Columnists
Email
Print
The Right Thing: Suspending Smith helped Panthers improve as a team
AP Photo
Wide receiver Steve Smith of the Panthers will be the focus of attention leading up to Sunday's game vs. the Vikings.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: September 16, 2008
CHARLOTTE -- When the Carolina Panthers suspended Steve Smith for the first two games of the regular season, debate raged over whether the punishment was proper.
There was no question that Smith had to be sanctioned for punching teammate Ken Lucas during an incident at training camp, when Lucas was kneeling with his helmet off during a break and Smith proceeded to break Lucas' nose.
But were the Panthers penalizing the entire team for one man's actions? Were they risking losing their first two games without their Pro Bowl receiver? Were they putting their entire season in jeopardy, since traditionally they have not recovered when they have dug themselves into holes early in the season?
Why not fine Smith instead and make him pay for his indiscretion by writing a check?
Why not do as some college coaches do and just hold Smith out for the first play of the opener at San Diego, or the first series, or the first half, or even a couple of preseason games?
Why not, as Lucas suggested, forgive Smith and let him play on the belief that Smith was sorry and had learned a valuable lesson already?
But the Panthers made the right decision at the time. Anything less than a two-game suspension would have compromised the franchise's integrity, would have divided the team, and would have sent the wrong message to Smith. Forcing him to write "I will never punch anyone again" on the blackboard 89 times was never the right way to handle this.
And now that the Panthers are 2-0, by virtue of stunning San Diego in the season opener and coming from behind to beat Chicago 20-17 on Sunday, the Panthers can feel even more secure in knowing they did the right thing.
They will go into the next 14 games, starting with a trip to Minnesota next Sunday, a better team for the entire ordeal.
Coach John Fox didn't put it exactly that way during his weekly news conference yesterday. But he offered up the notion that it turned out to be a win-win situation because the team faced adversity, dealt with it, and overcame it.
"As I mentioned way back when, some of these things make you better, make you stronger," Fox said. "I think with the type of guys we have in our locker room, an unfortunate incident was made into a positive. I think the fact that we were able to win two games without him makes us all better. Him included."
The "him included" part is something that Fox didn't want to elaborate on, but it's obvious.
The ship didn't sink without him. Smith won't be coming back to save the team now, he'll be coming back to add to it, to give the offense another weapon, to keep the momentum going. He'll be part of the team, an important part, but not above the team and its rules. He'll be hungrier, more determined to succeed. And there may be a tangible way he will benefit from the first two games because the Panthers were able to establish other players whose success will help him get open. The Panthers established the run without him, against defenses stacked with eight-man fronts. And they established their tight ends as viable receiving threats to go with the other complementary wide receivers.
Smith will help them, of course. His return gives the Panthers big-play ability on every down, gives quarterback Jake Delhomme a bona fide deep threat, and gives the offense far better balance that in theory should make running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart even more effective. Stack eight on the line with Smith in the lineup, and opponents will be the ones taking the risk.
"He's arguably one of the best receivers in the game," Fox said. "He's fast, he's strong, tough. He brings a lot to the table."
The one thing that Fox and General Manager Marty Hurney don't seem to be enjoying about Smith's return is the fact that, for one week at least, Smith's return will be the story. It can't help but be. After Smith practices for the first time on Wednesday, he'll be surrounded by reporters and television cameras. And once Sunday's game starts, all eyes in the Metrodome will be focused on Smith and how he performs. That's a potential distraction, even if his teammates have forgiven him and are welcoming him back enthusiastically.
"We've said about everything we can say about it," Hurney said. "It's done, and now he's back. The whole thing is behind us. I mean, everyone's excited to be 2-0 and everyone's excited to have him back because now we're getting another weapon on offense. That's where it's at. Like John says, it is what it is."
Don't bother telling Hurney he made the right decision from the start and has been vindicated by the two opening wins, either. Even though it's true.
"Everything's separate," Hurney said. "The suspension is separate from the two wins. We're faced with difficult decisions all the time. You take each case and make each decision based on what you think is best for the team and the organization at that particular time.
"I think what it really does is, it says a lot for our players and our coaches. We still had confidence we were a good team. It happens all the time in this league, in the case of injury or whatever -- when somebody's out, other guys step up and get the job done. I think that happened in this case. We played two very good teams and played well enough to win. Different guys stepped up and made plays, even from Week One to Week Two. So we're fortunate we're 2-0 and we're fortunate we've got Steve coming back and everybody's looking forward to having him back. But it's still a team game, and everybody's got to stand up and do their part."
So far, they have.
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
Email
Print
