Category: In The News

Newton, Panthers Beat Jaguars 16-10

There were few of the big passing plays he made look so easy in his first two games, even fewer scoring chances, and more than enough reasons to get frustrated.

Instead, the No. 1 overall draft pick by Carolina ignored it all and led the clutch drive that secured his first NFL victory, 16-10 over Jacksonville.

Newton found Greg Olsen over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown with 4:20 left to help the Panthers beat the Jaguars, giving coach Ron Rivera his first victory on the Carolina sideline.

Newton didn’t come close to matching those 400-yard throwing days from each of his first two games, finishing 18 for 34 for 158 yards against the Jaguars and their own highly drafted rookie quarterback, Blaine Gabbert. It didn’t matter, though, considering he had just earned his first victory since leading Auburn past Oregon in last season’s BCS championship game.

“It wasn’t a pretty win,” Newton said, “but the last part counts, right?”

Newton didn’t even crack the 100-yard passing mark until the final period. At least some blame went to the heavy rain that arrived in the second quarter, turning the field into a slick, puddle-filled mess, sending players hydroplaning and kicking up walls of water as they slid to the turf on tackles.

But after the rain let up in the third period, Newton directed a field-goal drive late in the period. Then he completed all three of his passes for 47 yards on the decisive drive. On his last throw, he went over the middle to Olsen, who broke free of a tackle by Daryl Smith and sprinted to the left side for the go-ahead touchdown.

Newton also found Olsen for the 2-point conversion that erased the 10-5 halftime deficit.

Olsen said Newton’s demeanor never changed in the huddle.

“That’s what makes him a winner and what makes him how successful he’s been,” Olsen said. “The circumstances we were in were tough. That’s not an excuse. If you ask Jacksonville, they would say the same thing.”

Gabbert, the 10th pick of the draft, threw for 139 yards in his starting debut. That included a 36-yard touchdown pass to Mike Thomas on the final play of the first half, leading to a steady series of boos from the drenched home fans who hadn’t already fled to the safety of the concourse.

“It was a good start for him, considering it was a hurricane,” said Maurice Jones-Drew, who rushed for 122 yards. “He’s going to be a good quarterback, and we’ve got to continue to grow with him.”

Gabbert even had a chance to snatch the victory from Newton in the final minute, driving the Jaguars way to the Carolina 36-yard line in the final seconds. But linebacker Thomas Williams batted away Gabbert’s final pass for Jason Hill as the clock expired.

Gabbert completed 12 of 21 passes and had three fumbled snaps — the Jaguars recovered each one — to go with an interception.

“We got the right look most of the day,” Gabbert said. “We knew what they were going to do. We made the right calls, had the correct blocking. We just failed to execute.”

The Panthers seriously considered taking Gabbert with the top pick before deciding on the Heisman Trophy winner out of Auburn. The decision has paid off so far, with Newton energizing the Charlotte area while giving the franchise the type of exciting player it has never really had.

“At times, the defense wasn’t giving me the looks that we were wanting,” Newton said. “That’s one where you have to make up your decision in your mind as a quarterback: Are you going to force it to get a completion or are you just going to check it down to your backs? … Today was a prime example of you just managing the game and just getting it to your backs and keeping the chains going.”

Newton directed just one first-half scoring drive that ended with a field goal. But he avoided any turnovers after throwing three interceptions against Green Bay last week.

“He settled in and made some good decisions,” Rivera said. “If he continues to do that, it gives us a chance to win. If we give ourselves a chance to win, I think we will win a few more.”

Things didn’t start out well for Gabbert. A penalty wiped out a chain-moving completion on his first throw and he ended up being tripped up in the end zone for a safety. His second drive ended with a third-down sack.

He got the Jaguars on the board by directing a field goal drive, aided by the Panthers jumping offside on a punt to give Jacksonville a first down after what was going to be a three-and-out. He also led the stunning scoring drive right before half, with Thomas catching a long pass from Gabbert and leaping across the goal line through the heavy rain as time expired for the 10-5 lead.

Notes: Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble left the game in the second quarter with an unspecified injury. He did not return. … Jacksonville running back Montell Owens left the game with a knee injury on a third-quarter kickoff return. … Jacksonville played without defensive ends Aaron Kampman (knee) and Matt Roth (neck), and receiver Kassim Osgood (hamstring). … Carolina S Charles Godfrey (concussion) was also inactive.

Tights Ends Have a History of Shredding the Jets’ Defense

The Jets know that such plays are coming. With Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, two superb cornerbacks on the outside, teams often test the Jets toward the middle of the field. Preventing them has become a weekly challenge, as it will again on Sunday, when another elite tight end visits MetLife Stadium. Marcedes Lewis of Jacksonville is as big (6 feet 6 inches) as Witten, 10 pounds heavier at 275, and, according to Ryan, faster.

The Jets feel that they can concentrate on stopping and the dynamic running back Maurice Jones-Drew, a luxury they did not have when preparing for the Cowboys, who also have two elite receivers and running backs with receiving skills. Lewis did not practice again Thursday because of an injured calf, but the Jets are preparing as if he will play.

The Jets want to be physical with Lewis, but not to the point of vicious collisions off the snap. Mike Pettine, the defensive coordinator, said he would tell his players not to crash into Lewis because players of that size and strength bounce off. A good shove off the line of scrimmage, by a linebacker or a defensive end, should work, helping the player actually assigned to cover Lewis.

While watching tape on Monday morning, Pettine noticed that the Cowboys lined up Witten at receiver, a change that curtailed the defender’s ability to disrupt his route. He expects the Jaguars to do the same with Lewis.

