The Carolina Panthers have released wide receiver Jason Avant.
Normally, a team cutting a receiver who played a bit role on offense and didn't provide the speed the team needed would be relegated to agate-page status (newspaper reference, kids). But in Avant's case, the move comes two days after Avant had some criticisms of the team's conservative play calling in a 19-17 loss that put the Panthers further back in the NFL's worst division.
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Avant said, per the Charlotte Observer, following the game:
“I’ve been in the league a long time. I know two things. You never want to give a team a chance to win a game, with how much time was left on the clock. And asking a kicker to make a 50-yard field goal with the game on the line is rough sledding.
“If that’s the only option, yes. But if it’s not, you want to get as close as you can and think score and play to score a touchdown. Because I’d rather the team have to score a touchdown to win the game than to have to kick a field goal. It’s just a lot different. It’s a 30-yard difference.”
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who earned the nickname "Riverboat" for his seeming metamorphosis from overly conservative to thrillingly daring last season, appears to be reverting back to his old ways. He handled the final two minutes of the game to play for a long field goal, which the Panthers predictably missed in the loss.
But the Panthers haven't veered from their stance on players who step out of line, it appears. They cut Steve Smith in the offseason, cutting him a $5 million parting check in the process, for what reports suggest was his locker-room-dividing attitude.
Did they do the same with Avant? That's the outward appearance, even if the team denies it.
We'll find out whether that's true or not.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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