| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Panthers practice dragged on in the South Carolina heat while three
grown men played a kid's game. Eric Swann stood on the back of a blocking
sled, toggled a toy-like white helmet to the right or left and braced himself while
either Reggie White or Sean Gilbert lunged forward.
Camp Seifert is a righteous experience for veterans. George Seifert
doesn't beat down the beaten down. Knowing football games are won on Sunday,
Seifert gives aging players extra time to heal their aches, which is why his
defensive line has a minister, a deacon and an usher and an ex-Cardinal.
|  | | Eric Swann (right) is greeted by QB Steve Beuerlein after signing with Carolina. |
"I like the experience," Seifert said of the veterans. "Even though
they may not have the skills they had when they were young, their reactions
and their understanding of the ballgames itself along with the timing are
positives."
With Seifert, old defensive linemen don't fade away. Seifert signs
them, and he picked up the pace by adding the "Minister of Defense" (White) and The Glad To Be Ex-Arizona Cardinal (Swann) to a line that
also has Sean "The Deacon" Gilbert and Chuck "The Usher" Smith.
"The other guys on the line are the pupils," said Smith, the
former Falcons defensive end. "This isn't a thing where I came here to play
and I'm old and dead. I look at the additions of Reggie and Eric as a
blessing and that I'm glad to be here."
Cornerback Eric Davis, who played five seasons for Seifert in San
Francisco, has watched him assemble the D-Line Seniors Tour so many times.
"Pick a year," Davis said. "With George, you are always going to
have defensive linemen who can rotate or be situational type guys. In the
early years, Jim Burt, goal-line and short yards. Might or might not play in
a game. Matt Millen, first and second down. Larry Roberts, he would come in
on pass situations. Kevin Fagan and Michael Carter, run
downs. Charles Haley, pass downs."
Until White and Swann are healthy enough to practice, Seifert is going to defer
on the roles for the pair. All he is saying is that they will play 15
to 30 plays a game. Swann is hoping to practice in three weeks while his
knee mends. White is being given time to get in shape after coming back from
retirement.
"When you think of the number of plays these veterans have had
through their career and their physical situations right now, you don't want
to throw them to the wolves and use them all up before the regular season,"
Seifert said. "In San Francisco, we'd use the guys like Louie Kelcher and
Michael Carter or Tim Harris or whoever. If somebody had a hot hand, we'd
keep him in.
"Reggie White was dominating at tackle and defensive left end. He
can create havoc when he's able to do those things. With Eric Swann, it's
just a matter of seeing how he is with his rehabilitation."
|
“ |
There ain't no denying that I missed
playing. But I think everything has an ultimate
purpose. Just coming back playing gives me the
opportunity to be an influence on the field. But
also, I may be able to help guys become better
people. ” |
|
|
— Reggie White, Panthers defensive end |
For White, this has been football's version of Club Med. He's having
a blast. Panthers fans cheer "Reg-gie, Reg-gie, Reg-gie" when they see
him. The smile on his face never goes away. He'll do a little work with
other injured defensive linemen and then stand around watching practice.
In the afternoon session Thursday, he sneaked over to an outdoor
portable toilet labeled "Ladies" and asked for reporters to make sure no
one would notice a future Hall of Famer in a strange location.
"I think most people think I'm back because I missed it," White
said. "There ain't no denying that I missed playing. But I think everything
has an ultimate purpose. Just coming back playing gives me the opportunity
to be an influence on the field. But also, I may be able to help guys become
better people."
White prevented Swann from sitting out the season. After the
Panthers signed White at first instead of Swann, the former Cardinals
defensive tackle told his agent that he was going to sit out the season, rehabilitate the knee and sign with Carolina in February.
The Minister called, and thoughts began about joining forces. After
all, White and Swann live in the same subdivision 10 minutes north of
Charlotte.
"I looked at the front four and starting thinking about it," Swann said. "I changed my mind and told my agent to do whatever it takes to get it done."
Swann is the wild card. Starting defensive tackle Gilbert and end
Jason Peters have had injury problems throughout their career. While Seifert
isn't predicting a starting job for Swann, the defensive tackle said he
might be ready to compete for job later in the season.
"I've got to build up the quads around the knee and then see what
happens," Swann said. "Maybe in the second half of the season, I might be
able to play 60 to 70 plays."
Seifert won't rush it.
"He treats veterans accordingly and he treats people differently,
which is great," Smith said. "He wants you to be fresh for the regular
season."
Which means more bag drills for White, Swann and company.
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
| |
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