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September 10, 2008
Harris, Diggs tied for tackles lead
The Panthers release their official defensive statistics on Wednesdays after reviewing film and counting tackles, and safety Chris Harris and linebacker Na’il Diggs tied for the team leading in the opening win at San Diego with 10 apiece. Nine of Harris’s were solos, which led the team. Diggs was second with seven solos. Middle linebacker Jon Beason was third with nine total tackles.
Carolina had one sack (Diggs). The Panthers also had seven quarterback hurries, with DE Julius Peppers and DT Damione Lewis getting two each. The others were recorded by CB Richard Marshall, DT Maake Kemoeatu and DE Tyler Brayton.
LB Thomas Davis and DB Richard Marshall had the team’s defensed passes.
-- The Panthers’ 388 yards in total offense put the team 6th in the NFL after one week.
-- Former Carolina offensive tackle Evan Mathis and ex-Panthers fullback Casey Kramer have found work, signing with Miami, which features offensive coordinator Dan Henning, a former Panthers coach.
— Stan Olson
Posted by Observer Sports on September 10, 2008 at 11:52 AM | Permalink
Comments
Wasn't someone on the blogs calling for Diggs to be benched during Suday's game?
Anyone hear Gary Williams' analysis of Peppers' game on Sudnay? Interesting, he only dropped in coverage 5 times, and was doubled less than half of the time. Not great.
Should be a tough one this week, go Panthers.
Posted by: rayray | Sep 10, 2008 12:22:48 PM
Who were the top 5 in yards ahead of Carolina?
Posted by: Zach | Sep 10, 2008 12:37:04 PM
Peppers was also against Marcus McNeill, correct? He's no slouch.
Posted by: KCPanther | Sep 10, 2008 12:40:43 PM
Philadelphia 522
Dallas 487
Atlanta 474
Denver 441
New Orleans 438
Carolina 388
Posted by: J.J.C. | Sep 10, 2008 1:01:35 PM
Actually McNeill was out. Peppers was going against a backup.
Any update on Wharton's and Otah's injuries?
Posted by: TP | Sep 10, 2008 1:03:27 PM
it seemed like to me that on alot of downs that Peps would engage the tackle but not really rush, it looked to be by design like he took on the blocker but held back in case Tomlinson went out in the flat, I notice its similar to how he played against the Saints last year. Either he or the coaches didnt want him to rush too far in the backfield in case Bush, and in this game Tomlinson, went for a pass on his side.
Posted by: matt | Sep 10, 2008 1:20:05 PM
Don't listen to that genius Gary Williams, folks. SD ran to the right nearly every running play, and they only took a full 5 step drop a couple times in the whole game. Pep was doubled nearly every pass play, except the ones where he lined up in the middle or stunted, which was often. Rivers is also very good at dumping the ball off before the rush reaches him.
Posted by: Authority | Sep 10, 2008 1:21:06 PM
KCPanther,
Nope. Peppers played against McNeill's backup, LJ Shelton. Marcus McNeill sat this one out with an injury. San Diego's starting center, Jeremy Newbetry, was out as well.
I didn't hear Gary Williams' analysis of Peppers...and I don't agree with Gary everytime...but I did pay particular attention to the replay of the game last night on the NFL Network. I watched Peppers on every defensive play, because I too was curious about what happened.
By my count, he dropped into pass coverage a lot (5 or 6 times). He was doubled by the TE and LT on several plays. He stunted a few times to try and wrap around for a middle-of-the-line pash-rush where he got doubled by the center and guard occasionally. But he did break through on one of those stunts for a QB knockdown (not just a hurry). Unfortunately, Rivers completed the pass anyway.
In fact, I noticed some other compounding factors in Peppers' performance. One, Philip Rivers was getting rid of the ball VERY quickly. He took a lot of 3-step drops and fired it before anyone could come near him, much less Peppers. In addition, I noticed a lot of running plays where LT ran away from Peppers' side of the line or straight up the middle.
On the few occasions when they did run towards Peppers, he did okay. He often soaked up a couple of blockers so the LBs could hold Tomlinson to a short gain. And on at least two of those instances, Peppers was involved in tackling or slowing him down by tripping him up or making him run further around the side than LT wanted.
Overall, I don't find much to quibble with Peppers performance in this game. Yes, he was playing against an inferior LT. But I think San Diego game-planned for Peppers. They saw the impact he had in the preseason. So Rivers made sure to get rid of the ball quickly. I even saw him roll away from Peppers when he left the pocket a couple of times, too. Even so, Julius still hurried him at least twice and knocked him down once. So Peppers did impact the game when and where he could.
I think it'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the season. If the Panthers defense as a unit can still disrupt opposing offenses even as Peppers is limited due to the opponents' game plans, I'm okay with that. It means the Panthers still win. And it means Peppers is still valuable, because I have no doubt that if teams don't game-plan for him the way San Diego did, he'll tear it up. And if they do game-plan for him in this fashion, it looks like the rest of the defense can limit them instead. Either way they lose and we win.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil
Posted by: NSpicer | Sep 10, 2008 1:22:07 PM
Interesting how the Carolina pipeline is headed down to Miami with Henning and our old OL coach (Maser) down there. Cramer WILL be starting on Sunday, and Mathis could get there pretty quickly.
