THEFOOTY.com

Ravens and Philly win Wildcards

curly — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:04:00 GMT

The Baltimore Ravens and the Phledephia Eagles have won the last wildcards and progress through to week 2 of the playoffs. Baltimore defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-9 while the Eagles knocked over the Minnesota Vikings 26-14.

The match-ups for week 2 are as follows:

Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers Sat Jan 10th 8.15pm
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants Sunday 11th 1pm
Baltimore Ravens @ Tennesee Titans Sat 10th 4.30pm
San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steeers 11th 4.45pm

Chargers in Overtime Victory

curly — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:35:00 GMT

The San Diego Chargers (8-8) defeated the Indianoplis Colts(12-$) 23-17 after a touchdown drive in Overtime. This game was an edge of the sat gamewith the lead see-sawing throughout. The Chargers were down 14-17 in the final minutes, tying the game up wth field goal in the final minute, sending the game into a final scramble and overtime.

Cardinals Rule over Falcons

curly — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:56:00 GMT

A slow start, combined with some Arizona scores from Atlanta turnovers, pushed the Atlanta Falcons out of the NFL playoffs. They also were exposed during the third quarter as the Cardinals kept on the pressure, and a fourth quarter comeback just didn't cut it. They lost to Arizona 30-24. The Cardinals record of 9-7 is one of the worst in the playoffs, but they did their homework today and frsutrated the Falcons out of the picture.

No respect

curly — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 11:16:00 GMT

No respect

His playoff resume shines, but Jake gets …

Jake Delhomme hasn't won a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

But make no mistake: The playoffs are Delhomme's time.

Two key measures – postseason quarterback rating and win-loss record – suggest the Panthers might be in better hands at that key position than any of the NFL's 11 other playoff teams this season.

As the Panthers prepare for their first postseason game in three seasons – against a yet-to-be determined opponent at Bank of America Stadium on Jan.10 – history indicates Delhomme will do his part as Carolina attempts to reach the Super Bowl on Feb.1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Delhomme has a passer rating of 95.0 in seven playoff games, five of which the Panthers won. Of the other quarterbacks in this season's playoffs, only Arizona's Kurt Warner (92.3) approaches Delhomme's postseason excellence as a passer.

Warner, however, took the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title in 1999. Three other 2008 playoff quarterbacks – Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger – join Warner in that elite group of former Super Bowl winners.

None has been as efficient in the playoffs as Delhomme, and only Warner and Roethlisberger (both 5-2) can match Delhomme's postseason record.

Despite those postseason numbers, Delhomme is often criticized by some Panthers fans and media members as not having gaudy enough statistics to function as an upper-tier quarterback. Or that he has a strong enough arm, runs fast enough or is tall enough.

An example of that? On ESPN.com Wednesday, Scouts Inc. – an organization that “watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles” – ranked Delhomme 11th among this season's 12 playoff quarterbacks, ahead of only Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson. And Jackson has never played in a playoff game.

Delhomme let loose with a “who-cares?” laugh when he was told about the ranking.

“Jake's not a flashy guy,” said Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross. “He doesn't scramble to make big plays or beat you with his legs. He's not somebody that you're always going to have a camera on. But he's tough and he leads our offense well.”

That's really all coach John Fox wants from his quarterback. When Delhomme, then a free agent who had been a career backup with New Orleans, sat down for breakfast with Fox and general manager Marty Hurney for a job interview one morning in March 2003, he received a clear message.

“(Fox) said, ‘This is how you win in the NFL. You run the football. You stop the run. You play solid special teams. I don't believe in stats. It's all about winning in this league.'”

Delhomme bought into that philosophy.

“He's right,” said Delhomme, who has a career record of 50-31 as a starter. “It's about winning.”

The Panthers found out about life without Delhomme in 2007.

Off to the best start of his career, Delhomme blew out his right (throwing) elbow against Atlanta in the third game of the season. He had reconstructive surgery and missed the rest of the season.

The Panthers struggled the rest of the way, finishing 7-9 and missing the playoffs.

With the elbow completely healed, Delhomme has been his old self this season.

