The Carolina Panthers Use ‘Controlled Chaos’ to Clip Falcons

The Carolina Panthers may have finally found a formula for success in 2009: Chaos.  Steve Smith called the Panthers’ no-huddle offense they displayed on Sunday “controlled chaos,” saying that the fast paced ever-changing game plan kept the Falcons’ defenders guessing all afternoon.  Jake Delhomme handled the two-minute like offense masterfully, as he usually does and completed his third straight game without a turnover. 

Speaking of Smith, the frustrated wideout caught his second and third touchdown passes of the year on Sunday, both four-yard pases from Delhomme.  Delhomme finished the day 15-of-24 for 195 yards and those two touchdowns, completing 62.5 percent of his passes and heading home with a quarterback rating of 115.8.  It was Delhomme’s first game this season that saw him end up with a quarterback rating of over 100 after accomplishing the feat six times in 2008.

The Panthers got their usual healthy dose of double trouble, rushing for 185 yards on 34 carries complimented by a pair of Jonathan Stewart touchdowns.  Stewart finished the game with 82 yards on 11 carries while DeAngelo Williams recorded 92 yards on 19 carries.  It was Stewart’s 45-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter that sealed the game for the Panthers.

The win did not come easy for Carolina, as they dealt with a pesky Falcons offense all day.  Michael Turner rushed for 111 yards on just nine carries before leaving with a high ankle sprain in the second quarter that could force him to miss multiple games. 

Jason Snelling filled in nicely for Turner in the absence of Jerious Norwood, gaining 61 yards on 18 carries the rest of the way.  It was obvious that the Panthers’ run defense missed Thomas Davis’ production.

The Panthers were able to head to the locker room at halftime with a 21-10 lead thanks to an offense that was performing like a unit not seen in recent memory in Carolina.  That seemingly well-oiled machine petered out in the second half, as the Panthers would tally just seven points in the second half while staving off a Falcons’ rally.

The Falcons’ first three drives in the second half were all 10 plays or more and took up a total of over 17 minutes, but yielded only 10 points.  Atlanta burst out of the gates, driving 74 yards to the Carolina six-yard line before being stopped in their tracks and being forced to settle for a field goal that made it 21-13.  The Panthers tried to return the favor on their next possession, but John Kasay had his second field goal of the year blocked on a 51-yard attempt.

That would start the Falcons off with good field position that they would capitalize on, embarking on an 11-play, 59-yard drive that ended with Matt Ryan’s only touchdown pass of the day, a three-yard toss to tight end Justin Peelle just as the fourth quarter was getting underway that brought the Falcons to within two points at 21-19.  The ensuing two-point conversion was snuffed out by a solid tackle by Chris Gamble on a swing pass to Snelling.

The Panthers could not get much going on their next drive and were forced to punt it away.  Jason Baker made the first of two huge plays on the day when he pinned the Falcons at their own four to start a critical drive.  Ryan completed a third and 11 from his own three on his way to leading Atlanta down the field into field goal range.  Elam lined up for a 34-yard field goal, but mistimed the play and pulled the ball badly to the left, allowing Carolina to maintain their two-point lead.

Still, the Panthers offense could not get off the ground, going three and out and being forced to punt once more.  Enter Baker once more, this time from a more defensive position as he represented the last man to beat for the Falcons’ Eric Weems, who was on his way to the end zone following poor punt coverage when Baker shoved him and sent him flying into the sideline at the Panthers’ 49-yard line with just under four minutes to go in the game.

The Falcons had yet another chance to take the lead, but Ryan would toss his second interception of the day on the first play of the drive.  Richard Marshall picked off the overthrown ball at the Panthers’ 21 and carried it to the 49.  After two short runs by Williams, Stewart burst through a hole created by the young Mackenzy Bernadeau and sprinted to the endzone for the 45-yard game-clinching touchdown.

The victory did not come without a price for Carolina, as they lost left tackle Jordan Gross to a broken left ankle in the second quarter.  Travelle Wharton moved over to left tackle in his absence and Bernadeau took over at left guard.  Wharton was whistled for a holding penalty in his first play at left tackle and would get called for another later in the game.  The loss of Gross marks the second key cog the Panthers have lost in as many weeks after losing Thomas Davis in New Orleans a week ago.

Sherrod Martin recorded his team-leading third interception of the year in just his third career start Sunday, setting up a Panthers’ touchdown late in the first half. 

Tyrell Sutton lined up for every Panthers’ kickoff return, however Atlanta’s Michael Koenen never gave him a chance to do anything with the ball, recording touchbacks each time he kicked off.  He also rendered the punt return game useless, as Captain Munnerlyn was unable to attempt a return on either of Koenen’s two punts.

The Panthers’ win, mixed in with a few other NFC losses, means that the playoff outlook for Carolina is starting to become a little less murky.  At 4-5, the Panthers are now just one game out of the final Wild Card spot.  If other top NFC contenders continue to falter while the Panthers continue to heat up, the outlook on the last month of the season could quickly turn from dull and gloomy to exciting and hopeful. 

Carolina seems to have found lightning in a bottle with the no-huddle offense and should stick with what works as they continue to try to make up for their poor play out of the gate.

Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives from an uplifting Panthers victory.

Going Up…

/\  Jake Delhomme  

Jake has always been confident and relaxed in the two-minute drill.  It’s now apparent that that confidence holds true when you extend the two-minute drill to the 60 minute drill.  Call me crazy, but at sometimes on Sunday, Jake looked a lot like a fellow in the midwest who wears number 18 and sports a horseshoe on the side of his helmet.

For three weeks in a row now, Delhomme has been mostly effective and turnover free, leading to a level of play that goes way beyond what we saw the beginning of the year.  The quarterback is the leader of every team and with Jake playing with a renewed sense of ability and confidence, the sky is the limit for Carolina.

/\  Muhsin Muhammed  

“Moose” made it known publicly earlier in the week that he would like the Panthers to become more agressive in the passing game, insisting that he and his fellow receivers, along with Jake, had the ability to turn their early production around.  He backed that statement up with an exclamation point on Sunday in his return from a knee injury that saw him miss two games, catching six passes for 91 yards to lead the team in both categories. 

/\  The Jake-to-Smitty Connection  

One of, if not the all-time fan favorite quarterback-to-receiver connection in Panthers history seems to be back in sync after a rocky-at-best start to the season.  Jake found Smith twice in the end zone on Sunday in Jake’s first multi-touchdown game of the year.  If this duo can get on the same page again and start producing the electrifying plays they have always been known for, this Panthers team could turn into a dark horse in December.

/\  Defense  

When the Panthers offense sputtered in the second half, the defense picked up the slack.  Although the Falcons were able to sustain drives on their first three possesions, they came away with only 10 points and were twice halted on long drives and forced to attempt field goals. Carolina also recorded two interceptions, both of which came on the first play of drives and both of which set up Panther touchdowns.

/\  Chris Gamble  

Gamble was a busy man on Sunday afternoon, recording 25 percent of his season tackles with eight.  He also stuffed Jason Snelling on the two-point conversion that would have tied the game, which almost makes up for a pass interference call he received in the second quarter on a fourth down play that would eventually allow the Falcons’ to score their first touchdown of the game.  After recording seven tackles during a four game stretch, Gamble has 14 in his last two games.

