Published: Friday, Oct. 02, 2009 / Updated: Friday, Oct. 02, 2009 07:16 AM

Panthers add beef, side of humor to injury-riddled defensive line

CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers got bigger, older and funnier Thursday, when they clearly need a dose of all three.

The Panthers signed defensive tackle Hollis Thomas just before they broke for the bye week, giving them an experienced inside player who they hope can shore up the weakest spot on the team.

But he also brings some professionalism and some humor to a locker room that could use it.

“A little levity, a little thickness in the middle,” Thomas said with a laugh when asked what he could bring. “Everybody wants to be focusing on the other fat guys; they'll focus on the new fat guy.

“It's like the first day of school. You don't want to wear the wrong outfit because you'll be the object of ridicule for the rest of the year.”

He proceeded to make fun of what the reporters were wearing.

The laughs come easy for Thomas, who was famously photographed wearing a shirt-hat combo covered in images from the “SpongeBob SquarePants” cartoon. The 35-year-old admitted the game has to be fun, or it's going to quickly become a miserable experience.

“I just try to lead by example,” he said. “I'm not a big hoopla guy. I like to have fun when I'm playing this game because if you're not having fun, you're pretty much wasting your time, and normally when you're not having fun, you're losing. It's one of those things where if you're not having fun, there's no reason to be out there.

“Even when you get paid for it — that's another reason to be out there — but sometimes getting paid is not everything. If you're not having fun, there's no reason to be out there playing.”

Not much has been fun for the Panthers inside. They've placed three defensive tackles on injured reserve for the season and are giving up 182.7 yards per game on the ground.

The 6-foot, 340-pound (ish) Thomas adds some needed heft to the mix, and his 165 games of NFL experience can't hurt.

The Panthers actually had him in town on Oct. 1, 2008, but he chose to re-sign with New Orleans. He had been with the Saints the previous two seasons, but they released him with an injury settlement after a preseason triceps injury, bringing him back for the final eight games.

“Hollis is a veteran guy that we knew a lot about,” coach John Fox said. “I actually met with him last year in my office for quite some time. He is a guy we are familiar with, and we need some veteran help there.”

Thomas signed with his hometown St. Louis Rams this offseason, in part to reunite with head coach Steve Spagnuolo, who coached him in Philadelphia early in his career.

He joked that he realized he wasn't a quick, upfield penetrator anymore, and the fact the Rams are going younger made his departure somewhat inevitable.

“I was in a situation where I got to go through training camp with St. Louis and see if I could still play a three-technique, and I really can't,” he said, grinning. “So it was good to come back and play some nose guard. I know a few guys in there, and they seem like a great bunch of guys. I was happy that they welcomed me in.

“In St. Louis, I only got a few reps here and there because those other guys were quicker than me. Sometimes, that's the way it goes. They had me in pretty much for short yardage and goal-line. To have me in for more snaps, especially just playing what I know, the nose, it could be a benefit for all of us.”

The Panthers were quick to the phone.

Having lost Maake Kemoeatu on the first day of training camp to a torn Achilles and promising trade acquisition Louis Leonard on the final snap of the Atlanta game to a broken ankle, the Panthers desperately needed some size. To make room for Thomas, they waived defensive tackle Sunny Harris, who they claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh.

He could potentially return on the practice squad, as he's a player with some potential inside, but the Panthers needed the help now.

Thomas has missed some time, both to injuries and suspensions. He was out all of 2002 with a broken right foot and ended up on IR in 1998 and 2003 with torn left biceps tendons, as well as the last week of 2001 with a foot injury.

In 2006, he was suspended for four games for violating the league's steroid policy, a suspension he says was tied to an asthma medication.

He acknowledged his previous absences Thursday but said he still thinks he has productive football left in him.

“Well, I only played half a year last year,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I've missed some of those 14 years, some half-seasons and one full season. But I said the day that I don't feel like getting up and lifting weights and chasing the ball and dissecting different teams' run offense, then that's when I'll walk away from the game and take one of you guys' jobs.

“Who's got the most glamorous job? ... Yeah, I'm going to have to dress a little better than you guys. Just a smidgen.”