Panthers Team Report
Inside Slant
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/carolina-panthers/teamreport
The Carolina Panthers may be 9-3, but questions persist about this team heading into Monday's night's critical game against Tampa Bay.
Over the past three weeks, the Panthers have surrendered an average of 30.3 points per game, and that's excluding the punt return the special teams allowed for a touchdown two weeks ago against Atlanta.
That's a dramatic change from earlier in the season, where the Panthers were stellar on defense and ranked No. 2 in the league allowing just 18.7 points per game.
"Yeah, it's been frustrating," safety Chris Harris said. "It's something we need to correct. Playing in December, giving up 31 points is going to get you beat.
"So it's something we're definitely focusing on this week. We've got to get that total down, and we've got to get back to playing like we were playing the first eight weeks of the season."
But just how can the Panthers fix it in time for the stretch run?
"We've just got to go back and refocus and revisit the little things we were doing right that we aren't doing now," Harris said.
Said linebacker Jon Beason: "Well, we're going back and watching the film, and we're making a lot of mistakes, things we didn't do the beginning of the season. Just got to go out and communicate more, just focus a little more on small attention-to-detail things and we'll be fine."
When peppered with questions from reporters at Monday's press conference, coach John Fox downplayed any issues with his defense, reminding everyone the Panthers are good enough to be 9-3.
"Again, I think people want to throw it 49 or 50 times a game, it can look more like that," Fox said. "A few of those situations were like that. I just look at (if) we score more than they score. I don't look at yards. I wish (Green Bay) wouldn't have scored quite as many. Our first half was better than our second half defensively, but they adjusted. They threw it a lot more in that second half, it just ended up not being enough."
Of course, yards don't address the whole problem in Carolina.
The 91 points surrendered over the past three weeks suggest Carolina's defense is headed in the wrong direction.
When asked about the rash of points allowed by his defense, Fox bristled, "I don't know where you're really going with this, but all I'd say is we're in the top third in the league in defense. We're 9-3 and it's a team game. Yards don't win games, points do. I hope that answered all your questions in one."
Prior to last week, the primary questions surrounded the team's struggles stopping the run. The Panthers have allowed at least 135 rushing yards in four straight games.
But on Sunday the pass defense sprung a leak, allowing Aaron Rodgers threw for 298 yards and three scores. So now there are further questions about the linebackers and the secondary entering Monday night's crucial game against Tampa Bay.
The Panthers know it will take another total team effort to beat Tampa Bay, which has scored 92 points during their current four-game win streak.
"The good thing is the effort's there," Beason said. "The offense bailed us out of some games this year, and we've got them too. Good thing our special teams has come along, because it's really helping us."
SERIES HISTORY: 17th regular-season meeting. Panthers lead series 9-7. Carolina lost earlier this season 27-3 at Raymond James Stadium. The Bucs also won the last game here at Bank of America Stadium 20-7.
Notes and Quotes
--Returner Mark Jones earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts in Carolina's 35-31 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Jones returned kickoffs of 42, 51 and 45 yards against Green Bay to set up three Carolina touchdowns.
The 51- and 45-yarders came in the fourth quarter of a tight game, the latter leading to a winning touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams with 1:30 left.
"Those were key," coach John Fox said. "At times of need, when we needed good field position and we were slumping offensively, I think that electrified our offense and gave us good field position on a couple of very critical drives."
Jones averaged 38.8 yards per kickoff return and 11.5 yards per punt return against the Packers.
--Travelle Wharton was a bit of a hero among his fellow offensive linemen for his role in recovering a fumble from by running back Jonathan Stewart on Sunday 40 yards away from the line of scrimmage. Wharton, who helped spring Stewart on the run, was following the play and saw the ball come out and jumped on it at the 3. A couple of plays later the Panthers scored a touchdown.
"When I saw him break, I just followed him. I wanted to be the first one down there to watch him celebrate," Wharton said. "And if I did see guys get up on him, I wanted to be able to give a lick if there was someone there to tackle him.
"Seeing the ball come out, I saw somebody dive for it and I was still right there. So I just jumped out and was trying to hold on tight. I got bombarded by a bunch of tacklers and I was just holding on. Fortunately I was able to hold onto it and we were able to score on that drive."
