CHARLOTTE — Call it a hurdle, call it a high jump, or, like offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, call it a "patented karate chop." Whatever you want to call it, the Tommy Tremble special down the sidelines after a catch is a result of a lot of factors.

"All three of those (tight ends), they capture an attitude that Pat McPherson wants to bring in that tight end room, and they take a lot of pride in it, just a blocking in and of itself," Idzik explained Thursday.

By committing to intently blocking in the run game, the unit opens up opportunities in the passing concepts later in the game.

"We have all the compliments we need for those plays, and that came to life in a crucial moment for us when Tommy decided to do one of his patented karate kicks down the sideline," joked Idzik, before continuing seriously.

"That's a testament to the blocking that he had going for him leading up to that point where they got to stop the run. They got to crash a gap, and then Tommy's able to truck him aside and get a flat route on a catch-and-run."

The referenced play came in the fourth quarter on Sunday against the Cowboys. The Panthers were tied late in the game and had started the drive back at their own 14-yard line. On a "got to have it" third-and-1 from their own 38, Bryce Young rolled out to his left and found Tremble for the short toss.

From there, the tight end did his thing, and as per usual, his thing included a hurdle, necessary or not.

"It's an in-the-moment thing," Tremble laughed about the decision earlier this week. "Didn't work out, but almost did. It's pretty close."

Added Idzik, "There's a little bit of a chuckle when he tries it because it's, I think it's kind of in his blood to give it a shot, but he's also got a couple of really good looks at finishing through defenders by lowering his shoulders."

Ever a football coach, Idzik admitted they do pull up the hurdles from time to time in film study because, if it's going to be a part of Tremble's game, they need to make sure it's being done in a way that protects the player and the ball.

"We evaluate everything," Idzik said. "And as long as he needs to keep the ball in tight when he's doing it. But I did bring up to him Antonio Brown; he got flagged for that a couple of years back, doing that on a punter, so as long as he's trying to truly hurdle someone and he's protecting the ball, we want him to protect himself as well.

"So I think there's a compliment there of, he knows that some DBs are going to want to go low on him and he's got the athleticism to go over the top, but as long as he's protecting himself and protecting the ball, we're going to make sure that, you know, he's got the discernment of when to do that."

All 11 to the ball on defense

Coaches always preach about getting 11 hats to the ball on defense, and how that is often the key to the run defense. But to preach it and see it in action are often two different things.

As defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero evaluates what didn't work last season with the Panthers' run defense compared to what is working this season, it is that swarming to the ball that is making the difference.

"Our guys are really bought into, you know how (defensive line coach Todd) Wash and (outside linebackers coach AC) Carter are teaching the upfront mechanics and they're doing a hell of a job of executing it," Evero said. "We always talk about stopping the run game, not just the D line though, it's all 11, the way we're playing at the linebacker level, the way we're playing at the safety level, the corners crack replacing, we've really shown all-11 commitment to doing it."

That execution and fast play has made all the difference, Evero explained. Because looking at the film from last season to this season, the scheme and approach is largely the same. It's the players making them come to life on the field that has helped push the Panthers into the Top 10 in run defense (No. 9 overall) while holding teams to an average of 94.5 yards per game on the ground.

"We went back and looked at what we did last year and it's no really no different than any other year. We're always looking at what we can improve schematically, technique wise, call wise, and then certainly our players play a big part in that as well," said Evero.

The run defense is doing all this while facing three of the top six rushers in the league, and four of the Top 12.

"We have a run presentation every Wednesday morning to start off the week, and coach Wash kind of goes through the details of what it takes to play the run game is 11 (guys).

"Coach Renaldo Hill does the same thing with the back end and talks about the main looks to own for the run game and so, I think all of those things, the players buying in, the practice habits, all of those things have really made a difference."

Ryan Fitzgerald has impressed with his steady nature

Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith has had to become a shade-tree meteorologist for his day job, and realized that early in his career.

"Day 1, because I took a job with the Cleveland Browns, so it was an immediate issue in my life," Smith said Wednesday. "In college, at Utah State, it was an altitude thing, random snowstorms, so there was that kind of stuff.

"Special teams, we're putting the ball in the air, so the air is part of it, and the air was moving this weekend."

Smith said with the gusts at Bank of America Stadium last Sunday, there was as much as a 12-yard distance change on field goal range from one end to the other. And they had the wind at their backs (Smith knows there's usually more of a crosswind here), so he was fine sending kicker Ryan Fitzgerald out for a 55-yarder.

He has to monitor that weekly, and said the new stadium at the Meadowlands is much more predictable than the old Giants Stadium (where legend says that a certain interior tunnel door being opened at a certain time could magically change kicking conditions).

But he's also learning that Fitzgerald doesn't really sway in the breeze very much, as the rookie kicker has developed an early reputation for consistency of personality.

Fitzgerald won last week's NFC special teams player of the week award for that 55-yarder and also his first career walk-off game-winner.

"Dealing with success is just as challenging for some as dealing with failures," Smith said. "So we have to deal with that. He found out live that the special teams player of the week does not come with a lifetime supply of Duke's Mayo, so I mean, what's he going to do about that? We've just got to keep kicking.

"He's been good. He's a back-to-work guy, real solid background of let's go ahead and see what we can do this week. We have another one, another one, another one until the schedule stops giving us games, I don't see him stopping trying to improve."