Falcons safety Charles Godfrey has the inside scoop on the Carolina Panthers and their rise to becoming three-time NFC South champs and Super Bowl contenders.
Godfrey helped to lay the foundation for one of the league’s top defenses after being drafted by the Panthers from Iowa in the third round in the 2008 draft.
Godfrey, now a 30-year-old backup safety, and the Falcons (6-5) will face quarterback Cam Newton and the undefeated Panthers (12-0) on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
After seven seasons with the Panthers — 75 starts in 82 career games — he signed with the Falcons last season and made the team as a trusted veteran reserve. And he plans to share as much information as he can about his old outfit with his teammates and coaches.
“Basically, we haven’t had a lot of guys come up to me yet,” Godfrey said. “We came in and were looking over what we have to do to fix our problem that we have now. When we get the Carolina tape, we’ll just look at them. It’s basically about what all we have to do to fix our corrections and go out and play our game.”
The Falcons’ most recent defensive problem that Godfrey referenced is the rash of missed tackles over the past two games.
The Falcons missed 15 tackles while giving up 191 yards rushing to Minnesota two weeks ago and missed double-digit tackles while giving up 166 yards to Tampa Bay last Sunday. Ranked No. 1 against the rush before the Minnesota game, the Falcons are giving up 102.6 yards per game and have dropped to 12th in the NFL.
With running back Jonathan Stewart and Newton leading the way, the Panthers have rushed the ball 413 times, tops in the league, and are averaging 141.9 yards, which ranks third.
Stewart has 232 rushes for 914 yards (3.9 per carry) and five touchdowns while Newton has 108 runs for 476 yards (4.4) and seven touchdowns.
The Falcons’ defense, which infamously couldn’t stop Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston on a third-and-19 with the game on the line, will be stressed against the Panthers. Falcons coach Dan Quinn insists on surer tackling against Newton.
“He’s a terrific runner and every time we’re going into prepare (for a game), there’s obviously a style and attitude that you need to tackle with,” Quinn said. “I think the people that can break the tackles and have the juice to make somebody miss, you better be on point with your tackling and we will be.”
The defenders must also move past the Winston debacle.
“I’m not putting any blame on anyone but ourselves, myself,” linebacker Brooks Reed said. “We’ve just got to play better. We’ve got to tackle better. Plain and simple.”
The Panthers’ stout defensive front should not be overlooked. The unit is led by linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, but talkative cornerback Josh Norman will likely lock up with Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones.
“I do like his style and his attitude that he’s playing with,” Quinn said of Norman.
The Falcons, 7 1/2-point underdogs, realize they are in a uphill battle.
“As we’re starting this fourth quarter of the season, it’s my belief in the players that enables me to have this vision of what I want us to play like, and the style and the attitude that I want us to go after the ball defensively, and the way we own it and attack offensively,” Quinn said. “I guess that’s where that stems from, is my belief in these players.”
Godfrey has no hard feelings toward the Panthers for releasing him, but he’s available to share information.
“I’ve been moving forward,” Godfrey said. “It’s journey. Everybody has a different story. When I signed the contract there, the contract didn’t say I’d be there forever. I knew that going in. I was there for a time. I had a great time there. Now, I’m here.”
