The Carolina Panthers and Their New-Look Offense

Carolina Panthers Update

The 2008 Carolina Panthers' Changes and How They Have Worked So Far

The 2008 Carolina Panthers have a record of 5-2 just one week away from the halfway point of the season. So far, the Panthers' season has been a bit of a mixed bag.

There was a very hard-fought first game against the San Diego Chargers, which consisted of a breathtaking comeback win where a Jake Delhomme touchdown pass with no time on the clock silenced a shocked stadium full of 71,000 stunned San Diego Charger fans.

There have been two franchise-record setting "margin of victory wins" and a comeback win against one of the NFL's toughest defensive units. 

The Panthers have only had two setbacks so far. The two losses have not been pretty, and they were marked by generally bad play. However, both losses also had some very costly special-teams mistakes that look to be correctable going forward. There are only two losses, but the Tampa Bay loss stings especially bad.

The Tampa loss was an especially big loss as losses go.  Not only was it a loss to a divisional foe and rival, it was a game that had multiple implications as far as any possible post-season positioning. Had the Panthers had won they would have have been able to create a bit of "separation" in the NFC South as the division leader a win would have left the Panthers holding early tie-breakers against Atlanta, Tampa, and after last weekend, New Orleans.

Even with everything on the line the game was not even close. Yes, there were blunders, odd-ball plays that seemed to fall Tampa's way, weird deflections and tips into the hands of surprised Tampa defensive backs and just some "unlucky" bounces  that the Panthers never seemed to get.  It was a day where Carolina could not have bought a break. 

Tampa came out and looked more like a desperate team hungry for a big win. Jeff Garcia finally had his chance to play and he played as if he was intent on proving his arch-nemesis head coach, John Gruden, wrong, once and for all about who the starting quarterback should really be in Tampa. 

When it was all said and done Jeff Garcia had come out playing like a dead-eye  gunslinger, while Jake Delhomme seemed to look like a the guy who brought a pocket knife to a gunfight....and lost.  Carolina seemed flat from the beginning. Even when the Panther's offense had made it inside the Tampa 5 yard line Jonathan Stewart and Jake Delhomme managed to get their feet tangled up causing Stewart to fall and commit a  costly fumble. Tampa took the ball and scored following the fumble. Couple those mistakes with a freebie touchdown given up by Carolina, on a blocked punt, and it was obvious early that things were going bad fast for the gang from Charlotte.  

The Panthers could not really be as bad as they looked in Tampa could they?  Personally and statistically, I do not think so.  One can blame the loss on whatever they want to but what I saw were crucial mistakes and a rare instance of Panther coach John Fox getting "out-coached" and "out-game planned" by Tampa's John Gruden and Monte Kiffin.  The Bucs seem to have a script and they stuck to it. 

The Panthers could not really have been as bad as they appeared in Tampa could they?  Well, there was only one way to answer that question. The answer lied in how the Panthers would come out the following week against the NFL's No. 1 passing quarterback, Drew Brees. When it was all said and done the Panther's defense had basically crushed the high octane New Orlean's offense. The Panthers held the Saints' star quarterback, Drew Brees, to no touchdown passes last Sunday, and that is something that has not happened in a while.

More than that, the Panthers' defense held Brees to just 177 yards passing, until a garbage-time drive in the game's last minute. I think the team redeemed itself but I know the Tampa loss still has a bad taste lingering on the Panthers' collective taste buds.

The only real way the sting of the loss to Tampa can be removed from the team's pallet is for Carolina to beat Tampa on a Monday night showdown, in Charlotte, later this season.

So, how did the Panthers get to 5-2?

Well, first of all, the Carolina Panthers' run game underwent a major face-lift this spring. Carolina said goodbye to DeShaun Foster at the end of last season and left fans wondering which "big name" running back would wind up in Charlotte.

Not only did the run game change, the Carolina receiving corps also underwent major changes as well. Released were Drew Carter and Keary Colbert. There was also the question of quarterback Jake Delhomme's elbow. Many fans actually thought  the team would go into free agency or the draft looking for a power runner, wideout, and backup quarterback. 
  
