That is Carolina Panther power football. Opening drive is what they do best. Lot of power runs and a few intermediate passes.

Teams have released their Week 10 practice participation reports through Wednesday. Here’s a look at some notable developments.

San Francisco now finds itself needing to rebound with back-to-back home wins, but the pressure isn’t so much on the players to do so. Whether or not the 49ers can get out of this rut lies squarely on the shoulders of head coach Mike Singletary, writes San Jose Mercury columnist Tim Kawakami.

There is very little chance that the Panthers and DE Julius Peppers will beat today’s 4 p.m. deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term contracts, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

A quick tease at some of the topics we’ll be touching on.

With a later Super Bowl this season, the 2010 NFL Draft will likely take place in May.

Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik told the St. Petersburg Times that he wants rookie QB Josh Freeman eased into the starting role.

With the Carolina Panthers and star DE Julius Peppers talking contract, a long-term resolution seems like a good resolution for both parties when you do the math.

A few rants and raves about putting together a winning enterprise in this league we love so much.

Panthers DE Julius Peppers has been unhappy for most of the offseason and demanded a trade. But after months of rumors and no movement, Peppers signed his one-year franchise tender on Wednesday worth $16.7 million. Now, he’s apparently open to signing a long-term extension with the team.

Thanks for stopping by my new blog, NFL Nation. This has been a week of new beginnings for me, and I’m pumped to start my blog here at NFL.com. Hope you become a regular.

A whole lot has been said and written about a story I posted on this site Monday regarding a likely trade that would send Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers to New England in exchange for a second-round draft pick. On Thursday, two prominent voices joined the conversation: Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Peppers’ agent, Carl Carey.

Now that QB Matt Cassel has been dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs, trade speculation has shifted to another franchised player, Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers. Yet the two situations are as different as the two players.

Well, that didn’t take long. Moments after completing a deal for offensive tackle Jordan Gross, the Carolina Panthers designated Julius Peppers as their franchise player, a league source confirmed Thursday.

With one signing, Carolina retained offensive tackle Jordan Gross and kept control of defensive end Julius Peppers.

Carolina and Gross reached agreement Thursday on a record six-year contract that will pay out $30.5 million in the first three years of the deal, a league source said.