Gilbert and his sorry-ass knees...

http://www.gastongazette.com/Portal/Sports/Panthers/Panthers.htm

Grind getting to Gilbert
By Steve Reed, Photo by John Clark
Gazette Sports Reporter


CHARLOTTE — Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert is 32 years old, but he said his sore knees make him feel like he’s 57.

Gilbert, the Carolina Panthers’ second highest-paid player, admitted Wednesday for the first time he’s unsure how much longer his body can endure the grind of playing professional football.

Gilbert missed a large portion of the preseason because of his sore knees and was demoted to second team behind Brentson Buckner earlier this week. He’s expected to be used sparingly Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Head coach John Fox officially lists the injury as tendinitis in the knee, but Gilbert has another term for it.

"I call it being 32 and taking about 3,000 reps. It’s like tires," Gilbert said.

The fact Gilbert’s treads are wearing thin may not bode well for his future in Carolina, especially given his high salary cap figure.

But he seems ready to accept retirement when it comes, whether sooner or later.

"You know you’ve still got some downs in you, but at the same time, too, you’ve got to think about what’s best for you, your family and the future of the organization. You have to take things into consideration," Gilbert said.

When asked if he’ll evaluate his future after the season, Gilbert joked, "I’m going to evaluate it after tomorrow."

But Gilbert clearly sounds like a player who is close to being ready to hang up his cleats.

He said the fact he’s no longer starting was "humbling," and the move reiterated what he already knew — he isn’t the player he was a few years ago.

"It is frustrating, but at the same time, at some point in everyone’s career it comes," Gilbert said of being benched. "It gets to that. You’ve got to step up and know that you can’t play the game forever.

"As much as you want to and you want to be in it and be a part of it at that place, and start there, that’s just the way the game goes, the nature of it."

Gilbert said he felt good in the offseason, but the knee really began to bother him around the start of training camp.

That caused him to miss several practices and a couple of preseason games.

"I just got up one day and, ‘Boom,’ " Gilbert said.

Gilbert admitted he could probably play a few more years, but he’s not sure if wants to because it might not be at the level he’s used to. He doesn’t want to hang around and collect a paycheck when he’s beyond his prime.

"That’s the thing. I can go out there and roll over, or dive to the ground. But for me it’s about a little bit more than that," Gilbert said.

The truth is, of course, Gilbert might have been cut a long time ago had it not been for the fact the Panthers would have to eat so much of his contract. While he was at times effective, his production on the field never matched his seven-year, $46.5 million contract.

But even if the Panthers were to cut Gilbert today, they would still have to take about a $10 million salary cap hit next season.

Gilbert is not expected to practice much this season so the Panthers can have him ready to go on game days.

But even then, it’s uncertain how much the Panthers will really get out of him.

"I’m just going to give quality downs when I can," Gilbert said.

Does anyone know what the cap implications would be if he retired?

 

This is the line that cracked me up...he should have retired three years ago!!!

 

Here's another story...

http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/nfl/story/1702462p-1720071c.html

Gilbert ponders his future
By Darin Gantt The Herald

(Published September 5‚ 2002)

CHARLOTTE -- His words may have belied his meaning, but there was no mistaking the look on Sean Gilbert's face.

A simple question -- "How do you feel?" -- led to a look that told more than an hour-long conversation could have.

"Old," Gilbert said with a solemn and gentle nod. "I feel old."

On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers' 32-year-old defensive end talked at length for the first time since the first day of training camp, and admitted he could see the waning days of his career on the way.

"I could play; That's not the thing," Gilbert said. "It's just a matter of when you're out there, what you can do. That's the thing. I can go out there and roll over, or dive to the ground.

"But for me it's just a little bit more than that."

It has become apparent over recent weeks that Gilbert's not moving the way he used to. He seldom practices, though he's been able to play the last two preseason games. He's still expected to play in Sunday's season opener against Baltimore, but Panthers head coach John Fox has already said he'd likely play in a backup role, with Brentson Buckner occupying his old left defensive tackle role.

Not being able to play to his old level of performance -- he's been to the Pro Bowl and led Panthers linemen in tackles for three straight seasons -- bothers Gilbert, but he acknowledged that it's something he's going to have to get used to.

"It is frustrating, but at the same time, at some point in everyone's career it comes," Gilbert said. "For me, I guess I didn't know when it was it happened so fast.

"It's humbling. You've got to step up and know that you can't play the game forever."

There were times when Gilbert sounded as if he was giving the rough draft of a retirement speech, although that's apparently not part of his plans.

"I think he's just seeing that first speck of light at the end of the tunnel," Gilbert's agent, Gus Sunseri said. "I can tell you absolutely, positively, that he's not thinking about retirement. I would think if he's thinking about that, he'd let me know. He'd probably talk about it with his wife first, but then I'd know.

There was some speculation Gilbert might be released this week, but the Panthers have chosen to hang onto him and see if he can continue to be an effective player. Releasing him would have saved them a bit of salary cap room, but he would have still counted more than $10 million against the cap over the next two years.

"You can't worry about that," Gilbert said. "You know you've still got some downs in you, but at the same time, you've got to think about what's best for you, your family and the future of the organization.

Gilbert took a pay cut of nearly $3 million this offseason to stay here, reducing his cap value to just over $7 million.

