[ad_1]
The Carolina Panthers must anticipate the prolonged absence of tight winger Greg Olsen for the second consecutive season after the veteran injured on the same foot that required surgery last season.
After Olsen left Carolina's 16-8 victory over the Dallas Cowboys late in the first period on Sunday, he returned after halftime on crutches and a walking shoe on his right foot. He finally missed eight games.
With Olsen coming out last season, alternate Ed Dickson and tight winger Chris Manhertz completed the game. Dickson left the off season and Manhertz suffered his own foot fracture this summer. That leaves rookie pick Ian Thomas, of Indiana, in tight first place.
Olsen would be hard to replace for a veteran, let alone a rookie like Thomas. Olsen had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2014-2016, illustrating his strong relationship with Cam Newton. The presence of Olsen is also an asset in the locker room.
Newton tried to put a positive spin on the situation by mentioning, after Sunday's match, that Thomas, 6 feet 3 inches and 260 pounds, "has been prepared for this moment".
Carolina head coach Ron Rivera did not take stock of Olsen's injury on Monday, saying he had not spoken to coach Ryan Vermillion.
It was announced Tuesday that Olsen had re-fractured the same foot.
"I think he's well prepared," Rivera said about Thomas on Monday. "There are obviously some things he still has to learn, and he has a long way to go with respect to Greg's natural feeling, to have that relationship that Greg has, so we'll see.
"If the circumstances are [long-term]I can imagine that Ian will play more. "
Thomas and Manhertz both spoke to reporters about the difficulties of replacing Olsen, but they are motivated by the challenge.
During the months of OTA, training camp and preseason, Thomas has always been well behaved for the Panthers. He acknowledges that his blockage has mainly improved.
"I know everyone always said I was a bad blocker [coming out of Indiana]I guess, but I've felt a lot better in the last two months, "said Thomas," I feel like I'm getting ready and making progress. I will be ready the day of the match if they call my number. "
NOTES:
–
Quarterback Cam Newton scored a decisive touchdown in the second quarter against Dallas, his 55th career touchdown. Newton has more ground touchdowns than any quarterback in the history of the NFL and is tied at the second-highest touchdown of any player, regardless of their position, in the NFL since 2011.
–
Defensive tackle Kawann Short clinched two bags, his ninth multi-sack match of his career. Short has now 31.5 career bags, the maximum of all defensive tacklers in the history of the franchise.
–
DE Mario Addison recorded a band bag in the final minutes of the match. Addison now has 37.5 career bags, the third among active NFL players who have not been recruited. The 20 bags of Addison since week 9 of the 2016 season are ranked third in the NFL.
–
RB Christian McCaffrey lost a fumble inside the five-yard line on Carolina's first run. He scored his first lost fumble since week 1 of 2017 in San Francisco. McCaffrey finished with 16 hits (10 rushes, six receptions) for 95 yards of scrum.
–
TE Greg Olsen caught Cam Newton's longest pass in the game, a 19-yard gain in the first quarter before aggravating a right foot injury suffered last season. He wore a boot, which required surgery last season and forced Olsen to miss the last eight games.
[ad_2]
Source link
