Located: Panthers' Bryan Allen

Remember this guy? Haven't seen much of him after knee surgery in mid-October.

“My mentality isn’t to sit back and wait for something to happen. I want to fix it by myself, or work harder or do more here and there. So it was frustrating, but I guess it was good, too. I had to stick to the plan. What’s the old adage? Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?"

- Florida's Bryan Allen

His return leads to a - potential - Panthers defense consisting of:

• Keith Ballard
• Bryan McCabe
• Bryan Allen
• Karlis Skrastins
• Steve Eminger
• Keaton Ellerby

I'm confident Skrastins will be retained, though Nick Boynton is probably as good as gone. And who knows what JM's got in mind for the summer. If Ellerby's considered not ready for prime time, a move for a genuine top-sixer will be a necessity.

Either way, it's good to see Allen progressing. He'd been steadily impressing with his physical play and stay-at-home reliability.