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Linebacker Dan Connor (right) blocks Tuesday signee Jordan Senn at practice Wednesday. Equipment manager Jackie Miles looks on to the left. (PHOTO: ANDREW MASON / PANTHERS.COM)

CHARLOTTE -- In nearly two seasons as a Panther, linebacker Dan Connor has yet to find a home on the field.

In practice, he's lined up at all three linebacking spots. In the final three preseason games this year, he saw work at middle linebacker while the defense dealt with the loss of Jon Beason to a sprained knee. But during practice on defense, Connor's slot generally depended less on his skill set and more on the status of the three first-teamers.

"It's changed kind of week to week (based on) injuries," Connor said. "Early in the season I played a little bit of 'Will' (weak side) and 'Sam' (strong side) as I tried to pick up on it, as well as 'Mike' (middle). The emphasis changed week to week."

In the fourth quarter last Thursday, a pair of injuries defined Connor's point of emphasis. Landon Johnson succumbed to a knee injury that ended his season; his absence -- and the torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended Thomas Davis' season in Week 9 -- forced James Anderson, a preseason starter on the weak side, into the lineup.

"I think James will be just fine in there," said strong-side linebacker Na'il Diggs. "He stepped in earlier in the season (at Dallas in Week 3) in my spot. He's a reliable guy who's going to take care of business and get in his (play)book, and I don't see any sort of lag from him on his part. I'm sure he has high expectations on himself and the coaches do on him to fit his role."

But when Diggs suffered a rib injury, the strong side now belonged to Connor. A week later, Diggs has yet to return to practice.

"Everyone's been getting banged up," Connor said. "I had to learn 'Sam' this week, and James is out at the 'Will,' so if you're a backup, you've got to know all three positions. That's how football works, especially in the NFL."

Connor acknowledges that he prefers the middle.

"Comfort-wise, I see myself as a middle linebacker, but I played for years outside in college and I'm getting used to that more and more with each practice," Connor said. "I try to feel comfortable at any position."

The injuries have extended to safety, where Chris Harris missed three games and sat out four. While the emergence of rookie Sherrod Martin helped the defense compensate for Godfrey's absence, the loss of Harris robbed the defense of its signal-caller in the secondary, someone as important to the run defense as any of the linebackers.

This season, the Panthers have only had all three first-team linebackers and Harris at their disposal for four games: against Washington in Week 5, at Tampa Bay in Week 6, at Arizona in Week 8 and at New Orleans in Week 9. They won three of them, with the only loss coming after Davis succumbed to his torn knee ligament at New Orleans; when he left, the game was tied.

"It's not really affecting us. It's more that it (stinks) that it seems like we're losing guys weekly," Diggs said. "At any position, you'd like to keep the chemistry and the guys you've been playing with the whole season. Everybody knows that injuries happen in this league. You just hope that they're not season-ending -- which we've had.

"You've really just got to keep playing. You've got to take care of your own, and worry about yourself and keep yourself healthy and out of that training room. Some things you can help; some things you can't. You just do your best to stay healthy and control what you can control."

And since the Panthers can't control injuries, they won't use them to justify a 4-6 mark.

"I don't think there's any doubt it's very easy (to use injuries as a crutch)," said quarterback Jake Delhomme. But it doesn't matter. That happens. Other guys are stepping in and fighting their tails off.

"If you look around the league at teams that are struggling, in other places, there's a whole lot more finger-pointing than there is here -- which is pretty much none; guys are busting their tails. It's just that for whatever reason, we're not getting it done right now.

"I think that's an easy crutch, but it's not one that we'll use."