Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The status of Carolina’s O-line
On the flip side, one of the biggest question marks heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Texans will be the Panthers' offensive line.
Last week saw the introduction of rookie left tackle Greg Little as he rotated with Daryl Williams, but after right guard Trai Turner went down with an ankle injury, the line up became jumbled. Williams, who had been playing left tackle, shifted not only from left side to right side, but from outside to inside at right guard. That ability to adapt is something Rivera looks for in his players.
“Position flexibility is huge, and you know I’ve always talked about that. I think that’s important, and not just on the offensive line, but other positions on this football team,” Rivera said. “You’ve got to be able to have guys you can plug into another position and just keep going. You can’t afford to miss a beat.”
Before this season, Williams previously started at right tackle, so making the transition back to that side of the line shouldn’t be too big an issue for him.
“He is a right-handed guy, that’s kind of where he made his bones as a player in this league,” Rivera said. “It’s one of those things, until we have everybody set and rolling and where we need them to be, we have to have guys that are flexible.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the makeshift O-line handles Houston’s beasts like star defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who leads the team with four sacks. The Texans are coming off their best pass-rushing performance of the season, sacking Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers five times and recording 12 QB hits in their 27-20 victory.
"They’re very, very athletic. They’re fast, they’re physical," offensive coordinator Norv Turner said. "They’ve got a good scheme. They give you a lot of different looks. They’ve expanded what they’re doing and they’ve got a good pressure package. We just have to, when we can, stay one step ahead, because they are going to create some negative plays."