If you think the 5-0 Carolina Panthers are a one-season wonder, think again. They could become as close to an NFL dynasty as we’ve seen in a while.
Let’s see if they can win Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston before equating them with Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys, but the foundation for long-term success certainly is there.
John Fox, the former Giants defensive coordinator, is putting together the kind of old-fashioned, smash-mouth team that thrived in the 1980s and ’90s when no one knew anything about the West Coast offense. Behind the league’s second-ranked rushing offense and a young, aggressive defense, the Panthers stayed unbeaten with a 23-20 overtime win over previously unbeaten Indianapolis last Sunday.
“It goes to show what you can do with a good running game and a good defense,” one NFL observer said. “I don’t know how well it’s going to hold up in the playoffs, but it can win you a lot of regular-season games.”
The Panthers’ running game is impressive, averaging 172 yards per contest. Stephen Davis, signed from the Redskins, has done the bulk of the work, gaining 641 yards to rank third in the NFL. But eyebrows were raised Sunday when Davis injured his arm and DeShaun Foster, a second-round pick in 2002, took over and rushed for a career-high 85 yards with 54 yards receiving. If this keeps up, Carolina will have the best 1-2 ground punch in the NFL.
“Having two guys share the load rather than one, it keeps them fresh,” Fox said.
If things don’t work out this year, there’s always next year, and the year after that. The Panthers are one of few teams in the NFL that can boast of having their entire starting defensive line under contract through at least 2007. DT Kris Jenkins is negotiating an extension; Julius Peppers is under contract through 2008; and defensive end Mike Rucker, who leads the team with five sacks, and tackle Brentson Buckner have contracts that run through 2007.
All have bought into Fox’s hard-nosed, run-the-ball, play-good-defense, don’t-beat-yourself philosophy. After last year’s 4-9 collapse after a 3-0 start, nobody is getting cocky in Carolina just yet.
“I think anybody who was a part of this football team last year knows what happened to us,” Fox said. “Right now we’re just taking one step at a time. We are not looking forward and we are not looking behind us.”
Just ahead are the Titans (4-2) on Sunday in Charlotte. The Giants will keep Fox on their radar if Jim Fassel has an ugly to ending to what looked to be a promising 2003 season.
TOUCHDOWNS
Cowboys receiver Randal Williams will get credit for the fastest score to start an NFL game after returning an Eagles onsides kick for a 37-yard TD on the opening play of the game. His time: 3 seconds. Thirty-seven yards in 3 seconds? “I probably took three or four steps before that first tick came off the clock,” Williams said.
Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson threw four TD passes in his first return to Washington since an ugly departure from the Redskins in 2000. Johnson, who forever will be underrated, got his revenge, completing 22 of 30 for 268 yards in a 35-13 romp.
FUMBLES
Packers DB Bhawoh Jue was burned for a 51-yard TD pass that gave the Chiefs a 40-34 win in OT, then acted like it was no big deal. “As far as I’m concerned, I don’t even know what play you are talking about,” he told reporters in Green Bay.
Bills are overdue again. After a 2-0 start, they’ve won one of four and looked awful against the Jets, allowing seven sacks in 30-3 loss. “We just haven’t shown any enthusiasm,” Bills owner Ralph Wilson said.
WEEK 7
(Four Footballs)
Denver (5-1) at Minnesota (5-0)
Vikings’ chance to prove they’re for real.
New England (4-2) at Miami (4-1)
Only coach better than Bill Belichick right now is Bill Parcells.
(Three footballs)
Tennessee (4-2) at Carolina (5-0)
Titans still teasing us with their potential.
Kansas City (6-0) at Oakland (2-4)
Raiders would love to hand Chiefs first loss.