While much of the NFL leaped into the free-agency frenzy early Friday, the Panthers were sleeping in. While the rest of the teams stayed close by telephones, and will do so from now until training camp, Carolina didn't even set an alarm. Friday came and went, and the biggest news of the first day of Free Agency was that Tampa Bay did not get Albert Haynesworth.

The former Tennessee defensive tackle was the biggest prize in Free Agency, and the Washington Redskins signed him for $100 million after NFC South rivals Tampa Bay and Atlanta made inquiries. Reports out of Tampa are that the Bucs actually made an offer.

That's the exent of the free-agency period for the Panthers. They have no money. In fact, much of the days leading to the official midnight start of Free Agency were spent getting rid of contracts so Carolina could actually get back under the salary cap. No other team in the league is so strapped.

That's one way of looking at it. The other is the way the Panthers have been looking at things for three years. Carolina believed two seasons ago it had the best team in the league, and last year the Panthers' management team was convinced of it. Nothing that happened in the numbing loss to Arizona in the divisional playoffs changed that thinking.

Instead, the Panthers felt they needed to address only three things: "franchising" Julius Peppers, re-signing Jordan Gross and getting rid of Ken Lucas. Now they have to assume it's over. No team in its right mind would give up two first-round picks for anyone, and that's what it would take for a team to get Peppers now. General manager Marty Hurney said last week that even Peppers had to know that's how the Panthers would play it.

"Putting the franchise tag on him enables him to talk to other teams and get an offer sheet," Hurney said. "We would have the right to match that and get two first-round picks. We've had good communication with him. I don't think it took him by surprise."

In other words, it wasn't Football. It was business. While taking care of business, the Panthers had to hope that no one else in the NFC South made up any ground on them. Carolina knew what New Orleans and Atlanta would do. What the Panthers or anyone else didn't know was what in the world the Bucs were up to. A new coach, a new general manager and a house cleaning of popular veterans in the days leading to Friday revealed the Bucs' plans. They are starting over.

Atlanta skimmed off enough money to play the middle market, and New Orleans has all 22 starters from 2008 signed. Now the entire division will head to the NFL draft in April without much work to do.

And the Panthers? They did nothing. There was nothing they could do.

Here's the thing. The Panthers will likely have the toughest schedule in the league next season with games against Philadelphia, Washington, Dallas, Arizona, New England and the Giants, in addition to the two games against each NFC South opponent. The only team on the entire 2009 schedule that will be coming off a losing season will be Buffalo. Carolina was never going to re-tool the roster this year, but with a "first-place" schedule after winning the division, the road to the playoffs in 2009 will be daunting enough as it is.

With any number of key players in their final contract years, the window is closing anyway. The decisions to re-sign Gross and "franchise" Peppers were about one thing: 2009. With no first-round draft pick, no money and no way to avoid the withering schedule, there was never any doubt the Panthers would sit back and watch the opening hours of big-money spending on the free-agent market.

If the mid-market players now become steals, as the economics of Football kick in, Carolina could yet find a player or two to plug in as reserves, possibly even one to play corner. Expect the team to trade Lucas (he turned down a deal with Detroit already) or release him in the coming days. That would free up just enough money to sign a few spare parts.

So basically, the Panthers needed to avoid one thing Friday, and that was one of the NFC South teams making serious runs within the first-day market. There was really only one doomsday scenario, that being one of the teams bringing in the best interior run stopper in the league. They'll still face Haynesworth this season when they play Washington, but the prospect of Haynesworth becoming an NFC South staple would have had a direct effect on Carolina's running game for several years.

The next few days will be about math for the Panthers as they consider re-working quarterback Jake Delhomme's contract and consider how to get rid of Lucas and keep long-snapper Jason Kyle, maybe the best in the league, and their reserves. The irony of playing so close to the vest for three straight years is Carolina is likely to start seeing its quality depth disappear. Frank Omiyale, a key offensive line reserve, was given a $14 million contract Friday by the Bears.

That's the real reason Carolina made the decision to play hardball with Peppers. The gamble this year will be keeping the starters healthy for a late-season run. Carolina squeezed under the cap just before midnight Friday. Now the Panthers can begin shopping for bargains while keeping an eye on Peppers' attempts to find a team willing to mortgage its future and an eye on the college boards, more than likely the second-tier players Carolina has to find in the later rounds.

For the Panthers, last year's team is next year's team. It's the same one they had two years ago, and unless Hurney is fired after 2009, it's likely you're looking at another year beyond '09 with the same roster, the same plan built on the premise that the future is now.

Carolina believed it moved ahead of its NFC South rivals two years ago, and the Panthers saw nothing last season or Friday to suggest the division made any moves to make up ground. Once again, they looked at what was available and decided the best players they could hope to sign were their own.

It's not very exciting, but it's the business of staying atop the division for one more year.

Contact Ed Hardin at 373-7069 or ed.hardin@news-record.com

2009 OPPONENTS

The official schedule has not been released by the NFL. Only the opponents are known:

HOME

Atlanta

New Orleans

Tampa Bay

Philadelphia

Washington

Minnesota

Buffalo

Miami

AWAY

Atlanta

New Orleans

Tampa Bay

Dallas

N.Y. Giants

Arizona

New England

N.Y. Jets

It appears no other team in the NFC South will make up ground on the Carolina Panthers this season. Under that scenario, all the Panthers need to do is ... nothing.