Davis article from ESPN

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1896510

Normally quiet Davis stresses game's import

Wednesday, October 6, 2004


Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The injury report lists Stephen Davis as questionable to play against Denver. His behavior Wednesday made him look more like a probable.


The first sign came in the morning meetings.


"He's ready to go," center Jeff Mitchell said. "He's been awake in all the meetings."


The next sign came halfway through practice, when Davis surprised Carolina's offensive linemen by pulling them together to talk about Sunday's game in Denver.


"He said he wanted us to know the importance of this game, and that he really wants to come back and have a solid performance," said left tackle Jordan Gross.


Just how out of character was that for the typically subdued running back?


"He didn't do that all of last year," Gross said. "He's really a quiet guy, and for him to come out and say we need to get going -- it really got me excited for this game."


Davis hasn't played since the season-opening loss to Green Bay because he had arthroscopic surgery Sept. 17 to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.


Although Carolina is secure with backup DeShaun Foster, having both backs healthy gives them a 1-2 punch that the Panthers hope will jump-start their stagnant running game.


"When you have one back, which we had with DeShaun, and you really want to put the ball in his hands, it takes away from some of the things you can do offensively," Gross said. "Now when we have Stephen in there and DeShaun to back him up, we're going to be able to be a lot more aggressive with play calling.


"Having both of them, you can use the whole playbook."


The Panthers (1-2) need to do something to get their offense rolling, particularly the ground game.


A year after averaging 130 yards a game, Carolina is managing just 96 this season.


The Panthers have gone over 100 yards just once, when Foster ran for 174 against Kansas City's porous defense. They gained just 38 yards in a loss to Green Bay, and 67 in a loss to Atlanta.


Davis, who ran for a franchise-best 1,444 yards last season, has just nine carries for 26 yards this year. Foster has 237 yards rushing.


Coach John Fox said Davis' status depends on how his knee reacts after the workout.

 

Does no one yet believe that our o-line leaves alot to be desired besides us?

 

From the Charlotte.com

Davis Expects to Play Sunday
Fox says its still a game time decision

Carolina Panthers running back Stephen Davis said Thursday only a natural disaster will keep him from playing this week against the Denver Broncos.

When first questioned about his availability for Sunday's game, Davis grinned and said, "I won't know until Sunday." But when pushed on the topic and asked what would keep him from playing, Davis replied, "A hurricane. Maybe a tornado or something."

Even so, it's ultimately up to coach John Fox to decide whether to risk playing Davis this week or wait until next Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fox anticipates it will be a game-time decision.

Davis, who rushed for a career-high 1,444 yards last year for the Panthers, missed the last two games following knee surgery to repair torn cartilage. He practiced again Thursday, but remains questionable on the team's injury report.

Davis said he hasn't experienced any swelling in his knee this week, and he continues to receive medical treatment.

He originally was scheduled to miss two to five weeks, so he's right on schedule in his rehab. Friday marks three weeks since he had surgery.

"My whole thing was to get (the surgery) done as soon as possible and get it better and get back in there," Davis said. "Right now I'm doing everything I need to do to get myself back on the field."

DeShaun Foster has started the last two games for the Panthers, running for a combined 225 yards and two touchdowns on 51 carries. However, Foster has also been slow to hit some holes, resulting in 17 runs of no gain or negative yardage over the past two weeks.

Fullback Brad Hoover said that's a result of Foster's running style, which is far different from Davis' style.

"Stephen is going to hit the hole and fall forward for one or two more yards," Hoover said. "DeShaun is a little more scattier and he'll try to bounce it. He's hit some big runs, believe me, and some of those runs have been from bouncing. But eventually you are going to get burnt doing something like that."

Davis started Carolina's regular season opener against Green Bay and carried nine times for 26 yards. The following week during practice his knee began to swell and he had surgery two days before the Kansas City game.

He was replaced that week by Foster, who ran for 174 yards against a soft Chiefs' defense.

Despite his increased playing time, Foster is anxious to see Davis back on the field because he believes it makes both backs better.

"That helps to get Stephen back, because he's a big part of the team," Foster said. "We're looking forward to his return. He's practicing, so I expect he will play."

Either way, the Panthers seem confident they can run the ball this week.

"We don't want Stephen to come back too early and be hampered the rest of the season," Hoover said. "If he's able to come back, that's great. If not, DeShaun will do a great job for us."

 

also from Charlotte.com

Davis rouses O-line with rare pep talk

Back, out 2 games after knee surgery, might play Sunday at Denver

PAT YASINSKAS

Staff Writer


Stephen Davis, who generally lets his actions do his talking, was speaking loudly Wednesday.

About midway through the Carolina Panthers practice, Davis, the stoic running back, walked up to the offensive line and delivered a pep talk.

"That's something he never does," left tackle Jordan Gross said. "It surprised me because he's a really quiet guy and he doesn't say much. So when he did say something like that you know he's really serious about it."

Davis, who has missed the past two games after arthroscopic knee surgery, said he delivered a simple message.

"I always have little things to say here and there," Davis said. "The thing now is everybody on the team tells you we're 1-2. The thing we've got to do is stay patient on what we've got to do and just be consistent in what we're trying to do."

Teammates said the message went beyond that.

"He told us that he's going to be in there and wants to get some yards on the ground and make sure the running game's going on his debut back," Gross said. "He's definitely excited to get back out there and hopefully do some nice things up in Denver."

Officially, the Panthers aren't quite so exuberant about the possibility of Davis being ready for Sunday's game against the Broncos. They list him as questionable and say his status will be evaluated day to day. Davis practiced for the first time Wednesday.

Maybe that's a sign Davis is close to being ready or maybe it's not because it's hard to read coach John Fox when it comes to injuries.

"He's ready to go," center Jeff Mitchell said. "He's been awake in all the meetings."

Davis said he wants to play, but can't make any guarantees.

"It's been very hard," Davis said. "I think of myself as a competitive guy that loves being out there with my teammates. Not being able to get out there ... I've got a lot of frustration and anger built up."

The prospect of having back a player that rushed for a franchise-record 1,444 yards last year has to be encouraging for an offense that's been inconsistent.

Although replacement DeShaun Foster ran for 174 yards in a victory at Kansas City on Sept. 19, the entire offense gained 67 yards on the ground in Sunday's 27-10 loss to Atlanta.

That's led to some fans criticizing Foster, who sometimes loses yardage. Davis rarely loses yardage, but doesn't have Foster's big-play potential. Although Davis and Foster have different styles, the Panthers believe the offense is at its best when both running backs are healthy.

"You're always better having depth," offensive coordinator Dan Henning said.

That depth comes with bonuses: Foster's speed, and Davis' power.

"The different styles is what really makes our running game the way it is," Gross said. "So when you don't have one or the other, it's a little bit harder. So having Stephen back there is definitely going to boost our confidence and morale, knowing he's more of a downhill guy."

If Davis plays, it's likely he'll return as a starter. Foster likely has earned significant playing time and that could give the Panthers a solid combination.

"The best thing is having both in there because the defense has to do both," Mitchell said. "It's just like we were talking about the running game: The best thing to do is not to run the ball a lot and not to throw the ball a lot. It's to do both because then they're off balance. They have to respect both of those and that's difficult.

"It makes my job easier."