/\  Jonathan Stewart  

Stewie is back on the right side of The Elevator this week after his second two-touchdown performance in the last three weeks.  Including his 45-yard game winner. Stewart averaged over seven yards per carry on 11 attempts.  If you take that run away, he was still averaging almost four yards a clip. 

/\  DeAngelo Williams  

Another solid performance from the other half of double trouble as well, racking up just shy of 100 yards on 19 carries.  Williams has solidified himself as one of the top backs in the league in the last few weeks, returning to the form that produced his breakout season in 2008.  DeAngelo is currently tied for fourth in rushing yards in the NFL and ranks fifth in touchdowns.

/\  Sherrod Martin  

The rookie has three starts and three picks, need I say more?  Martin has brought a nose for the ball to the free safety position that Charles Godfrey just didn’t seem to have and may retain the starting job when Godfrey is healthy if he continues to play at a high level. 

/\  Coaching  

The coaching staff came up with another excellent game plan to expose the opponent’s weakness, in this case the Falcons pass defense.  They may have stumbled upon something in the no-huddle offense and should look to incorporate that scheme into future gameplans, especially against formidable defenses like the Patriots and the Jets.

Going Down…

\/  Injury bug  

The Panthers are catching fire at the right time, but it will be hard to maintain the flame if they lose too many more key pieces to injury.  After losing two potential Pro Bowlers in consecutive weeks, it is imperative that the remaining starters stay healthy.

\/  Special Teams  

Another woeful day for special teams was kept out of the limelight by Jason Baker’s potentially game-saving tackle of Eric Weems on a punt return late in the game.  The Panthers allowed another field goal to be blocked and also allowed another punt to be down inside the five when the returner could have made the fair catch outside of the 10.  With the Panthers entering do-or-die territory down the stretch, special teams can not be the weak link that leads to a game changing play.

\/  Putting games away  

Aside from the Arizona game, the Panthers have had to hold their breath until the end of every victory they have recorded this season.  A late bootleg from Delhomme, let them exhale against Washington, a late touchdown in Tampa did the same and now the clinching 45-yard Stewart dash has done the trick against Atlanta.  To re-enter the playoff conversation on a serious level, the Panthers need to take it to someone and be able to enjoy a victory in the fourth quarter rather than scramble to save it. 

The Panthers are being outscored 49-14 in the second halves of games in the month of November.  Opponents are making adjustments at half time, but it doesn’t seem like the Panthers are doing too much of that.

\/  Travelle Wharton  

I don’t want to make too much of a big deal about Wharton’s mistakes seeing as how he was moved out to tackle in an emergency situation after not practicing at that spot for some time.  However, with Jordan Gross gone for the year, Wharton will be the big man in charge of Delhomme’s blind side.  Wharton was whistled for a holding call on the first play from scrimmage after Gross went out and racked up another before the game was over. 

For all intents and purposes, that’s two holding calls in one half, meaning he’d average four per game.  There’s no way the Panthers can absorb that and continue their improved offensive play.  Wharton will need to have a good, albeit short, week of practice and get accustomed to the tackle spot again inside a small window of time.

Up Next…

The Panthers will have a short week this week, playing Thursday night on NFL Network against the Miami Dolphins who will visit Charlotte in the regular season for the first time since 1998.  The game is huge for both teams, as both are resting at 4-5 and looking to make a push towards the playoffs. 

The Panthers will be looking to contain the Wildcat that has brought the Dolphins to prominence in the last couple of years.  Former Carolina offensive coordinator Dan Henning is the wizard behind the curtain for the Dolphins and Henning will face his former team in the regular season for the first time since leaving after the 2006 season.  

The Panthers have never beaten the Dolphins in the regular season, one of only two teams that hold that distinction (Houston is the other).

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Carolina Panthers Second Quarter Awards

The Carolina Panthers have not had the type of season they planned on having after going 12-4 and winning the NFC South Division title last year.

Through the first half of the season, the Panthers sit at 3-5, already having eclipsed their loss total from 2008.

The second quarter saw improved play from the Panthers, especially on defense and in the running game. The Panthers were ranked first in pass defense for much of the quarter until Drew Brees and the Saints uprooted them with 330 yards passing.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart benefited from improved offensive line play in the second quarter and recorded two of the franchise’s top three rushing performances during that span.

Despite all of that, the Panthers still wound up with a 2-2 record in the second quarter and now find themselves staring straight uphill at the second half of the season and a potential playoff berth.

Let’s take a look at the award winners from the second quarter.

Begin Slideshow

The Elevator: Panthers Lose Game, LB Davis in New Orleans

The Carolina Panthers aren’t nearly the team they were for the first three weeks of the 2009 season.  They are far removed from the dreadful 0-3 start and the horrible play calling that doomed them to it.

With that being said, the Panthers are also a long way from being the team that went 12-4 and captured the NFC South title last season. 

The Panthers traveled to New Orleans this weekend to take on one of the NFL’s only two remaining undefeated teams in the Saints, a division rival they have had great success against recently—especially in the Superdome.  After racing to a lead that still sat at 17-6 heading into halftime, the Panthers succumbed to their nemesis that had been absent the last few weeks:  turnovers.  The Panthers fumbled five times Sunday, losing three of them.  The only difference was that this time, the turnovers came from unusual suspects.

DeAngelo Williams had a great day rushing the ball, and a great game overall…if you can look past his two critical errors.  Williams picked up 149 yards on 21 carries while scoring two touchdowns.  His first score came on the second play of the game as Williams raced 66 yards for the score, silencing the rowdy home crowd.  He would score again in the first quarter, this time from seven yards out to make it 14-0 in favor of the Panthers.  As a whole, Williams would pick up just over seven yards per carry on the day, and if you subtract the long touchdown run, he still averaged over four yards per carry.  Pretty impressive, right?

Right.  Now comes the cloud cover.  The Panthers had embarked on an epic drive to answer the Saints’ four-play, eighty-yard drive to start the third quarter.  A botched first down exchange near the goal line between quarterback Jake Delhomme and Jonathan Stewart resulted in a six-yard loss for Carolina, who would eventually find themselves facing third-and-goal from the six.  Delhomme dropped back to pass and, after going through all of his reads, checked down to Williams who had come free just inside the endzone.  Delhomme fired a pass to Williams, but the pass bounced off his chest, falling incomplete and forcing the Panthers to settle for three points instead of a touchdown.  That play turned out to be huge, as it would allow New Orleans to stay within one score at 20-13.

Fast forward to the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.  The Saints are ahead by a field goal and the Panthers have just forced a three-and-out to get the ball back with two minutes to go.  Captain Munnerlyn makes an iffy call to let the ball bounce at around the 13-yard line rather than fielding a fair catch, allowing Saints’ rookie Malcom Jenkins to save the ball from going into the endzone and force Carolina to start from the shadow of their own goal posts.