The statistics aren't overwhelming – he was in the middle of the statistical pack among NFL passers with a rating of 84.7 – but he has the Panthers back in the playoffs for a third time in the five seasons he's been the team's primary starter. He's managed the offense efficiently.

“We've all seen the difference in last year and this year,” said Gross. “Our whole team revolves around him.”

Much of Delhomme's success comes when the game is on the line. He has a passer rating of 97.8 in the fourth quarter this season, the fifth-best mark in the NFL. And he still has a knack for taking the Panthers down the field as the clock winds down.

“We started this season with a two-minute drive that resulted in a win over San Diego, and Jake threw the winning touchdown,” said receiver Muhsin Muhammad.

“We ended the season with a winning drive (against New Orleans) where we kicked a field goal, and Jake orchestrated that same drive.

“If you want to look at the bottom-line statistics as far as being a leader and things that are intangible, I think Jake does a great job.”

Now Delhomme is back in an atmosphere where he thrives: the playoffs.

He has not won an NFL championship like the Manning brothers, Warner or Roethlisberger.

But he did throw for 323 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 32-29 loss against New England in the Super Bowl after the 2003 season.

“I don't know, I've been on a good team,” Delhomme said when asked about his playoff successes. “I'm not trying to be anybody else.”

Wildcard Weekend

curly — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:35:00 GMT

With the four top seeds of New York Giants, Tennesee Titans, Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers watching on the NFL Wildcard weekend starts the playoffs with some tantalising match-ups.

In the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons (11-5) travel to Arizona on Saturday to take on the Cardinals (9-7), while the Sunday match-up is Minnesota Vikings (10-6) at home to the Philledeplhia Eagles (9-6-1). The Eagles and Vikings are both coming off last round wins and this game should be a cracker.

In the AFC the Colts (12-4) take on the Chargers (8-8) in San Diego on Saturday while the Sunday game features the Baltimore Raven (11-5) v Miami (11-5) game in Dolphins territory.

The winners of the game face the daunting prospect of facing one of the top seeded teams, refreshed from the bye in the at their home ground. There will be many twists and turns as we head towards the Super Bowl.

Playoff Picture Finalised

curly — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:26:00 GMT

With a sensational San Diego victory, the playoff picture for the NFL is now clear. In th AFC Tennasee and Pittsburgh have the week off with the bye, while San Diego, Miami, Indianapolis and Baltimore play in the wildcard weekend.

In the NFC New York Giant and Carolina have the byes while the wildcard weekend will belong to Minnesota, Arizona, Atlanta and Philledephia.

Panthers avoid collapse, clinch No. 2 seed in NFC

curly — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:22:00 GMT

NEW ORLEANS – Carolina’s 20-point fourth-quarter lead was gone. New Orleans was ahead by a point.

Barely over three minutes remained. The Panthers had the ball at the Saints’ 18. The Superdome was super loud.

The NFC South title, first-round playoff bye and home playoff game the Panthers wanted so much was slipping from their grasp.

When quarterback Jake Delhomme walked into the huddle, his offensive teammates were quiet. His words were brief and to the point: “Alright, let’s go do this.”

Tackle Jordan Gross believed, but knew the odds – and the momentum – favored the Saints.

“We had our fingers crossed,” Gross said. “We’ve seen Jake do that a million times and we have all the faith in the world in (kicker) John Kasay, but that’s a long way to go.”

The Panthers covered most of the distance needed to get Kasay into field goal range on a single play – a heave of a pass from Delhomme to wide receiver Steve Smith, who jumped over Saints defender Jason David to catch the ball for a 39-yard gain.

Moments later, with six seconds remaining, Kasay came on the field to try a field goal to win the game.

He was in a similar position last week on the final play of regulation, but missed a 50-yarder in a game that Panthers eventually lost in overtime. The big difference between the two kicks, said Delhomme, was this one was indoors and not outside on a blustery northeast night.

“I’m very confident in John, but I was on that field in the third and fourth quarter (last week against the Giants),” said Delhomme. “That wind was blowing the exact same way (left) it pushed the football, so I knew it was going to be an extremely difficult kick.