The receiver position almost took care of itself with the pickup of former Panther and former Chicago Bear wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. Also added was the explosive former Seahawk wideout, D.J. Hackett, to compete for the No. 2 receiver position along side Muhammad. So far, Hackett has had injury issues but has contributed when active.

Muhammad is seemingly older to kids the same age as some of the the rookies he plays with. However, I have yet to see any drop-off whatsoever in Muhammad's skill-set and in many ways, he appears to be much fresher and more productive than he was in Chicago.

The other things Muhammad brought to the table for the Panthers' organization were the intangibles, one of which is his ability to lead and command respect. The Panthers were lucky the stars were aligned for the Muhammad transaction to occur.

The Panther's somewhat lackluster offensive line went from a unit that had little success last season to now being one of the  NFL's largest and most complete offensive lines. The addition of rookie Jeff Otah at right tackle helped to add strength, speed, and size to that side of the line, and the left tackle's position was secured when the Panthers used their "franchise tag" on Jordan Gross.

The guard position was upgraded with the move of former tackle Travelle Wharton back at his natural guard position, thus alleviating him of the tackle position. The Panthers also moved Ryan Kalil to the center position and added Keydrick Vincent to the other guard slot. 

Even with a few key injuries on the Panthers' line, there has been very little drop-off in overall performance this season. The Panthers finally seem to have depth at multiple positions and that is very important in today's NFL. Jake Delhomme has had plenty of time to pass the ball and new running lanes have been opened this season that were not around last season. So far, so good for the  new offensive  line. The only issue that could cause a minor concern in the line would be rookie Jeff Otah's durability. 

Remember the John Fox formula that was used to get to the 2003 Super Bowl? Don't look now, but coach Fox seems to be following that same model lately. Now, did I use the "S" word?

I know it is very, very early in the season and after the Panther's loss to the Bucs last week it appears winning the NFC South could even be more of a challenge than winning the entire NFC championship. But make no mistake about it...The pieces are in place in Charlotte for the Panthers to make a deep run in the postseason, if they can stay healthy and keep their focus.

It seems as if every NFL team is but one injury away from total failure, and the Panthers tend to fall into this category with a few key players. Note the recent failures by the Dallas Cowboys and how important a healthy and cohesive squad truly is.

Coach Fox's method for his past successes consisted of having a middle of the pack,  yet efficient, offensive unit paired with a top five, smash-mouth defense. The model for Fox's wins tends to be relying on keeping scores close and controlling the battle for field position. Historically speaking, this kind of model—pairing a solid defense and a ball-control offense—has gotten more than one team to the "big game" and coach Fox swears by it. He believes in it so much that he is probably banking his career on the success this season's third-ranked Panther defense and his team's 16th-ranked offense.

The Panthers have really not had an effective running back corps since former Panther Stephen Davis succumbed to health issues in 2005. DeShaun Foster could never really fill the void left by Davis, and the Panthers' rushing game was in a state of decline following the end of Davis's career in Carolina.  

To help correct the issue, the 2006 Panthers run game featured the newly drafted, former Memphis star, DeAngelo Williams. Williams split some time with former Panther DeShaun Foster and performed kick-return duties. In his first season as a Panther, Williams racked up a respectable 501 yards with a quality 4.1 yards per carry.

Last year, William's rushing numbers picked up, as Williams posted 717 rushing yards with a very healthy 5.0 yards per carry average. 

It was evident last season that Williams was a "keeper" and it became clear that the next step was for the Panthers to find a running back to be the "goal-line" or "power back." They needed a running back who could get the tough yards, running between the tackles.

Earlier, in free agency, it actually looked as if the Panthers my have found that "power back" back with the signing of former Jaguar backup, LaBrandon Toefield. Many Panther fans thought the roster was firming up and looked for the team to possibly draft a quarterback, a tackle, and then bolster their defense unit with their top three picks in last year's draft.
 