NO, rayray. He was quintupled on at least two plays when the Chargers told the whole line to block Peppers. He is the greatest football player ever. We didn't get any sacks because every OTHER defensive players sucks. In fact, we should be paying Peppers MORE than the $15.6 million he's counting against our cap this year. If we pay him a lot, he will maintain his impressive level of motivation, focus, and drive.
They'll both be fine for the game on Sunday, TP. In addition to Mathis in Miami, Milford Brown just signed with Jacksonville, and it strikes me we would have made an effort to bring him back if the Otah/Wharton injuries were serious and/or had the team concerned.
Posted by: Michael Procton | Sep 10, 2008 1:34:19 PM
Procton,
Everyone would be very happy if you just decieded to stop posting here, you add nothing to the blog. If you are looking to become a real expert, please start reading what Nspicer has to say.
Posted by: Billy | Sep 10, 2008 1:48:15 PM
Peps did fine, the unit as a whole did fine, there is no issue here.
Its not interesting that our castoffs are going to Miami, because as you said, we have former coaches in play there, these are obvious which occur quite frequently in the league, not very interesting moves at all
Posted by: matt | Sep 10, 2008 2:00:09 PM
I believe there was somebody whining about Diggs being benched in favor of Landon Johnson.
In any event, is anyone else impressed with John Beason? He's only a one year pro entering his 2nd year, and he's already lighting up the league. If there is one thing that John Fox is good at, it's finding playmakers in the 1st round of the draft.
Just look at this list of players from when John Fox took over in 2001. You’ll recognize all the names I assure you.
2001, 11th overall: Dan Morgan
2002, 2nd overall: Julius Peppers
2003, 8th overall: Jordan Gross
2004, 28th overall: Chris Gamble
2005, 14th overall: Thomas Davis
2006, 27th overall: DeAngelo Williams
2007, 25th overall: Jon Beason
2008, 13th and 19th overall respectively: Jonathan Stewert and Jeff Otah.
Every single one of these first round players remains on our team, every one of them is a starter
Now I know what you're thinking. "Oh Revshawn, It's the first round! How can you screw up a 1st round pick?"
Look at the first 5 previous picks before the John Fox era.
1996: #8 overall was Tim Biakabutuka, a running back. Throughout his career he was often injured and he never went over 718 yards in a single season.
1997: #27 overall was Rae Curruth, a wideout. He finished his rookie year with over 500 yards and he was named to the all rookie team of 1997. However, after 1998 he broke his foot and was never a factor in any of the Panthers games, causing him to be cut in 1999. He is currently serving jail time for conspiring to murder his girlfriend.
1998: #14 overall was Jason Peter, a defensive tackle. His insignificant career was cut short by chronic neck stingers that caused him to retire in 2001. He is currently a local sports radio show host in Nebraska called ’The Spread.’ He has just released a book last July entitled: Hero of the Underground: My Journey Down To Heroin & Back. Enough said.
In 1999, our first round pick had been traded away.
2000: #23 overall was Rashard Anderson , he played for 2 seasons and recorded about half the tackles of what John Beason will record this season. His career ended in 2002 by violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He failed to meet the requirements required to enter the NFL in 2003, and disappeared from the NFL league altogether.
I look at the picks between pre John Fox and post John Fox, and I see a difference between night a day. We’re so lucky that he came to our team. I don’t know if a bunch of you guys know, but he saved our team from insignificance.
Other notable players drafted by John Fox
2001, 2nd/3rd rounds, Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith.
2002, 2nd round, DeShaun Foster
2004, 3rd round, Travelle Wharton
2006, 2nd/5th rounds, Richard Marshall and Jeff King
2007, 2nd/2nd/5th Dwayne Jarrett, Ryan Kilil, and the finally the hero of the Chargers game, Dante Rosario.
Posted by: Revshawn | Sep 10, 2008 2:10:12 PM
Finally, to answer TP, Otah and Wharton are classified as day to day according to John Fox. Your guess is as good as mine to what that means. My gut says they'll both play.
Posted by: Revshawn | Sep 10, 2008 2:13:17 PM
Good post Revshawn, I like alot of what you said.
But Fox/Hurney didnt draft Morgan, Jenkins and Smitty, that honor goes to the previous regime.
Posted by: matt | Sep 10, 2008 2:13:28 PM
Jon Beason will end up leading the teams in tackles, Harris will be 2nd in tackles. Did anyone see Chris Harris rock Ladainian Tomlinson the play after LT popped Harris. Beason also jacked up LT early as well.
Posted by: bb | Sep 10, 2008 2:46:24 PM
Good post Rev. Morgan was actually a holdover from Seifert's youth movement. Still, you made some very solid points. Thnks.