“But this one, with no elements, I was just waiting on it to go through.”

Indeed, this Kasay kick split the uprights with one second left and the Panthers escaped with a thrilling 33-31 victory that seemed more difficult that it should have been.

“We’re the Panthers,” said Gross. “We’ve got to make it interesting.”

Said Kasay to reporters: “You guys dubbed us the Cardiac Cats a few years ago, right? Well, I think you can bring out the hats and the t-shirts and get ready for the ride.”

The win made the Panthers (12-4) champions of the NFC South and means they will play at Bank of America Stadium on Jan. 10 against Arizona (9-7), Atlanta (11-5) or Minnesota (10-6), depending on the outcome of next week’s first-round games.

Carolina has played all three teams this season and is a combined 3-2 against them.

One of the sweetest things about Sunday’s win for the Panthers was the bye that gives them next weekend off. If they’d lost to New Orleans, they would’ve had to travel to Arizona for a first-round game.

“We need the bye this week,” said Delhomme. “We really and truly do.”

The break will allow four injured Panthers’ linemen to heal. Starting defensive tackles Maake Kemoeatu (ankle) and Damione Lewis (shoulder) sat out Sunday’s game with injuries, and offensive line starters Geoff Hangartner (ankle) and Jeff Otah (toe) were hurt against the Saints.

If the Panthers had to play next week, it’s uncertain how many of those four players would be ready, but now there’s a good chance they’ll all be able to play in the second-round game.

Carolina started out hot against the Saints, leading 30-10 entering the fourth quarter, but New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees got red-hot and let his team back.

Brees threw three of his four touchdown passes in the final period to give the Saints (8-8) a 31-30 lead.

But Brees fell barely short in his attempt to break Dan Marino’s NFL single-season record for passing yards (5,084) in a season. Brees’ 386-yard performance left h im with 5,069.

Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams had another spectacular performance, rushing for 178 yards, tied for second most in a game in Carolina history. He also became the team’s single-season rusher leader with 1,515 yards, surpassing the record of 1,444 set by Stephen Davis in 2003.

In the end, however, the game came down to big plays in big moments by Smith and Kasay, who have developed a close friendship in recent years. Smith said he thrives on chaotic circumstances like Carolina faced when they took over at their 18, down by 1, with 3:06 remaining in the game. He said it reminded him of real-life situations he faced as a youth growing up on the streets of Los Angeles “with people yelling, hands flaring, people directing traffic, this and that.”

“You just kind of work through it a little bit, just navigate through the mist,” he said. “For some reason, God keeps allowing me to make these catches, so I’ll keep doing it.”

Delhomme’s pass was hardly a thing of beauty. It almost seemed like he was throwing the ball high and far, counting on Smith’s ability to go get it. “He and I might be a little unorthodox in some of the ways we do things, but I think we work well together,” Delhomme said of himself and Smith. “We’re just going to try to keep going.”

Smith said he was “ecstatic” that Kasay made the winning field goal.

“He’s my boy,” Smith said of Kasay. “If I’m going into a back alley, I’ll take John.”

Now, as Delhommed pointed out, the Panthers are assured of being in the final eight of the NFL playoffs. They’re one win away from the NFC Championship game and two victories shy of the Super Bowl.

But Smith refused to compare this team to the one that reached the Super Bowl five years ago.

“We lost,” he said of that team. “I don’t want to compare myself to a loser.”

Charles Chandler: (704) 358-5123

Last Week of Regular NFL Season

curly — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:31:00 GMT

This weekend is the last weekend of the NFL season and so we say goodbye to many of the teams. At this time Tennassee, Carolina, New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsurgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals have all guaranteed playoff spots.

Still in contention we have the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccanneers, Philadephia Eagles and the Chicago Bears.

The possiilities out of this weeks games are endless with ten of the sixteen games with playoff implications. The tantalising scenario adds excitment to the final week, with teams out of contention, having the possibility of ending another in contention season.

