Panthers Defense Struggles to Come Together

If games were determined only by the defense, the Carolina Panthers would be in trouble. The much-injured Carolina defense is still working out the kinks after witnessing injuries from top starters Maake Kemoeatu and Jon Beason earlier this month, and the team fell to the Baltimore Ravens 13-17 in the third preseason game of the year Saturday night. Coach John Fox wasn’t the only one with tough love to give the Panthers after their exhibition game Saturday night, and much of the criticism was coming from Beason himself, who has been sidelined with a sprained knee. Beason delivered bouts of disapproval following the Carolina-Baltimore game over the weekend, saying, “On the sideline you get that coaches’ point of view. The tackling was horrible tonight. I think we’ve got to do a better job in our man-to-man coverage. I think we were good against the run, which we hadn’t been the first two games. But we’re still not where we need to be.”

The Panthers have been struggling defensively over the last couple months, however, and not just in the preseason. New defensive coordinator Ron Meeks has had the team tackling new drills and skills in learning a new defense, and the mounting numbers of injuries only make it harder for the defense to come together, especially as linebackers Beason and Thomas Davis, safety Charles Godfrey and nose tackle Kemoeatu have all been out with injuries. Will the Panthers be able to pull together their defense in time for the opening of the regular season? The countdown is on, so stay tuned for more!

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