The Carolina Panthers are so thin at linebacker that coach Ron Rivera, a former linebacker with the Chicago Bears, joked that he might have to dig out his cleats and suit up Sunday against Tennessee. James Anderson, the team's starting strongside linebacker and leading tackler, rolled his ankle in practice Thursday and was taken to the locker room, leaving the team with four healthy linebackers. Earlier in the week, Thomas Williams became the third linebacker to go on injured reserve after injuring his neck in a loss to Minnesota, while backup Jason Phillips has missed both practices this week with a calf injury.