Key Games however are:

Miami v New York Jets'

NewYork Giants v Minnesota

Dallas v Phliiy

Chicago v Houston

Denver v San Diego.

Giants run over Panthers, clinch No. 1 seed

curly — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:01:00 GMT

By Charles Chandler
cchandler@charlotteobserver.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Some ultra-hyped games fall flat, but Carolina and the New York Giants had a monster-sized bash Sunday night in the Meadowlands that more than lived up to its billing.

There was drama aplenty, with long runs, hard hits, comebacks by both teams and, ultimately, overtime in one of the most important NFL regular season matchups in many years.

The stakes hardly could have been higher: The No. 1 seed in the NFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs awaited the winner, a scenario that last happened 15 years ago when Dallas beat the Giants in overtime at Giants Stadium, where Sunday’s game was held. The Panthers came oh so close to matching that Cowboys’ accomplishment.

Carolina led by 8 points midway through the fourth period and had a field goal attempt to win in the final seconds of regulation, but couldn’t put away the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Giants won 34-28 in overtime on Brandon Jacobs’ 2-yard touchdown, which completed an 87-yard drive and clinched the top seed for New York (12-3).

If the Panthers (11-4) want to reach their Super Bowl dream, they very well might have to have a return to Giants stadium for a rematch. With the loss, there’s a chance Carolina could slip all the way to a wild-card berth.

The Panthers need either to win at New Orleans next week or for 10-5 Atlanta to suffer an upset loss at home to the 3-12 St. Louis Rams.

“We’re in the playoffs,” said coach John Fox. “That was the goal for the season. The team that won it a year ago (the Giants) wasn’t the first season. It hasn’t been that way for a while. So the playoffs were a priority. Tonight wasn’t meant to be.”

As much as Carolina wanted to have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, Fox has a point.

The last time a top seed won the Super Bowl was in 2003, when New England beat Carolina. Only two teams with homefield advantage have won the championship in this decade.

Despite the late-game drama, the more lingering and staggering aspect of the loss was that the Panthers gave up 301 yards rushing, the most in franchise history and two yards fewer than they gained against Tampa Bay two weeks earlier.

It was obvious that Carolina missed the massive presence of 345-pound defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu, who was unable to play because of an ankle injury suffered last week against Denver.

“I missing having that big body in there taking on all those double teams,” said Panthers’ defensive tackle Damione Lewis.

The Giants ran right up the middle – where Kemoeatu would have been – on perhaps the key play of overtime, a 51-yard run by Derrick Ward that advanced the ball from the New York 13 to the Carolina 36.

Five plays later, Brandon Jacobs scored from 2 yards out for the win.

Jacobs scored three touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards after missing the past two games – both Giants’ losses – with a knee injury.

But it was Ward who inflicted the most damage on the Panthers. He ran for 215 yards on 15 carries – a 14.3-yard average per attempt. He set a new record for most rushing yards given up by the Panthers to an opposing player, surpassing the 202 yards by the Rams’ Marshall Faulk in 2001. Despite Ward’s big day, Carolina put up a mighty fight against the Giants and led for the majority of the game.

There Panthers were up 21-10 after scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions, but then scored only more more TD for the remainder of the game.

All four touchdowns were runs by DeAngelo Williams – the second time he’s had four TDs in the past three games.

Carolina kicker John Kasay had a chance to win the game for the Panthers at the end of regulation with a 50-yard field goal try. The kick was long enough, but wide to the left.

“I hit it really good,” said Kasay, “but it just didn’t hold its line.”

Texas State Champions: Katy Tigers and Allen Eagles

curly — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:32:00 GMT

For the third year in a row, the team that knocked the Permian Panthers out of the Playoffs has gone on to win the Texas State Champions. The Allen Eagles defeated FB Hightowere 21-14 to win the Texas 5A Division 1 State Title at Reliance Stadium. In Division 2, the Katy Tigers claimed back to back State Titles by defeating Wylie 17-3. Congratulations to all four teams.