With their backs against the wall, the Panthers choose to hand the ball off to Williams to get some breathing room.  That’s when disaster strikes.  Williams was virtually stuffed at the line of scrimmage and the flailing arm of the Saints’ Anthony Hargrove jarred the ball loose from his grip then scooped it up and took a step into the endzone to put New Orleans up by ten and all but seal the game.

The lost fumble was Williams’ third of the season after going more than 500 carries without one, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.  Stewart also lost a fumble on the day and had one of the more disappointing outings of his short career, gaining just 24 yards on 13 carries. 

Delhomme did not throw an interception for the second consecutive week, but did not have a touchdown pass either.  He was charged with the other lost fumble on the day for Carolina, but it will go down as a meaningless stat since it was fourth down and he fumbled the ball while being sacked, meaning the Saints would have received the ball at that spot anyways.  Delhomme completed 17 of 30 passes for 201 yards.

His counterpart, Drew Brees, was more deadly as he completed 24 of 35 for 330 yards, one touchdown and an interception to Chris Gamble that halted an early Saints drive that seemed destined for at least three points. 

It was a tale of two halves for Brees and the Panthers’ defense.  After allowing only six points on two John Carney field goals in the first half, Carolina’s ability to keep the Saints’ receivers in check faltered.  Brees found Devery Henderson on the third play of the third quarter, on a third down nonetheless, for a 63-yard gain, setting up Pierre Thomas’ 10-yard touchdown run on the next play.  After the Panthers’ long drive that ended with just three points, the Saints tied it up with another long third down play, this time a 54-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Robert Meachem.

From that point, the Saints played like the undefeated team they were and still are, coming up with an answer to everything the Panthers tried to throw at them while turning in a performance that could be considered a textbook example of a “bend-but-don’t-break defense.”  Twice in the fourth quarter the Panthers were forced to give the ball back to the Saints after crossing midfield.

After the fumble recovery for a touchdown with just under two minutes to go, the Panthers got the ball back and marched down the field, with Delhomme at one point completing four straight passes, including two in a row to Dwayne Jarrett.  The Panthers moved all the way to the Saints’ eight yard line then elected to run the ball with 41 seconds remaining and no timeouts.  Williams reached the two and the Panthers spiked the ball with 26 seconds remaining.  Delhomme’s next two passes fell incomplete, however, and the Panthers turned the ball over to New Orleans on downs, allowing Brees to take a knee and celebrate the Saints’ first 8-0 start in franchise history.

Another bit of bad news for the Panthers was Thomas Davis’ knee injury.  It didn’t look good when he was lying on the ground clutching the injured limb, it didn’t look good when he looked visibly shaken after the game and declined to talk to reporters, and it didn’t look good Monday when an MRI revealed that he had torn his ACL, meaning Carolina will be without their most productive defensive player for the rest of the season.  Landon Johnson replaced him Sunday and will likely replace him in the starting lineup.

For all intents and purposes, the Panthers should be somewhat satisfied with a performance that gave the best team in the NFC a bonafide run for it’s money.  The game was closer than the ten-point separation that showed on the Superdome scoreboard at its conclusion, and the Panthers showed that their number one pass defense could turn in a decent performance against one of the more explosive quarterbacks in the league.  On the other hand, the loss goes down as the fifth of the year for Carolina, already more than they had all of last season.  With the wild card teams currently resting at 5-3, the Panthers find themselves in an unfavorable position as they prepare to enter a less-than-friendly second half schedule that includes two trips to the Meadowlands, one to Foxboro, and primetime matchups against the gritty Dolphins and the Vikings.  That’s not to mention the return legs of the Falcons’ and Saints’ season series.

Nothing is impossible in this league, as has been evidenced several times before, but the view of the postseason is becoming foggier each week for the Panthers.  Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives from Sunday’s tough loss.

Going Up…

/\  Tyrell Sutton.  The mystery of who would start at fullback for the Panthers was answered on the first play of the game, as Sutton tallied a slew of firsts.  He was active for his first career NFL game, made his first NFL start, got his first NFL carry and picked up his first nine NFL yards all on the first play of the game.  Sutton filled in nicely at fullback for the Panthers, blocking the way for DeAngelo to amass 149 yards on the ground while running for 15 yards on three carries and catching a pass for eleven more.  The rookie out of Northwestern didn’t look much like a guy playing in his first NFL game, and with the way the return game is going, I’d be okay with letting him return some kicks once one or both of our fullbacks are back healthy.

/\  Jon Beason.  Beason led the Panthers will 11 solo tackles on Sunday, and also had a fumble recovery and a pass deflection.  With Thomas Davis now out for the year, Beason will have to step up to an even higher level to keep the Carolina linebacking corps as one of the best in the game.  Based on what we’ve seen from him so far in his career, he will have no problem taking on the challenge. 

/\  Offensive line.  Jake was sacked only twice and seemed to have ample time to throw the ball for most of the day.  DeAngelo tallied another big running day and, for the second straight week, a 65+ yard run.  The line looked a little shaky at the beginning of the season, but is starting to return to form from last year.

/\  Gary Barnidge.  Next time you get a chance, check out Gary’s hands.  They are absolutely huge, which helped him reel in two very tough catches on Sunday.  He finished with three receptions for 46 yards, and will fit in nicely for this team for years to come.

/\  Jake Delhomme.  For the second week in a row, Jake played mistake free football.  As I said above, he will be charged with a lost fumble on one of his two sacks but it wouldn’t have made any difference whether he held onto the ball or not since it was a fourth down play.  Delhomme seemed to go through his reads with more patience and wasn’t afraid to throw check downs when he needed to.  His deep ball has apparently lost most of its touch, however.  Sunday was the first time all season that the Saints had not recorded an interception.

/\  Dwayne Jarrett.  Dwayne set a career high for receptions with four, and gained 30 yards Sunday.  He was also a target on two straight plays in the Panthers’ last minute desperation attempt at a comeback.  On top of all that, Jarrett turned in a solid blocking performance and even broke a tackle to gain a couple of extra yards.  He still has lots of room for improvement, especially with being able to out-muscle defensive backs who are much smaller than him.  He’s got a Randy Moss-style body and showed great hands in college, his game just needs to hurry up and translate to the pros before its too late.

/\  DeAngelo Williams.  For the majority of the game Sunday, Williams was a monster.  He finished with 149 yards and two touchdowns, including a 66-yard scamper on the second play of the game.  While that is all well and good…

Going Down…

\/  DeAngelo Williams.  …he was also the culprit on two plays that directly affected the outcome of the game.  He dropped a third-and-goal pass on the goal line that would have put the Panthers up by 11 instead of seven, and fumbled the ball on his own one yard line on the first play of the Panthers’ final attempt at a comeback late in the fourth quarter.  From hero to zero in the blink of an eye…

\/  Jonathan Stewart.  J-Stew was unusually ineffective Sunday, averaging less than two yards per carry in his 13 attempts.  He had a ten yard carry in the mix, meaning that in his other 12 attempts he gained just 14 yards.  To make matters worse, Stewart also lost a fumble, another uncharacteristic move for the second-year back. 

