Panthers safety Colin Branch out for season

By Gabriel Bravo | Monday, August 22, 2005 | ( 0 )

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Besides losing to the New York Giants in their last preseason game, the Carolina Panthers also lost starting safety Colin Branch. Branch suffered a knee injury that will have him sidelined this entire season.

The injury occurred in the first quarter while Branch was trying to tackle Giants' receiver David Tyree down field. Carolina linebackers Will Witherspoon and Dan Morgan were also in pursuit and apparently rolled onto Branch's leg awkwardly during the play. Branch suffered both a torn ACL and a torn MCL in his right knee.

In Colin Branch's two seasons in the NFL, he's played 32 games and has 53 tackles and 3 interceptions.

It seems that there are two candidates amongst the Carolina Panthers who would be most qualified to fill the position. The first would be first-round draft pick Thomas Davis, who would be returning to the safety position after only one week at linebacker. The other would be, Idrees Bashir, who was acquired in the off-season to add depth to the secondary. He formerly started for the Indianapolis Colts and had already been vying with Branch for the starting job. A third and less likely candidate would be Marlon McCree, who has nine career interceptions in 39 starts.

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