTAs. Yeah, that's me in the background.