\/  Julius Peppers.  As good as he is when he’s on, he’s as bad when he’s not.  When you’re making $1 million per game, you had better play like it or you are going to be the target of a lot of criticism.  Just goes to show you how quick good can be erased when you open up a can of worms like Julius did in the offseason.  That’s two games now where you’d think he’d be playing lights out—in Dallas in front of the world on Monday Night Football, and in New Orleans against the best team in the NFC—but he’s ended up disappearing.  Peppers finished with one tackle and one quarterback pressure after having six sacks in the last month.  How many owners, GM’s, coaches, and fans are going to be happy paying $1 million per tackle?  I can count them on one hand and have five fingers left over…

\/  Turnovers.  One way or the other, the turnovers just seem to be the elephant in the room for this team this year.  We seem to have gotten our quarterback to understand what color jerseys we are wearing, but now our usually rock-solid running backs have gotten a case of fumbilitis.  You can’t win games in the NFL when you turn the ball over three times, and you certainly can’t expect to beat a team like the Saints while doing it.

\/  Kick/Punt Returning.  Whether it’s Kenny Moore, Captain Munnerlyn, or Mike Goodson, somebody is going to have to eventually step up and do something when it comes to returning the ball.  Every now and then it sure would be nice to be able to start from somewhere outside of our own 20-25 yard line.  I’m not asking for a Devin Hester, I’d just like to have even a Mark Jones back.  Somebody who at least poses a slight threat.  Munnerlyn was scared to try to haul in the fair catch at the Panthers 13-yard line late in Sunday’s game, allowing the Saints to down the ball at the two yard line, which led to the DW disaster.  It seems like the confidence level for these guys is awfully low, and that’s probably because we don’t have ‘A’ kick returner.  One time its Captain, then its Kenny, then its Mike…Name one guy the kick and punt returner and let him get all the reps.  Or why not let Sutton get a couple of opportunities doing it?  Can’t get any worse…

\/  Blown lead.  This one applies to just about everyone who had something to do with Sunday’s game.  Yes, the Saints are a highly explosive team that can put up points in a hurry, but it just doesn’t bode well when you find yourself closing out a game that you led 17-3 at one point in a ten-point hole at 30-20.  That means the Saints outscored the Panthers 27-3 from that point on, including 24-3 in the second half.  That’s the type of loss that demoralizes a team.

Up Next…

The Panthers will return to Charlotte for a pair of home games, their last two-game stretch at Bank of America Stadium all year.  The Atlanta Falcons will be in town next Sunday for a 1:00PM EST kickoff.  That game will go a long way towards straightening out the picture in the NFC South.  If the Panthers were to win that game and the Saints, who already hold a three game lead and the tiebreaker against the Falcons, beat the lowly Rams, New Orleans would hold a four-game lead in the division with seven to play.  The way the Saints have played thus far in 2009, that should be more than enough to bring them a division title. 

Michael Turner will come to Charlotte fresh off of back to back monster weeks running the football; a tall order for a Panthers defense who has been suspect against the run throughout the season. 

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Saints-Panthers: New Orleans Could Be In Double Trouble

The Carolina Panthers seem to have re-established their identity as a run-heavy team.  Twice in the last three weeks, the Panthers have eclipsed the 265-yard mark on the ground, racking up 267 in Tampa Bay and 270 last week in Arizona. 

Sandwiched in the middle of those great performances is a game that can be summed up with a single character: ?

The Panthers threw the ball 44 times at home against the league’s worst rush defense and wound up losing painfully to the Bills, 20-9.  After that game, it was unclear whether Jake Delhomme would remain the team’s starting quarterback, or if this squad had anything left in the tank for the once-promising 2009 season.

After the performance that was put on in Arizona, the question of whether or not this team has the ability to make something of this season has been answered.  Carolina played just like the 2008 team that was supposed to carry them to a Super Bowl before being crashed and burned by the Cardinals.  Delhomme wasn’t forced to make a lot of throws, but made the ones that counted when he needed to.  He spent most of the afternoon turning around and handing the ball to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who carried the Panthers to their third win of the season.

The dynamic duo of Williams and Stewart, known as Double Trouble, is among the top running back combinations in the league.  Williams is sixth in the league in rushing yardage with 619 yards, while Stewart is averaging just under five yards a carry in a not-so-backup role.  The Panthers have moved past the easiest part of their schedule and will play a second consecutive road game Sunday against one of the last two remaining undefeated teams, the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints and Panthers have been division rivals since the re-alignment in 2002 that created the NFC South.  There have been several memorable games between them and this Sunday’s game has the potential to rank among the best, given the statistical fodder in play. 

Drew Brees and the Saints are known league-wide for their explosive passing game, with Brees toting a quarterback rating of 107.6 and having thrown for a league-high 16 touchdowns.  New Orleans has also picked up some of the slack on defense, which was the only phase of the game holding them back from being a playoff team a year ago.  The one area of the defense still slacking is the run defense.

The Panthers’ rushing attack seems to be back in the forefront of the coaches’ gameplan, while their passing defense is ranked number one in the league.

That equation could potentially set the stage for a thrilling strength vs. strength matchup.  No defense in the league, regardless of ranking, can go into a game against New Orleans expecting to hold Brees in check for an entire game.  The key is to figure out how to counter attack them when you have the ball, rest your defense, and take care of the ball so as not to give that well-oiled machine a short field.

What better prescription than a heavy dose of the running game?

The Saints, seemingly unstoppable for the first few weeks of the season, have shown weakness in the last couple of games and have made it known that they are, indeed, beatable.

In the last two weeks, the Dolphins and the Falcons have had enormous success running the ball.  The Dolphins came closer to beating the Saints than any other team has this year, forcing a late rally by Brees and company that kept their undefeated record in tact.

Ronnie Brown carried the ball 16 times for only 48 yards and one touchdown, but Ricky Williams ran nine times for 80 yards and three touchdowns.  All together, the Dolphins racked up 137 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries, good for a little over four-and-a-half yards per carry.

The Falcons followed that performance with more of a one-man battering ram approach, with Michael Turner racking up 151 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.  That is over seven-and-a-half yards per touch, and in total the Falcons averaged just under seven yards a carry as a team on 24 attempts.

With numbers like that, it’s hard to think that Double Trouble won’t cause a problem for the Saints defense on Sunday. 

Cardinals defenders said after the Panthers victory that they “knew what was coming, and still couldn’t stop it.”  This means that Carolina’s offensive line, touted as one of the best last year and having returned all five starters, is back in top form. 

The Panthers will likely run the ball 40-plus times again for the third time in the last four games, meaning the Saints’ defense will have to be ready for a long, physically draining game.  Both backup defensive tackles, Sedrick Ellis and Kendrick Clancy, have missed practice time this week due to injuries, which could mean increased reps for the starters, leading to additional fatigue. 

The Saints aren’t the only ones with injury problems, as the Panthers are missing both of their fullbacks this week in practice.  Dante Rosario, a second-string tight end, could fill in at the fullback role, but he, too, has missed the practice week so far.  That leaves the Panthers with limited options and could force them to sign a fullback to blaze the trail for Double Trouble this week.  The only other course of action could be placing Jeff King at fullback, or perhaps going with formations that put Williams and Stewart in the game at the same time.

