Panthers Defensive Coordinator Sean McDermott Bristles At Criticism Of Defense

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was on the defensive Monday, a day after the Carolina Panthers dropped another close game despite a strong showing from his group, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. The Panthers held Chicago to 210 yards, forced three turnovers and sacked Bears quarterback Jay Cutler six times – and still lost 23-22 after the Bears drove for a game-winning field goal as time expired. It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Panthers (1-6), with the last four decided by five points or fewer. For the third week in a row and fourth time this season, the Panthers’ defense gave up two touchdowns or fewer – each time in a losing effort. “Two hundred ten total yards, six sacks, three takeaways, in my history in the NFL you win those games,” said McDermott, the former Philadelphia defensive coordinator. “And that’s why it’s gut-wrenching to see the performance defensively that those guys put on the field. To not come away with a win is tough for the third week in a row.” McDermott’s decision to stay in a soft, cover-2 defense for the Bears’ final drive has been questioned, including a few not-so-subtle comments from a couple of his defensive backs. “Obviously, we need to tighten up the coverage there and win that situation the next time it comes up,” McDermott said. “It’s frustrating because defensively I feel like we’ve improved by leaps and bounds over last year,” McDermott said. “Is there more to do? Yeah, there’s more to do. You’ve got to look at yourself and say, ‘What else can we do?’ Well, we win the game. We win the darn game.” Source: The Redzone Attached Thumbnails