Herald News:Davis ready for return against Redskins

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Panthers' Davis ready for return against Redskins

11/13/2003

(Sports Network) - The Washington Redskins shunned Stephen Davis in the offseason, sending him packing in a cost-cutting move. Davis will look to make the Redskins pay for their disrespect on Sunday, when he leads the NFC South- leading Carolina Panthers against them at Ericsson Stadium.

Davis, who sat out the Panthers' huge 27-24 win over the arch-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday due to an ankle injury, will surely be ready to take on his former team this week. "Stephen will be back this week," Panthers center Jeff Mitchell said. "Naturally, it's his old team, and [steve] Spurrier -- he wants to show him what he's about. It's going to be a good game for him." Washington may not regret ridding itself of Davis, but injury problems at the running back slot have forced head coach Steve Spurrier to use five different runners this season. In desperation, the Redskins have been relegated to using fullback Rock Cartwright in the position. Cartwright has taken full advantage in the past two games, registering 125 yards on 21 carries (5.9 ypc). "He's sort of our strongest back," Spurrier said. "He's not real tall, but he's stocky and sturdy. He can break some arm tackles. Breaking tackles is something that truly good running backs can do." Spurrier may have saved his job this past week, as the Redskins managed to stop a four-game skid with a 27-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. The old ball coach pulled out all the stops on the final drive against Seattle, going for it on fourth-and-inches at his own 25 and calling a reverse pass to a wide open Trung Canidate for a touchdown with 1:57 left in the contest. "When you've lost four in-a-row," Spurrier said, "you don't have to play too conservatively or too careful." The Panthers are in the driver's seat of the NFC South --- three games ahead of the second place duo of New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Carolina is 5-0 against its division, including two wins over the Saints and the Bucs, and 2-2 versus the AFC. The Panthers, who will be playing their first non-division NFC tilt this week, have four of their final seven games against the NFC East. "This is what football should be," said defensive end Mike Rucker. "It should be about having fun when you're winning games. We've been through some tough times around here when we weren't able to have fun. It's fun now, and that's the way it should be."

SERIES HISTORY: Washington has never lost in five all-time meetings with the Panthers, including a 17-14 overtime win at FedEx Field on October, 21, 2001. Brett Conway booted the game-winning 23-yard field goal 1:52 into overtime for the 'Skins. The last four meetings have been decided by three points or less. Spurrier has never faced the Panthers, while Fox is taking on Washington for the first time.

REDSKINS OFFENSE VS. PANTHERS DEFENSE

Outside of making the two crucial offensive calls on the final drive, Spurrier used a hands-off approach on offense. Spurrier took a back seat to offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, who was given the go-ahead to make the calls. "I think Hue did an excellent job on Sunday," Spurrier said. "He�s been involved in the play-calling, but what we did differently on Sunday was bring him down to the sidelines. We let him call plays from there and he provided a little extra enthusiasm and energy." Jackson's play-calling paid dividends for starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey, who wasn't sacked for the first time this season. Ramsey completed 17-of-32 passes for 232 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on his way to a 71.4 quarterback rating. Laveranues Coles and Ramsey were on the same page against the Seahawks, hooking up five times for 125 yards and a touchdown. Coles registered his first 100-plus yard receiving game since Week 2. Wideout Rod Gardner caught eight balls for 81 yards and a score, while throwing for the game-winning touchdown. Carolina will make life a lot tougher on Ramsey this week, as it has a lot of talented pass rushers. Rucker, who has a league-high 11 sacks, will be after Ramsey all day long. Rucker will be going head-to-head with Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels in this contest. "They're very big up front," said Rucker. "Across the front, they have some good offensive lineman. Last week, they did a good job of protecting him. We're going to have to try to find a way to get back there and mess up the timing of their offense." The Panthers are third in the NFC in sacks with 22 on the year, while the Redskins have allowed a league-high 29. Jackson must put Ramsey in positions to be successful in this contest. Carolina's secondary allowed the Bucs to throw for 258 yards on Sunday, but most of it was in desperation time. Veteran safety Mike Minter began the game with a bang, as he picked off Brad Johnson and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown. "It was a huge momentum swing early," said Fox. "There were a lot of momentum swings in that game both ways. It was a good way to start it. It was a great play on Mike's part. I thought it was good conversion as far as after the interception went, getting blocks and turning it into a touchdown." The Panthers actually haven't done that well forcing turnovers this year, posting only six interceptions and five fumble recoveries. Reserve corner Ricky Manning is the team leader with just two interceptions. Washington may need to lean on its running game to keep the Panthers' pass rush off balance in this contest. With Canidate's ineffectiveness (15 carries, 34 yards) in his first game back from a sprained ankle, the Redskins could start Cartwright this week. "Certainly we're going to give consideration to starting Rock," Spurrier said. "That may be the way we need to go this week. We'll talk about it as we go." The Panthers have been solid at stopping the run this season, holding foes to 106.1 yards per game (5th-NFC). Linebacker Will Witherspoon is the squad's best run defender with a team-high 60 stops. It helps that defensive tackles Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins are solid at holding their spots and closing running gaps. The duo should have a big day against the weak interior of the Washington line.

