The Carolina Panther were all set to be a powerhouse in the NFC South this season. They had all the pieces in place, and a clear cut goal - a Super Bowl Championship. While those are lofty goals for many teams, it is not really outside the realm of possibility for the Panthers. They have the best running game in the NFL with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and they have one of the premiere wide receivers in the game in Steve Smith. Even the defense was looking up with Julius Peppers not leaving as planned. Then came the pre-season injury bug.

So far, the Panthers have looked like they just went through the wars of the regular season. First it was Maake Kemoeatu going down in camp for the entire season. Maake was the Panthers real estate eater. He was not overly great at rushing the passer, but he ate up blockers like a giant Pac man.

The Panthers then nearly had a coronary when Steve Smith hurt his shoulder in practice. Fortunately, he has found his way back and looked to be one hundred percent against the Ravens. If Steve Smith goes down, the Panthers instantly drop in the standings for the most part.

Next it was Charles Godfrey’s turn to go down with a broken wrist. He has screws in and is hopeful to return at some point, but he appears to be a bit of a long term recovery at best.

As for that wonderful running back tandem, they are both hurt as well. Jonathan Stewart has sat out the entire preseason so far to rest an injured achilles tendon. That type of injury is not a good thing for a running back to have and it can certainly linger. The Panthers would do well to hold him out for as long as they can to give it time to heal.

DeAngelo Williams is currently resting some knee soreness, though nobody seems to know just how serious it might be. Williams says it is no big deal, but it kept him out of the third preseason game. The third game is the last real dress rehearsal for the starters, and it would have been nice to see them out there.

The only positive that has come out of this problem is the emergence of rookie Mike Goodson. This kid has played lights out in place of the injured running backs. He has even split out wide to take a few passes. I see Goodson playing a big part in the future of the Carolina Panthers.