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According to Steve Smith, the anticipation among the Carolina Panthers of a winning season isn't so obvious in terms of what the players are doing at Ericsson Stadium lately, but when they are doing it.

"You walk around here and you see guys ready to go at 6:45 in the morning," said Smith. "That shows how excited guys are."

In an article published Thursday, Panthers.com staff writer Brett Borden noted that Smith is one of the most exciting guys on the team, scoring five times on kick and punt returns in his first two seasons, plus three as a receiver last year. He's coming off a hamstring injury suffered early in training camp but sees no problem reaching all of his gears against Jacksonville.

"It wasn't a long camp for me," he said. "I've got fresh legs."

That could mean trouble for opponents. The last time Smith came back after sitting out, he scored three touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 8, 2002, two of them on punt returns. That explosion ignited the Panthers to 52 points, showing that a unit which finished 31st in the League in total offense could fire on all cylinders. Smith sees more of that in store for 2003.

"Last year was the first time we were in this offense," he said. "So this year you get a little more comfortable. We can play with things a little bit and use different schemes and give the defenses different looks. We're building on that and getting more comfortable. You can add a little more to it and switch things up, and everybody knows everybody's position. You just play with it and play head games with the defense."

Of course, if the running game is working the way the Panthers hope that it will, head games won't be necessary. Smith says new teammate Stephen Davis will see that it does work that way. "I call him Stingy Stephen," laughed Smith. "He's going to take some balls from me and Moose, but he's going to open it up for all of us."

All kidding aside, the Panthers defense is expected to be stingy, so if Carolina's offense can provide a little more scoring and ball control, the team could find itself on or near the top of the standings.

"Everything's fresh," said Smith. "Whatever you did last year doesn't count now. Some teams might come out the opposite of what they were last year. We expect to do that. We hope to start out well and maintain it through the whole season.

"Confidence is really up. We're coming off a good preseason, but that's all it is. We come in here anticipating that we'll play well. We'll build on it, have good practices, and hope it shows in the game."

Does Smith feel this offense has turned things around?

"Last time I checked, the guns were loaded," he said.