Panthers defense looks to continue solid play against Saints

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

CHARLOTTE -- Last week was good, make no mistake.

But the Carolina Panthers know that unless they follow up with a win today at New Orleans, the gains of last week's road upset at Arizona won't mean nearly as much.

As much as they needed that one, to dispel the ghosts of last year's playoff loss, they need to be the team to break the Saints' winning streak if they want to save the current season.

“I really feel like this can be a statement game for us,” Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis said. “If we can go down there and perform well and come away with this victory, with New Orleans playing so well, I think that will give our fans a chance to say ‘OK, we're on the right track.'

“It's going to take this game to do it.”

The good news for the Panthers is that they are playing solid defense, with last week's six-turnover effort in Arizona underscoring the previous improvements.

The Panthers were giving up 362.3 yards per game over their first three, but that's when things started to change. That's when nose tackle Hollis Thomas arrived to lend some unexpected legitimacy to the line, when linebackers Davis and Jon Beason finally looked healthy again from preseason knee injuries, and when strong safety Chris Harris returned to the lineup to get the signal-caller back in the secondary.

Since then, they're 3-1, but playing much better defensively. They have allowed 232.5 yards per game the last four, looking much more like the aggressive unit coordinator Ron Meeks was brought here to create.

“If you're not thinking, you play faster,” coach John Fox said of those strides. “Early on, we had a lot of new guys in there. We did have some injuries. I think that was as big as anything — different people learning the system.

“We've gotten some of those people back now and settled in a little bit as far as, hopefully, trying to keep the same starting lineup a little bit cohesive. I think we are playing better for it. I thought last week was a huge challenge, and I think this week is huger, if there is such a word.”

The Saints enter the game 7-0 with the league's best offense. Unlike past years, there's balance on that side, with a legitimate running game to go with Drew Brees' passing.

But for all they've done this year, they're still wary of the Panthers, and not just because Carolina has won seven straight in Louisiana.

“We have had a chance to see the game against Arizona,” said Saints coach Sean Payton, who worked with Fox on the Giants staff that went to a Super Bowl. “I think our players and our staff have a great deal of respect for what John and his staff and team have been able to accomplish there. They clearly understand what wins games. When you just look back at the history since John has been there, that team is second in the NFC in total wins. Last week was a great example of them playing very opportunistic on defense, certainly explosive on offense with their ability to run the ball.

“Having been with John and worked with him for a long time, that's been his team's motto. Those guys have done a great job with being consistent, and that's not surprising at all. They put it all together last week and played one of their best games of the year. As a result, you saw the score against a good Arizona team. Our players and our staff understand the challenge with Carolina and what they present.”

The Panthers know they're going to have to continue to improve today.

Even the offensive guys, who've taken steps as well, getting through their first turnover-free game of the year last week, acknowledge that the play of the defense has sparked, them, and will be crucial against the Saints.

Quarterback Jake Delhomme mentioned the team's 15-play touchdown drive to open last week's game as a turning point, the kind of thing to let the defense know the other side is there for them.

“The team feeds off each other,” Delhomme said. “They can go out there fresh, guys do truly pull for each other. We have a lot of good guys, and we all have the same goal. We want to win, but when we can all do it together, and everybody does their part, it's great. We're all for everybody executing at a high level.”

Still, there's a touch of wonder in Delhomme's voice when discussing his old team, because of the way they are ringing up yards and points.

“You've got to walk into the Superdome confident that you're going to play good football,” he said. “Because if you don't, they're going to run you out of there. That's what they've done the majority of their games this year. We've got to go in with the mindset that we're going to play our best game.”

That would be a relief for their fan base, which has grown weary of the constant back-and-forth, and still doesn't quite know what to make of the local team. The city had nearly turned the team off after the ridiculous loss to Buffalo two weeks ago, and it took winning at Arizona to even approach getting them back on board.

“They'd start to feel a lot better about us after winning the game against Arizona,” Davis said. “People were down on us after Buffalo, because that's a game we could have and should have won.

“You don't have to sense it, they let it be known. We don't have shy people around here. They'll let you know. They'd say we're behind you, but you need to pick it up. You want that. You want fans to be involved, let you know what they think, and voice that opinion.”