CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -If Carolina's 0-3 record, a slew of damning statistics and the sight of Maake Kemoeatu leaning on crutches weren't enough to make defensive coordinator Ron Meeks miserable Thursday, he had a nasty head cold, too.
It's been a rough beginning with the Panthers for Meeks, hired away from Indianapolis in the offseason with orders to turn around Carolina's sagging defense.
Meeks' unit is allowing a league-worst 182.7 yards rushing per game as they play without Kemoeatu, their giant nose tackle. Four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers has only one sack. Safety Chris Harris (knee) hasn't played. Mental errors have piled up and all the poor tackling could fill up a blooper reel.
``Football is a game of aggressive, upper-body violence,'' Meeks said in between coughing fits. ``I think that when you don't physically and fundamentally do those things, you don't come to tackle, you miss tackles, that hurts your football team.
``This is a big accountability defense, and that's not been consistent. I think that's one of the big problems.''
Players and coaches have maintained most of Carolina's errors are due to being in the wrong place, not getting run over. Players have been slow to learn Meeks' Cover-2 defense, which relies on mostly zone coverage and differs from ex-coordinator Mike Trgovac's system.
``I am surprised. It should be better,'' Meeks said. ``We've addressed it and we're working on it. They've got to trust the player next to him that he's doing his job.''
The big topic among fans is whether Peppers is doing his job. After skipping all offseason workouts in an attempt to leave town, Peppers' statistics don't equate with his whopping $16.7 million salary this season.
Peppers recorded a sack in Week 1 against Philadelphia - long after the Eagles had taken an insurmountable lead - and nothing since. By the coaches' tally, he's had five tackles and two quarterback pressures in the last two games.
``I think for the most part he's doing a pretty good job,'' Meeks said. ``I think a lot of times we put so much responsibility on his shoulders. He's just one entity in what we're trying to get done. He's just one part of it. The rest of the guys got to do their job and it'll take some of the pressure off of him.''
Meeks has other worries. Veteran Hollis Thomas is on a crash course to learn the defense in time to start at tackle Sunday against Washington, a week after he was released by St. Louis.
The Panthers have struggled to find a replacement for Kemoeatu, who ruptured his right Achilles' tendon in the first practice of training camp. Out for the season and on crutches for three more weeks, he tried to cheer up teammates in the locker room Thursday.
``Hopefully Thomas gets to hold up,'' Kemoeatu said. ``He's been in the league a long time. He's a veteran player. He knows what he's getting himself into. Hopefully he'll be the backbone of that defense to help (Jon) Beason and (Thomas Davis) and those guys on the back end.
Beason and Davis are the strength of the defense at linebacker, but even they have struggled to tackle at times.
Meanwhile, Harris' absence has hurt the secondary. He practiced on a limited basis Thursday with a bulky brace on his left knee. He said while it still bothers him some, he's ``leaning'' toward playing Sunday.
``It's been very hard to just sit and watch and not be able to do anything,'' Harris said. ``It's been tough for me mentally.''
It's been tough for Meeks, too. He built the Colts into a formidable defense with athletic defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis providing most of the quarterback pressure. Peppers, who declined to speak to reporters this week, hasn't followed suit. The Panthers have just four sacks.
``Those guys in Indy were different. Peppers is different. He's a different talent,'' Meeks said. ``He does a great job doing what he does. But the guys around him, even in Indy, they supported the other guys. It's a team effort.''
Meeks then backed away and coughed as he headed inside to watch film.
``We all need to do a little bit more,'' Meeks said. ``I guess that's my message.''
NOTES: FB Brad Hoover (back) practiced Thursday, while RB Jonathan Stewart (Achilles' tendon), LB Na'il Diggs (ribs) and DE Everette Brown (ankle) were limited. ... Mike Goodson (concussion) sat out again, leaving Kenny Moore or Tyrell Sutton as potential replacement kickoff returners Sunday. ... Kemoeatu said he weighs about 368 pounds and is watching his diet so he doesn't get bigger while he can't exercise. ``Staying away from the steakhouses,'' he said. ``So business went down at Ruth's Chris and Del Frisco's. ... I ain't going to see them until probably 2011.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
