2000 season-in-review team reports —
NFC West
As published in print Jan. 31, 2001
|
| Overview |
| After showing enough in 1999 to make themselves believe they were genuine
playoff contenders, the Panthers failed to overcome a host of preseason injuries, as
George Seifert suffered his first losing record in 10 years as a head coach. Impressive
wins over the defending Super Bowl champion Rams twice and Green Bay on Monday night were
offset by a 52-9 loss to Oakland in the season finale, the worst in franchise history. In
addition to season-ending injuries to WR Patrick Jeffers, rookie S Deon Grant, PK John
Kasay and TE Wesley Walls, among others, the team was forced to deal with the sudden
resignation of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave one day after a demoralizing Week Five
loss to Dallas. |
| Turning point |
| After piling up 450 yards in a 38-22 road win over the 49ers in Week Two,
the Panthers’ offense disappeared in a 15-10 home loss to an inferior Atlanta team,
managing only 59 rushing yards. Carolina was woefully inconsistent from then on. |
| Offensive MVP |
| Even though defenses focused on him down the stretch with Wesley Walls
out of the lineup, WR Muhsin Muhammad finished the season tied with the Colts’ Marvin
Harrison for the NFL lead in receptions with 102. |
| Defensive MVP |
| SS Mike Minter led the team with 123 tackles, including an impressive 92
solos. He also had two sacks, two interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown)
and one fumble recovery. |
| Biggest surprise |
| Nobody expected Joe Nedney to be such a potent weapon after he signed
with the team Oct. 3. The journeyman placekicker, who failed to get the job done the
previous year in Oakland, made 26-of-28 field-goal attempts with the Panthers and all 20
of his extra-point attempts. |
| Biggest disappointment |
| The Panthers’ offensive line was pathetic across the board,
surrendering 69 sacks, the fourth-highest total in league history. A big overhaul is
likely, with many of the unit’s unrestricted free agents not expected to return next
season. |
| Rookie recap |
| First-round pick Rashard Anderson was slow to develop at safety after
playing solely cornerback in college. Deon Grant (second round) was looking better than
Anderson in training camp until suffering a season-ending hip injury. OG Leander Jordan
(third round) never saw the field — and didn’t seem to care. Seventh-round pick
Lester Towns started every game at middle linebacker and did a fine job vs. the run. DT
Alvin McKinley (fourth round) showed some promise. OT Jeno James (sixth round) is a hard
worker but appears to be a serviceable fill-in at best. RB Brad Hoover, TE Casey Crawford,
CB Deveron Harper and LB Al Lucas were all undrafted free agents who had their moments. |
| Free-agent/trade review |
| While DLs Chuck Smith, Reggie White and Eric Swann grabbed all the early
headlines, former Rams backup Jay Williams quietly led the Panthers in sacks and emerged
as the defensive line’s most consistent performer. Smith, who signed a five-year,
$21.75 million contract, played in two games and made just five tackles before being
placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. White and Swann failed to play up to their
reputations. RB Natrone Means was a huge bust, seeing action on only two plays before
being dumped. Weak-side LB Lee Woodall was Carolina’s second-leading tackler with 94
but lacked big-play ability. Although he was beaten deep by more receivers than anyone on
the team, veteran FS Eugene Robinson became the leader of a solid secondary. CB Jimmy
Hitchcock got more comfortable as the year wore on and came up with one of the biggest
defensive plays of the year — an 88-yard interception return for a TD in the Week 14
win over the Rams. Former Titans WR Isaac Byrd did a decent job in the No. 3 WR role. OG
James Dexter was a non-factor. |
Top of page
|
Regular-season record: 7-9
|
| Team leaders |
|
Rushing — Tshimanga
Biakabutuka, 627 yards on 173 carries, 3.6 avg., 2 TDs.
Passing — Steve
Beuerlein, 324-533 attempts for 3,730 yards, 19 TDs, 18 interceptions, 79.7 rating.
Receiving — Muhsin
Muhammad, 102 receptions for 1,183 yards, 11.6 avg., 6 TDs.
Scoring — Joe
Nedney, 98 points on 20 PATs and 26 FGs.
Kickoff returns — Michael
Bates, 42 for 941 yards, 22.4 avg., 1 TD.
Punt returns — Iheanyi
Uwaezuoke, 10 for 173 yards, 17.3 avg., 1 TD.
Punting — Ken
Walter, 64 for 38.4 avg., 33.8 net, 2 TB, 19 inside 20, 2 blk., 66L.
Interceptions — Eric
Davis, 5 for 14 yards, 2.8 avg., 0 TDs.
Sacks — Jay
Williams, 6. |
| Results |
|
| Pointspread Shown Refers to Carolina. |
| Date |
Opponent |
Spread |
Score |
| Sept. 3 |
At Washington |
(+10) |
17-20 |
| Sept. 10 |
At San Francisco |
(-3) |
38-22 |
| Sept. 17 |
Atlanta |
(-5.5) |
10-15 |
| Sept. 24 |
BYE |
|
|
| Oct. 1 |
Dallas |
(-6) |
13-16* |
| Oct. 8 |
Seattle |
(-3.5) |
26-3 |
| Oct. 15 |
At New Orleans |
(+3) |
6-24 |
| Oct. 22 |
San Francisco |
(-3) |
34-16 |
| Oct. 29 |
At Atlanta |
(-3) |
12-13 |
| Nov. 5 |
At St. Louis |
(+13.5) |
27-24 |
| Nov. 12 |
New Orleans |
(-1.5) |
10-20 |
| Nov. 19 |
At Minnesota |
(+9.5) |
17-31 |
| Nov. 27 |
Green Bay |
(+2.5) |
31-14 |
| Dec. 3 |
St. Louis |
(+7.5) |
16-3 |
| Dec. 10 |
At Kansas City |
(+2.5) |
14-15 |
| Dec. 17 |
San Diego |
(-7) |
30-22 |
| Dec. 24 |
At Oakland |
(+10) |
9-52 |
| * Overtime |
|
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