Disappointed in Panthers DT Kawann Short’s stats? You might be missing big picture

Kawann Short didn’t do anything extravagant after becoming one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackles this past spring.

The Carolina Panthers star, in his fifth year, took his mom on a trip, but that’s something Short does every offseason.

He also bought a house in south Charlotte, but says his home purchase was more about getting more space than splurging after signing a five-year, $80.5 million extension with the Panthers.

“Be the same guy – before you got it and after you got it,” Short said this week. “That’s how I was brought up. That’s the motto my family and friends live by. That’s just me.”

Short also has been the same guy on the field since receiving his monster contract.

He shows up every day ready to work at practice, never misses a game and spends a good portion of his Sunday afternoons in the opponent’s backfield.

And though Short’s statistics might not match those from his lone Pro Bowl season of 2015, his teammates, coaches and opposing coaches say Short remains one of the most disruptive forces on the NFL’s second-ranked defense.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, Short is on pace for a career high in tackles. But his four sacks through 10 games have him tracking closer to last year’s total of six than his 2015 haul of 11, which shattered the team record for sacks by a defensive tackle.

But stats don’t tell the whole story.

“It’s not always about getting a sack,” defensive end Wes Horton said. “To make that quarterback elevate a throw, get him to throw an interception – he does it just about every week.

“As a spectator you can’t really look at the numbers as much as the tape. When you turn on the tape, you see him disrupting plays consistently. It is kind of hard to rate it compared to other years.”

Former Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman put the franchise tag on Short last February before the two sides hammered out a deal less than two months later. Before Short signed the extension, Gettleman told him not to do too much trying to prove he was worth the money.

“Before I signed, Gettleman was saying: ‘Just be you.’ I can’t go out here and try to make every play and try to do everything,” Short said. “A lot of places just think that he’s supposed to be at this high level. But at the same time he just told me to be me and do what I do and everything will fall in place.”

That ‘little slither’

Being himself has worked pretty well for Short since the Panthers drafted him in the second round out of Purdue in 2013. While some talent evaluators questioned Short’s work ethic, Gettleman considered Short the best interior pass-rusher in the draft.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera once described Short as having that “little slither” that allowed him to slip into enemy backfields.

Short’s 26 sacks are the most by a Panthers’ defensive tackle in team history, and his 21 sacks since the start of the 2015 seasons are the third most by a defensive tackle in the NFL behind Cincinnati’s Geno Atkins (26) and the Rams’ Aaron Donald (24).

Short says he’s missed a couple of sacks this season, although edge rushers Julius Peppers and Mario Addison have benefited from Short’s interior push.

Rivera said Short and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei also are a big part reason the Panthers boast the league’s third-best run defense.

“If you want to see the value of defensive tackles, you look at the teams that aren’t doing well against the run and look at how things go,” Rivera said. “When the linebackers can run, when the D-ends can be disruptive, when the other DT makes plays … I think that’s the biggest thing.”

And though Short may lack the eye-catching numbers, Rivera says he “absolutely” is playing at the level the Panthers hoped when they extended him.

“It’s about what he does for not just himself at his position, but the guys that are around him,” Rivera said.

That said, Rivera believes Short has been “very disruptive” getting penetration. Short’s 16 quarterback pressures are second only to Addison (18) among Panthers defenders.

But Short understands fantasy football owners and other fans want to see more from him.

“As far as stat-wise, what people see, it could be a lot better,” Short said. “You’ve just got to go out there and play every play like you’re gonna get that sack that play or get a tackle for loss that play. You can’t tell what play’s going to determine the game.”

One thing that sometimes gets lost with Short is his durability. He has played in 74 consecutive games since entering the league, the third-longest, active streak among defensive tackles.

Horton, the backup defensive end, says Panthers defensive line coach Eric Washington holds Short to a high standard.

“And he responds every week,” Horton said. “If there’s something that needs to get fixed, he’s in there early watching tape. He handles himself like a pro and he gives himself every opportunity to play at a high level each week.”

Outstanding – with a low profile

Horton said some teams will shift their pass protections to account for the 6-3, 315-pound Short, who played high school basketball in East Chicago with New Orleans Pelicans guard E’Twaun Moore.

Short still plays hoops during the offseason, and he is that rare, 300-plus-pound lineman who carries his weight well.

“He’s big. He’s athletic. He can shoot the gaps,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “(An) overall football player – outstanding.”

On a defense brimming with future Hall of Famers (Peppers), perennial Pro Bowlers (Luke Kuechly) and veteran leaders (Thomas Davis), Short manages to keep a low profile – despite his production and big contract.

When the first round of Pro Bowl balloting was announced this week, the leading vote-getters among defensive tackles were Atkins in the AFC and Donald in the NFC.

While Short certainly would like to be selected by fans and his peers, he’s not going to lobby for postseason honors.

“I feel like I’ve played good this year and done well. With the whole Pro Bowl thing you’ve got to have these stats that are out of the roof, which is cool, and what your popularity (is),” Short said.

“I’m not that guy to run around here and boast and brag about anything. If I do it, I want to do it out of my work instead of my personality.”

This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Disappointed in Panthers DT Kawann Short’s stats? You might be missing big picture."