Panthers Team Report(11.26.8)
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Strong run defense was once one of the strong suits of this Carolina team, but no longer.
On Sunday, the Panthers allowed the Atlanta Falcons to bulldoze their way for 133 yards on 33 carries and five touchdowns (four of those by Michael Turner) in a 45-28 loss at the Georgia Dome.
It continues an ugly trend for the Panthers since the bye week.
In the past three games the Panthers have allowed 410 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
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But coach John Fox downplayed the significance of Carolina’s struggles against the run.
“I think we won the Oakland and Detroit games,” Fox said. “There’s a lot of ways to get yards in this game. This game is about 45 points and you aren’t going to win your share giving up 45 points. That I do know. There were some areas we have to improve upon. In the second half we played a little bit better against the run. We just have to start putting two halves together.”
When asked if winning the previous two games before facing Atlanta might have covered up some of the team’s problems in stopping the run, Fox said: “Overall in our body of work, I think we’ve played pretty good defense - good enough to win eight games. Are the three losses problems? I guess. But I don’t know how else to answer that.”
When asked specifically about tackling, Fox said, “I think tackling has a lot to do with any defense. I don’t think we tackled as well yesterday as we needed to. Some were passes and some were runs.”
Earlier this season the Panthers held Turner to 56 yards rushing and without a touchdown, a sign of just how far Carolina’s run defense has fallen.
The Panthers are now 17th in the league against the run.
“This is a guy we played before and we shut him down,” said defensive tackle Damione Lewis. “And then we come to their place and we knew we were walking into a wasp’s nest, we knew they were going to try to stick it to us—and we didn’t respond. He had a great day.
“I mean, they’re a good team, playoff team. We cannot come out and play the way we did and not expect to have what happened happen.”
Lewis believes the failure to stop the run is related to not starting fast enough in games and falling behind.
“I think it all relates to the (slow) start,” Lewis said. “We didn’t start fast against Oakland. We didn’t start fast against Detroit. We didn’t start fast today. We rely on being a pressure team and being able to play a lot of base defense and then allow the playmakers to make plays. We haven’t been doing that.”
Lewis said the problems are correctable.
“As ugly as it was, I don’t think it was as bad as it ended up in the box score,” Lewis said. “I think we’ll get in and watch film and see the adjustments we should have made here and there.”
Notes, Quotes
• The Falcons’ no-huddle offense really seemed to give the Panthers fits.
“They had a lot of different personnel groupings and did a good job hiding their substitutions,” coach John Fox said. “It caused us to be a little bit behind on defense.”
• Jake Delhomme suffered a lacerated elbow in Sunday’s game but didn’t miss a play after having it stitched up.
“I felt like I threw better after the hit, so I think it might have helped,” Delhomme said.
Prior to the injury Delhomme was 6-of-12 for 80 yards with no touchdowns. After taking the hit, he was 15-of-23 for 215 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing score.
• The Panthers were really upset with their inability to get off the field on third down as the Falcons converted 6-of-13 attempts.
In particular, the Falcons seemed to focus their attention on picking on No. 3 cornerback Richard Marshall, who really had his problems in coverage. After the game, Marshall was upset about giving up a 69-yard pass play to Harry Douglas.
“That one play just cooked us,” he said. “I wish I could have it back. I have to look at film and see what mistake I made and try to change it next time.”
• Dwayne Jarrett was activated as Carolina’s No. 3 receiver over veteran D.J. Hackett on Sunday. Jarrett had been inactive the last two games after Hackett returned from an injury.
Strategy And Personnel
PLAYER NOTES
• QB Jake Delhomme had a laceration on his elbow and had it stitched up at halftime. He returned to the game, and he should be fine for the upcoming game at Green Bay.
• LB Landon Johnson was inactive Sunday. It’s fairly obvious by now the Panthers have soured on Johnson, who received a three-year contract worth $10 million in the off-season but was never able to unseat Na’il Diggs for a starting job during training camp. He has just six tackles this season. This was the first time he’s been inactive.
• RB DeAngelo Williams managed to post his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 101 yards on 19 carries.
• WR Steve Smith had eight grabs for 168 yards but still hasn’t scored since the bye week.
• CB Chris Gamble continues to have a great season for the Panthers. Few teams are throwing the ball his way and when they do he’s making plays. Gamble broke up two passes on Sunday and forced a fumble, which helped get Carolina back in the game and briefly turn the momentum.
REPORT CARD VS. FALCONS
Passing Offense: D—Again, the Panthers started too slow, failing to pick up a first down on their first two series. On their first series Delhomme misfired to Muhsin Muhammad on third-and-4. On the next drive, he was sacked on third-and-7. By the time the Panthers got the ball they were down 17-0. Delhomme battled back, finishing with 295 yards on 21-of-35 passing with one touchdown to Muhammad. But he also overthrew a few passes, including one to Steve Smith in the end zone. Smith played terrific in the second half with eight catches for 168 yards. Clearly, the Panthers need to get him involved earlier in the game. Carolina allowed three sacks, which is to be expected when you fall behind.
Rushing Offense: C—So much for Smash and Dash. Sure, DeAngelo Williams tied a team record with his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game (19 carries for 101 yards), but 24 of those yards came on the last drive when the game was out of hand. Williams scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion and still ran extremely hard. Jonathan Stewart had 15 yards on five carries and didn’t play much with the team in catch-up mode. Jake Delhomme ran for his first touchdown in three years. The problem here is the Panthers need to control the game on the ground from the start, not wait until the second or third quarter.
Pass Defense: F—Put it this way, the Panthers allowed Harry Douglas to rack up 92 yards receiving. Matt Ryan threw for 259 yards and moved the ball at will. The Panthers allowed the Falcons to convert 6-of-13 third downs and couldn’t get off in key situations. Down 24-21, they allowed a 69-yard pass to Douglas on third-and-11. The Falcons really seemed to target No. 3 cornerback Richard Marshall, who had a rough day.
Rush Defense: F—The Panthers gave up five touchdowns on the ground, including four to Michael Turner. That’s the most by any opponent in franchise history. Turner finished with 117 yards on 24 carries. The Falcons had 133 yards as a team, including a 7-yard touchdown run on a reverse by Harry Douglas. There was a sense Carolina’s run defense was cracking coming into this game and the foundation fell to pieces on Sunday.
Special Teams: D-minus—Jason Baker really seemed out of sorts on Sunday, struggling with a number of punts. And then came the killer when Douglas returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown to put the game away. That’s the third time this season the Panthers have allowed a punt to be returned for a touchdown (the other two came on blocks). Carolina did nothing in the return game. John Kasay converted two short field goals.
Coaching: D—The Panthers made some nice adjustments at halftime that allowed them to battle back after falling behind 17-3. The offense marched 80 yards on five plays and cut the lead to seven right out of the gate. The defense also played well for a while but eventually folded in the fourth quarter. The bottom line here is the Panthers need to start faster. “I thought that we didn’t come and play fast enough,” coach John Fox said. “Ultimately that is on me.”
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