Panthers rout Broncos, finish 8-0 at home

curly — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:38:00 GMT

By Charles Chandler
cchandler@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008

With ailing owner Jerry Richardson watching from his open-air luxury suite, the Carolina Panthers completed an unbeaten home regular season and set the stage for a Big Apple showdown next week for the right to play as many as two playoff games at Bank of America Stadium.

In what is rapidly evolving into a storybook season, the Panthers followed up a spectacular Monday night win over Tampa Bay with a 30-10 thumping of the Denver Broncos.

This one had all the markings of being a trap game, but the Panthers refused to let up in their quest to win the championship Richardson has been eyeing since the franchise began playing in 1995.

It was way back in ’96 when Carolina last went 8-0 at home in the regular season.

Not known for exorbitant praise, coach John Fox declared it a big accomplishment and tipped his hat to his players.

“We’ve got a unique bunch,” he said. “I think it was something they put on their list of goals and we were able to accomplish it. I think it’s been done one other time here in this organization. It’s not easy to do anywhere, so those guys are to be commended.”

There’s hardly any way to measure how much it meant to Richardson, who is awaiting a heart transplant.

He didn’t visit the players in the locker room, but took his customary seat in his box behind the West end zone. Later in the game, he sat draped in a Panthers’ blanket.

“I think the best medicine for him right now is us winning,” said quarterback Jake Delhomme.

Carolina improved to 11-3, two games ahead of NFC South rivals Tampa Bay and Atlanta after the Falcons’ dramatic overtime win over the Buccaneers Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

The Panthers can clinch the division title with a win either next Sunday night against the New York Giants or the following Sunday (Dec. 28) at New Orleans.

The Giants game carries even more significance because homefield advantage throughout the playoffs also will be at stake.

Because Sunday’s game against Denver was sandwiched between the big win over Tampa Bay and the game against the Giants, Fox tried to make sure the Panthers didn’t overlook the Broncos or become overconfident because of the praise they received for beating the Buccaneers convincingly. “It was a very emotional game (against the Bucs),” he said. “Our fans were jacked up. It was against a division rival. … I thought our guys handled it really, really well.”

Defensive end Julius Peppers said the Panthers were – and are -- determined not to let their play lapse.

“All these things that are happening, all this positive energy that’s coming is good,” he said. “But we’re not going to fall into that trap of thinking we’re better than what we are right now.”

The Broncos had to leave thinking the Panthers were mighty good.

Denver had beaten all three other teams in the NFC South and took a 7-0 lead over the Panthers, but didn’t do much after that.

Defensively, the Broncos used what was essentially a 4-4 defense – four defensive linemen backed by four linebackers – in an attempt to shut down a Carolina running game that had a franchise 299 yards rushing against Tampa Bay.

That left only three defenders in pass coverage, including a deep safety.

Delhomme said the Panthers had not seen that on film and didn’t prepare to play against it. However, offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy quickly made adjustments.

After only two plays against the defense, they instructed Delhomme to go to a no-huddle offense, hoping to take advantage of the mismatches in the passing game left open by the Broncos’ extra attention to the run.

“You’ve got to go back to basics when you see some of those things and I think we did that,” said Delhomme. “I think we kind of caught them (off guard) a little bit. Guys made some plays. That was a good by our coaches.”

The strategy took advantage of the extraordinary open-field skills of Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith and the absence of Denver cornerback Champ Bailey, who missed the game with a groin injury.

Delhomme completed three passes to Smith once the Panthers went no-huddle – for 24, 27 and 15 yards, the latter for a touchdown.

“They were susceptible to some big plays and luckily we were able to connect on them,” Fox said of the Broncos. “We’ve had teams earlier this season play similar types of (defense) and we didn’t connect as well.

“That’s something the players and coaches have worked very, very hard on and I thought you saw some results today.”

Smith went on to catch nine passes for 165 yards.

The Panthers built a 20-10 halftime lead and put the Broncos away on an dazzling run by DeAngelo Williams on the first play of the third quarter.

Williams took a handoff from Delhomme and headed to his left, only to see that the Broncos’ defense had a wall of players in his way.

