Defense Noticeably Sharper

and I think since he’s so talented, people often overlook how hard he hits as evidenced when he knocked Stewart out of the game with a perfectly timed, clean hit. That was basically the knockout punch for the defensive to shut them down. He is a player that learned the correct way to hit- with shoulder pads instead of helmet, and to wrap up whenever possible. He definitely makes the defensive backs around him more confident because he has seen it all and diagnoses plays very quickly. I love the fact that we have a potentially All- Pro backfield ( they won’t all make it- maybe none will) but they are of that caliber when you consider Greer, Porter, Sharper, Harper and now Jenkins.
 P Rob is no slouch either and we are even getting good production out of Prioleau,Torrence and Young.

Quite a difference from a few years back- kudos to GW!!

Sharper makes sure they bring the attitude. While he opportunistically moves to the ball and gets his shots in. Sorry about that, Jonathan Stewart.

rotoworld.com:

Jonathan Stewart-RB- Panthers Nov. 7 – 10:21 pm et The Charlotte Observer confirms that Jonathan Stewart likely suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Saints. Stewart took a shot to the head from Saints S Darren Sharper and left the field on a cart. Coach John Fox did not update the running back’s status after the game, so we’ll have to wait until Monday at the earliest to find out the severity.

I’ve thought this all along. The entire defense is better with Sharper on the field.

Rather than being dependent on turnovers, turnovers are now just icing on the cake. If they keep playing at this level and the offense continues it’s improvement, it’s good reason to be very optimistic.

And, I agree with Dave’s assessment of Sharper. Whatever the reason(s), the defense just seems to play at a higher level when he’s on the field.

and let’s not jump all over the D if they do have a bad game somwhere along the way…just sayin……..things happen every once in a while

You have to go all the way back to the Atlanta game to find a game where we haven’t been great defensively. Six games in a row, 4 of those without Sharper at all. Against Pitt, Sharper played part time and played decently. This game we got back our two starting cornerbacks, one of whom took a pick to the house.

Sharper’s a good player, but the anointing of him being a savior and catalyst is beyond exaggerated. Do we play better with him out there….probably….he is a good player after all. Do we play at complete level above where we have been….no.

Defense Noticeably Sharper

I see what you did there…

although I don’t think that it’s directly because of him(except for him causing the fumble). Sharper seems to always be at the right place at the right time(like his fumble recovery). I don’t think that Sharper is so much of a direct impact on it but maybe everyone wants to get turnovers more when Sharper is in the game. I think Williams (along with the CBs) trusts Sharper moreso than Jenkins for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the experience that Sharper has. Just seems that the D is more aggressive whenever he’s out there. I guess they feel like DSharp will make the tackle if they miss. Either way, I like that Jenkins and Sharper have both been out on the field at the same time.

As I have been saying all year I like our D!!! I am glad you are posting positive things about these guys!!! Look back at my recent posts…..I still like our D!!!

Sharper is a catalyst for sure…Totally agree.

I wanted Sharper back this year, but I was one who thought it wouldn’t be a huge loss on the field if he went elsewhere (I did think we might miss his leadership, especially with Fujita leaving). Now I think I have to eat a little bit of crow. Sharper just seems to make plays and the D looks more opportunistic with him on board.

I don’t think our D is as good as the yards against stat shows (some shorter fields due to the inordinate number of TOs), but that’s ok. We don’t need them to be a top 5 D. If they’re a top 10 or 12 D and our O gets back on track,, coaches in the NFC had better be very scared.

By the way, points allowed is the better stat for defenses IMO and in that we rank 9th and 5th in points per game (and I believe that includes all of the picks and fumble returns for TDs so that number should be even better). Keep that up and we’ll be hard to beat.

is also what Sharper brings to the defense. Most of you have been describing it, but I don’t think I’ve seen that word in any of the comments above. Leadership matters a lot, especially when it’s great leadership. Sometimes it seems like one of those “intangibles”, and you don’t necessarily appreciate it until a particular leader sits out for awhile. He’s not the only leader, but he’s a very important one, & we’re very glad he’s back.