Kemo's return is big for Panthers

The return of Maake Kemoeatu is big for  a Panthers defense that gave up a big rushing day to the Giants in his absence.

    The big guy in the middle is back.

That would be the Panthers’ 6-foot-5, 345-pound defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu, a massive run-stuffer whose presence was sorely missed over the past two games, a loss to the Giants and a last-second win over the Saints.
With Kemoeatu out, New York rushed for a whopping 301 yards against Carolina. The Panthers did stop New Orleans on the ground (50 yards), but at the expense of allowing 367 through the air.

Now "Kemo" is on the field again as Carolina prepares for Arizona Saturday, and that delights middle linebacker Jon Beason.

"Kemo is a big presence in there, a guy you have to respect," Beason said. "He makes it a lot easier for me to run and to get off blocks and be free."

Kemoeatu has practiced all week, but started slowly.

"I haven't been banging in pads in about three or four weeks, so getting back into the swing of things, I'm kind of rusty," he said Wednesday. "Yesterday, putting the pads on, I was a little off-balance. I got back into it today so I'm feeling better."

Much better than watching while he rested that ankle.

"It was just frustrating for me for them to run the ball up the middle," he said. "That’s my job; to try to keep up with that."

— Stan Olson