Panthers Fall to Dolphins 24-17

Miami’s Ricky Williams was on fire last night, and his three touchdowns helped lead the Miami Dolphins over a disappointing Carolina Panthers team, handing Miami a 5-5 record while the Panthers fall to 4-6 after Week 11 of the regular season. Last night’s big game was missing a few of the league’s biggest names on both sides of the ball, but the Panthers and Dolphins fought to take home a win, ultimately going to Miami as the night concluded.

The Dolphins led for most of the game, up 14-3 after halftime. The Panthers made a comeback in the fourth quarter when Steve Smith made a leaping 27-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 17-14, but ultimately Carolina’s defense was no match for Miami’s offense (even without a heavily-played wildcat), and Miami ran off with a 24-17 victory. After the game, quarterback Jake Delhomme expressed his team’s trend of final-quarter meltdowns, saying, “Guys are fighting their tail off. We are just not getting it done… We are not winning the close ones.” Delhomme ended the game going 19-of-42 for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception - a mild improvement from his early season woes. It’s now back to the drawing board for the Panthers, who face the New York Jets next Sunday in Week 12.

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Can the Panthers Make the Playoffs?

Currently standing 4-5 on the season and in third place in the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers are furiously trying to make up ground from starting the ‘09 year with a 0-3 record. The Panthers battle the Miami Dolphins tonight in the Thursday night football game of the week, and this is one important game for both teams, as both the Dolphins and the Panthers are already in a race to make the playoffs.

If the Panthers beat the Dolphins this week, it will put them at 5-5, still with a shot at making the playoffs. For the Dolphins, it’s a similar situation. Miami is 4-5 on the season, as well, tied with the New York Jets for second place in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots. The winner of tonight’s big game between Carolina and Miami is likely to stay in the running for making a wild-card appearance at this year’s playoffs, but tonight’s game could go either way.

Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme discussed his team’s mentality going into tonight’s game, saying, “The one thing that’s not brought up in our locker room is the playoffs. Because of the way we started, that’s something that’s so down the line in everybody’s minds. We have to worry about one win because wins have been hard to come by. Miami is that one win.” It all starts tonight at 8:20 p.m. EST, so stay tuned to see the Panthers tame the wildcat!

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Panthers Make Roster Moves in Preparation for Tomorrow’s Big Game

The ailing Carolina Panthers will face the equally-depleted Miami Dolphins in tomorrow’s Thursday night football game of the week, and in covering for the injured Jordan Gross, the Panthers have made a few changes to their roster over the last 24 hours. Now that Gross has been placed on the injured reserve, the Panthers have shuffled around Mackenzy Bernadeau and Travelle Wharton in his position, while rookie wide receiver Charly Martin takes Gross’ place on Carolina’s roster. Martin, signed to the Panthers’ practice squad in early September, was waived from the San Diego Chargers early in the season, and his addition to Carolina’s roster was just one of the moves John Fox made yesterday.

There was also a lot of action regarding Carolina’s practice squad following the domino effect that began with Jordan Gross’ injury, as tight end Jason Pociask was released from the squad just weeks after he signed with the team. Defensive end Eric Moore and offensive lineman Brian De La Puenta were added to the Panthers’ practice squad in Pociask and Martin’s places, giving the Panthers some more depth in advance of tomorrow’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

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Panthers-Dolphins: On Equal Playing Ground?

News of Carolina’s Jordan Gross breaking his ankle in last week’s Panthers-Falcons game was a huge bummer for fans of the struggling Charlotte team, but the Miami Dolphins, who the Panthers play in the Week 11 Thursday night game of the week this week, are looking just as depleted as Carolina, giving the Panthers a glimmer of hope to win this Thursday’s big matchup.

Carolina still has a smorgasbord of players out with injuries, and we’re not forgetting that, but the Dolphins also have some pretty key players down for the count, as well. The latest on the Miami front is that tailback Ronnie Brown will be out for his team’s Week 11 matchup, as he injured his right foot in the Dolphins’ last game against the Tampa Bay Bucs. Left guard Justin Smiley has also been out for the Dolphins with a shoulder injury, questionable for this week’s game against the Panthers. Tight end Anthony Fasano has also been struggling with a hip injury, leaving him to be another big question mark in this week’s Carolina-Miami game.

As previously mentioned, second-year backup Mackenzy Bernadeau will replace Jordan gross at tackle for the Panthers, shifting positions with left guard Travelle Wharton for this weekend’s Panthers-Dolphins game. Do the Panthers have what it takes to overcome injuries and pound out a win against the wildcat-happy Dolphins? We’ll soon find out!

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Panthers Beat Falcons, but At the Expense of One of Their Own

The Carolina Panthers’ 28-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons yesterday was bittersweet. On one hand, the victory gave Carolina its much-needed fourth win of the season, improving the Panthers’ record to 4-5, but on the other it wiped out one of Carolina’s most important players: Jordan Gross. Gross, Carolina’s stellar left tackle and Pro Bowl player, went down with an ankle injury during the first half of yesterday’s game, immediately taken off the field. It was later determined that Gross has broken his right ankle, and he underwent surgery last night. Of Gross’ predicament, quarterback Jake Delhomme said, “It hurts, not only for the football player, but the man. Jordan is special; he’s a leader.”

Jordan Gross will soon go on the dreaded injured reserve as he’ll be out for the rest of the season due to this disappointing injury, and now the Panthers are hard at work trying to replace him. For now, Travelle Wharton has been moved to left tackle and Mackenzy Bernadeau will take Wharton’s spot at left guard. The Panthers also have the option of shopping around for another offensive lineman, and this will all play out this week before Carolina’s next game against the Miami Dolphins.

