Jonathan Stewart: Effort vs Eagles Sign of Future?

Jonathan Stewart and the rest of Carolina Panthers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles last night in primetime.

54. Final. 27. 87. 16

It was a typical Panther football game where the defense suppressed the opposing team’s score while the offense scored enough to claim the victory. The team survived a trio of Cam Newton picks and a Luke Kuechly injury scare to remain atop the NFC South.

The biggest offensive contributor though did not get a touchdown in the game. That would be Jonathan Stewart. Instead Mike Tolbert and Cam Newton got the glory of plunging into the goal line in artistic and powerful ways. The guy that got them there, Stewart, had to wait for player of the game honors that he had to share with Newton, Kuechly, and Thomas Davis.

Stewart had twenty four carries for 125 yards. He continued to push the sticks for the Panthers to continue drives. He refused to be dragged down by the first wave of tacklers. It was a good game for Stewart.

Eagles aside, I think Stewart’s output this week and last week against the Seahawks is indicative of what we will see from Stewart for the rest of the season. I complained more than most about the lack of run production from the Panthers and how the Panthers could not go the entire season with a Newton carries the team mindset. Nor do I think we will have to.

Over the end of last season, a fresh Stewart compiled most of his eight hundred rushing yards. One reason was his availability, but the other reason was the gradual wearing down of players over the course of the season. Defenses get tired from the grind. So being overly tactical caused me to miss the fact that Stewart will likely continue to perform better the longer the season goes on. It is tough to get a hold of that 5’10” 235 body (I winced at that, I thought Stewart was closer to 220).

It gets even harder when that running back takes Walter Payton as his example. Payton never had the weight training that layers get now. He did have a tough conditioning regimen and he always hit a little bigger than he was. Now try to put that mentality in Stewart’s body. You lose a little speed and the skip step, but you start to see where the football Stewart is was made.

Stewart also plays on a team built much like the ’85 Bears which got Payton his Super Bowl ring. The Panthers could use a Richard Dent, perhaps, but many of the key defensive pieces they need are there. Ted Ginn even seems to be summoning a little Willie Gault here and there. An 85 Bear coach prowls the sideline in Ron Rivera. Could Stewart pull the Payton analogue to push the team over the top?