Is DeAngelo Williams in the Panthers coaches’ doghouse?

It sure seems that way. And it also sure seems right now like the Panthers made an enormous overexpenditure on the five-year, $43-million contract extension Williams signed in 2011 if this is how the coaches are going to (not) use him.

Williams carried the ball two times for 4 yards Sunday. Two times! He was hardly on the field at all.

Jonathan Stewart started. Mike Tolbert played almost every snap when Stewart wasn’t in there. Williams mostly stood and watched. For one game, at least, Williams didn’t get many more snaps than Armanti Edwards did.

Through six games this season, Williams has 173 yards rushing (29.5 yards per game). He seems decades removed from the back who ran for more than 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2008.

When asked about Williams’ lack of playing time after the game, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said: “A lot of it had to do with personnel. We trade off based on personnel.”

Hmmm.

Williams wasn’t in the locker room available for comment after the game (he often gets out of there before reporters are allowed inside). But Williams did get on his Twitter account and retweet from a fan using casual grammar: “Why do we have a play-maker like deangelo williams and not use him? it just doesn’t make since” and several other tweets in a similar “Let No.34 have the ball” sort of vein.

Williams later tweeted that his retweets weren’t directed at anyone and that he wasn’t angry at anybody in the Panthers organization. I find that hard to believe, though. He has to be seething.

But then again, Williams has hardly been a factor in many games this season when he has gotten the ball. This situation is sticky and may soon get stickier.

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