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Meeks says defense needs to regain its swagger....

AKPantherFan

By AKPantherFan,
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Meeks says defense needs to regain its swagger

Written by Steve Reed

Saturday, September 26, 2009 10:56 am

CHARLOTTE – The Carolina Panthers underwent some wholesale changes to their defensive coaching staff this past off-season, most notably with Ron Meeks replacing Mike Trgovac as coordinator.

But the Panthers, due in part to a series of injuries on that side of the ball and trouble getting comfortable in Meeks’ new scheme, have struggled coming out of the gate this season.

Carolina’s defense has allowed seven touchdowns in two games while recording just two sacks and three turnovers as the Panthers are 0-2. While it’s hard to pin Carolina’s 38-10 loss to the Philadelphia on the defense -- the offense had seven turnovers that game – it’s pretty clear based off last week’s 28-20 loss to Atlanta that their not where they need to be.

Earlier this week, I spoke with Meeks about the status of the defense and he said this unit needs to regain the “swagger” it had in training camp.

Here’s the complete interview:

Q. Obviously you’ve spent the off-season installing a new defensive scheme. Two games into the season, how do you feel like things are coming along?

Meeks: “We’re not where we need to be by any stretch of the imagination. But we’re making some progress, some slow progress. But it’s good to see some of the core guys out there and getting to the point where they can get their feet underneath them and understand what we’re doing. I think a lot of it is they’re trying to get used to what we’re doing and they missed some time. As we go along and continue to practice and play and game plan we’ll continue to get better.”

Q. So you think that has hurt – having guys like Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, Charles Godfrey and Chris Harris miss so much time?

Meeks: “That’s part of it. But it’s still football. We have guys in there that should be able to do a better job. We’re not necessarily doing everything like we need to as far as assignments and execution. And then the production has not been there. We’re not getting the takeaways and the turnovers that we expect out of this defense.”

Q. You’ve harped on getting turnovers and scoring on defense and through two games that simply hasn’t happened much. Why?

Meeks: “I thought early in the training camp we were having a lot of success getting turnovers, but it has to keep going each week. We continue to lose some guys but that can’t be the reason why you don’t have turnovers. That has to be a mindset. A lot of it is they’re thinking about what we’re doing and not just reacting. It’s not reactionary. They’re thinking too much about doing what’s right. I think it’s going to come. Surprisingly we haven’t had the consistency we had early in camp. We have to get that back. We have to get back the swagger. As far as the excitement of the defense, I don’t know, we haven’t had that swagger. We have to get back that swagger. I think that’s part of it. We were at a certainly level in camp and installed things. It seems like now, we’ve had some injuries, but we can’t use that as an excuse. The next guy has to step up. It doesn’t matter what it is. We’ve been missing some key guys, but the guys who are in there have to step up. And then a lot of it is the execution part of it. We have to make sure in our preparation part, and that’s what I do, we have to sure the guys get to a point where they understand what we need them to do. It’s not a complicated thing. The bottom line is we’ve got to get pressure.”

Q. So much of this defense seems predicated on getting a rush from your front four and yet you’ve had just four quarterback hurries (and two sacks) in two games. What’s wrong?

Meeks: “I’m not going to use the revolving door at tackle as the reason why. We have to continue to get better. But it’s just two games and you can’t judge in on just two games. Against Philadelphia we had pressure on the quarterback and good coverage and forced the quarterback to hold it a lot. But I think against Atlanta, the rhythm of the passing game was a factor. They got rid of the ball a lot faster and they didn’t let the quarterback feel that pressure. A lot of people like to put it all on the defensive line, but it goes hand-in-hand – a good rush happens when you have good coverage, and good coverage comes when you have a good rush. So we have to get that to a point where they’re working hand-in-hand.”

Q. When teams come out like Atlanta did and go with three-step drops to slow down your pass rush, how do you counteract that?

Meeks: “You try to do a better job with the coverage and get tighter coverage. You realize that the rhythm of the quarterback is there. And then you try to do things to disrupt the timing whether it’s coverage-wise or pressure-wise you have to do something to get him out of that comfort zone. We need to do a better job there, there’s no question about it.”

Q. About the defensive tackle spot, in your defenses in the past you’ve not always had a huge run stopper in the middle like Maake Kemoeatu. You’ve gone with smaller guys. Why does it seem like you guys are trying to find the biggest guys to fill in for Kemoeatu?

Meeks: “First of all you have to realize you have to stop the run. It’s one of those things where the availability of what’s there and sometimes that is beyond what I do. But (general manager) Marty Hurney has done a good job of trying to reload at that spot. It’s been unfortunate but the next guy has to step in and go. It’s hard in the NFL. We’re trying to get people in there who can give us some support. Last week I thought Louis Leonard came in and did a good job, and then unfortunately he gets hurt. Now we have to find another guy and reload.”

Q. When will you know in your mind when this defense has arrived?

Meeks: “When we have consistency, assignment-wise and the turnovers come and guys are playing with confidence and a lot of swagger. That’s when you know. When you see them running around making plays and it’s natural – not just once in awhile. It’s about consistently doing the same thing. But we’re not there yet.”

Q. Obviously Julius Peppers is going to be under the microscope because of his contract. After two games how do you feel he’s playing?

Meeks: “Well, he played with a lot of energy the first ball game. He will tell you this last game was not as consistent as the first game. Like I said, he’s going to make his plays. He’s a great talent and he brings a lot of passion. But we also have to do a better job and not put it all on him. It’s a team effort and we have to get it better coordinated where everybody is doing their job and he’ll feel comfortable doing what he’s doing.”

more;http://www.carolinagrowl.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=147:meeks-says-defense-needs-to-regain-its-swagger&catid=1:articles

at least its not; "the other team practices too" B.S.

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weyco2000 Mentor

weyco2000

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How about working on tackling and pressuring the QB, then you'll have something to "swagger" about. Funny he used the term "swagger" which means to discurage, frighten or intimidate, none of these describe our defense or even come close. I would use the word "soft" which means out of condition, not strong or robust, incapable of exertion or endurance.

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Dpantherman Newbie

Dpantherman

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How about working on tackling and pressuring the QB, then you'll have something to "swagger" about. Funny he used the term "swagger" which means to discurage, frighten or intimidate, none of these describe our defense or even come close. I would use the word "soft" which means out of condition, not strong or robust, incapable of exertion or endurance.

i don't think his use of "swagger" would be found in the dictionary. Its more like your mojo. I hate to quote Soulja Boy, because I hate his music, but he was a song called "Turn My Swagg on". so its more positive slang, than the version you are talking about.

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weyco2000 Mentor

weyco2000

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Verb 1. swagger - to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others; "He struts around like a rooster in a hen house"

prance, strut, tittup, sashay, cock, ruffle

walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"

2. swagger - discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner; intimidate

browbeat, bully

blarney, cajole, coax, inveigle, sweet-talk, wheedle, palaver - influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering; "He palavered her into going along"

3. swagger - act in an arrogant, overly self-assured, or conceited manner

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