CHARLOTTE — John Milem’s fairy-tale story may still have a happy ending, but some of the chapters in the middle of the book are proving awfully hard to plow through.
On a sunny but sorrowful Sunday afternoon when any Carolina Panthers posters remaining on the walls of area youngsters were ripped to pieces, Milem essentially did the same thing to his right knee. He’ll have surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament as soon as the swelling subsides. The 290-pound giant will miss the rest of this season.
Milem, a West Rowan High product, was playing in his third game since joining the lowly Panthers, who had claimed him off waivers from surging San Francisco. That salary-cap driven decision cost Milem a country mile in the standings. The Panthers, who always seem to find a way to lose, have just one win. The 49ers, who have been the anti-Panthers in pulling out every close game, have just two losses.
But the waiver move did move Milem back home, and that counted for something. And yesterday was something he’d anticipated as eagerly as a kid waiting for Christmas. His first home game in black, blue and silver.
Milem’s day opened well enough. He raced (and Milem does race, not lumber, which is why the Panthers love him on special teams) downfield to cover a kickoff after the Panthers took a 7-0 lead. He finished that play, playfully waltzing with Terry Killens, a teammate and pal in October.
Then Milem jogged out to his defensive end spot. The Panthers had just four healthy defensive ends, including Milem, who’s still learning their complex system. The plan was for Milem to alternate series with Chris Slade, Jay Williams and Michael Rucker.
But on his first play from scrimmage, Milem was double-teamed by two pass-protectors. Guard Ray Brown took Milem on chest-to-chest, while tackle Derrick Deese hit him below the knees. And Milem’s massive body bent backward and crumpled to the turf.
“I ran the gap and hey high-lowed me,” fumed Milem. “Deese’s block was illegal. He chopped my knees. Whether it was intentional or not,I don’t know yet. I’ll have to see the film.”
Milem hobbled off under his own power, then was stretched out on a sideline table, while trainers swarmed around him like Rainbow Warriors working on Jeff Gordon’s No. 24. Moments later, Milem and a trainer chugged to the locker room and a mournful public address voice that would announce yet another rash of Panther injury woes over the course of a long day, proclaimed that Milem’s return was “questionable.”
Underneath Ericsson, though, Milem had no questions. He knew he was coming back if he could walk.
“It’s not my makeup to sit,” he said. “I got where I am by busting my butt.”
Milem knew right away he’d sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, because he’d done that before. But he also feared he’d done something else.
“The doctor thought maybe I’d tweaked the ACL some,” said Milem. “He said something didn’t feel quite right in there. But I just sort of blew it off. We were playing against all my old guys and I knew ’em better than anyone. I had to get back out there.”
Milem returned to the Panther sideline by the second quarter and was re-inserted into the defensive end rotation. But it was obvious, he was hurting. Badly enough that he was taken off special teams coverage units.
“I couldn’t run, my knee was buckling on me,” Milem said. “Every time I’d try to take off, it would buckle.”
There was a good reason for that buckling. No one knew it yet, but that “tweaked” ACL was torn. Completely.
Somehow, Milem gutted out roughly 20 snaps.
“I got 30 snaps last week in St. Louis,” Milem said. “I would have gotten more plays today, but after I got hurt I didn’t rotate. It was more like whenever you can go, get in there.”
When he wasn’t on the field, Milem was James Bond, huddling with defensive line coach Jacob Burney, peering at film and helping Burney pick up on the 49er defensive calls.
His knee was hurting, Milem’s spirits stayed high, because the Panthers, who had absolutely nothing to play for except professional pride, performed extremely well.
Milem helped. With the Panthers leading 19-14 with 3:21 left in the game, he put a loud lick on Jeff Garcia, just after the 49er QB released a pass. Garcia got up hollering. Fans thought he was yelling for a penalty. Milem revealed otherwise.
“Jeff told me he thought we were buddies,” Milem laughed. “He was lucky. If I’d still had my knee he would have gone down.”
Still, Garcia might have been dazed, because on the next play he tossed an awful pass into the arms of Panther lineman Brentson Buckner at the San Francisco 14. That pick gave the Panthers a golden chance to put the game away, but they settled for a field goal. That left the door open for yet another last-minute Carolina collapse and an overtime loss.
The 6-foot-7 Milem was on the field to try and block the winning field goal. He crushed one blocker, but could do nothing to prevent the decisive boot from soaring through the uprights.
“I was on was the weaker (right) side of their line,” said Milem. “We had an all-out go, obviously, and I got the most penetration. But I couldn’t get there.”
Milem chatted briefly with 49er defensive end John Engelberger, his old roommate, pointed at a few other ex-teammates, then limped toward the tunnel.
“My fourth overtime in 10 weeks,” sighed Milem. who was 2-1 in OTs with the 49ers. “It would have been really satisfying to have put one on them.”
Following the game, an MRI revealed the extent of the damage to the knee, news that left Milem, who was largely let go by the 49ers because of a torn hip muscle, wondering what’s next.
“It’s like I can’t catch a break,” he said. “The hip and now the knee on my first play against my old team.”
Milem definitely hopes he’ll be back with the Panthers next season. Partly because it’s so close to home. Partly because it looks like Carolina will give him a real opportunity.
“They like me or they wouldn’t have brought me here,” he said. “And I fit in here. I love some of those guys in SanFran, but basically those are wine-and-cheese and three-car-garage kids. The Panthers are a blue-collar bunch and that fits my profile better.
“I just have to keep believing this thing happened for a reason,” he said. “I’ll be back. You can count on it.”
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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com
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