Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor explains how the team is dealing with flu season
The Panthers are battling flu season just like everyone else these days
Carolina had four players listed as questionable with illnesses entering the weekend before the 9-7 win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Backup lineman David Sharpe was a last-minute addition to the injury list on Sunday morning with an illness of his own. Sharpe and cornerback D’Shawn Jamison then both missed the home win after receiving designations for being sick.
The bug has been going around the NFL, too. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, most notably, had to travel separately from the rest of his NFC East squad for Monday’s prime-time matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
So as the Panthers battle the home stretch of their disappointing season, they’ll also need to contend with the bug that’s been messing with the league’s plans throughout the early days of winter.
“It’s going around,” interim head coach Chris Tabor said Monday. “There’s no doubt about that. I think even Atlanta, their kicker, (Younghoe) Koo, he was ill at the end of the week. I believe that he drove up — they drove him up as opposed to coming on the airplane.
“But you just try to, as simple as it is, wash your hands, cover your mouths, stay away — spacing — those types of things. That’s kind of what we’re into right now, and hopefully, we’ll get over this flu bug. But that’s always tough to beat.”
While flu season is a tough challenge, the Panthers at least outlasted their NFC South foes, the Falcons, in a sloppy slugfest in rainy weather in Week 15. Kicker Eddy Piñeiro nailed a 23-yard field goal as time expired to lift Carolina past Atlanta to solidify the victory.
Tabor, who is also the team’s special teams coordinator, was happy to see his entire unit bounce back after a letdown performance against the New Orleans Saints the week before in a 28-6 loss.
“I thought we did a nice job there,” Tabor said. “I thought we were handling field position as best as we could. I was pleased with the fact that we bounced back from a disappointing week before, and that was really our challenge.
“Obviously, we still have things to rectify, and those types of deals, but I’ve been pleased in our area, for the most part, for most of the year. And yesterday is a day that your special teams, you need to play well and handle that field position and create short fields and those types of things, and the kids did that.”
Quick hits
▪ Veteran lineman Gabe Jackson, who was elevated from the practice squad for the past two games, was substituted in for Nash Jensen at right guard midway through Sunday’s game. Tabor noted that the Panthers “ripped off” a couple of big runs after making the switch. The interim head coach said that while Jackson probably wanted some plays back — he gave up a sack in the second half — Tabor was pleased with his performance. Tabor declined to announce if Jackson would continue to be the right guard moving forward.
▪ Piñeiro spoke to reporters on Zoom after Tabor’s virtual media conference. Piñeiro said his range facing the end zone where he hit the winning field goal was roughly 48 to 50 yards, as the wind was blowing into his face. Had he kicked with the wind, Piñeiro projected his range to be in the 60-yard threshold. Piñeiro’s season-best make was from 56 yards out.
▪ Piñeiro also noted that he helped linebacker-turned-squib kicker Kamu Grugier-Hill with his technique throughout the week. Gruiger-Hill was used on a pair of squib kicks to give the Panthers an extra tackler against Falcons returner Cordarrelle Patterson. Grugier-Hill is the backup punter as well, according to Piñeiro. The linebacker previously filled in as a kickoff specialist for the Philadelphia Eagles in November 2017 when kicker Jake Elliott was injured and missed part of one game.
