Panthers need a good health plan

[Mr. Scot]

Lots of talk this year about health care, and in truth it affects the Panthers as well.

With the cap situation as it is, losing another important (and/or highly paid) veteran player to injury could be a mini-disaster. Injured reserve doesn't give the team any cap relief, so they'd have no room to try and acquire someone of similar stature. Thus, the team would likely have to go with what they already have depth-wise and backfill with street free agents.

If this were to happen at an already thin position (defensive or offensive line, for example) the effect could be devastating.

So for the coming season, the team with a black cat as its symbol needs to hope for a run of good luck on the health front. Or, more reasonably, hope that the training and conditioning staff does their job well.

[KillerKat]

Hopefully we can find a really good DT and if he's good, hopefully reach an injury settlement with Kemo to free up some cap space. Would there be any cap hit in that scenario?

[KSpan]

Hopefully we can find a really good DT and if he's good, hopefully reach an injury settlement with Kemo to free up some cap space. Would there be any cap hit in that scenario?

I believe that would require the Panthers to release Kemo, and that ain't gonna happen.

[Mr. Scot]

I'd agree it seems unlikely, but I wouldn't necessarily write that option off just yet.

[outlaw4]

Lots of talk this year about health care, and in truth it affects the Panthers as well.

With the cap situation as it is, losing another important (and/or highly paid) veteran player to injury could be a mini-disaster. Injured reserve doesn't give the team any cap relief, so they'd have no room to try and acquire someone of similar stature. Thus, the team would likely have to go with what they already have depth-wise and backfill with street free agents.

If this were to happen at an already thin position (defensive or offensive line, for example) the effect could be devastating.

So for the coming season, the team with a black cat as its symbol needs to hope for a run of good luck on the health front. Or, more reasonably, hope that the training and conditioning staff does their job well.

Valid point but then again, how often is someone who is of similar caliber as the player that is lost available during the regular season? At the least, you would have the pull that player away from another team and give up draft picks in the process.

(Then again, we got lucky when Minter abruptly retired and got Chris Harris but I can't remember our cap situation back then)

[Mr. Scot]

Valid point but then again, how often is someone who is of similar caliber as the player that is lost available during the regular season? At the least, you would have the pull that player away from another team and give up draft picks in the process.

(Then again, we got lucky when Minter abruptly retired and got Chris Harris but I can't remember our cap situation back then)

By trade, it can sometimes be done. At the very least, with more cap room you're in position to acquire someone of better quality than you would otherwise be able to get.

[KillerKat]

I believe that would require the Panthers to release Kemo, and that ain't gonna happen.

It is very likely to happen. He's in his 30's coming off a severe achilles tendon tear at 345 lbs. If we can find a guy that can do what he did and possibly even more, he will become expendable.

[Lt Pinkerton]

We had this same quandary at Safety a few years ago, but we turned out pretty good. Perhaps that was due to some luck on our part, but I still think that we will turn out okay this season.

[Kyle82]

True...we have taken a severe hit at a key position...hopefully the injury bug has left us alone for the rest of the season.