Look for the Panthers to continue to split the carries between Williams and Stewart similarly to the way they always have.  Williams will start the game and have at least a handful more carries than Stewart, while Stewart will be in on most short yardage and goal line situations. 

If the Panthers can continue to expose the Saints’ rushing defense and can live up to their ranking of number one pass defense, then the result Sunday in New Orleans could be much different than you may have thought a couple of weeks ago. 

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The Elevator: Panthers Avenge Playoff Loss, Run over Cardinals

The Carolina Panthers, for a day at least, looked like the Carolina Panthers of old. 

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined to chew up 245 yards on the ground and the Panthers rushed for a total of 270 yards, good for second-best in franchise history.

The Panthers’ defense was everywhere on Sunday, proving to be equally as involved in the impressive 34-21 win as the offense.

There are some wildly ironic numbers that can be found on the stat sheet from Sunday’s game.  Kurt Warner, Jake Delhomme’s close friend and mentor from their NFL Europe days, turned in a performance that was nearly identical to Delhomme’s in last year’s playoff loss to the Cardinals.  Warner completed 27 of 46 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

It starts to get weird when you look at what led to the outcome of the game.  Warner committed six turnovers overall—five interceptions and a lost fumble.  Delhomme also posted five interceptions and a lost fumble in the playoff loss.  What makes it more ironic is that Warner contacted Delhomme earlier in the week to offer his support and to urge his friend to keep his head up despite all of the negative press and the possibility of him losing his starting job. 

On Sunday, Delhomme redefined the phrase “game manager,” with his ultra-conservative yet ultra-effective approach.  Delhomme completed 7-of-14 passes for 90 yards and a 50-yard touchdown to Steve Smith, his first touchdown pass to a wide receiver this year. 

Although he only completed half of his passes, Delhomme’s throws looked much more accurate at most times than they have in the last several games.  He didn’t force the ball and he didn’t make bad decisions when pressured.  The touchdown to Smith was a classic Jake-to-Smitty connection, with Smith completely toasting Dominique Rogers-Cromartie on a stop-and-go route that was accompanied by a timely Delhomme pump fake.  All in all, Delhomme did what he does best—turn around and hand the ball off to Double Trouble while making enough throws to keep the defense at least somewhat honest.

Delhomme would leave the game with a chest injury in the third quarter after taking a hard hit from the Cardinals’ Darnell Dockett.  He returned for one series after the initial injury, but upon returning to the sideline Delhomme said that he was feeling “chilled,” raising the concerns of the Panthers’ training staff.  He was taken to a local hospital for a chest x-ray which showed only a contusion.  He said after the game it was “nothing serious.”  Matt Moore, who Panthers fans have been calling for to start, finished 0-for-1 but wasn’t really needed.

Speaking of Double Trouble, the Panthers’ dynamic duo destroyed the Cardinals’ league-best rush defense on Sunday.  Williams carried the ball 23 times for 158 yards, including a 77-yard scamper that would set up Stewart’s second touchdown of the day, which put the Panthers up for good at 14-7 on the first play of the second quarter.  Stewart finished the day with 87 yards on 17 carries. 

The Cardinals set out to force Delhomme to throw the ball, but were unsuccessful to say the least.  Williams and Stewart methodically pounded the ball through the Cardinals’ defense, running inside and outside all afternoon.  Cardinals’ nose tackle Bryan Robinson put it best when he said “We knew what they were going to do and we couldn’t stop it.”

Carolina set the tone for the game after receiving the opening kickoff.  The Panthers set out on a 15-play, 74 yard drive that used up 7:32 of game clock, running nine times and throwing six.  The drive was reminiscent of last year’s playoff game, where the Panthers marched down the field and scored to open the game before falling apart at the seams, only the outcome was much different.

The Panthers’ defense also appeared to be clicking on all cylinders, with the league’s number one pass defense hawking the ball all day long and proving that their ranking wasn’t simply due to a string of below-average quarterbacks on the schedule.  The five interceptions more than doubled their season total of three, with three of the day’s picks coming from unusual suspects. 

Rookie Sherrod Martin, a third-round pick out of Troy, made his first career start for the injured Charles Godfrey at free safety and notched two picks.  Martin was impressive all day long, knocking down two passes and recording four tackles to go along with the interceptions.  Thomas Davis and Richard Marshall took credit for one interception each.

Julius Peppers continued his outstanding play of late, dabbling in nearly every stat category.  Peppers finished with two tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and and interception return for a touchdown.  The touchdown came on the Cardinals’ first play from scrimmage following the Smith touchdown reception and extended the Panthers’ lead to 28-7. 

The Cardinals would make the game interesting, coming within 10 points, but two fourth quarter John Kasay field goals would keep Arizona from having any real shot at a comeback.

Let’s take a look at how the Panthers’ fared in what was by far their most impressive outing of the season.

Going Up

/\  Play calling—The Panthers used their tried and true formula for success, running the ball twice as much as they threw it while playing outstanding defense.  A week after throwing 44 passes against the league’s worst rush defense, the Panthers’ coaching staff woke up and stuck with what works, a sign that maybe all is not lost after all.

/\  Jake Delhomme—Jake has been through a lot of negative situations so far this year, so a performance like Sunday’s was a welcome sight for Panthers players, fans, and coaches alike.  Delhomme wasn’t outstanding, but he was efficient and mistake-free, which is all they need from him when the running game is working like it was in Arizona.  The biggest improvement in my eyes was his patience and diligence in finding the open receiver as opposed to forcing the ball to Smith or trying to thread the needle to someone who isn’t open.  Delhomme has always been sort of a streaky player, and perhaps exercising the demons from his gut-wrenching playoff performance will get his confidence headed back in the right direction.

/\  Julius Peppers—Since the Panthers’ bye week, Pep has been on an absolute tear.  In four games since the off-week, Pep has six sacks.  His performance on Sunday will, for the most part, stay out of the stat sheet.  On nearly every play, Peppers was blowing up his opposing blocker and finding a way to at least make Warner think about him before making a play.  His interception return for touchdown was the second of his career, and helped the Panthers put the Cardinals away early.  Peppers is merely a shell of his old self these days, having stepped up and given a speech to his teammates about effort and intensity before the Tampa Bay game.  It’s too early to get into this conversation now, but you have to wonder, if Peppers continues to experience success like he has in recent weeks and enjoys himself while he’s doing it, whether he will end up signing that elusive long-term deal with Carolina.

/\  Double Trouble—D-Will and J-Stew steamrolled the Cardinals and their top-ranked rush defense for 245 yards between the two of them, putting on a performance that brought back memories of last year’s late-season win against Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football that flushed the Bucs’ season down the drain.  The Panthers are built to be a running team and these guys are two good reasons why.  If the Panthers can use their game plan from this game as a launching pad for the rest of the season, the gauntlet that is the Panthers’ remaining schedule will become much more manageable.

/\  Sherrod Martin—How’s that for a rookie debut?  In his first start as a Panther, Martin snatched two interceptions, deflected two passes, and made four solo tackles.  While it is only one game, he could challenge Charles Godfrey for his starting spot when he is healthy.  Godfrey has been decent, but not overwhelming since taking over for Panthers legend Mike Minter at free safety at the start of last season.  Martin’s nose for the ball in college impressed the Panthers, who figured a guy like that might boost their turnover production on defense.  They are batting a thousand so far. 

