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Run, Run, Run: Panthers, Falcons grinding out wins
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Rookie Jonathan Stewart has helped the Panthers establish a solid ground game.
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Published: September 28, 2008
CHARLOTTE - You have heard of trades that worked out well for both teams. But in this case they were personal decisions that worked out well for both teams.
When the Carolina Panthers play the Atlanta Falcons this afternoon at Bank of America Stadium, much of the focus will be on the running backs.
Both teams needed to upgrade the position during the off-season, both chose different ways to do it, and both are pleased with the way things are turning out.
The Falcons signed Michael Turner in free agency in March, and Turner has made a dramatic impact. He has rushed for an average of 122 yards a game as the Falcons have gone 2-1, and he spearheads what is the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL.
The Panthers talked to Turner at one point in free agency, but ultimately made the corporate decision to address their running back needs in the draft. They took Jonathan Stewart with the No. 13 pick, and Stewart has teamed with DeAngelo Williams for a 1-2 punch at the position. They combined to average 123.5 yards in the Panthers' season-opening wins against San Diego and Chicago, and are at 96.3 yards combined through three games even after the running game never got going in last week's loss at Minnesota.
Turner, 26, who spent his first four seasons in San Diego as the backup to LaDainian Tomlinson and showed signs that he was ready to emerge as a premier running back, acknowledged that there was initial interest from the Panthers.
"I probably heard some whispers," Turner said in a teleconference earlier last week. "Anybody who was looking for a running back, I expected to hear from. But teams have different plans. Some teams want to go into the draft and draft a running back, and Stewart is a very good running back. I even liked watching him in college."
The Falcons caught Turner's attention by offering a six-year, $34.5 million deal that included $15 million in guaranteed money.
"Atlanta came out of the blue," Turner said. "I didn't even think that they would call. But I ended up in Atlanta and I'm happy to be here."
Marty Hurney, the Panthers' general manager, is usually reluctant to talk about free agents that sign elsewhere, and he has been particularly cautious this week. This was a win-win situation for both teams, but it's a no-win situation for Hurney to talk about Turner.
There is sentiment around the NFL that some teams liked Turner, but felt that $34.5 million was too much to pay, and didn't want to get into a bidding war at that price. If the Panthers felt that way, there's no sense in saying it now.
"It's been well-documented that Jonathan Stewart was a guy we really liked and he's obviously the guy we wanted to take at No. 13," Hurney said.
The Panthers signed Stewart to a five-year deal worth at least $14 million and as much as $20 million if incentive clauses are met, with $10.795 million of that in guaranteed money. That's about $15 million less than Turner got, and that's money the Panthers have been able to use by signing other free agents. They signed guard Travelle Wharton to a long-term deal in the off-season, put the franchise tag on tackle Jordan Gross to retain him, and reworked the contracts of defensive tackle Damione Lewis and safety Chris Harris, among other moves.
They also made the corporate decision that Williams, a third-year pro and former first-round pick who had played behind DeShaun Foster his first two years, was ready for more responsibility.
Why did the Panthers choose to draft a running back rather than sign a veteran free agent?
"We had a veteran running back in DeAngelo Williams, and we had a lot of faith in DeAngelo Williams," Hurney said. "We felt he was ready to take the next step."
Bottom line is both teams did accomplish their objectives.
By drafting Stewart and then making a draft-day deal to move up and select tackle Jeff Otah with the 19th pick, the Panthers were able to get a power runner and power blocker that they felt was essential to re-establishing their running attack.
The Panthers made a statement on draft day that they were committed to getting more physical, to returning to the power attack that worked so well in Coach John Fox's early years and got the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2004.
By signing Turner, the Falcons laid the foundation for a major offensive overhaul under new Coach Mike Smith. They later took quarterback Matt Ryan with the third pick in the draft. Clearly, Turner's running has taken the pressure off Ryan as a rookie starter.
"Philosophically (general manager) Thomas Dimitroff and I talked about how we wanted to put this team together," Smith said. "We wanted to have a strong running game and a physical presence. Michael has that skill set. To be able to run the football you have to have an offensive line that buys into that philosophy as well.... We were just trying to set the foundation of what we wanted we wanted to establish, and we knew early on that we had to have a guy that could carry the load."
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
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