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Panthers-Falcons Preview

The 3-5 Carolina Panthers will face division rivals the 5-3 Atlanta Falcons this weekend in Week 10 action, and the Panthers are out for revenge after losing to the Falcons 28-20 in Week 2 of the regular season this year. Jake Delhomme has proven his worth once again with Carolina, and he’s got to be hot this Sunday for the Panthers to avenge their earlier loss and pull out a win against Atlanta.

While Jake Delhomme is still the scapegoat for Carolina, the Falcons are currently dealing with their own troubles. Falcons coach Mike Smith was fined $15,000 earlier this week for a sideline melee during last week’s game against the Washington Redskins, and Atlanta’s director of athletic performance (Jeff Fish) also got slapped with a $2,500 fine for the tiff involving Washington’s LaRon Landry, Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall.

Putting the drama behind them, however, the Panthers and Falcons are stripping down to raw football and will play a heated game this weekend at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina is bound to run the ball with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams leading the way, and it’s up to Atlanta’s Curtis Lofton to help put a stop to the Panthers’ offense.

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Panthers Sign Smith as Davis Joins IR

Linebacker Thomas Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury last weekend during the Carolina Panthers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the game. He has since been officially placed on the injured reserve, and the Panthers opted this week to sign linebacker Kelvin Smith off the practice squad to fill Davis’ spot on the team’s roster.

Smith has been drifting around the NFL since 2007, when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the draft. He played in only four games as a rookie, however, before suffering a knee injury that put him out for the rest of the season. He was waived by the New York Giants after training camp this year, signed by the Panthers thereafter. Smith joins the Panthers’ crew of linebackers in line after Landon Johnson, who will likely start at linebacker for Carolina in the absence of Thomas Davis.

Landon Johnson is a product of Purdue University who has been in the league since 2004, when he joined the Cincinnati Bengals. Johnson became a Panther in 2008 and has posted seven tackles so far this season.

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Follow-Up Report on Panthers’ Fullback Situation

With recent news that fullbacks Brad Hoover and Tony Fiammetta were both out with injuries, the Carolina Panthers immediately started looking to replace the position last week for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Instead of signing a new fullback to the team, John Fox’s Panthers instead opted to move running back Tyrell Sutton into the action, activating him for his first career start and using guard Mackenzy Bernadeau for short-yardage plays, as well. Though the situation wasn’t desirable (Sutton hadn’t even been in training camp, having been signed in early September), the Panthers found a way to shuffle through it, and things are sure to improve for next week.

Bernadeau, a 308-pound guard, is around 65 pounds too heavy to play fullback, but he still stepped up to the plate in Sunday’s game against the Saints regardless, saying, “I talked to (fullbacks) Hoover and Tony beforehand. They said [to] just get a feel for it. The first time can be tough because it’s full speed, game situation, but after that, just get a feel for it… and you’ll be set.” There were some bumps along the way for the Panthers on Sunday, but this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons gives Carolina a shot to try again.

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Cats Put up a Fight Against Drew Brees’ Saints

From the Carolina Panthers’ view at halftime yesterday, beating the undefeated New Orleans Saints was a perfectly plausible feat. The Panthers were up 17-6 on the Saints after the first half of the Week 9 matchup, and this fired-up Carolina team was hot from the get-go, with DeAngelo Williams taking a pass in the first minute of the game to a 66-yard touchdown. At the end of the day, however, the Panthers ran out of steam, allowing the Saints to rally late in the game and outscore Carolina 24-3 in the second half of the game as New Orleans steadily pounded out a 30-20 win over the Panthers.

Perhaps the most important development of yesterday’s Carolina-New Orleans game was not a good thing for the Panthers: linebacker Thomas Davis, who exited the game early in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, was later announced to have torn his ACL, meaning this crucial part of the Panthers’ defense will most certainly be out for the rest of the season. Before the announcement, coach John Fox spoke of Davis’ injury, saying, “I feel bad for the young man because he’s put a lot into it. He was playing at a high level. It’s unfortunate, and I feel bad for him and his family. On that particular play where he went down, they were able to get out of the end zone. It was unfortunate that he got hurt and it was unfortunate he got hurt in the middle of that play.”

While the Panthers mourn the absence of Thomas Davis in the aftermath of yesterday’s tornado of a game, they have to start rebuilding for next week, and this will most likely start with Landon Johnson, who’s expected to start in the place of Davis at linebacker.

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Panthers-Saints Preview

The Carolina Panthers will have their work cut out for them this weekend as they battle NFC South rivals the New Orleans Saints, and it’s up to the Panthers to stop Drew Brees and Co. from posting an 8-0 record on the season. Jake Delhomme and the Panthers will have to be spot-on to give the Saints some tough competition this weekend, but Carolina shouldn’t be ruled out from this division matchup.

The Panthers play the Saints this weekend at the Superdome, and if history is any sign in how this Sunday’s Carolina-New Orleans game will go, perhaps the Panthers have the upper hand. Carolina has won the past seven games the team has played at New Orleans, including last year’s down-to-the-wire 33-31 win, when kicker John Kasay made a 42-yard field goal with one second left in the game.

In order to win this Sunday’s NFC South matchup, the Panthers will have to implement their top-notch running game, which the football realm got a glimpse of last weekend with Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams leading the Panthers over the Cardinals. Jake Delhomme also needs to watch turnovers for Carolina to have the chance to trump the Saints, so stay tuned for all the football action this weekend!

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