PANTHERS: The first blow came in training camp: Linebacker Mark Fields went to the hospital to find out why a cut on his finger wouldn't heal and learned he had cancer of the lymph nodes. The next blow came during the preseason: John Fox told the team that linebackers coach Sam Mills had cancer of the small intestine.
"Mark was a total surprise to begin with, and you are going along and just getting the whole gist of his situation, and then right after that it was Sam," linebacker Will Witherspoon said.
Forget the difficulty of moving past embarrassing scandals like Rae Carruth's murder plot and Fred Lane's shooting death. For a team trying to build, the diagnoses were the biggest hurdles.
"When they told us about Mark, you hear cancer and you just automatically think that's it," safety Mike Minter said. "Everybody was shocked. Then a week later, you find out that Sam has cancer, too, and it's unbelievable."
But Carolina recovered, and opened the season with five consecutive victories. Fields and Mills have been reluctant to talk. Their prognosis is unclear and both are having treatment.
In other news, running back Stephen Davis did not practice Wednesday because of a strained left quadriceps. If he doesn't play, DeShaun Foster will start.
EAGLES: On a board in the locker room, there was a quote from Fox, who last week predicted, "We will beat St. Louis, and Green Bay will beat Philly. That means we will host the NFC championship." Underneath was commentary from an undisclosed author: "That's a slap in the face. We must be trash then. How do you want to be remembered?"
As if the Eagles need more motivation than trying for a third straight year to win the NFC title. But at this point, it seems, most don't care much. "Articles and comments, I couldn't really care less," defensive back Troy Vincent said. "Words have never won a championship."
