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Panthers continue to be plagued by penalties
Fox will focus on correcting the false-start problems in preparation for Sunday's game against the Falcons
AP Photo
Steve Smith of the Panthers caught four passes for 70 yards against the Vikings.
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Published: September 23, 2008
CHARLOTTE
John Fox walked into the Carolina Panthers media room yesterday only to turn around and leave momentarily.
When Fox returned, one reporter couldn't resist the temptation of asking Fox about the false start.
Fox could only smile.
"It would be one of many," he said.
The Panthers committed 12 penalties in their 20-10 loss at Minnesota on Sunday, and six of them involved false starts.
It was a continuation of a trend that has hurt the team all season. They have committed 13 false starts or illegal procedure penalties in going 2-1. In a 20-17 win against Chicago the previous Sunday, they had five false starts or illegal procedure penalties.
Fox said that the focus would be on correcting the problem as the Panthers prepare for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium.
"You just have to continue to work on them," Fox said. "It's everybody's responsibility. It's the coaches' responsibility, the players' responsibility. Those are penalties that we have to get fixed. That's been a problem the last two games. I think it's something definitely that we will address. I'm a big believer that you get what you emphasize, and it will definitely be emphasized."
False starts typically involve offensive linemen, but the Panthers' biggest offender so far has been tight end Dante Rosario with four. And two of those have come when he was split out. Tackle Jordan Gross led the way with two against Minnesota, and also was called for a holding penalty.
Gross was still frustrated yesterday after the Panthers' standard Monday film session.
"If I knew the answer to the problem, we would have zero," Gross said. "It's funny, because you start at the end of July and you're working on basic Football 101, and that's cadence and huddle and lining up right. It's amazing how much you see a lot of teams have a couple every game. All it is is focus and every play making it important."
Fox, too, said that there were no excuses for the false starts.
The Metrodome is typically one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, and it was rocking on Sunday.
But the Panthers practice with loudspeakers blaring in preparation for such venues, so Fox wasn't convinced the noise led to the false starts. And crowd noise certainly wasn't the problem at home against Chicago, when all five false starts came in the first half.
"You can say it's what they're doing or the noise, but truth be told, it's the pressure of the game," Fox said. "I don't think you can make a stadium any louder than the noise we practice in. It can't get any noisier. It's just the guys getting used to each other. We've had some changes up there. But it's the whole element. We've had tight ends, linemen, receivers not lined up right. It's just guys getting used to playing together and getting it coordinated."
The Panthers have been forced to shake up their offensive line the past two weeks, after left guard Travelle Wharton suffered a knee injury in the season opener at San Diego. Geoff Hangartner has filled in. But Hangartner hasn't had any of the false starts; besides Rosario's four, tackle Jeff Otah and Gross have three each, tight end Jeff King two, and fullback Brad Hoover one.
Fox made it clear he was not pinning the loss on one factor. The Panthers also gave up five sacks, one of which led to a fumble and return for a Minnesota touchdown. Fox himself called time out before the Panthers blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter, thinking that the Panthers had 12 men on the field when they didn't. The Vikings made the field goal for a 20-10 lead on the next play. The Panthers also had a penalty that negated an 87-yard kickoff return by Jonathan Stewart.
"Like all close games, they come down to a few plays," Fox said. "Whether you want to look at the time out before the field goal, you want to look at the return, you want to look at the sack fumble before the half, the third and eight that went for 50 -- those are all big plays. Had they gone different, the game might have been different. But that's the National Football League.
"We're good enough to be 2-1. There's not a phase of our team where I think we've arrived. That's offense, defense and the kicking game. We've improved in some areas and we've got some areas to grow...."
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
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