CHARLOTTE – Curtis Samuel's start-and-stop rookie year hit another bump this week, but that won't keep him out of Monday Night Football against the Dolphins.
"That's not even an issue, not even a thought," the second-round wideout said after practicing in full on Friday.
Samuel was limited in Thursday's practice after he tweaked an ankle he first twisted in the preseason.
"High ankle sprains are difficult to deal with, especially for a receiver, a guy who relies on his quickness and his ability to make cuts," head coach Ron Rivera said. "But for a guy like him, it's also about learning how to manage it, and I think he's doing a nice job trying."
Samuel, who missed much of spring workouts and training camp with a hamstring injury and who sat out Week 4's win at New England with a sore back, has totaled 134 yards on 14 touches from scrimmage.
Cornerback rotation: Daryl Worley has started all eight games he's played this season, but the cornerback is frustrated by his current role.
Ever since a strained pectoral muscle forced him to miss Week 4, Worley has been splitting snaps with fellow second-year corner Kevon Seymour, who was in for 26 more plays than Worley last week against the Falcons.
"If you go back two weeks ago, we brought Kevon out for a series and he didn't come back in," Rivera said, referencing Worley out-snapping Seymour, 53-14 at Tampa Bay. "Last week we did the opposite.
"It's not about the snaps, but the quality you put into the snaps that make the difference."
On Monday, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said Seymour saw more time against the Falcons because they were a better matchup for his man-to-man skills. Right now, the Panthers are more comfortable with Worley when they're in zone coverage. But they're also still waiting for one of the two to play well enough to convince coaches they shouldn't come off the field.
"These are a lot of young men that are used to – when I say young, I'm talking about first-, second, third-year players that come from being stars to now you're being part of a team," Rivera said. "There are very few guys that are separate from anybody else on a 53-man roster.
"You have a specific role, and if you're not sure what that specific role is, please come see me. I'll be happy to explain."
Super Mario: After recently recovering from a hyperextended knee he suffered against the Patriots, defensive end Mario Addison has been on a tear.
"He told me a couple weeks ago, he did a couple things in practice and said to me, "I'm back. I'm ready to go."
Over his past three games, Addison has racked up seven quarterback pressures and 3.5 sacks, quietly putting himself one sack behind Julius Peppers (7.5) for the team lead.
"As you've noticed the past couple of weeks, (Addison's) been very productive, been right around the quarterback. And it's at a good time because I think a couple of the other guys are getting a little worn," Rivera said. "They'll have to catch their second breath, and this game comes at a good time for us. It's just before the bye.
"I'm pretty excited about Monday night and then what's going on afterward."
