CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- If there's just one play that haunts
Carolina receiver Muhsin Muhammad this year, it probably will be
when he inexplicably stopped running on his route in overtime
against Atlanta.
His gaffe Sunday night allowed Kevin Mathis to intercept Jake
Delhomme on the third play of overtime and return it for the
game-winning 32-yard touchdown in Atlanta's 20-14 victory.
It also led to Carolina's third consecutive loss and cost the
Panthers (8-5) a shot at clinching the NFC South.
"Chalk it up to he made a mistake," coach John Fox said
Monday. "I don't think he realized that Jake was going to be under
duress like that, which he very well should have realized. He
needed to keep running and didn't."
Asked why Muhammad stopped short on the third-and-3 route, Fox
didn't have an answer.
"I haven't asked him," he replied.
Perhaps sensing he would be made the scapegoat of Carolina's
loss, Muhammad did his best after the game Sunday night to ward it
off.
"Anytime you lose three straight you are going to have some
finger-pointing going on," he said. "You are going to have some
people who are going to say the reason why we are losing is this or
that. Coaches may start to blame players and players may start to
blame coaches or other players."
But make no mistake, Fox is not blaming Muhammad for the loss to
Atlanta.
The Panthers made plenty of other errors, from Delhomme losing
one of three fumbles and throwing two interceptions, to a complete
inability to contain Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.
But Muhammad's mistake is not so easy to overlook in what's been
a miserable season for the former Pro Bowl receiver.
With just 42 catches for 677 yards and two touchdowns this
season, Muhammad has fallen out of favor with many fans for
numerous drops, fumbles and failed plays.
He argues that his numbers are down -- third-year player Steve
Smith is the leading receiver with 72 catches for 914 yards --
because Carolina's offense is centered around running back Stephen
Davis.
And the Panthers insist Muhammad has quietly done the dirty work
all year, sacrificing statistics for the unheralded role of
blocker.
Before the Atlanta game, he was on a three-game streak with 17
catches for 326 yards and a touchdown. Solid numbers, but probably
not good enough to help him extend his stay in Carolina.
Muhammad has one year left on the five-year $22.5 million deal
he signed after the 1999 season, when he led the NFC with 96
catches and ranked fourth with 1,253 yards. He counts for close to
$6 million against this year's salary cap , which has led to
rampant speculation he'll be released in the offseason.
Mistakes like the one he made against the Falcons won't do
anything to silence the talk, even if Muhammad did step up and
partially accept the blame.
"Jake threw to a spot that he felt like I should have been in --
I probably should have been there," he said. "But they are a good
defense and they played the play and stepped right in front of me
and made the play."