Weinke throws again, though gingerly

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers starting quarterback Chris Weinke began throwing a football again Monday, nearly eight weeks after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.

Weinke was, for the most part, an observer as the Panthers began three weeks of coaching sessions at Ericsson Stadium.

Weinke did take some snaps from center during individual drills but only handed the ball off and did not throw any passes to his receivers. He worked after practice and gingerly threw some 10-yard passes to team trainer Ryan Vermillion. Weinke began throwing a soft football the previous week.

"It felt OK," Weinke said after his first tosses with a regulation-size football since the surgery April 10. "I was a little hesitant, but I think that's natural. As we continue to that it will feel a little more comfortable."

Weinke, who hopes to throw more as the minicamp progresses, said his real goal is to be ready by training camp.

Panthers Head Coach John Fox, who originally thought Weinke would be full go by minicamp, said he was misled on the recovery time.

"The original thing (the doctors) said that is it would be six weeks and then he could begin throwing," Fox said. "What they didn't tell us was that he would be throwing a whiffle ball.

"But he's begun the throwing process, and we're going to bring him around. He should be ready for the second half of summer school. The key thing is to get him ready for training camp. We'll have the opportunity to work on some of his throwing mechanics in this summer-school situation."

Weinke's time off meant more repetitions for rookie Randy Fasani, a fifth-round pick from Stanford who figures to be the third string quarterback behind Weinke and veteran Rodney Peete.

Weinke said he's still learning a lot about new offensive coordinator Dan Henning's system just by watching practice and being on the field.

"I think you learn a lot by standing in the background and watching," Weinke said. "A lot of times in the heat of battle you don't get to see everything. I think standing in the back you get a different view.

"I'll just continue to study our offense and do the things I've always done in the past."

Notes: Running back DeShaun Foster, the team's second-round draft pick from UCLA, will miss the entire three-week minicamp session because of an NCAA and NFL agreement that prohibits student-athletes without a degree from participating in minicamps until after graduation. UCLA's graduation is June 24, two days after the Panthers close minicamp. "This would have been his first exposure to the system, and now his first exposure will come at training camp," Panthers coach John Fox said. "Obviously, with any young player or new player to your system, you want him around as much as possible. But there's nothing you can do about it. It's just something we've got to live with."

The Panthers were without two of their top three receivers Monday. Wide receiver Isaac Byrd remains sidelined because of an injury to the arch of his foot, and Patrick Jeffers will be out at least another month recovering from his latest knee operation The Panthers did not have any contract holdouts at the voluntary coaching sessions.