One of the most impressive Week 1 wins was the Carolina Panthers beating the San Diego Chargers on the road. San Diego, justifiably a Super Bowl pick by many people, lost at home to a Carolina team that was without its most explosive player on offense, Steve Smith.
The main reason the Panthers won the game was that they were able to control the line of scrimmage and run the football, exactly what coach John Fox wants. The Panthers rushed for 142 yards for a 4.9-per-rush average.
|
|
| Jonathan Stewart rushed 10 times for 53 yards in San Diego. (US Presswire) |
• Drafting running back Jonathan Stewart from Oregon with their first-round pick;
• Trading next year's No. 1 pick -- in addition to other picks -- to draft offensive tackle Jeff Otah from the University of Pittsburgh.
What made the first move bold was that Stewart was still rehabbing from surgery on his foot; you never know how a player is going to be after a surgery. Before the injury and subsequent surgery, virtually every scout I talked to had Stewart rated the second-best back in last year's draft, behind Darren McFadden.
The most interesting thing to me was when I first asked scouts about Stewart when he declared for the draft in January, they put his value in the top 10. At that point, scouts have not put their draft boards together, so what they meant was that his value was historically based on previous drafts.
When Stewart had the surgery, it dropped his draft position because there was an uncertainty as to when he would be ready to play and what condition he would be in.
The surgeon who did the surgery was the one of the Panthers' doctors, Dr. Robert Anderson. He has been used by many players and teams in the NFL. We used him many times on the teams I was with for second opinions. We found him to be an excellent doctor. So the Panthers had an excellent feel on how the surgery went and how Stewart was progressing in his rehab.
The Panthers' doctor did share this information with other teams, so I do not believe Carolina had an unfair advantage in knowledge about Stewart's medical status.
When I watched Stewart in training camp, I liked that he is a physical, downhill runner. What "downhill" means is that the runner attacks the line of scrimmage instead of bouncing the ball to the outside if the hole closes a little. He is physical enough as a runner to knock tacklers back and gain yardage after contact. Stewart teamed with DeAngelo Williams on Sunday to give the Panthers and excellent one-two punch.
Maybe even bolder was the trade for Otah. He had played left tackle at Pittsburgh during his senior year. He was a physical run blocker who I did not feel had the foot quickness to play LT in the NFL, but should make a good right tackle. I believed he would be the run blocker you need to play on the right side and had enough foot quickness to pass protect from that position. He played well in training camp. He was physical as a run blocker and used his size and strength to be effective as a pass blocker.
What I liked about the Panthers' draft strategy was they knew what they wanted to look like as a football team. They wanted to be a physical running team. To do that you need a strong offensive line as well as good running backs. The Panthers now have the line they need and two backs who will make their offense effective.
Sometimes when you are running a football team you have to make a bold move to get to the next level, and general manager Marty Hurney did that by drafting Stewart and trading draft picks to be able to draft Otah. Based on what I saw this summer and on opening day, they made the right decisions and have put themselves back on track to play the football style they want to be known for, that of a power running team and be a playoff contender.
I would also say this about the Panthers: I agree with the two-game suspension of Steve Smith for punching a teammate. I do not believe a fine would have been sufficient. Players can pay money and even though they mind it, taking away playing time is the greatest punishment you can ever give a player. If he had played with the team there would have not been a sense of punishment, except to the player himself, and also a feeling you can buy your way out of trouble might have existed.
I told Hurney we won every game on the team I was with when we suspended a player ... and so did the Panthers on Sunday.
