Tampa Bay tag-teamed by Carolina
By Tom Sorensen
tsorensen@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Dec. 09, 2008
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/gameday/story/402467.html
DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart took turns. After Stewart scored, Williams would wait on the sideline like an impatient parent beneath the porch light. He'd congratulate the other players as they left the field, but it was Stewart he wanted, and when the rookie finally arrived, they'd do a choreographed dance.
When Williams scored, Stewart would wait. A quarterback, a fullback, receivers and linemen would pass. But Stewart didn't move until Williams joined him, and they'd do another rehearsed dance.
They were running out of dances Monday night at Bank of America Stadium. Tampa Bay, which had given up only one rushing touchdown in 12 games, gave up two to Williams and two to Stewart.
So dominant was Carolina's running game that the Panthers didn't punt until fewer than six minutes remained in the fourth quarter. To put that in perspective, the Panthers averaged more than six punts during their previous four games.
But here's the lone perspective that matters. The Panthers beat Tampa Bay 38-23. They lead the Buccaneers by one game in the NFC South. They have the second-best record in the NFC and are 10-3 to the New York Giants' 11-2.
Looking ahead can be foolish but, after a performance such as Monday's, how do you refrain? Fans have been checking the schedule for months. But it never looked like this.
If the Panthers win their three remaining games – at home against Denver, at the New York Giants and at New Orleans – they retain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs no matter what anybody else does.
The Panthers, who rushed for only 40 yards in their Oct.12 loss in Tampa, Fla., won by doing what they do best and what coach John Fox's teams always have done best. They ran. And when they get it right, and they certainly got it right Monday, the opponent wears down as the game wears on.
The offensive line played its best game of the season and one of the best in any season. Jake Delhomme threw 20 passes and was sacked only once.
Delhomme rolled right at the speed of an ice floe, not even a regular ice floe but a slow one, and allowed Kevin Carter, who is 35 years old and weighs 305 pounds, to run him down.
Some of the holes through which Williams and Stewart moved were big enough to accommodate an ice floe. But even when the holes didn't open, the backs kept chugging along.
The score was 3-3 when Williams, 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, was hammered by safety Tanard Jackson, 6-0 and 200. Williams bounced off, bounced laterally into the open, paused for a moment as if to say, wow, cool, and then was sprinting, sprinting for 40 yards.
Later on the drive, on third-and-2, Derrick Brooks hit Williams. Brooks, 6-0 and 235, is one of the best tacklers in the NFL. He hit Williams short of the first down. Williams shook him off and ran for 4 yards.
The numbers attest to Carolina's dominance.
The Buccaneers came in second in the league in first downs allowed, giving up only 14.7. Carolina had 19 after three quarters. Carolina finished with 26.
Tampa Bay was fourth in third-down efficiency. The Panthers picked up an incredible eight of 10.
The one number the Panthers have failed to collect is national accolades. Because of a soft early schedule laden with home games and because of close victories against Oakland and Detroit, they weren't looked at as a contender.
They will be now.
And if the country didn't realize how good Williams is, it does now. He is compact and strong and compensates for a lack of game-breaking speed with game-breaking balance and strength.
When was the last time you remember a single tackler taking him down? He ran for a career-high 186 yards and averaged 9.8 yards a carry.
Stewart ran for 115 yards, the second-best mark of his career, and averaged 7.7 per carry. Stewart is bigger and faster and a great change-up. If the left doesn't get you, the right will.
Three seasons ago, the Panthers planned to draft running back Laurence Maroney, whom New England took. So they grabbed Williams. After serving as DeShaun Foster's understudy for two seasons, Williams emerged. Rather than being selfish, rather than hoarding his new status, he insisted on taking Stewart with him.
After Williams scored the clinching touchdown, Steve Smith stepped in front of Stewart and picked DeAngelo up. An interloper. Stewart waited, never moving.
They did a dance and, one last time, ran off together. It could be a while before they finish.
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