Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Despite the left side of the line featuring Week 2 veteran signing Chris Clark at tackle and Van Roten at guard, Van Roten believes the line performed better than perceived in 2018. The Panthers averaged an NFL-best 5.1 yards per carry, and just five teams gave up fewer sacks than the 32 that Carolina allowed.
“We had a bad season so someone has to take the fall, and I feel like the O-line got a little bit of flack that we didn’t necessarily deserve,” Van Roten said. “But at the end of the day we were 7-9 and we didn’t get the job done. If we need to rush for six yards and have Cam sacked 18 times (the number allowed by the league-best Colts) this season, then that’s what we have to do.”
With center Ryan Kalil now retired, Turner has taken on more of a leadership role, but quietly Van Roten is doing some of the same. He’s helping Paradis get up to speed on a new system and helping Little get up to speed on everything.
“I think we have a lot of hungry guys,” Van Roten said. “You’re seeing that during practice, and that’s good. That’s what you want.
“You don’t want complacency, especially after the season we had last year. You want guys that are going to work hard and do what we need them to do.”