CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers made a big investment in free agency in the interior of their offensive line with the idea that it would pay dividends for a short quarterback. The Panthers were using the New Orleans Saints’ model with Drew Brees, a height-challenged QB who did OK for himself.
So what does it mean up front when the Panthers bench their 5-foot-10 quarterback and replace him with a 6-foot-2 quarterback after two games? Not much, according to those interior guys doing the blocking.
“The goal is try to set the pocket for the quarterback to be able to step up and make a play. That’s still the motto. That’s still what we’re trying to do,” right guard Robert Hunt said Thursday. “Give him time and space to feel comfortable to do what he needs to do with the ball. Last week was an example of that, and hopefully we can keep that rolling.”
Veteran center Austin Corbett agreed: The duties remain the same, whether the line is protecting for Bryce Young or the taller Andy Dalton.
“It’s the guards’ and center’s job to set the depth of the pocket. Tackles are responsible for the width,” Corbett said. “That’s basic football, Day 1, offensive line teaching — that’s what we do.”
And through three weeks, the Panthers have been doing it extremely well. Entering Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina has the league’s second-lowest pressure-allowed rate at 24.3 percent, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranks just behind the Baltimore Ravens’ 23.1 pressure-allowed percentage.
So it makes sense that several of the Panthers’ offensive linemen rank high individually in the pressure-allowed metrics, including the two free-agent guards they spent lavishly on in March.
Hunt, who signed a five-year, $100 million contract, leads all right guards with a 0.9 percent pressure rate. Damien Lewis, who landed a four-year, $53 million deal, is second behind All-Pro Quenton Nelson among left guards with a 1.0 percent rate.
But it’s not just the newcomers who are getting it done. Taylor Moton is third among right tackles in pressure percentage, while Corbett has played all 107 pass-blocking snaps without allowing a pressure, per PFF.
Which is great, except Corbett puts little stock in those analytic sites. Well, even less than that.
“None. Zero,” he said. “The people that are grading offensive line play have never played offensive line in their life. Every team scheme is different. So we’re being coached one thing, being told one thing and it shows up on film differently. Anybody can sit behind their computer and look at it, but I guess no media’s bad media.”
Lewis and Hunt both said the line still has things to clean up, despite coming off a week in which it protected Dalton better than any team took care of its QB in Week 3, allowing a 17.9 percent pressure rate in the 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Hopefully it looks better than it looks now,” Hunt said. “And hopefully we can do it for years and years, and we can call ourselves the best.”
Some of the data-driven sites already think the Panthers are among the best. Told that former Bengals wideout and current color analyst Cris Collinsworth is the majority owner of PFF, Corbett said: “Well, hopefully we don’t get any NBC games.”
Three more thoughts on the Panthers (who aren’t scheduled to appear on NBC):
Meme, tough and nasty
When a pulling Hunt shoved Robert Spillane to the ground on a screen play, he didn’t just launch the Raiders linebacker into orbit. Hunt also launched a thousand memes with the pancake block, with descriptions like “nasty” and “dawg.” Running back Chuba Hubbard, who caught the screen pass, said linemen were “throwing guys out the club” all game.
But it was only No. 2 on Hunt’s most-viral-play list. When he was with the Miami Dolphins in 2021, Hunt became a social media sensation after catching a Tua Tagovailoa pass and stretching the ball across the end zone after getting upended for an apparent big-man touchdown.
Alas, it didn’t count.
“I stole it (from the running back), ran into the end zone. Illegal touchdown, they call it back,” he said. “The greatest touchdown ever that never counted. Big Rob Hunt, 68 (his Dolphins number).”
Hunt is quickly becoming a fan favorite for his big blocks and great sound bites, like when he directed fans to “take them damn brown bags off” after beating the Raiders. It’s been a while since the Panthers had a lineman with swagger. More of this, please.
Just a nasty block by Robert Hunt 💪
📺: #CARvsLV on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Uc6E1dPsnu— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Rain, rain, go away
The arrival of daylong rain from Hurricane Helene served as a wet reminder Thursday that the Panthers are currently without an indoor practice facility. The team tore down its bubble to make room for a training camp setup that included new fields and bleachers, and the fieldhouse — part of a larger $800 million renovation of Bank of America Stadium — won’t be done until 2026.
Wide receiver Diontae Johnson said the wet conditions impacted his decision to sit out Thursday rather than practice with a groin injury. Running back Miles Sanders conceded it was a “little weird” to be without an indoor practice option.
“If you’re hearing this, (David) Tepper, we need an indoor (facility) for days like this,” Sanders said while leaning in to speak directly into a reporter’s voice recorder. “JT (Ja’Tavion Sanders) almost slipped and fell today in a walk-through because it was raining. We love you, Tepper.”
Not everyone minded getting wet. Shaq Thompson has been with the Panthers since 2015, when the team would practice at the Charlotte Convention Center on stormy days, referred to by some (OK, by me) as “ballroom football.”
There’s been no indication that the Panthers will head to the convention center Friday, when conditions are expected to worsen as Helene moves north.
“It’s football weather. It’s just football. It’s just rain. You like to shower, right? It’s just water,” Thompson said. “I actually like going outside. You get a lot more space. You can throw the ball. You can see all the routes full speed.”
Jadeveon Clowney walks in singing, “I can’t stand the rain.” pic.twitter.com/03RIsLTUza
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 26, 2024
Lewis reveals injury details … and pants size
A torn ulnar collateral ligament usually means season-ending surgery and a yearlong recovery … if you’re a baseball player. But Lewis hopes to play Sunday after tearing the UCL in his left elbow against the Raiders.
“It’s a thing I’m gonna have to deal with during the season. I’m going to have to put my big-boy pants on, put my brace on and go to work,” he said. “I told them we’ve gotta win games.”
Lewis was injured when he was engaged with a pass rusher and another defender hit him from the side. He hasn’t practiced this week and it’s unclear whether trainers will clear him for the Bengals game.
Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of Tommy John surgery, named for the then-Dodgers pitcher whose career was extended when Dr. Frank Jobe reconstructed John’s UCL in a groundbreaking procedure. Because Lewis doesn’t play a position that requires an overhand throwing motion, he may be able to delay surgery — if he needs it at all.
“If I was a quarterback, I’d probably have to have surgery,” he said. “But I’m not a quarterback. So I’ve just gotta block.”
Joked Corbett: “I told him to quit throwing curveballs.”
(Photo of Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt: Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
