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Panthers looking to silence critics
2006-11-18
Jake Delhomme is tired of everybody focusing on the dreadful first-half performance by the Carolina Panthers' offense on Monday night against Tampa Bay. "In the first half, we never really got anything going," Delhomme conceded. "We just needed to come out in the second half and play better. The first drive was nice. The next thing you know, things just started working from there. I'm optimistic we can build off of that." After rallying in the second half to beat the Buccaneers and end a two-game losing streak, the Panthers (5-4) insist they're on the right track as they host the struggling St. Louis Rams on Sunday. "We have to use that momentum we had and keep it going," tackle Jordan Gross said. "It's a short week and we're going to try to bounce back quick." After being held to three first downs and 98 yards in a scoreless first half, the Panthers did dominate the second half, but it was due in part to Tampa Bay's generosity. The Bucs turned it over on four of five possessions to blow a 7-0 halftime lead. And the problems for Carolina's offense are still glaring. The Panthers have the worst third-down conversion rate in the NFL and rank 28th in rushing. If the Panthers are ever going to open up holes for running backs DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams, the Rams would be the team to do it against. St. Louis ranks 29th in stopping the run and gave up 160 yards on the ground last Sunday in a 24-22 loss to Seattle. The Rams (4-5) have given up 100 or more yards rushing in all but one game, one of the reasons they've lost four straight. "We're getting to the desperate point," Rams quarterback Mark Bulger said. "Fortunately for us we're still in it. The margin for error is getting less and less, and to beat them would be big because they're in the NFC and we would get back to .500. But it's not going to be easy." Especially with the Rams suffering a serious blow when Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace suffered a torn triceps against the Seahawks and is lost for the season. Coach Scott Linehan was weighing several options, but will likely have to move players on the line to fill Pace's spot. "You don't replace Orlando," Linehan said. "You put another guy in there and you challenge everybody on the team to step up and help. Adam Goldberg is going to play somewhere in the line, whether we keep him at left side or move him over and move Alex Barron to the left side. Everybody else will just have to step up when you lose a player like Orlando." What compounds the problem for Linehan is the offensive line will be going up against Julius Peppers. He had three sacks and recovered a fumble in Monday's game and now leads the NFL with 11 sacks. "I'm not sure we have enough time to talk about all the problems he presents us," Linehan said. "Between him and that whole front, that defense and that secondary it is hard to focus on him, but you have to because he can wreck the game before you ever even get to your fifth step on a drop on a pass. Plus, he's now starting to blow up the running game." But the Panthers' defense hasn't been as dominant as many thought it would be. Carolina has struggled to replace Will Witherspoon, who signed a six-year, $33 million free-agent deal with the Rams in the offseason. "It'll be different sitting on the other side of the field, that's for sure," Witherspoon said on his return to Charlotte. "It'll be a lot of fun to play against a group of guys that I know real well." The game will feature four premier receivers, with Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson going up against Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce of the Rams. Smith is coming off an eight-catch, 149-yard performance Monday. "I'd buy a ticket for this game to watch those guys play football," Linehan said. "Everybody has stars and we happen to see four really good receivers this week." And the Rams will be a starting a rookie at cornerback as Tye Hill will replace Travis Fisher, who broke his right forearm against the Seahawks. Despite their struggles, both teams are still in the playoff mix. The Panthers are a game behind New Orleans in the NFC South, while the Rams are two games behind Seattle in the NFC West. "I think that's the way the league wants it," Delhomme said. "There's a group of teams who, week in and week out, have similar talent levels. It comes down to who plays better between the sidelines. We were able to take a step in the right direction Monday night, and hopefully we can make (Sunday) another step this week." So do the Panthers' restless fans, who booed the team off the field at halftime Monday night as they watched what they thought was a Super Bowl caliber team get shut down. "We need to turn the boos into cheers," safety Mike Minter said. "The crowd is going to react to what they see, so we need to give them something good to look at."
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