At that point, the called play was toast and he had to freelance. He turned back to his right, saw center Ryan Kalil move over to block the middle, and then cut back inside and broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run that essentially put the game away.

“Cutting back across the field is something we as running backs try not to do,” said Williams. “We try to stay with the integrity of the play. But sometimes you have to improvise. I think the improvisation we took today worked in our favor.”

Indeed.

“It was a really, really good run,” said Fox. “It’s not the way you draw them up. It’s not the way it looks in the playbook. It’s just a player being a player, and luckily he’s an outstanding one.”

After gaining only 17 yards in the first half, Williams finished with 88 yards on 12 carries to run his season total to 1,229.

Carolina now has 2,045 rushing yards as a team, just 43 yards shy of its single-season record, set in 2003, the only year the Panthers went to the Super Bowl.

That’s the precise destination this team wants to reach, and the Panthers seem to be peaking at just the right time.

“It’s awesome to be a part of it,” said wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. “It’s awesome to watch it all come together.

“I just think everybody is buying into what we’re preaching around here, and what the coach is preaching.”

The Road ends at Reliance

curly — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:50:00 GMT

The end of the Road to Reliance Stadium for the 5A Texas High School State Championships ends this weekend as four teams become two in the two divisions of the 5A Titles.

In Division One, Permian Panthers coquerers the Allen Eagles have slipped into the State Title Fight by defeating Stony Point 23-21 in a tight one. They will play FB Hightower who whipped SA Clark 28-7. On form the Eagles are entitled to go in favourites for the Title

Division Two will see Katy take on Wylie for the title after Wylie beat Copperas Cove 23-7 while Katy flexed its muscle against Smithson Valley 41-19.

Funny How Things Happen

curly — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:18:00 GMT

We have already started seeing drama envelope the 2009 NRL season. Ricky Stuart sacked as Australian coach, just days after media press resports were quoted as saying that Ricky had a job for life.

Cam Smith stays with the Storm after a lengthy courtship by the Titans. Wayne Bennett starts at the Dragons after steering New Zealand to the World Cup. Mal Meninga favourite for the Australian gig. Justin Hodges given six weeks off to deal with some family needs and the best one of all, two referees to be in charge of NRL games in 2009.

If this is the lead up, I cannot wait for the main course. Roll on 2009.

Panthers set rushing record, take over 1st place

curly — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:11:00 GMT

By Charles Chandler
cchandler@charlotteobser

Posted: Tuesday, Dec. 09, 2008

The definitive moment in Monday night's Carolina-Tampa Bay mega-game came late in the first half at the Buccaneers' 2.

Facing second-and-goal, the Panthers had to decide during the two-minute warning how to get a touchdown, something they failed to do in a loss at Tampa Bay earlier this season.

Carolina faced an intimidating Tampa Bay defense that had allowed only one rushing touchdown in its 12 games.

But the Panthers didn't shy away, didn't concede the run, didn't try some sort of tricky play-action pass.

Instead, quarterback Jake Delhomme handed the ball to running back Jonathan Stewart, who ran right into the heart of Tampa Bay's vaunted defense behind the devastating blocking of right tackle Jeff Otah for a touchdown.

It was the first of four – count ‘em, four – rushing scores for the Panthers, who captured a humongous 38-23 win against the Buccaneers behind a record-setting running performance.

Last time the Panthers had a regular-season win this big and this impressive? Fullback Brad Hoover first said it had been a while, but then decided maybe never.

Carolina improved to 10-3 for the first time in franchise history and took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Tampa Bay falls to 9-4.

If the Panthers can beat Denver at home on Sunday – they're 7-0 in Charlotte this season – they'll travel to play the New York Giants on Dec.21 for a chance to compete for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Suddenly, all of the Panthers' dreams are well within their reach.

“This is a big stage and our guys met this challenge,” said Carolina coach John Fox. “I just don't want them to drink the Kool-Aid they're about to go into.”

By Kool-Aid, Fox meant the flattery that is sure to follow a win such as this.

Their big night started in earnest on that play at the 2 with the score 3-3.

