CHARLOTTE – Kawann Short has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month, the first time a Panther has won player of the month twice in the same year and the first time an NFL defensive tackle has ever been honored twice in the same year.
"It's a blessing," Short said. "I've just come out and worked. I appreciate the guys on either side of me and the coaching staff putting me in position."
Over the four months of the regular season, the Panthers had four players of the month. Short won on defense for October and December/January, cornerback Josh Norman won on defense for September, and kicker Graham Gano won on special teams for November.
Short recorded five sacks in the past month at a position where sacks can be hard to come by. No other NFL defensive tackle had that many sacks in the past month, and his 11 sacks on the season equaled the most in the NFL among defensive tackles.
Short sacked Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan four times in the teams' two late-season meetings. In the first matchup, Short also forced two fumbles and recovered one.
