Comments from Carolina Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera.
On injuries: Kealoha (Pilares) got limited work, very limited today. We'll continue to monitor it. Omar (Gaither), same thing - he had limited work again, so we'll see. Jason (Phillips) is the only one we're definitive on right now - he's out.
On who will return kickoffs if Kealoha Pilares cannot play: Armanti (Edwards). He'll be backed up on punts by Captain (Munnerlyn) and on kickoffs by Jordan Pugh.
On if the Panthers signed anybody to fill the open roster spot: We're going to activate Bryant Browning off of the practice squad to add that little depth we lost when we made that move (waiving offensive lineman Reggie Wells) earlier this week.
On preparing for two quarterbacks with Tampa Buccaneers starter Josh Freeman limited by a shoulder injury: The biggest thing, obviously, is they've started having success running the ball again. I would imagine this might increase the opportunity for them to try to run it and the opportunity for them to go with play-action pass. With (back-up quarterback Josh) Johnson's athletic ability, I think we can expect a little bit more play action, getting him on the edge type of stuff. And I would not be surprised if they came out and did some zone read stuff.
We're trying to prepare for what they do in terms of those types of things. We've gone back and looked at several of their games in the past. We've looked at all of Johnson's snaps this year, including preseason, and we went back and watched some of his snaps from previous seasons as well to try to get a feel for the type of athlete he is. It really has forced us as coaches to do a little bit more work than we normally would, but it's all part of the game depending on who we get. If get Josh Freeman, I think we're ready; if we get Josh Johnson, we're ready as well.
It's really about what they do. They're a pro style running game. They've got a running back (LeGarrette Blount) that deserves to carry the ball 25 to 30 times a game. We've just got to make sure we're good with our gaps and we're good tacklers.
On the Buccaneers wearing their throwback orange uniforms: I might get a little melancholy about that, because that was (what they wore) back in my day (Rivera played linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1984-92). The throwback stuff, the bright orange. It's interesting, because when they got out of the orange uniforms and started wearing the red (jerseys) and light brown pants, it seemed to change things for who they are. I think it's kind of sentimental when they go back to orange - the heyday, the good 'ole days. Shoot, I might get a little excited.