PANTHERS OFFENSE VS. REDSKINS DEFENSE

Carolina has been terrific at taking the air out of the ball this year, rushing for 153.2 yards per contest (3rd-NFL). Davis is second in the NFC in rushing with 992 yards and five touchdowns in just eight games. The Spartansburg, SC native is tallying 5.1 yards per carry on the year. However, DeShaun Foster posted a lackluster effort in Davis' spot last week, running 22 times for 56 yards against the Bucs' rugged front. With the running game struggling, quarterback Jake Delhomme was forced to answer the bell and beat Tampa Bay with his arm. Delhomme took full advantage of his chance to shine, leading the Panthers on a game-winning drive which covered 78 yards in just 1:35. The signal caller completed the push with a five-yard strike to Steve Smith between three Tampa Bay defenders. "That is our brand of football," said Delhomme. "It would be nice to run away with one, but week in and week out in this league, they are going to come down to the wire. We wish we could have put together a drive in the fourth quarter to extend our lead but we didn't do it. Give them credit. They are not the world champions for nothing. They don't quit either." For the game, Delhomme completed 20-of-32 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith was Delhomme's favorite target with nine catches for 72 yards and a score, while veteran Ricky Proehl reeled in three balls for 133 yards and a touchdown. Smith has become a fantasy football darling in the past five weeks, reeling in 39 balls for 514 yards and four touchdowns. Look for Delhomme to search out Smith in this contest as well. Washington will likely sick corner Champ Bailey on Smith this week, while leaving Fred Smoot to deal with Muhsin Muhammed. Smoot intercepted his second pass of the year in the win over Seattle. The Redskins' pass defense hasn't been all that impressive overall, allowing 219.2 yards per contest (10th-NFC). Despite sacking Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck three times, the Redskins haven't been consistent in their pass rush (14 sacks, 13th-NFC) this year. Veteran defensive end Bruce Smith, who posted a sack in the win over Seattle, is just a half-sack short of tying Reggie White's all-time record. The nerve center of the Washington defense is its linebacking corps, including Jessie Armstead, LaVar Arrington and Jeremiah Trotter. Arrington leads the team with 54 tackles, while Armstead is second in stops (53) and first in sacks (3 1/2). "We�ll have to attack the line of scrimmage," Trotter said. "Stephen breaks a lot of tackles, so we definitely have to wrap him up. He�s going to keep coming back play after play, and we have to have the same mentality." Young strong safety Ifeanyi Ohalete has become a key cog in the defensive unit as well, intercepting a team-high three passes while posting 52 tackles. Ohalete led the team with 11 tackles against the Seahawks. The Redskins are 13th against the run (128.7 ypg) this season, while giving up 4.3 yards per carry. Look for Washington to pack the box with defenders in an attempt to keep Davis under control in this game. There is happy feeling in D.C. for the time being, but it won't last. This is a terrible matchup for 'Skins, as they won't be able to slow Davis down and the Carolina pass rush will be too much for the Washington defensive line. Look for the Panthers to tally a close win.

©The Herald News 2003