Giants confident they can stop Panthers' ground game

Last year, the Panthers became the first team in NFL history to have two running backs rush for more than 1,100 yards each.

When they faced the Giants in late December, they accumulated 247 yards on the ground, 206 of them by Jonathan Stewart.

The year before that, they churned out another 158 rushing yards in a late-season visit to Giants Stadium, 108 of those by DeAngelo Williams.

The Panthers were third in the NFL in rushing yardage and kept the ball on the ground twice out of every three snaps in 2009 (525 rushes, 264 passes).

Said Carolina coach John Fox, "I think it's fair to say that the run will be a part of our game plan."

It's also fair to say that stopping the run will be the most important thing the Giants can do to help themselves win this first game at New Meadowlands Stadium and set a tone for the upcoming regular season.

"This is going to tell us a lot about our team," defensive tackle Barry Cofield said. "We're facing a team that makes a living running the ball. We've been preaching all offseason that we wanted to be more physical and stop the run, so this is the perfect team to prove it against . . . This is a great measuring-stick game."

Do the Giants have confidence that the measuring stick won't only be used to calculate all of the yardage the Panthers rush for?

"I do,'' coach Tom Coughlin said. "It's not going to be easy. I think we'll do a better job. I think we will.''

Said defensive tackle Chris Canty: "Absolutely, there is no doubt that we can stop those guys if we play our best. We've demonstrated in training camp and in preseason that we can stop the run. We can stop the run. Confidence comes from demonstrative performances, and so we've shown ourselves that we can do it. We're looking forward to the challenge of being able to do it on Sunday."

Though Canty noted that the Panthers have a few wrinkles, they are pretty much a straightforward running team. They block the defensive linemen and then rely on their talented running backs to make plays at the second level and make linebackers and defensive backs miss.

"They're such an effective outfit, they run the ball so well, and they do the same thing week in and week out against every team in the NFL," Cofield said. "They're not going to rewrite their book. They're not going to do anything out of the ordinary. They're just going to come and do what they do, and it's going to be on us to stop them."

The Giants hope to put the game in the hands of inexperienced quarterback Matt Moore. They'd love for that to happen, especially with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's turnover-obsessed philosophy.

The Giants have watched plenty of video of the Panthers running the ball, including cut-ups from that last game at Giants Stadium in December. "It gets uglier every time you see it," Cofield said, shaking his head.

But from that study of the grotesque, the Giants think they have figured out a way to slow the ground attack.

"I think we have a unique plan, a more diverse plan this year that is really designed to stop the run, which is what everyone tries to do against them," Cofield said. "We're focusing on it, playing physical and playing fast in practice, and hopefully, we'll be more successful."

"I do,'' coach Tom Coughlin said. "It's not going to be easy. I think we'll do a better job. I think we will.''

Said defensive tackle Chris Canty: "Absolutely, there is no doubt that we can stop those guys if we play our best. We've demonstrated in training camp and in preseason that we can stop the run. We can stop the run. Confidence comes from demonstrative performances, and so we've shown ourselves that we can do it. We're looking forward to the challenge of being able to do it on Sunday."

Though Canty noted that the Panthers have a few wrinkles, they are pretty much a straightforward running team. They block the defensive linemen and then rely on their talented running backs to make plays at the second level and make linebackers and defensive backs miss.

"They're such an effective outfit, they run the ball so well, and they do the same thing week in and week out against every team in the NFL," Cofield said. "They're not going to re-write their book. They're not going to do anything out of the ordinary. They're just going to come and do what they do, and it's going to be on us to stop them."

The Giants hope to put the game in the hands of inexperienced quarterback Matt Moore. They'd love for that to happen, especially with defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's turnover-obsessed philosophy.

The Giants have watched plenty of film of the Panthers running the ball, including cut-ups from that last game at Giants Stadium in December. "It gets uglier every time you see it," Cofield said, shaking his head.

But from that study of the grotesque, the Giants think they have figured out a way to slow the ground attack.

"I think we have a unique plan, a more diverse plan this year that is really designed to stop the run, which is what everyone tries to do against them," Cofield said. "We're focusing on it, playing physical and playing fast in practice, and hopefully we'll be more successful."