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Panthers on a little surge
After losing its first three games, Carolina has edged two doormats
AP Photo
Jonathan Stewart slips past Tanard Jackson of the Bucs.
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Published: October 20, 2009
CHARLOTTE - There are reasons for the Carolina Panthers to feel confident. They won their second straight game Sunday, the dominant running game of 2008 has reappeared, and Julius Peppers is on maybe the best two-game stretch of his career.
But the negatives are piling up, too. Jake Delhomme keeps throwing interceptions, Steve Smith is upset, and the two victories have been close, ugly and against NFL doormats. After five games, it's still tough to figure these Panthers.
Sunday's 28-21 win over the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers provided some contradictions. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart helped the Panthers (2-3) rush for 267 yards, and a defense led by Peppers (two sacks) allowed only one touchdown.
Yet the passing game remains one of the league's worst. After being held to one catch for 4 yards -- the only pass on Carolina's 16-play winning drive -- Smith let out his frustrations in the locker room.
"I'm no longer an asset to this team," Smith said.
Coach John Fox said yesterday that he hadn't talked to Smith about his comments but said that the constant double-teams Smith has faced help the running game.
"I can't call the opponent up and ask them not to do that. They get to do what they want," Fox said. "That opens up other things for our football team and gives us an opportunity to win."
The Panthers ran 48 times and passed 17 times against the Bucs, and Williams (152 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Stewart (110 yards, 1 touchdown) looked like the duo that dominated the second half of last season. Williams' winning 1-yard scoring run with 29 seconds left capped an eight-minute drive that showed Carolina's might up front.
"There were some times where they had nine in the box, and we were still getting seven or eight yards because they were just moving guys out there," Williams said.
But it could also be argued it was the only way the Panthers could win, with Delhomme ineffective again. He ran his interception total to an NFL-high 10 and completed 9 of 17 passes for 65 yards, with one touchdown. Delhomme and Smith still haven't connected for a touchdown or a pass longer than 30 yards, and Smith has 21 catches.
On defense, Peppers is on a tear. He has four sacks, five tackles for losses, four quarterback hurries and one forced fumble in the two games since linebacker Jon Beason criticized him on a radio show, then later apologized.
"I think he's played as well the last two games as I've seen him play, really, that I can remember," Fox said. "He's played exceptionally well."
Newly signed Hollis Thomas continues to impress at nose tackle, clogging the middle and allowing the linebackers to make plays. Thomas Davis had eight more tackles and an interception Sunday to continue his best pro season.
It's just that all those other problems are fighting for attention. The special teams gave up another touchdown -- a 97-yard kickoff return in which Fox claims the Bucs had an illegal three-man wedge.
The Panthers will have a chance Sunday to even their record against the Buffalo Bills, who are 2-4 after defeating the New York Jets in overtime. The Bills are allowing nearly 182 rushing yards a game, the worst average in the NFL, and that might mean another steady diet of Williams and Stewart. After the Bills, the schedule gets much tougher, with road games against Arizona and New Orleans.
"Whenever you decide to throw the football, there are more working parts," Fox said. "I think it's whether you'd rather shoot a 3-pointer outside or a layup. Most guys would take the higher-percentage route, and that's the layup."
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