/\  Captain Munnerlyn—Speaking of rookies, Munnerlyn recorded seven solo tackles from his nickel back spot on Sunday, second on the team behind Jon Beason’s eight.

/\  Dwayne Jarrett—For one play, we saw a glimpse of how valuable Jarrett could be if he could grasp the pace and complexities of the NFL.  On the Panthers’ second third-down attempt of their first drive, Delhomme found Jarrett on a post pattern for a 17-yard gain and a first down.  The catch wasn’t an easy one, but Jarrett used his monstrous hands to reel the ball in while falling to the ground.  He would wind up catching both balls thrown his way on the day for 22 yards.  Nothing to write home about unless…you’re Dwayne Jarrett.

Going Down

\/  Jeff Otah—Otah was responsible for two false start penalties Sunday.  On a day where not too much went wrong, that’ll send you to the south side of The Elevator.

\/  Chris Gamble—Gamble was the one who was touted all week to be covering the Cardinals’ explosive Larry Fitzgerald, even saying himself that he wanted to take on the challenge.  Fitzgerald finished the day with six catches for 66 yards.  Gamble finished the day with no tackles, one pass deflection, and a pass interference penalty.  Credit him with knocking the ball loose from Jerheme Urban on Martin’s second interception, but you still have to pose the question:  Is it too late to re-think his ridiculous extension?

\/  Return game—Something is not going right when you can’t average 20 yards on a kick return.  Something is going seriously wrong when you aren’t averaging 20 yards per kick return, yet the returner nearly runs over his lead blocker trying to get out of the endzone from four yards deep when the blocker is telling him to stay in there (cough, Mike Goodson, cough).  It didn’t burn them on Sunday, but the Panthers have to start producing on special teams, especially the return game, to ease the workload on the offense as the season grinds on.

Up Next

The Panthers won’t have any time to celebrate Sunday’s performance, as they will head to New Orleans for a big NFC South matchup next weekend.  The Saints play the Falcons on Monday Night Football this week, meaning one of those teams will be one heavier in the loss column which only helps the Panthers.  Carolina and their number one ranked pass defense will have another big test against Drew Brees and company. 

The bottom line for the Panthers is that their win Sunday is just one of many they will need to record before the season comes to a close if they want to find themselves in the playoff picture. 

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Carolina Panthers Sticking With Delhomme…For Now

The Carolina Panthers are sticking with Jake Delhomme—at least through Sunday.

Head coach John Fox said after practice Wednesday that Delhomme would be under center Sunday in Arizona, putting to rest any ideas that backups Matt Moore and A.J. Feeley might have a chance at grabbing the starting role.

Fox said that, in his eyes, Delhomme still gives the Panthers the “best chance to win.” A city full of fans and a growing number of NFL analysts beg to differ, but that doesn’t matter.  

Delhomme leads the league with 13 interceptions through seven weeks (six games) and has shown a tendency to overthrow his receivers all year. No Panthers wide receiver has caught a touchdown pass this season, and Delhomme only has four to his credit—all to tight ends.

Calls for Delhomme to hit the bench have been coming in by the truckload this week since his three-interception performance at home Sunday in a loss to Buffalo.

Delhomme now faces the team where his epic downfall started—the Arizona Cardinals.  In January, when the Cardinals came to Charlotte for a highly-anticipated playoff matchup, Delhomme brought the Panthers’ hopes for a Super Bowl return crashing down on the heads of those in attendance and watching at home, tossing five interceptions and losing a fumble in an embarrassing 33-13 loss.

Since that dreadful night, the Panthers have been in what seems to be a daze of sorts, as they have lost eight of their past 10 games since (including preseason). Delhomme has not righted the ship, and continues to put up shocking numbers in the turnover department.  

The usually confident and charismatic Delhomme was reduced to a shell of himself Sunday at the post game news conference, fighting back tears as he tried to explain what went wrong. After learning he would be starting in Arizona, Delhomme sounded almost less than enthused. 

He said that he would have understood if he was benched—”How could I blame him?” were his exact words—but went on to say he was still looking for redemption. “…I was hoping it would be me. I’m going down swinging. I don’t know any other way to put it,” said Delhomme, his confidence visibly shaken, “Would I sit here and tell you it’s through the roof? I mean, that would be a lie. I still do have a lot of confidence, but it’s frustrating. A couple plays a game are just not … And that’s something you work on, that ‘forget it’ mentality.” 

Let’s home Delhomme can “forget it” quicker than Panthers fans and turn his play around.

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Dante Wesley Is a Victim of Bad Timing…On His AND Clifton Smith’s Part

The Carolina Panthers learned Monday that special teams ace Dante Wesley will miss one game for the bone-crushing blow he delivered to Buccaneers’ Pro Bowl return man Clifton Smith. 

The play has been a large topic of conversation on blog sites and at water coolers across the country today and rightfully so. 

The hit was late.  The hit was brutal.  The hit certainly warranted the 15-yard penalty it brought about.

But the ejection and the suspension?  Not so much.  Hear me out.

Watching the play live was shocking.  I could not believe that Wesley had laid into Smith with that type of tenacity and ferocity before the ball got there.  After viewing the replay, though, I felt a little different about it. 

No, I don’t think the play should be deemed as ‘acceptable,’ but Smith could certainly have done a lot more to protect himself than he did.

Wesley made a good play to beat his blockers and to be the first man down the field providing coverage.  Panthers’ punter Jason Baker did a good job of getting enough hang time to allow the coverage to get down the field before Smith and his dangerous skill set had a chance to reel of a return. 

Wesley’s position on the play is known as the “gunner.”  The sole job of the gunner is to get down the field and either force a fair catch by the returner or deliver a hit as soon as he catches the ball to prevent a return and possibly force a turnover.  When a returner signals for a fair catch, you pull up and either A) run past him if you’re coming too fast or, B) slow down enough to hang around the spot of the catch in the event of a muff.

Smith’s job as a returner is to either fair catch the ball, catch and return the ball, or get as far away from the ball as possible and let it go.  Being a returner in the NFL is one of the most dangerous jobs in the sport of football.  You are putting your body on the line with no protection outside of a couple of blockers and your sense of location and timing.  You are the epitome of “hung out to dry.”  So, the first thing you are taught when learning how to return kicks is to always protect yourself first and foremost.  You are always taught to fair catch the ball if there is imminent danger of being crushed by a defender.  This is the key ‘rule’ that Smith broke on the play.

In all reality, as malicious as it looked, Wesley only beat the ball by about a half-second or so.  Yes, that is a long time in football, but it is not long at all on a play that has to be as perfectly-timed as a punt.  Had Wesley been a half second or even a full second later on the play, he still would have demolished Clifton Smith and Smith would still likely have a concussion. Wesley was relatively untouched and was coming down the field on a full head of steam.  As a gunner, he is looking for two things:  a fair catch signal or a motion or movement that indicates the returner is in the process of catching the ball.

