Shades of Dan Henning

Did you think the Panthers would stop running the draw on third-and-long -- or third-and-short, for that matter -- just because Dan Henning is gone?

Last year probably disabused you of that notion. The truth is that John Fox likes the play -- it's not just the offensive coordinators. Whether it's Jeff Davidson calling it or Henning, it's going to keep being called.

The Panthers used it a couple of times with bad results Sunday. On their final two possessions of the first half, Carolina started on the Chicago side of the 50 due to excellent Panther defense.

And both times, those drives ended with a whimper on unsuccessful draws -- on a third-and-15 from the Carolina 48 and a third-and-4 from the Chicago 17.

I understand the premise. The Bears are just killing Carolina's offensive line and keep bringing the heat, and Carolina feels like it has to slow the rush down. But c'mon.

Chicago leads, 10-3, at the half. Carolina is going to have to work hard to break double digits in this game if it keeps playing offensively like this. The Panthers have 47 total yards and two first downs -- total. That's decent work for one drive, but for one HALF? That's nasty.