For that large a percentage of the salary cap, it would seem that a team would at least hope the player could start.

But Fox said he's willing to wait on Gilbert.

"Sean's situation is a little unique," Fox said. "We're interested in having him healthy for game days, and he'll have a role for us. We feel like we've got to monitor that (his practice time) to have him ready for Sundays."

Gilbert is clearly struggling with the fact he can't go every day.

After coming out of a tub of ice, his tone was reserved as he spoke to reporters.

"Players get to this point," he said. "You don't know how to deal with it until you get there. Adversity shows character. But you don't know until you're in it."

Gilbert jokingly said that after 32 years and "3,000 reps," he felt like an old set of tires.

He had surgery on his elbow last offseason, but nothing was done to his knees. Sunseri said there was no structural damage in Gilbert's left knee, which was first injured last year against St. Louis.

His condition has been described as tendinitis this year, but Gilbert said he thought he'd be fine this summer. When he came to training camp and began to practiced, his knee swelled, and he's been limited ever since.

Gilbert was asked if he was optimistic he could return to his old level of play. He said he didn't have time to rest to see if that would help, and didn't know if his knees would ever allow him to be the kind of player he once was.

"You just have to wait and see," Gilbert said. "It's something you have to deal with, it's in the game. But I'm not optimistic about it. It's the first time I've ever had to deal with something like it."

And it seemed like his first glimpse of his own football mortality scared him a bit.

What if he gets put on IR? What does that do to the cap? How about an injury settlement?

 

Re: Re: Gilbert and his sorry-ass knees...

He might retire, and if he does I think we'd get some cap relief.

WP is that true?

 

Last one, I promise (just makes for a fun read )

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/4005101.htm

Gilbert's role likely to be reduced
Defensive tackle's age, ailing knees, durability could lead to move
PAT YASINSKAS
Staff Writer

Officially, the Carolina Panthers refer to defensive tackle Sean Gilbert's health problem as knee tendinitis. Gilbert has another term for it.

"I call it 32 (years old) and about 2,000 reps," Gilbert said. "It's like tires."

The mileage is mounting and Gilbert, once seen as a franchise player, might be reduced to a part-time role. Gilbert, who signed a seven-year, $46.5 million contract in 1998, will enter his 10th NFL season listed second on the depth chart behind Brentson Buckner. His practice time has been limited in the preseason and the Panthers now have shifted their focus to, at very least, having Gilbert ready for game days.

"Sean's situation is a little unique," coach John Fox said Wednesday. "We're interested in having him healthy for game days. He'll have a role for us on game days. We feel like we've got to monitor that to have him ready for Sundays."

Gilbert's contract runs through 2005, and he admitted he might be nearing the end of his career.

"With every player, it gets to this point," Gilbert said. "It's just a matter of how you deal with it. It's humbling. You've got to step back and know that you can't play the game forever. As much as you want to and you want to be in it and be a part of it, that's the way the game goes."

But Gilbert's immediate plan for dealing with the aging process doesn't include retirement. His plan is to continue working to stay on the field as much as possible.

"I'm not as healthy," Gilbert said. "With that in mind, you've got to keep working and rehabbing and see where it goes from there as the weeks progress on."

Although there was speculation Gilbert would be waived when rosters were trimmed to 53 players Sunday, that didn't happen. That's partly because the salary cap hit would have been outrageous for a player who already has taken a $3 million cut in pay.

Gilbert counts $7.21 million against this year's salary cap. If he were released now, Gilbert still would cost the Panthers $4.385 million against this year's cap and the team would take a $5.78 million hit next season.

Still, that doesn't mean Gilbert's roster spot is safe for the season. Panthers officials admit they're concerned about his durability.

"I can play," Gilbert said. "That's not the thing. It's just a matter of when you get out there, what you're going to do. I can go out there and roll over or dive to the ground. For me, it's just a little bit more than that. You take it in stride and keep pushing."

Gilbert said his knees were fine throughout the off-season, but the problem flared up in training camp. At first, the hope was that rest would be the cure. That hasn't happened and Gilbert said he's trying to make the most of the situation.

"You're going to have to just play and see," Gilbert said. "It's something you're going to have to deal with. I'm not optimistic about it. It's the first time I've had some like this. I'll see as the year progresses.

"It just may be age and football reps. You get enough of them and, eventually over time, the body wears down. We'll see in the course of the year, how much is in there."

 

PLEASE RETIRE BUBBLEBUTT!!!!!!!!!!!

Do us a freak'n favor! Retire NOWWWWW!

Then maybe we can take a little of that Fort Knox cash pile we pay you and get a real freak'n player.

Loser

 

Retirement wouldn't save us anything cutting him wouldn't.

Ech.

 

Unload the bum.

Ya know - this fits right in with what Fox did with Weinke. Don't care who you are, how much your paid, who the fans like. If you suck, you sit.

Just cut him.

 

Apparently, the Panthers like his ass (somehow) so they aren't cutting him. Therefore - retirement is the only option with what we know at the current time.

Thanks for the correction but it wasn't needed.

 

So, whether we cut him this year or next makes no difference $$-wise? And he's half a player at best this season? Why the debate? Why isn't he gone already?