“On that goal-line (play), it was just all heart and desire by the offensive line,” said Stewart. “In the huddle, we were talking and saying, ‘We've just got to get this one in.'”

When Carolina lost at Tampa Bay 27-3 on Oct.12, the Panthers were held to 40 yards and Stewart missed out on what likely would have been a sure touchdown run from the 1 when he tripped over Delhomme's feet and fell.

This time, Stewart said he ran untouched into the end zone.

He followed the man-moving block of fellow rookie Otah, the right tackle.

The Panthers used first-round picks on Stewart and Otah in April, and the touchdown – Otah paving the way for a power-running Stewart – displayed precisely why the team thought they were worth so much draft currency.

Though Monday night's much-anticipated game had plenty of dramatic plays – long runs, long pass plays, sacks, interceptions – it was the rushing performances of Stewart and DeAngelo Williams that stood out most.

Against a defense ranked fourth overall in the NFL and ninth against the run, the Panthers churned out a team record of 299 rushing yards and averaged a whopping 8.1 yards per carry.

“We got hit in the mouth today,” said Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks.

“I thought our blocking element and our runners were outstanding tonight,” said Fox. “That was fairly obvious.

“Those two backs are both very special.”

Williams had a team record with 186 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts. He became the third player in Panthers history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a season. He now has 1,141 yards and 13 touchdowns, breaking Stephen Davis' season touchdown record of 12 set in 2005.

Stewart had 115 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. His eight touchdowns this season broke Fred Lane's rookie record. Stewart improved his season total to 699 yards and needs to average 101 yards over the final three games to join Williams in the 1,000-yard club.

Only four sets of teammates in NFL history have rushed for 1,000 yards in the same season.

Also plenty rare was the magnitude of Monday's game and the way the Panthers came through.

“I wouldn't necessarily call it a statement game,” said defensive end Julius Peppers, who had 11/2 sacks and a blocked extra-point attempt. “It was just a game with a lot on the line. And we played well at the right time.”

Allen Knocks over Trinity

curly — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:21:00 GMT

For the last two seasons, the team that has knocked over the Permian Panthers has gone on to win State. 2007 saw Euless Trinity beat Permian in the third round of the playoffs and the year before it was Southlake Carroll. This year we saw Allen beat Permian, again in Round 3, and then faced defending champs Euless Trinity in Round 4.

This year we saw Allen defeat Trinity 32-21 and advance to the semi-finals and Region 1 champs. Without doubt, Region 1 is the strongest Region and at times 15 teams from this region has accounted for the Top 25 State Rankings. It is common for the winner of Region 1 to take the title, and it would seem the case again this year.

In Division 1, we see Allen take on Stony Point for a place in the final, while FB Hightower take on SA Clark for the other spot. Division 2 sees Wylie take on Copperas Cove to fight for a position against the winner of Katy and Smithson Valley.

Smith catch rallies Panthers past Green Bay

curly — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:27:00 GMT

By Charles Chandler
cchandler@charlotteobserver.com

GREEN BAY, Wis. – “Don’t stop running.”

Those were the words quarterback Jake Delhomme spoke to receiver Steve Smith in the huddle with one minute, 48 seconds remaining in Sunday’s scintillating Carolina-Green Bay game at Lambeau Field.

The Packers had just taken a three-point lead with a field goal, after which Carolina’s Mark Jones returned the kickoff to the Panthers’ 45.

When the Panthers exited the huddle, Delhomme got in shotgun formation planning first to throw a slant pass to Muhsin Muhammad.

A Green Bay linebacker was crowding the middle of the defense and it looked like there would be room to hit Muhammad with a quick pass.

But once the play began, Packers’ cornerback Al Harris walled off Muhammad, forcing Delhomme to look to his second option – Smith.

Delhomme turned his eyes downfield and saw Smith “with his head cocked down, running” and the defensive backs flat-footed, so he hurled the ball in Smith’s direction.

Smith and Green Bay’s star defensive back Charles Woodson were almost step for step, with linebacker Brandon Chillar alsodefending.

At just the right moment, Smith jumped up and reached over the back of his head to catch the ball as Woodson fell to the ground.

