Panthers defense relying on youth to get veterans healthy. Is Rhule’s process working?
Newspapers in Detroit were filled with question marks about how the 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers was possible. The Lions being held scoreless against one of the league’s worst defenses? Even missing three offensive weapons in running back D’Andre Swift and wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola, the Panthers’ ability to limit the Lions to that extent, a week after giving up 46 points and almost 550 yards to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was a surprise.
While Lions head coach Matt Patricia fielded questions regarding his ability to coach and why he should still have his job, Matt Rhule explained to his players and the media how this had been a “process win.” A step in the direction of what the Panthers are trying to build against a struggling Detroit team.
“When I say process, it’s just like going on a diet, right? Just because you say you’re doing it doesn’t mean you do it each and every day,” Rhule said. “It doesn’t mean when no one’s around you don’t sneak in the pantry and get a cookie. It’s just a daily discipline and a daily dedication.”
The Panthers had their best defensive performance of the season in Week 11 — zero points and 185 yards allowed, five sacks and not a single rushing first down given up.
But defensive coordinator Phil Snow led the unit to that outing with the team’s No. 1 corner in Donte Jackson watching from the sideline with his lingering toe injury and starting linebacker and captain Tahir Whitehead, while active, not playing a single snap due to a rib injury.
Instead, younger players like linebacker Jermaine Carter and rookie cornerbacks Troy Pride Jr. and Stan Thomas-Oliver helped out the defense as the line got pressure on Stafford consistently.
Whitehead’s field time has been down the last three weeks, playing less than 40% of snaps in Weeks 9 and 10, but he suffered a rib injury against the Buccaneers that left him questionable entering Sunday; the Panthers kept him active as an emergency option. He was the only active player, other than backup quarterback Will Grier, that did not play a snap.
“Just banged up from the ribs from the week before and there’s no one with the toughness of Tahir. He suited up for us if we needed him, but we went into that game not planning on playing him,” Rhule said. “Hopefully, another week will do him good.”
Part of the reason he has been on the field less as of late was scheme-related, with Whitehead and others subbing out in certain packages, like some obvious passing situations. The Panthers rotate players out often. Typically when the Panthers use a nickel defense and have only two linebackers, they go with Jeremy Chinn and Shaq Thompson.
Opposing offenses have completed 85.2% of passes against him, most among any Panthers defender who has been targeted 20-plus times, per Pro Football Reference; however, his missed tackles on receptions have decreased since earlier in the year. But there has been an general decline in playing time.
Whitehead sits at fourth on the team in tackles (49) and missed tackles (8). The veteran and team captain signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in the offseason as the Panthers work toward filling the impossibly big shoes of Luke Kuechly.
In Whitehead’s place Sunday, Carter, a 2018 fifth-round pick, started for the second time this season and had a solid performance at middle linebacker. He played 55% of the defensive snaps — not far from what Whitehead averaged this season — and had four tackles.
“I thought (Carter) played really well yesterday, I thought he had tremendous quickness, ran through gaps,” Rhule said. “He’s a guy to me that as you look at the team, you evaluate the way you’re doing things, he’s come really far, he’s playing his best football right now.”
Carter had not played more than six defensive snaps in a game prior to the Week 9 loss to the Chiefs, when he filled in for Jeremy Chinn and played strongside linebacker in the base defense and weakside in the nickel defense. He also contributes on special teams.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker says he uses his smaller size to slip under players. He played well, including getting Adrian Peterson to the ground on a three-yard gain on the Lions’ second offensive play that he was especially proud of.
“I’ve been watching a lot of film, just being prepared for whenever my opportunity was to come,” Carter said. “ I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the start or not. because obviously, you never know, and I was told the day before and I just took advantage of it.”
The linebacker said it took some adjustment to get used to playing in the Panthers’ three-man front as most of his previous experience came from playing in a 4-3 scheme, but he felt ready when the time came.
Youth was all over the Panthers defense Sunday, as it has been all year. For the cornerbacks, fourth-round pick Pride got the start and played 59% of defensive snaps, while seventh-round selection Thomas-Oliver played 36%, by far his most this season in his six games active this year.
Thomas-Oliver also had a holding penalty on special teams, which Rhule pointed out. But seeing the younger players on the field developing is a positive and what we had a pointed to as one of the goals of the season.
After rookie safety Sam Franklin played well while starter Juston Burris spent three weeks on injured reserve, Franklin earned more playing time even when Burris returned healthy. How Snow mixes in the developing rookies with the Panthers’ veterans will give some insight into the team’s development and assessment of a variety of defenders.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
