Sunday, September 26, 1999PANTHERS PLAYERS TO WATCH
OFFENSE
Panthers tight end Wesley Walls is a Pro Bowler dangerous in the red zone, where he has accounted for three of the Panthers' four touchdowns this season.Walls, 33, has a great nose for the end zone, scoring 24 touchdowns in 47 games for the Panthers. He had six touchdowns in 76 games for the 49ers and Saints before coming to Carolina.
The Bengals compare the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Walls to Tennessee's Frank Wycheck, a finesse player who excells in a rugged position. Cincinnati figures to blitz Carolina's struggling offensive line, which means Walls will be a key safety valve for quarterback Steve Beuerlein.
Walls can usually be counted on to produce. He's made a catch in 63 straight games in leading NFC tight ends in catches, yards and touchdowns the past four seasons.
DEFENSE
Yes, Kevin Greene holds the all-time record for most sacks by a linebacker, and Carolina's other outside backer, Mike Barrow, is all over the field racking up tackling records.But the Bengals think 320-pound tackle Sean Gilbert has the most talent and ability to foul up their game plan by gummng up the run. Gilbert is an off-and-on player whose inconsistent intensity reminds people in Bengaland of Dan Wilkinson.
Gilbert flops over each guard, but it looks like he'll spend most of his time over left guard Matt O'Dwyer. It's a huge game for O'Dwyer after he struggled against San Diego, particularly following the no-block on Junior Seau's game-breaking blitz.
Another key matchup on third down: Greene, now a standard 4-3 backer instead of a blitzer, will blitz on third down against right tackle Willie Anderson.
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