Posted by: SYRPIS | Sep 10, 2008 4:27:08 PM
Great point, Revshawn. But in addition to giving Fox the props for drafting those guys (excluding Morgan, Jenkins and Smith, because he hadn't joined Carolina yet), I think you've got to give it up to a few others involved in that process, too. How about the team's scouts? And maybe Hurney, too?
Overall, the talent evaluation under Fox's tenure has been pretty stellar. And, oh yeah, this just in...he's a pretty good coach, too. In fact, all thanks to Dom Capers and how he shepherded this team in the early days, but it's very clear that Fox is the best coach Carolina has ever had.
Faulting him for the down years when we only managed to go 7-9 or 8-8 is erroneous in my opinion. Injuries bit us big-time when Steve Smith went down for a season. We lost Jake Delhomme all of last season. Those are big, big hits that you just can't plan or compensate for in this league. As such, there's absolutely no way I'd ever hold him accountable for all of that and use it as an excuse to dump him...regardless of how the Panthers do this year.
Fox has taken us deep into the playoffs everytime we've gotten there. He took us to our first Superbowl...and who honestly thought that would happen so soon in this young team's history? We had a shot at it back in 1996, but that team was all defense and little to no offense. I think Fox is by far one of the better coaches in this league right now. And he's got a pretty good track record to prove it.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil
Posted by: NSpicer | Sep 10, 2008 6:39:14 PM
Good points all, and I especially agree with Neil's last post re Fox - we won't easily find better.
I guess I tend to view Peppers' performances in the context of his huge cap number, and the financial implications of resigning him. It's week one....
Posted by: rayray | Sep 10, 2008 10:05:30 PM
RayRay,
I think it's fair to worry over Peppers' cap number and what it would cost to resign him. That's a legitimate concern, because he won't come cheap. But I guess I also look at things from the outside in.
For example, how many other teams are out there, who consistently have to game-plan for Peppers and adjust what they do, and it winds up affecting how they play against us in a way that impacts the game positively for the Panthers even if it doesn't show up in the sack numbers? And how many of the coaches, scouts, and general managers of those teams (most of whom are pretty good judges of talent) regard Peppers as one of the best athletes in the entire league? And lastly, how many of them would more than willingly trade out one of their DE's right now if they could have Peppers instead? I think the answer is quite a few of them.
So, to me, Peppers is still a good player. A very valuable member of the defense who causes matchup problems and concerns for every opposing offensive coordinator. I think the San Diego game is an example of the quiet impact he can have. They obviously got the ball out on very quick drops by the QB. One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi, three-Mississippi and the ball was gone. That's almost never enough time for an edge rusher to make a difference...and even moreso if that edge-rusher is dropping into pass coverage on 5 or 6 plays...and especially if he's being asked to stay home a bit in case the Chargers run the ball with LT. Because, if LT gets past you when you're blitzing or giving up containment on the end in an effort to get to the QB on every play, he can absolutely torch you.
In that regard, I think the way Peppers played...or the way Trgovac schemed things for the Chargers...was actually a pretty smart way to defend this particular team. It won't show up in sack stats, QB hurries, and INTs...but it does show up in the only stat that matters...we won the game. And we won it by containing LT, forcing Rivers to throw very quick passes off 3-step drops, and basically dictating to the Chargers how the game would be played.
And hats off to San Diego. They're a talented enough team that our defensive scheme almost didn't pay off...especially when our defense got burned for those 2 TDs in the second half. But that's a quality team we played with a quality QB who just needed time to figure us out. He pretty much did just that, but the Chargers left enough time on the clock that our offense had a chance to win it at the end. And MAJOR props to Jake and our receivers for being up to the task. Any other year and we wouldn't have had things go our way like that.
But bottom line, this is why I always get back to the argument that it's not just individual achievement and stats that matter in this game. Football is a team sport, moreso than just about any other out there. Every unit contributes to every phase of the game plan for a particular opponent. And it's all of those parts working together than makes the final difference. Everything from starting field position, time of possession, route running, blitz vs. zone, all of it matters. That's why coaches and players talk all the time about big-time players making big plays. You've got to contribute in whatever way you're called upon from one week to another given the particular game plan that's been put together.
Sometimes, that calls for rushing the QB and disrupting him all day long so a team has to rely on a less effective running game. Other times, it's about taking away a RB so a team becomes one-dimensional and has to rely on a weaker passing game. I think the Panthers and Peppers primarily focused on LT in this one. They took their shots at disrupting Rivers, too. But primarily, they wanted to limit LT's effectiveness and take their chances with Rivers.
Regardless of how anyone feels about wanting more sacks for Peppers, I just want more wins for the team against quality opponents. Because I have no doubt Peppers can do the all-out pass-rush when asked to. But if doing that plays into the strength of your opponent's game plan, it's better to adjust your style of play for that game and look for the sack numbers a different day.
Just my two-cents,
--Neil
Posted by: NSpicer | Sep 11, 2008 8:01:30 AM
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