SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Carolina Panthers' unsettled offensive line took another hit Monday when projected starting right tackle Adam Meadows abruptly announced his retirement. Meadows Meadows, 30, signed a five-year, $15 million contract with the Panthers as a free agent March 9, but had been kept out of most of training camp by persistent shoulder problems. The team encouraged Meadows to undergo treatment for arthritis in the shoulder, but Meadows decided to call it quits. "They told me that there would be highs and lows, and that I would have to play through the pain -- and that there would be times when I wouldn't be able to play at all," said Meadows, who had operations in 1999 and last December. "Knowing that my condition wasn't going to get better and that it was going to just progressively get worse really aided in me making the right decision," he said. Meadows said he wanted to be ready every Sunday but was told cortisone shots couldn't assure him of that. "There was a lot of integrity for what he did," Panthers head coach John Fox said. "Rather than drift along kind of in limbo, he decided to retire, and that is something I respect him for totally." Meadows, who spent his first eight seasons with Indianapolis, has agreed to pay back his entire $2.5 million signing bonus, general manager Marty Hurney said. Journeyman backup Matt Willig has been with seven teams during his 13-year NFL career, but has only started 34 games. Willig has been working with the first team in training camp. Willig is expected to receive some competition for the starting spot from Melvin Tuten, another career backup. Tuten, in his fifth season with the Panthers, missed all of last season with a torn ACL in his knee and has started just 17 games. The Panthers have a lot of questions across the offensive line. After they signed Meadows, the team released reliable veteran Todd Steussie, a three-year starter at left tackle. They entered training camp looking to fill voids left by the departure of guards Jeno James, who signed with Miami as a free agent, and Kevin Donnalley, who retired. Bruce Nelson, a second-round pick in 2003, was expected to fill one of those spots, but he will miss at least six games after undergoing a second hip operation last week. The 6-foot-8, 318-pound Willig spent last season with the Panthers but played exclusively on special teams. "The old saying, 'Be careful what you wish for,' ... well, it's here," Willig said. "I'm ready. I was ready last year and I have been ready for 13 years. The reason I'm still playing is because I can still do this without being a head case."
Kids the panthers o line is weak and we all seen what happens to team with weak offensive lines. They dont repeat! 2002 world champs can vouge for that.
What happened to that Center/Guard that the Cardinals released a few weeks back? He was a starter. Pete Kendall. The Vikings were looking at him. Where did he land?
