A Good Fit: Lewis likes being a Panther

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Damione Lewis got leg-whipped by an offensive lineman shortly after the Carolina Panthers started training camp, and he has been nursing a minor injury ever since.

But Lewis was back on the practice field yesterday afternoon. And regardless of how many reps he is getting these days, he's certain to be a key component on the Panthers' defensive line this season.

Lewis is slated to start at defensive tackle, filling the spot that came open when the Panthers traded Kris Jenkins to the New York Jets last spring. He won it with his play the past two seasons as a backup to Jenkins and Maake Kemoeatu.

"They have given me an opportunity, and I want to take advantage of it," Lewis said yesterday. "In this league, it's all about opportunity and being able to go through some growing pains and being able to do it on a consistent basis."

Lewis, a 6-2, 301-pounder in his eighth NFL season, shared the team lead with 3?sacks last season. In 15 games, including two as a starter, he had 32 tackles, seven quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery.

He was rewarded during the offseason with a three-year, $14-million contract.

It was the continuation of a career revival. He was the 12th pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, by the St. Louis Rams, but he never lived up to expectations with the Rams and started just 27 games in five seasons. The Rams chose not to re-sign him when his original contract expired.

He came to the Panthers as a backup in 2006, had a solid season with 30 tackles and 4?sacks in a backup role and proved to himself that he still belonged in the NFL.

"When I came here, I was just looking to do what they asked and show them I could play," Lewis said. "I knew I could play this game. I know what I went through in St. Louis, but I always knew that I could play this game. There's never been any doubt in my mind that I could play. It might be a shock to other people, but it's not a shock to me.

"It's been hard work, but I've stuck with it and continued to work. I've gotten better every minute I've played in the league, and I'm always striving to play better the next year."

Coach John Fox has had high praise for Lewis throughout offseason workouts and training camp.

"He was a guy we picked up in free agency that came in and did a good job," Fox said. "We were a little bit entrenched there with some guys we had, but we always rotate our D-line, and a good rotation is real important. He has played quite a bit for us, he just didn't jog out in the starting lineup the majority of the time.

"He's a guy who has been a starter in the league, is capable of starting, and we think he is good enough to start for us."

Lewis said he has felt comfortable from the moment he joined the Panthers.

"Everything just felt right about (the Panthers)," he said. "I liked the way the coaches dealt with players and the way the head coach interacts with players and the GM, Marty (Hurney), how he interacts with everybody. Mr. Richardson (owner Jerry Richardson) will come down to the locker room and pull guys to the side and talk to them one-on-one."

Now, the goal is to fit in and be part of a solid defense.

Jenkins' outspokenness led to friction with some teammates, and some Panthers have talked during training camp about "addition by subtraction" with the Jenkins trade. But everyone seems to get along with Lewis.

"It is what it is," Lewis said. "You know, I love Jenks. I think he's a great guy. I still talk to him. We're still good friends. He feels like he had the best thing happen to him going there, and now I want to take advantage of this opportunity.

"I'm really not looking at it like ‘Ooh, I'm a starter,' " Lewis said.

(journalnow.com)