--When asked if Carolina's 27-3 loss earlier in the season to Tampa Bay leaves the team with something to prove Monday night, safety Chris Harris said, "Whether that happened last game or not, we're both 9-3 and on Monday night.
"Twelve games into the season, you can't ask for much better than 9-3, to play another 9-3 team. This is a playoff atmosphere and has playoff implications. The winner of our division will (probably) get a first-round bye in the playoffs, so that's what we're playing for."
Harris simply refused to use the revenge card as motivation.
"Like I said, whether we lost 30-3 or 31-30, that has nothing to do with anything," Harris said. "This is a division game, and it's on Monday night and we're both 9-3 and it'll give us the lead in the division. Guys will be jacked up regardless how we got beat."
--The Panthers have an extra day to prepare for Tampa Bay, so the coaches only installed a portion of the team's game plan on Wednesday.
The Panthers went through a light practice but will really step up preparations on Thursday.
"It's a fine line whatever we do," Fox said. "You could use the whole day for extra preparation. The risk you take there is they get stale by the end of the week. We didn't do a whole lot today, a little bit but not much. We'll attack tomorrow like it's a Wednesday."
BY THE NUMBERS: 22-2 -- The combined record of the four NFC South teams at home this year. "I think last year there was a problem at quarterback in our division," coach John Fox said. "I don't think we were probably quite as strong as we had been. But I think since this division's inception in 2002, we've represented the NFC pretty well. So it doesn't surprise me at all."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Just about everything." - John Fox on what the Panthers need to do differently this time around against Tampa Bay.
Strategy and Personnel
The Panthers have really struggled defending Jeff Garcia in the past.
In fact, he's won five straight starts against the Panthers.
Garcia has frustrated the Panthers in the past because he's been tough to get to in the pocket and often burns them with short passes. It doesn't help that No. 3 corner Richard Marshall isn't playing well of late.
"He's a good quarterback," Fox said. "He's played in the West Coast offense for some time. He makes quick decisions; he's got good mobility; he buys time - all of the same things that the Steve Youngs and some of the quarterbacks, the Donovan McNabbs, that have operated in the West Coast offense over the years."
PLAYER NOTES
--LB Na'il Diggs was limited in practice Thursday with leg cramps.
--DE Hilee Taylor did not practice Thursday (calf) but hopes to play this week.
--LB Adam Seward did not practice on Thursday.
--QB Jake Delhomme had been a Bucs killer leading up to the last meeting in October. But in that game Delhomme was intercepted three times in 27-3 defeat.
--RB DeAngelo Williams needs one more touchdown to tie a team single-season record of 12.
--LB Jon Beason had 11 tackles and key interception to bury the Packers last week.
--DE Julius Peppers has 11 sacks in his past 11 games.
GAME PLAN: The Panthers are going to run the ball and the Bucs know that. Carolina has run the ball better at home this season than on the road.
The big question will be if Carolina's defense can contain Jeff Garcia. The Panthers haven't played well on that side of the football since the bye week.
One of the biggest issues of late for the Panthers has been their inability to get off the field on third down.
This past week, for instance, the Packers converted half of their 16 third-down conversions while putting together five drives of longer than 50 yards, including three of longer than 75 yards.
"To get a team to third down is good, but when it's third-and-4, third-and-5, it's manageable (for the offense) to pick it up," Beason said. "They have the option to run and throw. If we can force Tampa into some third-and-longs, we can get off the field."
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Panthers QB Jake Delhomme vs. Bucs secondary -- The Bucs pressured Delhomme into a lot of bad throws in the last meeting at Raymond James Stadium. In fact, at times Delhomme looked frightened in the pocket. That's unusual because he's played so well in the past against Tampa Bay. Delhomme is better at home than on the road so that should work to Carolina's advantage.
Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams vs. Bucs defense: Williams has scored in five straight games. The Bucs did a very good job of shutting him down in the first meeting, although part of that was the result of jumping on the Panthers early. It could be tough sledding against a stingy Tampa Bay defense, so don't look for great numbers this week.
INJURY IMPACT: Adam Seward (ankle) appears to be the only Carolina player in danger of missing this week's game.
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