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This has not been a good month to be a Carolina Panthers linebacker.
Season-ending injuries to Thomas Davis and backup Landon Johnson have put a strain on the depth - and now strongside starter Na'il Diggs might miss Sunday's game against the Jets with injured ribs.
"That's the story of our life this year," middle linebacker Jon Beason said of the injuries that continue to plague the team.
The linebacker injuries have come during the past three weeks - Davis was hurt against New Orleans on Nov.8 and Johnson and Diggs went down last Thursday against Miami.
If Diggs doesn't play, Beason will be flanked by James Anderson and Dan Connor.
"We're a close-knit group," said Beason. "We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, so we know if somebody goes down, we can fill in with a guy and keep rolling."
Anderson started against Dallas this season when Diggs was out with a rib injury. Connor, a third-round draft pick in 2008 from Penn State, is primarily a special-teams player.
"I've been ready to play as many (linebacker) positions as possible," Connor said. "Trying to stay up with three different positions has been hard."
Diggs said this injury isn't as severe as the one that kept him out of the Cowboys game. He said it happened when Miami tight end Joey Haynos fell on him after Diggs broke up a pass.
"His whole body weight fell right on my chest, boom," said Diggs, who said he hopes to play Sunday.
BRIEFLY
Free safety Charles Godfrey and fullback Brad Hoover practiced Wednesday after missing time with injuries.
Godfrey, who didn't have an interception before he was injured four games ago against Buffalo, has been replaced in the lineup by rookie Sherrod Martin, who has three interceptions in those four games.
"Today I felt pretty good out there moving around a little bit," Godfrey said. I've been "making a couple of breaks I haven't been making these past three or four weeks."
Godfrey, who said he and Martin rotated in and out of drills with the starters, didn't know if he'd start Sunday.
"My ankle is feeling good now. Who knows how it will feel tomorrow or after that," he said.
Coach John Fox said he didn't know who the starter will be.
"The guy has got to get back in, get re-acclimated to the defense, and then you make a decision," said Fox. D.S.
Receiver Muhsin Muhammad and former defensive end Mike Rucker will announce today that the Ruckus House Learning Centers in Concord and Harrisburg will come together for a Christmas program at 7p.m. Dec.4 at the Concord Robinson High auditorium. The program is scheduled to include songs performed by the students from the centers. Muhammad and Rucker, along with former Panthers Mike Minter and Stephen Davis, joined to help form the Ruckus House childcare centers. Charles Chandler
The Jets have the No.2-ranked rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 163.5 yards per game, one spot ahead of the Panthers (159.1).
The Jets were ranked first through Sunday, but Tennessee passed them for the top spot by gaining 228 yards Monday against Houston, raising its average to 168.4.
A note in Tuesday's Observer said the Jets were first, but that was written before the Tennessee game. C.C.
