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http://www.'thecharlottepost.com
1C
Cfiarlotte
SPORTS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2004
Black College Sports/4C
Thunder & lightning
C. Jemal
Horton
Panthers
vulnerable,
but still on
right track
They still have a tendency
to look so very vulnerable.
Even after their inspiring
first-round playoff victory
over Dallas last week, the
Carolina Panthers still
wouldn’t know a blowout vic
tory if it walked up and drop-
kicked them in the face-
masks.
Their quarterback, Jake
Delhomme, still has a ten
dency to just throw the ball
up and hope for something to
happen. And their overall
style of play still is so ugly, it
could qualify’ as an art exhib
it masterpiece.
But that’s the way it’s been
with the Panthers since
John Fox took over as coach
two years ago. Fox-ball is
aesthetically challenged. It
is devoid of Showtime and
other plays that qualify for
“SportsCenter.”
And it also is this: extreme
ly effective.
So, no, the Panthers won’t
change when they go up to
St. Louis this weekend to
face the Rams in a second-
round playoff game that
could land Carolina in the
NFC Championship once
again. The Panthers won’t
do anything unusual to try
and stop the Rams and their
“Greatest Show on Turf’ rep
utation.
The Panthers will be their
blue-collar, non-cell-phone-
wielding selves. They will be
everything that Fox has
molded them into since he
arrived.
And, as we’ve seen with
Fox-ball, usually, that is
more than enough.
Why not these Panthers?
After the Dallas game last
week, during which the
Panthers committed nary a
penalty or turnover, I
became a believer: Fox-ball
is special. Fox-ball is the
kind of ball that wins cham
pionships.
Maybe the Panthers won’t
go all the way this year.
Maybe their tendency to
play every team in the NFL
within three points will
catch up to them in this post-
season. But the Panthers
clearly have what it takes to
beat the Rams and anybody
else in these playoffs, experi
ence be damned.
“All week long, you heard
about the Cowboys, you
heard about (coach Bill)
Parcells,” Panthers veteran
safety Mike Minter said. “All
we were going to do is sit
back and do^ our talking on
the field. We came out there,
and we busted some heads,
like we always do.”
Then, the normally com
posed Minter lost it a
moment when talking about
his coach.
“I was a little disappointed
that (when) I looked at the
coaches of the year, my man
Fox wasn’t out there,”
Minter said. “I was a little
disappointed about that. I
think a lot of guys were. So
we wanted to go out there
and prove to everybody that
was watching that Fox is one
of the best coaches in the
league, and he should have
been on that list.”
New England Patriots
coach Bill Belichick won the
NFL coach-of-the-year
award \vith 35.5 votes.
Cincinnati coach Marvin
Please see PATRIOTS/2C
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Running back Stephen Davis is the focal point of Carolina’s offense, but he’s getting help in the passing game. In last week’s win over Dallas in the
first round of the NFC playoffs, Davis gained 104 yards on 23 carries with a score.
Panthers mixing power and passing at right time
By Herbert L. White
herb, white @ thechorloitepo.'H. com
The Carolina Panthers
offense is playing out of
character, and it’s a good
thing.
The Panthers, who rode
the running of Stephen
Davis to the NFC South
championship, will also
take a - big-play passing
capabilities into SaturdaYs
division playoff against St.
Louis. Davis ran for 104
yards and a touchdovm in
last week’s 29-10 vrai over
Dallas in the first round,
but receivers Steve Smith
and Muhsin Muhammad
also came up big. Smith
caught five passes for 135
yards and a score, while
Muhammad had four
receptions for 103.
“I think in the last couple
of weeks we went against
our tendencies and the
coaches felt comfortable
with it,” Muhammad said.
“They saw that Steve and I
can make plays in the pass
ing game. We have been
pitching for it all year long.
But when you have a good
thing, you let it ride and
Stephen Davis has been
playing some great ball.”
With productive running
and passing, Carolina kept
Dallas off-balance.
Although the Panthers did
n’t design plays for huge
gains, they hammered the
Cowboys’ top-ranked
defense to avenge a 24-20
regular season loss.
“It’s the same plays we’ve
been calling all season,”
coach John Fox said. “I just
thought we executed better.
“I think we’ve improve as
the season has gone on.”
“Certainly we left some
points on the field, but you
can’t say enough about the
offensive Line,” said quar
terback Jake Delhomme,
who completed 18-of-29
passes for 273 yards and a
touchdown. “Stephen
rushed for 100 and they
gave me unbelievable pro
tection. The receivers made
plays. ...Everyone made
plays, and that was the
biggest thing.”
Carolina’s skill-position
players were especially
good, especially Smith, who
torched Cowboys comer-
back Tbrence Newman for
gains of 70 and 32 yards.
Smith was particularly
peeved that Newman criti-
See PANTHERS/2C
Prep career over, Olympic
QB looks forward to Pirates
By James Hamlin
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
When the high school foot
ball season began, Olympic
High quarterback Antonio
Miller expected to put up
gaudy numbers and lead his
team to the postseason. In
August Miller said he want
ed to pass for 3,000 yards
and run for 1,000, 12 games
later Miller passed for 3,088
yards and 27 touchdowns
and rushed for 984 yards
and 10 more scores. He did
n’t hit his personal marks
exactly, but it was close
enough. However, Olympic
feu way short of their team
goals this season finishing
with a 4-8 record.
“It was tough, but I could
n’t get my head down. I had
to stay a leader so the team
could look up me and see me
with my head held high,”
Miller says. That attitude is
why Miller’s teammates and
Olympic head coach Maurice
Flowers hold him in high
esteem. But despite the
numbers, the talent, and the
positive attitude MUler was
overlooked. He was left off
the Associated Press all-
state team as
Independence’s Joe Cox
earned that honor. Miller
also took a backseat to some
of the other top players in
Please see OLYMPIC/2C
Combine takes steps in
search for pit crew talent
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
A little rain didn’t stop a
talent search for people of
color to work on NASCAR
pit crews.
Crew scouting was com
pleted at the Drive for
Diversity motorsport com
bine testing and evaluation
event at 5 Off 5 On Race
Tbam Performance Center in
Mooresville. Due to rain, the
driver testing combine was
rescheduled for Tuesday at
Hickory Motor Speedway.
“In spite of the weather, it
was an exciting day for the
outstanding crew candidates
who showcased their skills
at 5 Off 5 On,” said Daryl
Stewart, general manager of
Access Marketing &
Communications, the com
bine’s organizers. “Because
of the rain at Hickory, we
were not able to evaluate the
drivers today. We have
rescheduled the driver scout
ing event for tomorrow,
weather pending.”
Crew members participat
ed in a physical assessment
and pit crew skills testing
and were interviewed by rac
ing professionals to deter
mine their overall, knowl
edge and commitment to the
sport.
Crew members are vying
for as many as six openings
Please see COI\/IBlNE/2C
CLOSE SHAVE AT CURRY SHOOTOUT
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Garinger High’s Jerry Hollis glides in for a layup in the
Wildcats’ loss to West Charlotte in the Dell Curry
Shootout last week at Charlotte Latin. West Charlotte
went on to win the regional boys’ championship
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