Published: Friday, Sep. 18, 2009 / Updated: Friday, Sep. 18, 2009 12:05 AM

Panthers' Meeks, Davis share admiration

CHARLOTTE -- When defensive coordinator Ron Meeks joined the Carolina Panthers this offseason, it didn't take him long to recognize what he wanted to do with Thomas Davis.

When Davis realized Meeks was coming to town, it didn't take him long to dig up some tape on a player he was compared to early on.

Meeks admitted Thursday that one of the things that excited him most about installing the Tampa 2 system in Charlotte was the potential it held for Davis at weakside linebacker.

“He's got the type of skill set we want in this defense,” Meeks said. “The way he plays, the skill level he has, he has a chance to make a lot of big plays in this defense, as you saw on Sunday.”

Oh yeah, Sunday.

The team gave Davis credit for 18 tackles, which tied a franchise record for most in a regular-season game. (Their stat is based on coaches' film review and rarely matches the NFL's game-day count.) Dan Morgan's 25 in Super Bowl XXXVIII remain the most ever. Perhaps not coincidentally, all those high-tackle marks, including Mike Minter against Atlanta in 2002 and Mike Barrow against the Falcons in 1998, came in losses.

Still, Davis called his performance “pretty much my best game as a pro,” and said he expected more all year.

“This new defense, this new position I'm playing right now, I'm really loving it,” Davis said. “It's paying dividends for me. I think the biggest thing, it's set up for the Will (weakside) linebacker.

“It puts me in position to make plays, and Sunday I was able to go out, run around, feel free and make plays.”

Derrick Brooks was the original star in that spot, the quick-footed Tampa Bay nightmare who Tony Dungy's defenses were built around. It's interesting that Davis gets to play his spot now, since coach John Fox said on the day they drafted Davis he saw some Brooks in him.

That's why when Davis heard Meeks was hired to replace Mike Trgovac, he immediately asked for all the tape of Brooks he could get his hands on.

“He was a great Will linebacker. I tried to learn from the things he did,” Davis said. “I think the biggest thing with Derrick, he did a great job of reading the quarterback and reacting. He had so many picks just based on playing that position and reading and reacting to the quarterback from the backside position.

“I actually pulled it up for myself, knowing that I was going to be in his position. He played the position and did a great job at it. He went to the Pro Bowl in that position, what 11 times? So you'd be a fool if you didn't go and watch a guy like that.”

Aside from the Brooks comparisons, Meeks said he also sees many similarities to Cato June, who played in the system for four years in Indianapolis before joining Brooks in Tampa.

Like Davis, June was a safety in college (Michigan) and came to the league considered a little small to play standard linebacker sets but ran so well there was a place for him.

Meeks said the defense is designed — to simplify it greatly — to keep the generally thicker middle and strongside linebackers (the Mike and Sam, as they're known) on the strong side of the offensive formation.

That leaves the Will out of traffic, so that if he's taking on blockers immediately, it's only one, and reduces the chance of him getting caught up in traffic.

“The way it's set up, you try to utilize the big linebackers, the Mike and the Sam on the strong side over there,” Meeks said. “Then you put a more athletic guy, almost like an oversized strong safety on the other side.

“It's hard to find a big linebacker like Thomas that can run and be able to do all those things — has the turnover ability, the good hands. I think he fits the mold.”

That “turnover ability,” is key to Davis' switch. Brooks was notorious in the Panthers' locker room for the way he'd disrupt passing lanes and had 25 career interceptions in his 14 seasons.

Meeks said that Davis' speed presents the added benefit of allowing him to drop into pass coverage in different ways — which might come in handy this weekend against Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez — and draws heavily on his background in the secondary.

“It leaves me free a lot more than it normally would,” Davis said. “It leaves me free to make plays, and a lot of guys are starting to hammer things back. It's a position where there's only one guy where I have to try to beat. So it's definitely put me in position to make plays.

“It's a lot like (playing safety). We're in pass coverage. We're reading, reacting and giving me the ability to be free and react to the quarterback.”

While Fox was careful to say he didn't want to diminish Davis' skills, the defense tends to funnel things toward whoever's at the Will.

Even in the preseason, when Davis was out while nursing a knee injury, backup James Anderson had moments of looking like an all-star.

“The little birdies are saying that's the position to have in this defense,” linebacker Na'il Diggs said.

“If you look at the other players who have played this defense on other teams and you look at the productivity James had in the preseason, you can't help to fall into that trap.

“I think if you put anybody there they're going to make plays.”