What we learned: Panthers are giants on the ground

What we learned: Panthers are giants on the ground
By Vinnie Iyer - SportingNews
11 hours, 44 minutes ago

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnQmxlv.CFgQAMCk1hNKf0ZDubYF?slug=whatwelearnedpanthersare&prov=tsn&type=lgns

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Impressions of the Carolina Panthers’ 38-23 Monday night victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

1. Letting DeAngelo Williams loose for a long run is a real backbreaker

The Panthers’ 5-9, 217-pound running back is similar to Brian Westbrook and Reggie Bush: slippery between the tackles and capable of breaking a big play any time he touches the ball. He can start slowly and get stuffed at the line, only to suddenly break from the pack, as he did on a 40-yard run that set up the Panthers’ only touchdown of the first half.

Williams has had a run longer than 20 yards in seven of the Panthers’ 13 games. Usually, Williams’ big run comes after a missed tackle or two, adding to a defense’s frustration. In the second half Monday, it was amazing to see Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart alternate big runs to put the game away.

2. The Panthers’ offensive line is the best run-blocking unit south of New Jersey.

Everyone knows how dominant the New York Giants’ offensive line has been in opening holes for Earth, Wind and Fire—aka Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. But Carolina’s own powerful committee of Smash and Dash—Williams and Stewart—is led by its own awesome front five.

Rookie right tackle Jeff Otah, like Stewart a Panthers first-round draft last April, was the missing ingredient. Otah, left tackle Jordan Gross, left guard Travelle Wharton, center Ryan Kalil and right guard Keydrick Vincent excel at road grading, and they get a lot help from fullback Brad Hoover and tight end Jeff King.

That line will make the Panthers very dangerous in January. Williams and Stewart better take Dan Marino’s advice and invest in plenty of Isotoner gloves this holiday season.

3. Both teams focused on pressuring the quarterback early

In the teams’ Week 6 meeting in Tampa, which the Bucs dominated, 27-3, neither Jeff Garcia nor Jake Delhomme was sacked. Monday night, both went down on their teams’ respective first drives.

Garcia is much more mobile than Delhomme and can be effective when throwing on the run, but because balance and rhythm are critical for both offenses, flushing the quarterback out of the pocket did enough to

4. Ronde Barber is proving he’s a lot more than a ideal corner for the cover 2

There’s a reason Delhomme consistently looked for one of his wide receivers matched up one-on-one with Bucs left cornerback Phillip Buchanon. Barber has been red-hot of late, and on Monday he collected his third interception in the past four games, taking away an early second-quarter red-zone scoring chance from the Panthers.

With his ability to hold up in single coverage, jump routes and be effective as a blitzer, Barber, 33 and in his 12th season in Tampa Bay, remains a key part of everything defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin calls.

5. Antonio Bryant is the new Joey Galloway

Jon Gruden’s offense with Garcia at the helm seems to be a conservative dink-and-dunk operation, similar to what Gruden ran with Rich Gannon in Oakland. But the vertical deep ball is a very important element, too, and it’s needed to make the short passing game and running game effective.

When Galloway was healthy, he was the flanker to whom Garcia would target for a big play on the perimeter. Gruden took a chance on Bryant, a second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2002 who also played for the Browns and 49ers before being out of football in 2007.

Bryant has rewarded Gruden by working hard and showing the downfield skills that made him a high pick. He had no trouble burning Panthers corners Ken Lucas and Richard Marshall on Monday, all off play-action from Garcia. There were completions of 52, 50 and 39 yards, with the 50-yarder a touchdown that tied the game at 10.

Bryant capped his career night with a Houdini move in the red zone with just 2:29 left in the fourth quarter to make it 31-23—a one-handed grab of an errant Garcia pass for a 15-yard touchdown. Bryant finished with nine catches for 200 yards and two scores.