Smith had to step up to attempt to make the catch.  He took a few steps and stopped just before Wesley lit into him, indicating that he had reached the point on the field where the ball would land, which in turn indicates that he was preparing to make the catch.

Smith showed next to no awareness on the play because he HAD to see Dante Wesley coming at him with the speed at which he was.  He HAD to see that his blockers were beat.  He HAD to see that he had absolutely no time to return the ball, regardless of whether or not Wesley timed his hit correctly.

There was nowhere near enough time between the time that Wesley made contact with Smith and the time the ball hit the ground for Smith to have called a fair catch, which should have been his only option on the play.  The Bucs called the timeout and made the Panthers kick the ball to have a shot at a return, but this was not a shot at a return.  It seemed like Smith was going to catch the ball at all costs and try to make something of the return, but he made himself a sitting duck.

As Wesley said after the game in his apology, it was simply bad timing.  Wesley was definitely early on the play, no doubt about it.  There’s the penalty.  But Smith was very late on the play in deciding what he wanted to do, and ended up making a poor decision in the end by never even attempting a fair catch.  If he gets an arm up there, Wesley is every bit the “bad guy” he is being made out to be.  No matter how fast you are coming down the field, you are taught to be keyed in on the returner and a fair catch signal is the equivalent of a pilot being forced to hit the eject button.

To make this clear once again, I completely agree with the general consensus that the hit was brutal.  I agree with the penalty he received and if you want to get really specific, I agree with the ejection to the degree that putting Wesley back on the field after that play and the melee that broke out after it would be putting him directly into harm’s way, which you simply cannot do. 

The suspension is just the latest of a rash of over-reactions by the league to aggressive defensive plays.  Wesley’s hit was only a poorly timed attempt by a special teams standout to make a big play to inspire his team in a season where there hasn’t been much fodder for inspiration.  Had Smith not been diagnosed with a concussion when brain injuries and trauma have been in the news recently, I don’t think Wesley receives anything more than a monetary fine.

Dante Wesley is not a dirty player nor should he be following this incident.  The fault on the play should be split directly in half between Wesley and Smith.  Smith would have gone nowhere fast if he had caught the ball, and Wesley delivered a crushing but legal blow with the intent of causing Smith to mishandle the punt.

The Panthers will miss Wesley, who is 10th in team history with 46 special teams tackles, on the field Sunday with the likes of Roscoe Parrish and company coming to town.

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The Elevator: Double Trouble Makes a Comeback, Panthers Beat Bucs

The Carolina Panthers knew heading into Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers that if their running game was ever going to break out, it would happen in Tampa Bay.

The Panthers’ wish came true as DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 28-21 victory.

Jonathan Stewart said via Twitter after the game that “Double Trouble is back,” and it appears as though he may be on to something.  The dynamic duo will have another weak run defense to dissect next week when Buffalo comes to town. 

The Panthers have won two straight after starting off the season 0-3.  The two victories have come against tumultuous teams, but are victories nonetheless.  There are still several areas that need addressing before the schedule turns sour in November.

Special teams again failed the Panthers, allowing a blocked field goal attempt and a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Jake Delhomme returned to his shaky ways, completing nine of 17 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown to accompany two interceptions.  His second interception was returned by Tampa Bay’s Tanard Jackson for a 26-yard touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

Further compounding the problems in the passing game, Steve Smith had one catch for four yards.  Smith was double-teamed most of the day, and the other receivers looked lost in trying to get him free.  When Smith was able to get open downfield, long throws by Delhomme sailed yards over his head.

The Panthers’ defense, much maligned during the three-game losing streak that opened the season, has shown great improvement in the last two weeks.  The defense held the Bucs to seven points, notched four sacks, and picked off a pass. 

The game turned chippy just before halftime, when Panthers’ special teams ace Dante Wesley delivered a crushing blow to the Bucs’ Pro Bowl return-man Clifton Smith on a punt.  The problem was, Wesley beat the ball to the spot and the hit was obviously very early.  Pushing and shoving commenced as Smith lay motionless on the ground, and Wesley was eventually ejected from the game following the officials’ discussion regarding the play.

The Panthers scored 21 consecutive points from the second quarter through most of the third.  Touchdown runs from Williams and Stewart sandwiched Delhomme’s one-yard touchdown pass to Jeff King that was set up by Thomas Davis’ interception on the Bucs’ first play of the second half. 

The Bucs would not go quietly, however, and returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown before intercepting Delhomme on the Panthers’ ensuing drive.  The Bucs would be forced to punt, but would return another Delhomme interception for a 26-yard touchdown on the following drive.

The Panthers then put the game squarely on the shoulders of Double Trouble, embarking on a drive that lasted just over eight minutes and covered 80 yards.  On that drive, the Panthers called runs on 15 of 16 plays with Williams and Stewart carrying eight and seven times respectively.  Delhomme threw one pass, a four-yard completion to Steve Smith that would account for his only appearance in the stat book.

As they say, a win is a win no matter how ugly it is.  Let’s break down the particulars and see where the Panthers excelled and where they need to improve before Buffalo comes knocking.

 

Going Up…

/\  Double Trouble.  The Panthers caught their first glimpse of the Double Trouble of old on Sunday, as Williams and Stewart combined for 262 yards and three touchdowns.  With Delhomme’s struggles continuing, the Panthers took the ball out of his hands and put it into the arms of the tandem that carried them to a 12-4 record and a playoff appearance a year ago.

/\  Julius Peppers.  After an uninspired start to the season, Peppers has caught fire after the bye week.  Pep recorded seven tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble on Sunday in what was by far his most complete effort of the year.  Pep could be seen regularly chasing down ball carriers and wreaking havoc in the backfield.

/\  Everette Brown.  For the second week in a row, the rookie defensive lineman earned his keep, providing a presence in the backfield nearly every time he was on the field.  He didn’t tally a sack, but did get credit for a forced fumble after reaching Bucs’ quarterback Josh Johnson and stripping him as he prepared to pass.

/\  Charles Johnson.  Another defensive end, you ask?  Yes.  Johnson was responsible for the other two Panthers’ sacks and showed a bit of the talent that has raised the ears of Panthers’ fans in the last couple of years.  He also forced two fumbles. 

/\  Thomas Davis.  Davis continues to shine on defense for the Panthers.  He lead the team in tackles yet again, notching eight solo tackles while recording the only interception for the Panthers on Sunday.  His two pass deflections also led the team.

/\  Play Calling.  Finally, John Fox and company figured out that handing the ball to either Williams or Stewart 40+ times a game will usually spell a win against a lesser opponent.  In the last two weeks, the running game has set its anchor in the Panthers game plan.  Regardless of what happens during the rest of the season, they will need to start each week by establishing their intent to run the ball.

/\  Defensive Scheme.  The Panthers defense is finally starting to catch on to Ron Meeks’ scheme.  They are pressuring the quarterback and are not allowing many big plays.  The Panthers allowed the Bucs to go down the field and put the ball in the end-zone on their first possession, but allowed no points after that.  With the team’s struggles on offense, the defense will have to continue to step up and improve.

