Share
As requested Monday, Tank Tyler reported to a meeting with Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli.
The defensive tackle expected a conversation about his reduced playing time of late, especially since he already discussed his concerns about the matter with his position coach.
Instead, Pioli told Tyler the Chiefs had been on the phone much of the day with another team and had decided to trade him.
Tyler's initial reaction?
"My heart dropped," he said.
But that changed when he was told the team that had acquired him was Carolina - back in his home state, near his hometown of Fayetteville and his college alma mater, N.C. State.
"My heart started smiling again," said Tyler.
The move brought Tyler back home to the 4-3 defense that he's played most of his life, including his first two seasons at Kansas City after the Chiefs picked him in the third round of the 2007 draft.
"This is my natural defense," he said. "Being with three other defensive linemen is more natural for me than (having only) three people on the line. But whatever it is, I'm a lineman and I want to have my hand in the dirt."
Tyler was groomed for a major role in the defense his first two years under former coach Herm Edwards, starting all 16 games in 2008. But when Edwards was fired, Pioli and new coach Todd Haley installed a 3-4 defense.
Tyler started two games early this season, then saw his playing time evaporate. According to the Kansas City Star, Chiefs executives no longer believed he was a good fit as a nose tackle in their 3-4 scheme.
Joining the Panthers brings Tyler back to where he first saw an NFL game live - Bank of America Stadium. When he was playing at E.E. Smith High School, he got tickets from Saints receiver Joe Horn, a Fayetteville native, to a Carolina-New Orleans game.
"I'm blessed to be back home," Tyler said. "The guys around here are great; the coaches are great. This is only my first day here, and I get a great vibe from the community."
Tyler is in the final year of a three-year contract but can't become an unrestricted free agent until at least 2011.
BRIEFLY
Coach John Fox said he's not concerned about quarterback Jake Delhomme's confidence despite the fact that Delhomme is tied for the NFL lead with 10 interceptions.
"There's not a guy out there who does this who doesn't have to have extreme confidence," Fox said. "I don't really worry about his confidence. Results help earn confidence, and we're working on getting better results.
"It's not just one guy."
Four players didn't participate in practice Wednesday, but mostly just for resting purposes - kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd (ankle), linebacker Na'il Diggs (rib), fullback Brad Hoover (back) and running back Jonathan Stewart (Achilles).
Lloyd apparently injured his ankle on Tampa Bay's 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown Sunday. He missed a tackle on the return - well, sort of.
Lloyd wrote on his Twitter account Tuesday that "I'm not trained to tackle people, and I wasn't about to get injured."
He followed that up Wednesday with this post: "I didn't tackle because I had rolled my ankle."
The Panthers picked up safety/special teamer Keith Lewis to fill in for the suspended Dante Wesley on Sunday against Buffalo.
Lewis was cut in the preseason by the Arizona Cardinals and played five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
Wesley was suspended by the NFL for one game without pay for hitting Tampa Bay's Clifton Smith before he fielded a punt last Sunday. David Scott
