Smith was asked about the Panther’s new fleet of QBs competing to replace Jake Delhomme, then he said, “I think change could be good… Time will tell.”

He added further, “Change can be good” when he was asked about the new receivers coach Tyke Tolbert.

Smith’s 31st birthday is nearby and he represents the last of old guard of Panthers. He along with left tackle Jordan Gross and kicker John Kasay are the only left over players from the Super Bowl XXXVIII appearance of Carolina Panthers after the 2003 season.

Occasionally he had chafed under Richard Williamson, the former assistant, old-school teaching style, but he said that he had liked what he’s seen so far from Tolbert. Smith said that he is encouraged by what he had heard about Tolbert.

He said, “I have a great amount of respect for coach Williamson, he’s been my coach for a very long time,” Smith said. “But at the same time, I’m learning quite a bit from Tyke. He’s doing things a little bit differently. Not to take anything away from Rich, but it’s different, and some things I’ve got to get used to. I feel like it will be a good fit.”

The announcement was made on Thursday, bringing an end to Tolbert’s six season stint at Buffalo and bringing him over to The Panthers. The experience of Tyke Tolbert will definitely bring a new flavor to The Carolina Panthers.

Tolbert began his coaching career with college jobs at Louisiana-Monroe, Auburn, Louisiana-Lafayette and Florida. He was assigned a short coaching term at the Arizona Cardinals receivers in 2003 before moving over to Buffalo. In his one season with the Cardinals, Tolbert was credited with having coached rookie Anquan Boldin, who made the Pro Bowl that season.

The Panthers are also on the lookout for a special teams coach to replace the fired Danny Crossman. The search has been goin on since last week and is likely to end soon.