SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- It took only one free agent visit to NFC south rival Tampa Bay to convince defensive end Charles Johnson of what hed known all along -- he only wanted to play for the Carolina Panthers.His heart was in Carolina, and that was never going to change.Its why the 30-year-old Johnson took an $8 million pay cut this offseason to return for his 10th season with the defending NFC champion Panthers and a chance to chase that (Super Bowl) ring.All I know is Carolina. All I have wanted to know is Carolina, said Johnson, who was selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Panthers. Its kind of hard to leave something that you have invested so much in. The sky is the limit for this team. I want to help take this team to where we need to be.Being a business owner himself -- Johnson plans to open a restaurant this fall in Charlotte, North Carolina -- he understands the teams decision to release him in March after he tallied just one sack in 2015 and spent seven games on short-term injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Johnson was set to make $11 million in 2016, so he saw the move coming.But even as the Panthers cut Johnson, they left the door open for his return. They told him to explore the free agent market, but to think about re-signing in Carolina before agreeing to go elsewhere.Johnson received interest from a handful of teams, but decided to come back to Carolina on a one-year, $3 million deal, turning down an offer from another team worth twice that much, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.What this deal signifies is Charles is a man of his word and in his heart he bleeds Carolina blue, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman said in March.It is clear Johnson is returning with something to prove -- at least to himself.Hes dropped 10 pounds this offseason to get down to 275 in hopes of getting a little quicker. He said he feels lighter on his feet. Hes also worked tirelessly to strengthen his nagging back and hamstring problems.He said he feels great.Johnson, who had 52 1/2 sacks during a five-year span from 2010-2014 before last years injury-plagued season, said he has another double-digit sack season left in his tank.Im only 30, said Johnson, who is set to start at defensive end opposite Super Bowl standout Kony Ealy. There are other guys that are way older than me that are putting up numbers.Nonetheless, Johnson views this as a make-or-break season in terms of his NFL career.If hes not productive or struggles again with injuries, he could fall off the NFL radar and out of the league completely. On the other hand, a productive season could propel him to another big contract and a longer career with the Panthers.Im always going to want to stay where Im at, Johnson said. Im always thinking about coming back to the Panthers. I didnt know how everything is going to be, but my mindset was always to come back to the Panthers.Game notes Backup defensive end Chas Alecxih was carted off the practice field Sunday with a left knee injury. Although the extent of the injury will not be known until Monday, coach Ron Rivera admitted it did not look good. Alecxih pounded the ground after his injury and his defensive line teammates gathered in a huddle to pray. ... Rivera said the team is limiting wide receiver Kelvin Benjamins reps in practice, but he will play Thursday night against Baltimore.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLZapatillas Baratas Outlet . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. Zapatillas España Baratas . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. http://www.barataszapatillas.es/ . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Zapatillas Baratas Online . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. Zapatillas Baratas España Online .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. Football season has been a little bit of a grind for Las Vegas sportsbooks. They havent been losing, but, they havent been winning a lot of money, either. That changed over the weekend.An underdog-charged Saturday in college football was followed by one of the best Sundays of the NFL season, thanks primarily to the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins 30-15 upset of the favored Pittsburgh Steelers produced the largest win of any NFL game this year, a Caesars Palace sportsbook manager told ESPN on Sunday.At the MGM sportsbook, the action was heavy and lopsided on the Steelers. For every one parlay that included the Dolphins, there were 15 with the Pittsburgh. And there were seven times as many straight bets on Pittsburgh as there were on Miami.It was a fairly square play for us, MGM vice president of race and sports Jay Rood said. All the offsetting money on the Dolphins Id categorize as sharp. We had four sharp plays that pretty much made up all the money that was on the Dolphins.Eighty-one percent of the Pittsburgh-Miami point-spread bets were on the Steelers at William Hills Nevada sportsbook, which also took a $16,000 money-line bet on the Steelers that would have netted $5,000. The book took no notable money-line bets on the Dolphins, according to director of marketing Michael Grodsky. The New England Patriots 35-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals resulted in the books biggest loss of the day, buut it wasnt nearly as big of decision as Pittsburgh losing straight-up.ddddddddddddThe Steelers game was everything in the morning, Westgate SuperBook assistant manager Ed Salmons said. They bet the Steelers a little bit harder than the Patriots.Salmons said the respected bettors were on the Bengals, Dolphins, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams at +3 flat up to +3.5, Tennessee Titans -7 and the Philadelphia Eagles.Overall, underdogs went 8-4-2 against the spread, including the San Diego Chargers upset of the Denver Broncos on Thursday.NFL odds & ends? The early line on this weeks Patriots-Steelers game in Pittsburgh was pick em, heading into Sunday. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger injured his knee against the Dolphins and has been ruled out against New England. The Westgate SuperBook reopened the line at Patriots -7.5.? A year after winning the NFC, the Carolina Panthers are off to a 1-5 start. The Panthers season win total at William Hill was set at 10.5, with 80 percent of the bets on the over.? The Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off a bye, have covered the spread in 10 straight games, dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the NFL. The Vikings opened as 2.5-point road favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles this week. ' ' '