Then everything changed on draft day 2008. Enter Jonathan Stewart. The Oregon back was thought, by some draft watchers, to be one of the most, if not THE most, complete running backs in the entire draft, had he not been hampered by a "turf toe" injury that required surgery to repair.

On draft day 2008, the Panthers stepped up and fooled most observers when they made a move and traded away next year's first and third-round picks to Philadelphia so they would be able to have two picks in the first round of the draft.

With those two picks, the Panthers selected Jonathan Stewart and tackle Jeff Otah. At that very point, the running game had improved.

In the preseason, Stewart played very little until the third game against the Washington Redskins, at which point he (Stewart) and DeAngelo Williams looked like the one-two tandem the Panthers had been longing for.

Though it was a preseaon game, it was actually a precursor for what would develop as the regular season progressed. LaBrandon Toefield turned out to not be the dominate type of back the Panthers had hoped for, and he was released as the Panthers trimmed their roster for the regular season.

Fast-forward to the 2008 regular season, and we have seen coach John Fox starting DeAngelo Williams in the first half of most games, then bringing in Stewart as the half progressed or letting Stewart on the field in certain situations or as needed.

This has seemed to help Stewart adjust to the "speed" of the professional game, as well as it helped bring Stewart along slowly enough to allow his healing toe to become more stable and better suited for the demands of the pro game and long season.

All-in-all, the system has worked well for Stewart and Williams this season. The running-back tandem and their different styles of running attacks have helped to keep the wear-and-tear to a minimum for both backs. The system also gives opposing defenses headaches, due to the fact that they basically have to prepare for two different rushing attacks. 

Williams is the more shifty scat-back, and Stewart is the prototypical power back. Stewart does well running between the tackles. However, Stewart does have very nice  breakaway speed. 

How has the system been working thus far? 

Except for a few special-teams blunders that seemed to create a domino effect of bad luck in Tampa, and a lackluster showing on the road in Minnesota, the Panthers have really looked like a true playoff contender.

The two-back system has worked pretty well and more importantly, the duo has been been efficient. The Tampa Bay game was not so much a "drumming" of Carolina by the Bucs as it was a game that saw the Panthers get behind early as a result of a blocked punt, and then it seemed as if every possible thing from every single tipped ball, bounce, bobble, penalty, and fumble all went directly into the Bucs' quiver and then got transformed into points.

As far as pure numbers go, both backs have multiple touchdowns and both have posted respectable yardage totals, considering the shared workload. However, both backs have that all important 4.0-yards-per-carry average. Williams has more overall yardage, but the all-important statistic of getting into the end zone is a different story.

Jonathan Stewart has been on somewhat of a torrid pace of producing multiple touchdowns while in the red zone. Stewart is currently tied for fifth overall in the entire NFL for rushing touchdowns and is tied for the overall lead in the very talented rookie running back class of 2008. Not too shabby for a guy playing with two backup lineman and who shares the load with the starting running back. 

Williams has also had an effective season so far. As of Oct. 17, DeAngelo Williams was within 90 yards of runners like Marion Barber, Stephen Jackson, Earnest Graham, and Edgerin James. Not bad company at all. 

However, if Williams got most of the carries, as most top backs do, and Stewart worked only on third down or in red-zone situations, then I could see Williams closer to the top of NFL's rushing elite. Stewart, on the other hand, has become a goal-line playmaker. He is has become the back of choice when the Panthers are in the red zone.   

It looks as of coach Fox is happy to keep probing the league's best defensive lines while tying to find a weak point to attack. Once this happens, the team is then able to employ a successful "play action" plan. This has worked well this season, with two exceptions. 

Williams has had explosive gains and flashed signs of great things and has had a 100-plus game. Stewart has shown his strength and his speed in the red zone. He also had an explosive 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which was negated by a Jeff King, illegal-block-in-the-back penalty. The point is...Stewart has the tools.

Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are coming together well, and from all signs, they are both are sharing the load pretty well. Williams is on pace to gain 1,000 yards this season and Stewart is not far behind him. I think this team has the tools in place. Managing them is going to be key.