Ryan Kalil Out for the Season

Mr. Super Bowl promise, himself, is out for the year.  The Panthers’ All-Pro center is being added to the IR list with lisfranc foot issues and will miss the rest of the season.  Kalil injured his foot in the game Sunday against the Seahawks.  Lisfranc is when one of the little bones comes apart from the big bone in your foot or something.  Feet have way too many bones.  Luckily, if you pay attention to foot injuries, like Rex Ryan does, you know Charlotte is the home of a world class foot doctor.  Podiatrist, that’s what they’re called.

Ryan Kalil is famous for 2 things:  #1 being a great center in the NFL.  #2 for taking out a full page ad in the Charlotte Observer just before training camp which got everyone in a tizzy because it might be the slowest sports time of the year and also because he claimed the Panthers would win the Super Bowl.  If the ad had said “We’re going to be good this year, with your support we could be really good,” it wouldn’t have been a major issue.  But the man said “2013 Super Bowl Champions:  Carolina Panthers,” so everyone really got all excited, in that sports talk sort of way.

He meant for it to resound with fans and his teammates who might be coming to camp more lackadaisical than the situation called for.  It got a ton of attention and now, with the Panthers 1-4, it seems like a distant, sad, useless memory.

I believe the last 2-3 color commentators of Panthers games have said “For my money, there’s no better center in the NFL than Ryan Kalil.”  Or something to that effect.  He’s good, if people who say players like that are good, I believe he’s good.  I won’t pretend to be able to decern what’s a great center, a good center or a bad center, but I know for sure he’s not bad.

Now, that said, I couldn’t name the backup center if he was my cousin.  He might be my cousin, I haven’t talked to a couple of them in years.  It’s going to be a hit.  Foot injuries tend to linger too, so I’m glad it’s been decided he’s on the IR and won’t be back until training camp next year.  I’d wonder if he’d be available for the playoffs but I doubt that’ll be an issue.  Kalil is likely Cam Newton’s safety blanket and I wonder how deeply he will be affected.

I wonder though, if Kalil is that good, Jordan Gross a Pro-Bowler and the rest of the line is acceptable, why aren’t the Panthers running the ball better?  I don’t know, but it’ll probably get worse now with Kalil out and the Panthers can scarce afford to get worse at anything.