Steve Smith reportedly punched teammate Ken Lucas in the eye today. He was escorted off the practice field. Smith has got to keep his cool.  He already wrecked ex-teammate Anthony Bright's face in 2002 and got a 1-game suspension.

Steve Smith bloodied teammate Ken Lucas' eye on Friday with what might be considered a sucker punch. "According to several eyewitnesses, the two teammates were on the sidelines discussing a play that happened previously at camp. The talks got heated and Smith stood up and slugged Lucas, who was resting on one knee," reports the Gaston Gazette. Smith has been sent home while the team considers his punishment. Remember, this is the 2nd time Smith has attacked a teammate *off* the field. Back in 2002 he smashed up a teammate's face in the film room. It's one thing when you're on the field, mixing it up, helmets on, whatever... but this is entirely different. A one-game suspension (with no game check) from the Panthers seems very possible.

Panthers HC John Fox suspended WR Steve Smith for the first 2 games of the regular season for punching teammate Ken Lucas. This is the 2nd time Smith has gone haywire on a teammate (in 2002 he messed up Anthony Bright’s face in the film room) and the punishment is fair in our opinion. Smith won’t be paid for the 2 games either. It will cost him $205,882 to break Lucas’ nose.

In an interview with Mark "Packman" Packer of WFNZ in Charlotte, Bengals WR Chad Johnson hinted that he'd be a great fit in Carolina. "85 plus 89 equals Super Bowl," Johnson said, referring to he and Panthers WR Steve Smith on the same team. At this point Johnson is just having fun with the media, but this much is clear: Playing for another team, in a warmer climate, is something he thinks about daily.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (illness) missed practice on Tuesday. Insert your "He's sick of..." joke here.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (shin) is "likely" to return in week 12 vs. the Saints. "I think there's a much better chance (of his playing) this week than say, later in the week last week," said John Fox.

Panthers WR Steve Smith put in a full practice on Wednesday. It looks like he is good to go on Sunday and has a great match-up against the Saints.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (shin) was removed from Carolina's injury report. He's got a good matchup against the Saints secondary and Vinny Testaverde's had a month to get acclimated to OC Jeff Davidson's plays. We're pushing Smith up both the ROW & Weekly rankings lists.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (leg) missed his 2nd straight day of practice Thursday. He's listed as "leg" but we think it's the hip pointer he suffered at Tennessee a couple weeks ago. Stay tuned.

The Observer reports Panthers WR Steve Smith missed his 3rd straight day of practice Friday. He is questionable. They're calling it a "slight shin injury." The next two busiest Panthers WRs last week were Drew Carter (5 targets) and Dwayne Jarrett (4). We added Carter to the WUL.

FoxSports.com reports that Panthers WR Steve Smith has recently been dealing with blood clotting in his leg. He is still listed as questionable and will be a game-time decision today.

ESPN reports Panthers WR Steve Smith (leg) was not yet out there for pregame warmups as of 10:55 am est.

Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com (?) says Panthers WR Steve Smith is out today.

Panthers WR Steve Smith only had 3 catches for 15 yards at Tennessee. He was also spotted going to the locker room with a trainer early before halftime, while Tennessee was driving for a field goal. Smith did come back and play the entire 2nd half and didn't look injured.

The Rock Hill Herald reports Panthers WR Steve Smith suffered a hip contusion vs. the Titans. We alluded to a possible Smith injury last night in a Shark Bite: "He was also spotted going to the locker room with a trainer early before halftime, while Tennessee was driving for a field goal." At this point be prepared for anything - Anquan Boldin's hip was supposedly fine after the Ravens game and he missed 3 games.

Panthers WR Steve Smith (team decision) was added to the injury report late Friday as probable after a limited practice. John Fox has done this with Smith in 3 of the last 4 weeks and it's surely nothing.

Panthers WR Steve Smith is in a fantasy funk since Jake Delhomme went down. Truth be told, his slump started while Delhomme was in the lineup - when Smith was held to 0 catches in 3 quarters vs Atlanta's DeAngelo Hall. Smith caught his only pass from David Carr, not Delhomme. Is he hurt? He did limp off the field in that game but returned 4 plays later. Smith has been held to 9 catches for 79 yards and 1 TD the last two weeks. If you were ever going to acquire Smith in a trade this is the time to try: His owner is likely downtrodden about Delhomme's demise and might be looking for new blood.

Panthers WR Steve Smith did his thing vs. the Rams with 7 catches for 118 yards and 1 TD. His 68-yard bomb TD in the 3rd quarter was the 9th time he and Delhomme hooked up for a 60+ yard pass play. All the buzz about David Carr pressuring Delhomme for the starting job? Nah. Lil' Stevie would beat up the entire coaching staff if they even considered it.

Panthers WR Steve Smith wants coach John Fox to end camp a week early. "August 15th," Smith said. "Coach Fox said that there's a crack in the door, that if we work hard, we might end camp on August 15th. That's why guys are grinding really hard down here." The Gaston Gazette reports the Panthers are scheduled to stay at camp in Spartanburg (SC) until Aug. 22. The Gazette seems to agree with Smith's plea. "Still, the Aug. 15 date makes some logistical sense. The Panthers fly the next day to Philadelphia for an Aug. 17 exhibition. They're scheduled to return to Spartanburg for practice on Aug. 19. But, if Smith gets his wish, that practice just might be in Charlotte."

Panthers reporter Stan Olson says John Fox mentioned Steve Smith's ankle in his post-game injury wrapup. Smith caught 5 passes for 67 yards vs. the Giants but broke his 4-game scoring streak when he couldn't get in the end zone. If he's listed as questionable we'll take notice.