Carolina Panthers arrive at Wofford for the start of training camp

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WBTV) - There were lots of smiles at Wofford on Tuesday morning as the Carolina Panthers players checked in to start the 2022 training camp.

“It’s like summer’s over and it’s the first day of school,” said Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn.

Training camp means two weeks away from family and home, but that doesn’t mean the players can’t bring a piece of home with them to Spartanburg.

“One thing very special that I brought this year was me and my daughter have these 2 heart pillows-- so I brought her pillow and left mine at home cause she can’t be here,” said Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore.

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Pillows, blankets, fans, and TVs are common things unloaded out of the player’s cars, but another thing this year at camp is candles.

“I just kind of smelled them yesterday at Target and they smelled good,” said Chinn as he chuckled with the media on Tuesday morning.

One guy who really came prepared for camp is running back Christian McCaffrey as this is his 6th training camp with the team.

“I bring the rug to make sure you step on a comfortable rug in the morning,” said CMC. “Definitely a bougie room, I’d say the bougiest room on the team.”

“He’s got all the candles and he’s got as many blankets you could ever dream of,” said Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold.

But Darnold will not be left out of the current fad for this camp.

“Being here for a couple of weeks, maybe one candle will be good. I may go to Target and get a candle.”

But this is not a vacation, it’s training camp. Time to get to work preparing for this season and for some reason, this camp has a different vibe.

“We have the talent and that’s one thing, but it’s not all of the only things,” said McCaffrey. “I think our team knows that. We can win games, but it’s about executing, it’s about showing up every day and working hard as humanly possible and having a good attitude and a good energy.”

“It’s our third year of the new era,” said Chinn. “We feel like our time is now.”

It all kicks off Wednesday morning at 11:15 A.M. as the Carolina Panthers will hit the practice field for the first time in this 2022 season.

YES, football is back.

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