There was some deliberation before the Panthers decided to end DT Maake Kemoeatu's season by placing him on injured reserve in August after he underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. Kemoeatu had hoped he would be able to return in December, when the team might be in the thick of a playoff race. Head coach John Fox could have kept him on the active roster in case of a miraculous recovery, but in retrospect, it was the right decision to go on I.R., Kemoeatu told PFW on Thursday.

"Right now I'm probably at 20 percent," he said. "If I got on the field right now, I'd probably play for one play. Between now and August, I will be at 100 percent. When we get to training camp, I'll be at 100 percent."

The Panthers' run defense has faltered without its top run stuffer on the defensive line. Carolina is allowing 133.3 rushing yards per game, placing it among the bottom 10 teams in the league in the category, and a postseason berth is unlikely for the 5-7 club.

Kemoeatu underwent surgery after suffering the injury during the first practice of training camp, but the wound that formed around where the surgery was conducted has yet to completely heal. He said he will need to undergo another procedure to help the wound to heal, which his agent, Ken Vierra, described as a minor surgery comparable to a skin graft, which may set him back 2-3 weeks in his rehab.

"The tendon has healed, but the skin has not healed up yet," Kemoeatu said. "The doctor said because of the location of where the tendon is at ... there are not too many red blood cells that go to that area and because of that, the healing is a little slow.

"I'll be fine. I just can't wait until (the wound) closes up and I start working out and get back on the field. I went from playing football since high school to, all of a sudden, not playing football at all for a whole year."

He said the pain from the injury subsided long ago.

"The only pain is not being able to play football," he said.

The eight-year veteran, who will turn 31 on Jan. 10, is beginning to do some minor rehab, and he said he has a nutritionist to help him watch what he eats. Kemoeatu, who is listed at 345 pounds, said he's gained about 10 pounds since the injury, but he's optimistic that the year off will increase the longevity of his career.

"Taking this year off has put another 3-5 years on my career," he said. "... Most football players, they take a couple months off or some just a couple of weeks (when they get hurt), and they're back at it again. Their body never gets to fully recover."

Kemoeatu's contract has a provision in it that will make him a free agent after the 2010 season if his $9.3 million option bonus for 2010 is declined in March. It's expected that the team will decline that option, but could it decide to part ways with Kemoeatu this offseason instead?

"Could they (cut him)? Might they? Yeah, anybody might," said Vierra. "It's a 30-year-old guy with a torn Achilles. Is it a concern? Anybody would be dishonest if they said it's not some concern. Will he play again? I'm not concerned about that. I know he'll play again."

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