The Curse of the Carolina Panthers DT Strikes Again! a Fan’s Warning
What do you get when you mix perhaps the most powerful curse in the NFL with the notoriously unlucky number 13?
For the Carolina Panthers the answer is two more defensive tackles on the season-ending injured reserve list.
Following the Panthers Week 13 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the team announced rookies Sione Fua(notes) and Terrell McClain(notes) will both be shelved for the remainder of the year. Fua strained his right hamstring during warm-ups while McClain sprained his left knee during the game.
As a Panthers fan, this unfortunate news does not surprise me. I have previously written about The Curse of the Panthers DT, possibly making it the most dangerous job in the world. Rather than being surprised by the news that both starting DT's are now done for the year I find myself asking but one simple question - what took so long?
The Curse of the Panthers DT claimed free agent and expected starting DT Ron Edwards(notes) as he suffered a season-ending injury in his very first practice in Carolina to begin the 2011 season. At least Fua and McClain were able to each play in 12 games before hanging up their helmets for the rest of the year.
Before his injury, Terrell McClain was having one of the better statistical seasons among all rookie defensive tackles. From information taken from NFL.com's stats page, McClain's 19 tackles tied him for third most among rookie DT's, trailing only Cleveland first round draft pick Phil Taylor(notes) (48 tackles) and Tennessee's Jurrell Casey(notes) (40). McClain had also recorded one sack and a fumble recovery on the season.
Sione Fua was prematurely thrust into the starting role after the pre-season injury to Ron Edwards and Fua often appeared to be another year or two away from becoming an impact player. Through 12 games Fua recorded just nine total tackles, only four of which were solo, with no sacks. Fua struggled to shed blockers and penetrate into the offensive backfield. However, Fua definitely has potential and the extensive playing time he received as a rookie will only speed up his development. If Edwards and McClain are the starting defensive tackles next season, Fua should be a capable backup who contributes to the team.
The only silver lining to the injuries to Terrell McClain and Sione Fua is that the Panthers will now have more time to evaluate fill-ins Thomas Keiser(notes), Frank Kearse(notes), and Andre Neblett(notes), the "next men up"
as is said in the NFL. In the Week 13 victory over Tampa Bay Thomas Keiser provided two big plays as he recorded a first quarter sack which forced a Bucs punt along with a third quarter interception off a pass batted by DE Greg Hardy(notes). In the fourth quarter Andre Neblett flashed his potential on a 3rd-and-1 play as he penetrated into the backfield and dropped running back Mossis Madu(notes) behind the line for a two yard loss.
But Panthers fans, don't let the Week 13 play of Keiser or Neblett get you too excited just yet. There are still four more games for the Curse of the Panthers DT to wreak its unholy havoc on the new set of DT's.
The DT I fear the most for is Frank Kearse (ominously pronounced "curse"
). If Kearse follows in the footsteps of Edwards, McClain, and Fua and lands on the IR before the end of the year, I will officially rename the Carolina Curse to the "Kearse"
of the Panthers DT in his honor.
Unfortunately, I won't be too surprised when this happens.
See more at http://sports.yahoo.com
