Despite injuries, Panthers have been fortunate with DTs

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

CHARLOTTE -- It's strange to hear Carolina Panthers defensive line coach Brian Baker say it, but the conviction in his voice and the smile on his face are the first two signs of the truth of his message.

Asked about his team's defensive tackle situation, and Baker beams, even though they've already placed three on injured reserve and have generally been scrambling to fill the spot all year.

“We've been fortunate here, I mean unbelievably blessed,” Baker said without a hint of irony.

Here's the short version of that blessing. Dependable nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu goes down for the season in the first practice of training camp. They try some younger players, and they can't find one they like. So they trade for the serviceable Louis Leonard, and he breaks his ankle the last play of his second game. Then they try some more younger players, can't find one they like. Then big ol' Hollis Thomas falls in their lap over the bye week, after he was rooted out in St. Louis' youth movement. All Thomas did last week was perhaps save the Panthers' defense and season, and underscore what has become a clear phenomenon in the NFL.

With the possible exception of quarterback, defensive tackle is becoming one of the hardest positions to fill in the NFL.

“We're different,” Baker said. “Especially that far after the start of camp, to find two guys (Leonard and Thomas), that's an unbelievable blessing, because that does not happen. Trust me, I've been without 'em.”

It doesn't take a long look at the numbers to see the hows and the whys of the growing shortage of qualified big men.

First, glance at the Pro Bowl rosters for the last decade. For starters, only 25 different players at the position have gone to Hawaii the last 10 years, which speaks to the inertia of the process and the lack of qualified candidates. But of those 25, 16 of them were first-round picks, which means if you want one, you better get him early.

“Hey, the bottom line is big, athletic guys go fast,” general manager Marty Hurney said. “It's that way with any player who comes out in the draft who has that special, unique quality. It's like fast receivers and corners, if you want one with that special kind of talent, you have to pick them high.”

Baker laughs about the shortage, saying the root cause is even more basic than that.

“This is a real oversimplification, but how many guys do you see walking around like that in public?” Baker said. “The good Lord only made so many of those kind of guys, and now you narrow that pool down to guys who are explosive, have the right kind of flexibility and also the right temperament.

“Some of those guys on offense would be good nose tackles if they had the right temperament, but they don't. It takes a different breed of cat to play inside.”

Thomas smiles when asked about the shortage, which has made him a man in demand for several years in a row, at an age (35) where most NFL players are slowing down or easing into retirement. Even coming off a triceps tear last year, he had four teams (including the Panthers) trying to sign him midseason, and this year, the Panthers were leaping for phones as soon as he was cut by the Rams. One of his brethren, Grady Jackson, actually signed a three-year contract with Detroit this offseason, despite the fact he's 36 and has one skill — being huge. Others, such as long-timer Sam Adams, continue to work out, waiting for that one desperate phone call from a team in a spot like the Panthers were in.

“If you think it's just taking up space, that's cool,” Thomas said. “But you have to know what you're doing, what defense called, what gap you're on. To hold that point, you have to be strong, because two guys are hitting you, and sometimes they're trying to knock you across the ball. ... Hey, I know my linebackers appreciate it.”

So do his bosses.

Thomas represents the other side of the coin when it comes to finding help inside on defense. Undrafted out of Northern Illinois, he's gone on to spend 14 seasons in the NFL. He's not alone, either, as there's a huge class of defensive tackles who have made themselves into players over time. Baker had one of the best in a previous stop, coaching nose tackle Pat Williams in Minnesota. Like Thomas, he was undrafted and came to the realization early that his career was not going to be glamorous. Taking on double-teams for a living gives a man a sense of perspective.