Panthers News: Brian Burns, Miles Sanders, injury report and Luke Kuechly
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers plans for Miles Sanders
The Carolina Panthers have taken things easy with Miles Sanders throughout the offseason. He was dealing with an injury, so placing an unnecessary risk on the running back by throwing him onto the field during the preseason was simply not an option.
Sanders recently claimed that had it been the regular season, he'd have been on the field weeks ago. The veteran knows how to get his body ready for competitive games and the Panthers know they can depend on his production when the time for real action arrives.
When discussing whether or not Sanders will be on a specific number of reps in Week 1 after missing so much time, head coach Frank Reich stated via Sports Illustrated that he anticipates a 100 percent workload where the former second-round selection out of Penn State is concerned.
"I think we'll go into the game thinking like he's full, 100%. We've always envisioned there being a little bit of a rotation. He'll be the main guy, but we're not planning on him carrying every carry. We want to mix it up, keep him fresh. He's such a weapon. You want to be smart and pace that over the whole season."
- Frank Reich via Sports Illustrated
Sanders has an important role in Week 1 against a stout Atlanta Falcons front seven. He must set the tone on early downs, provide rookie quarterback Bryce Young with a dependable pass-catching outlet out of the backfield, and also become a blocking presence by picking up blitz packages effectively.
That's a lot to ask. But nothing the Pro Bowler isn't more than capable of.