Establish the run, Carolina

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, September 13, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Carolina Panthers
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Out of all the opening weekend's letdown teams in the NFL, there wasn't a much more disappointing squad than the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers, who were predicted by almost everyone to be the Super Bowl frontrunners, fell on their faces against the Atlanta Falcons, losing by a score of 20-6. A big reason for Carolina's offensive ineptitude was its complete inability to run the football, a fundamental need for teams that are supposed to be upper echelon.

Much of the problems go back to offensive coordinator Dan Henning, who attempted just 16 run plays in the game. Granted, the Panthers were losing early in the game, making it somewhat difficult to run the ball and catch up, but it still doesn't completely pardon the assistant. After all, he does have a few capable running backs to work with, but only one was utilized.

DeShaun Foster was the only back to carry the ball in the loss, rushing 15 times for a pedestrian 54 yards. The only other ball carrier in the game for Carolina was receiver Drew Carter, who gained 11 yards on his attempt.

The main question is, Where was DeAngelo Williams? Outside of returning kickoffs for the Panthers' special teams unit, the rookie first-round pick from Memphis was all but nonexistent. Considering the team was so eager to grab Williams back in April's draft, it doesn't make any sense that he wasn't involved in the offensive gameplan.

One big reason why Carolina didn't establish the run was its lack of possession time. The team held the ball for just over 23 minutes, compared to Atlanta's 36:28. That obviously was a direct indictment on the Panthers' defensive inability to stop the Falcons' offense. Still, though, if the Panthers had established some semblance of a ground attack, they likely would have leveled out the playing field in terms of T.O.P.

Because star wide receiver Steve Smith could be out for this weekend's game at Minnesota with an injury, the running game becomes that much more important. Quarterback Jake Delhomme forced passes and didn't play well last Sunday, as evidenced by his 21-of-39 for 186 yards and an interception stat line.

The Vikings' defense is certainly formidable, but by no means is the unit impossible to run on. Even though he was banged up with a shoulder injury, Redskins running back Clinton Portis managed a respectable 3.9 yards per carry and one touchdown on 10 rush plays in Washington's Monday night loss to Minnesota.

Assuming both Foster and Williams are healthy, they can certainly do more than enough to eclipse the totals of Portis.

When the Panthers hit the Metrodome this Sunday, Foster, Williams and even Nick Goings should all be in the gameplan trying to run the football. Otherwise, the Panthers' one-dimensional offense will nosedive the team to a surprisingly horrid 0-2 start.

--Got feedback? Connor J. Byrne responds to readers' comments and questions each day: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

Get weekly Carolina Panthers coverage at RealFootball365.com.
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