 

Going Down…

\/  Jake Delhomme.  Delhomme once again shook the foundations of this team’s trust in his arm on Sunday by throwing two interceptions that were, in a word, bad.  His inability to hit Steve Smith down the field was put under a microscope in Tampa, as the ball continuously sailed several yards over Smith’s head on deep throws.  With the success of the ground game in recent weeks, teams will be looking to stack the box and force Delhomme to beat them.  If that’s the case, the Panthers are in trouble.

\/  Steve Smith.  Smith had this to say after the game:  “I am no longer an asset to this team.”  When players start making statements like that, the ball starts rolling downhill.  It is obvious that Smith is concerned about his lack of involvement in the Panthers’ offense.  However, Smith hasn’t been able to get open or make the tough catches like he has in the past.  Smith’s stardom came about in large part because of his ability to go get balls that most other receivers couldn’t and wouldn’t.  Sure, Smith would be better suited with a better quarterback, but his trademark style is slowly starting to lose a touch of its flashiness.  Most importantly, though, those types of comments should stay behind closed doors. 

\/  Receiving corps.  Where is the Panthers’ number two receiver?  Matter of fact, WHO is the Panthers’ number two receiver?  Any takers?  Buehler…Buehler…?  Someone HAS to step up if for no other reason than to free up Smith a few times a game.  Muhsin Muhammad has finally lost his mojo, it seems, and after that there isn’t another receiver with enough experience to provide a legitimate threat.  Dwayne Jarrett is a flat out bust.  Kenny Moore doesn’t get enough time on the field to make much of a difference.  No receiver has caught a touchdown pass this year.  Need I say more?

\/  Special Teams.  If this Panthers’ team decides they want to turn this season around, they will need to address their special teams units as one of their first orders of business.  The Panthers gave up their second return touchdown of the year on Sunday, and allowed a blocked field goal attempt.  That’s a ten-point swing that could have cost them the game. 

\/  Dante Wesley.  This is an issue that will reach the NFL audience as a whole and I would be remiss if I didn’t at least offer an opinion on the topic.  I saw the play live and couldn’t believe what I saw, and will be posting further thoughts soon.  The bottom line is that Wesley beat the ball to the spot and delivered a crunching blow to a returner who really had no defense other than a fair catch signal.  The ejection was an attempt to keep the game from boiling over by the referees, and the one-game suspension is likely a result of the concussion Clifton Smith has been diagnosed with because of the play. 

\/  Overall optimism.  Carolina:  Where 2-3 feels like 0-5.

 

Up Next…

The Panthers will host Buffalo on Sunday in a 4:05 PM EST game at Bank of America Stadium.  The Bills beat the slumping New York Jets yesterday in overtime, but lost starting quarterback Trent Edwards early in the second quarter to a concussion.  His status for next Sunday is unclear at this point.  The Panthers will wear their black jerseys at home for the first time this season.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Carolina Panthers First Quarter Awards

The Carolina Panthers have played their first quarter of games this year without much cause for celebration.

In sports and in life, though, there will be times when things aren’t going quite the way we wish they would be. The key to getting through times like that is to keep everything as normal and as routine as possible.

Therefore we will still be handing out awards for the first quarter of the season. After all, they don’t cancel the Oscars if there aren’t any good movies out, do they?

Let’s take a look at those who are lucky enough to call themselves ‘winners’ in the first quarter of the Panthers’ season.

Begin Slideshow

Picking Up The Pieces: Carolina Panthers Look To Reverse Fortune

For Carolina Panthers fans, the 2009 season has been brutal to date. 

With expectations looming taller than the Bank of America building in downtown Charlotte heading into the season, the Panthers have failed to produce anything close to the level of football that folks in the Carolinas have come to expect.

After a 12-4 season that was abruptly and painfully halted in the team’s first home playoff game since 2005, the excitement continued to surround a team that was set to return 21 of 22 starters in 2009. 

Then came the Julius Peppers saga.  Fans divided evenly amongst themselves into “Keep Him at All Costs” and “Let Him Walk” categories (although a few more choice words could be inserted into either of those labels).  The team handcuffed itself to the bed post by deciding to apply the franchise tag to Peppers, knowing he had little interest in remaining a Panther.

Nonetheless, optimism was relatively easy to come by in Charlotte as the season drew nearer.  That optimism evaporated quickly amidst the Panthers’ opening day debacle against Philadelphia in front of the home crowd, and has since eroded further.

The Panthers improved in Atlanta but came home empty handed and they took a 7-0 lead into halftime in Dallas before completely crumbling in the second half and suffering their third consecutive loss to open the season.

It seems as though it’s been ages since John Kasay kicked the game-winning field goal in Week 17 of the 2008 season.  That kick gave the Panthers the NFC South division title also counts as their last victory as a football team. 

After a one-and-done in the playoffs, a winless preseason, and now an 0-3 start to the regular season, it may feel to some like the Panthers will never win again; especially when you are watching a performance like the one the Panthers put on in the second half in Dallas.

As much negativity as there has been surrounding the Panthers so far in 2009, there is still cause for a bit of optimism. 

The Panthers had their early bye in Week Four, which many players said they would use as a time to do some soul searching before heading into a stretch of at least 13 consecutive games.  Soul searching is just what this group needs. 

Where is the fire that ignited this team to the top of the NFC contender conversation at the end of last season?  Where is the explosiveness that transformed us into one of the top offensive units in the league?

Wherever these traits are, hidden somewhere in the the halls of Bank of America Stadium, the Panthers must find them. 

An 0-3 start is nearly fatal, but not quite.  There is still a small glimmer of hope at the end of the proverbial tunnel that the Panthers will turn this season around and find a way into the playoffs. 

For an 0-3 team coming off of their bye, the stretch of games the Panthers are about to open could not get much better. 

The Panthers will play at home against Washington (2-2), at Tampa Bay (0-4), and at home against Buffalo (1-3) over the next three weeks.

None of these three teams have put forth much more than a decent effort to date if you exclude the Bills’ near upset of the Patriots in the opener.

Washington has beat Tampa Bay and St. Louis, both winless, and has put up a total of 56 points this season.  They will also go down in history as the team who lost to the Lions and broke their streak of 19 consecutive losses.  With Jason Campbell continuing his mediocre quarterback play and the offense as a whole struggling to score, the Panthers could have the matchup that will spark their season this Sunday.

The Redskins will not roll over and play dead, nor will head coach Jim Zorn, who is finding the temperature in the seat of his pants increasing exponentially each week.  There are still plenty of Redskins fans in the Charlotte area from the pre-Panthers days, and those fans will be out in full force at the game on Sunday.  The Panthers need to make a statement to start this stretch out of their bye week to get some of the faith restored in their fan base.

It is never a good idea to look past an opponent, but it is tough not to with Tampa Bay and Buffalo waiting in the wings.  A win in Tampa Bay would give the Panthers a division win and would generate some excitement with the Bills coming to town the following week.

The Panthers desperately need to regain the confidence that has been zapped out of them after this lackluster start, and a string of wins is just what the doctor ordered. 

In three weeks, if the Panthers are sitting at 3-3, the attitude in Carolina will be changed, if only slightly, and there will be a new energy at Bank of America Stadium as the Panthers enter the meat and potatoes of their schedule.

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