“Anytime you play a tight end like that, they don’t want you putting your hands on them,” safety Brodney Pool said. “It messes with guys if you bump them, rough them up, so they don’t run freely.”

Pass-catching tight ends present matchup nightmares for defenses. Deploying a cornerback to cover a Witten or a Lewis might appear an easy solution, but on rushing plays the tight end, bunched closer to the line of scrimmage and in full blocking mode, has a size and strength advantage.

So the Jets, like many teams, prefer a linebacker or a safety, players who in theory can cover them while holding their own in run support. On Witten’s big play Sunday, that responsibility fell to safety Eric Smith, who was left alone in coverage. Witten juked him off the snap, beating him inside, and gained separation about 5 yards from the line as he ran a seam route.

The Jets’ troubles with tight ends date to last season, when some of the league’s best — Todd Heap, Ben Watson, Aaron Hernandez — shredded them for long gains and touchdowns; in all, 10 posted catches of at least 20 yards against the Jets.

That list included Joel Dreessen of Houston, who is not considered an elite tight end, but amassed 106 yards and a touchdown. Rough games against the Patriots, whose tight ends combined for 19 catches and 286 yards in the teams’ three meetings, accentuated the problem.

Yet, there exists a chance that their shortcomings might be at once overstated and misleading. According to game charting by Football Outsiders, in 2010 the Jets ranked ninth in defending tight ends, down from fourth in 2009, allowing 44.8 yards per game. That figure could be as low it is because of a stroke of good fortune; they faced teams like Green Bay and Denver at points in the schedule when their top tight ends were unavailable.

Even so, a week after allowing 110 yards to Witten, the Jets are aware of their perceived deficiencies and are determined not to let Lewis have similar success. For starters, they know what Jacksonville intends to do.

“They’re going to try to get the ball to Marcedes in the middle of the field,” Revis said.

EXTRA POINTS

Linebacker David Harris sat out practice for a second consecutive day because of a toe injury, but Coach Rex Ryan said he expected him to play Sunday.

Jaguars to Start Rookie QB Gabbert at Panthers

Coach Jack Del Rio named Gabbert the starter Wednesday, switching signal callers three days after Luke McCown threw four interceptions against the New York Jets. The move comes a little more than a week after Del Rio released veteran starter David Garrard following a poor preseason and a three-interception practice.

Gabbert will make his first start Sunday at Carolina.

“He’s a big strong kid whose really been kind of a star quarterback his whole life,” Del Rio said. “We think he has a chance to be a franchise-type quarterback. He’s getting a chance now to be our starting quarterback and become that guy.”

The transition was inevitable since the Jaguars selected Gabbert with the 10th pick in April’s draft. Del Rio had hoped to take it slow with the former Missouri standout, even planning to give him a year to watch and learn behind Garrard. But Garrard struggled in the preseason and was outplayed by McCown, a career backup.

Del Rio named McCown the starter five days before the season opener. McCown did enough to win the opener against Tennessee, but his ninth start in eight seasons was a debacle. He was picked off four times, could have thrown a couple more and was sacked for a safety — all in just three quarters

McCown wanted a chance to redeem himself, but understood the decision.

“Who’s to say what one deserves,” McCown said. “It would do me or this team zero good to sit and say I deserve another chance. I didn’t perform last week and that’s just the blunt fact of it. I didn’t play well enough to give our team a chance to win. I’m big enough to stand up here and say that.”

McCown completed 6 of 19 passes for 59 yards against the Jets, finishing with a 1.8 quarterback rating.

The Jets won 32-3, the second worst loss in Del Rio’s nine-year tenure. And since he’s widely considered to be coaching for his future — team owner Wayne Weaver said the Jaguars need to make the playoffs for Del Rio to stick around another year — it was reasonable to wonder whether he would put his fate in the hands of a rookie quarterback.

Del Rio chuckled when asked whether he went to Weaver to see if playing 14 games with a first-year quarterback would change expectations.

“I don’t look at life like that,” Del Rio said. “I’m a competitive guy. We expect to be a good football team. That will not change. Absolutely not would be a better way to say it. The furthest thing from my mind.”

Gabbert threw 40 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions as a two-year starter at Missouri. Because of the NFL lockout, he missed minicamp, organized team activities and dozens of meetings with offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

Nonetheless, he impressed coaches and teammates with his arm strength, pocket presence, situational awareness and speed.

Del Rio said he considered going with Gabbert after opting to part ways with Garrard. But chose to give McCown a chance. He said Gabbert has shown progress in two weeks.

“We’re excited,” Del Rio said. “There’s a little freshness to it. There’s big upside potential.”

Gabbert’s teammates rave about his confidence. Guard Uche Nwaneri recalled Gabbert’s first live huddle, at New England in the preseason opener. Gabbert stared everyone in the eyes, then yelled, “Let’s (expletive) go, guys,” Nwaneri said.

“He’s got all the confidence in the world,” Nwaneri said. “He’s got a good swagger about him. He knows what the challenge is going to be. I think he’ll thrive against the challenge. He was drafted high and he’s itching for an opportunity to get in and make an impact, and now he’s getting an opportunity to do that.”

Gabbert has wanted to be a starting quarterback in the NFL since he first played football at age 11, so he’s looking forward to it and expecting a few jitters.

“You’re always going to have butterflies,” Gabbert said. “When you’re doing something you love, that you care so much about and you put so much time and effort in throughout the week, you’re going to have butterflies. I think something’s wrong if you don’t have them. That just means the adrenaline’s going and you’re ready to go.”