Watch: Panthers owner David Tepper shows off his punting skills

Look out, Michael Palardy. Somebody’s gunning for your job.

 

Maybe if this whole billionaire thing doesn’t work out for Panthers owner David Tepper he’ll try his hand as a punter. Watch Tepper show off his kicking skills in the backyard.

Look out, Michael Palardy.

As for the kickers actually on Carolina’s roster, we may see a change this week. Rookie Joey Slye bombed against the Saints, missing three easy kicks in a close loss, including a chip-shot at the two-minute warning. A few days ago, the team added free agent kicker Greg Joseph to the practice squad. Last season, Joseph made 17 of 20 field goals and 25 of 29 extra point attempts for Cleveland.

If coach Ron Rivera has made a decision about who to play Sunday against Washington, he hasn’t made it public as of yet.

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Comments by Colin Kaepernick’s attorney raise speculation about Panthers

No NFL teams have reached out to Colin Kaepernick since last weekend’s workout in Atlanta, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN.

No NFL teams have reached out to Colin Kaepernick since last weekend’s workout in Atlanta, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN.

However, some comments that Kaepernick’s attorney Mark Geragos made this week have raised speculation that the Panthers might be considering signing the former 49ers quarterback. Speaking on the Adam Carolla podcast, Geragos claimed that two NFL teams are interested in his client. While he didn’t name either one of them, his description of one of the teams fits Carolina perfectly, per Pro Football Talk.

“One who is legitimately in need of a quarterback who had a very poor showing on Sunday and has got an owner that I don’t think gives a (expletive).”

Kyle Allen had the worst Week 11 performance of any QB in the league, throwing four interceptions against the Falcons. Football Outsiders named it the worst game by a QB since they started tracking games.

As far as the owner, the description also arguably fits Tepper’s profile. The decision to sign Eric Reid last year indicates Tepper is less squeamish about making moves that could potentially anger a significant portion of the fanbase.

The comments by Geragos have set off a preemptive reaction by some fans. Most of them are along the lines of this one from Twitter:

Fans who agree with this . . . sentiment can take comfort in the fact that Carolina has denied any interest in adding a veteran QB. Tepper apparently told Reid recently that they’re not looking for one, but if that changed Kaepernick would be considered.

Coach Ron Rivera has also stated repeatedly that the team’s focus is on developing Allen, despite his struggles over the last month.

For now, this story has to stay strictly in the rumor category. Each bad outing by Allen will only bring on more speculation, though.

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