The 54-yard play silenced Green Bay’s home crowd of more than 70,000 and set up a 1-yard touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams – his fourth TD of the day -- on the next play to give the Panthers a dramatic 35-31 win.

“That’s the great Steve Smith,” Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers said of the catch. “He does those things. We see that all the time.”

Smith said because he’s not tall (5-9) he had to “attack the ball.”

He made the catch despite Green Bay’s double-coverage and blustery weather conditions -- a mixture of snow and rain falling steadily with temperatures near freezing and winds gusting to more than 20 mph.

Asked to describe the play’s degree of difficulty, Smith looked at the reporters assembled around him and said: “It’s probably a catch that none of you guys could make.”

The win assured the Panthers (9-3) of their third winning record in team history, kept them tied for first place in the NFC South with Tampa Bay and set up a Dec. 8 showdown in Charlotte with the Buccaneers, who beat New Orleans 23-20 Sunday.

The Packers fell to 5-7, two games out of first place in the NFC North and virtually out of contention for a wild card playoff berth.

Green Bay, like Carolina, desperately needed a win Sunday, which made the game a start-to-finish thriller.

Carolina led 21-10 at halftime, but fell behind after the Packers scored 18 unanswered points.

Smith had only two catches for 15 yards through three periods, but got hot in the final period.

Early in the fourth quarter, his 36-yard reception on third-and-11 set up a touchdown that allowed Carolina to tie the score 28-28.

The Packers got the ball back at their 20-yard line with 11 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the game and put together a 16-play, 79-yard drive that lasted more than nine minutes. It ended at the 1-yard line with coach Mike McCarthy forced to make a critical decision.

Though Green Bay ran the ball effectively against the Panthers for most of the game (145 yards on 29 carries), their running plays on second- and third-and-goal from the 1 were stopped.

On fourth-and-goal, McCarthy at first looked set to pass on a field goal and try for a touchdown, like Atlanta did successfully against the Panthers one week earlier.

But then he opted to go for a field goal, which Mason Crosby made from 19 yards out to put the Packers ahead 31-28.

“To go up (three) points with two minutes left at home, I was confident in that position,” said McCarthy.

McCarthy’s strategy might have worked if Carolina’s Mark Jones hadn’t responded with his third kickoff return of more than 40 yards.

His 45-yarder gave the Panthers starting position at its 45. Smith struck quickly, getting the 54-yard gain to the Green Bay 1 on the first play of the possession.

Fullback Brad Hoover marveled at Smith’s catch, even though it’s the type of play he’s seen Smith make many times before.

“He’s one of the only guys I’ve ever seen who can go up and just make these unbelievable catches, and he does it in big-time situations,” said Hoover.

The play was reminiscent of Smith’s dramatic touchdown catch in overtime to beat the St. Louis Rams in the 2003 playoffs.

But Smith wasn’t interested in revisiting the past Sunday.

“No memories of ’03,” he said. “We lost.”

Even though the Panthers beat the Rams in the ’03 playoffs, they lost to New England in the Super Bowl. Their goal this season is to get back to the championship game and win it.

“We’re trying to make our own history in ’08,” he said.

Muhammad, Smith’s receiving mate, said Sunday’s victory was a huge step in that direction.

“I think at some point at the end of the season,” he said, “we’re going to look back and realize how big of a win this was for us. It was a test of will … and we had a lot of will and a lot of fight.”

Panthers Give Allen too much Start

curly — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:22:00 GMT

Down by 18, proved to be too much by just 2inches for the Permian Panthers going down 28-22. A final throw of the dice, with just minutes on the clock, missed getting a 1st down by just 2 minutes.

The Permian defence struggled to hold the Allen offence with the Allen passing game leaving Permian grasping at the attackers. The Panthers offece stuttered early with incompletes and dropped ball giving Allen field position and possession. A brave second half comeback just didn't breach the gap. Sherard Ray was the outstanding pler onthe field, single handedly dragging Permian back into the game.

A 12-1 season for the Panthers who again have reached the third round of the playoffs for the second consequtive year.