Where's the Defense?

10/16 Corner

Mom Has A

Question For Pack

Coach Tom O’Brien, my mom has a question for you, Where is the defense?

She asked that some time in the third quarter as we watched the N.C. State vs. Duke game Saturday, along with 50,000 other people in Carter-Finely stadium. It was right after a touchdown that was part of one of the Wolfpack’s worst losses in recent memory. It was a legitimate one a staff will spend hours studying this week.

When Coach O’Brien watches the game films he won’t be able to answer the question. He won’t be able to find his defense on the field.

Literally, they were standing there but apparently they weren’t doing much more than that. Missed tackles, blown coverages and simple breakdowns made the team simply look bad. Perhaps the quote of the day that best describes the day came from Duke quarterback Thad Lewis. On one of the post game interview shows he made the comment that he was able to toss the ball around pretty much the way he wanted to.

That sums up his day and that of the North Carolina State defense. There were blue streaks flying through the North Carolina State secondary from the moment after the initial kickoff and Lewis simply had to find them.

On most plays he had his choice of which one he wanted to throw to, with little worry of any disruption from the Wolfpack defense. He had plenty of time on almost every play because State rushers left him alone almost all day long.

It is not often I say I am embarrassed for a team but that was the case Saturday.

It is not often a team is beaten as badly, in such a surprisingly easy way, as State was.

The offense kept pace with the Duke offense early on but Russell Wilson could only carry the team so far on his legs. This team depends on him for more than he can deliver and that became obvious Saturday.

It might be a little more expected if it was Virginia Tech putting the beat down on the boys in red. Even Carolina would have been more acceptable than the Blue Devils. It was, simply put, a bad day to be a Wolfpack fan.

Things dawned a little brighter for the Carolina Panthers over the weekend.

Like the Wolfpack, the Panthers have disappointed early on but made a statement Sunday. Jake Delhomme showed he is the leader once again. His late game bootleg at a critical time was classic. He literally carried the team to a win over the Redskins.

The history books say it is almost impossible for a team with a 0-3 record to make the playoffs. There is no doubt getting to the post season will take a monumental effort. A loss Sunday would have sunk the nail even deeper into the Cat’s coffin. The hard fought win at least leaves a crack of light open for the season. More than anything else, the Panthers at least showed they have the ability to compete.

The only question now is if they have the desire it will take to salvage the current season. The combination of Delhomme, his favorite target Steve Smith seem to have it but they will have a hard time passing it on to their teammates.