Connor has chance to plug holes

(By Charles Chandler, cchandler@charlotteobserver.com) Less than three weeks before the regular season starts, the middle of the Carolina Panthers defense is a mess. Already minus a starting defensive tackle since training camp opened, they've now lost Pro Bowl middle linebacker Jon Beason and free safety Charles Godfrey for an unspecified period of time. Beason has a sprained left knee and Godfrey underwent surgery to repair a broken right hand. Both were injured in Saturday night's 27-17 exhibition loss at Miami. That's three starters missing from the heart of the defense. Defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear less than an hour into the first training camp practice. Team officials are shopping for a replacement for Kemoeatu and could make a trade to land a starter for the position. Their other, less attractive alternatives are signing a veteran not on a roster or waiting until other teams make roster cuts. However, those p...