National Football League

Panthers DE Addison emerges in Greg Hardy's absence

Published Sep. 14, 2014 11:13 p.m. ET

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Ross Jones

Ninety minutes prior to the Carolina Panthers’ home debut against the Detroit Lions, news of defensive end Greg Hardy’s deactivation began to swirl inside the locker room.

Amidst a wave of public pressure to sit Hardy, the Panthers held firm on their on their decision to allow him to play up until this point.

Hardy, who was convicted on two counts of domestic violence on his then-girlfriend over the summer, played in the season opener a week ago. But because of this past week’s transgressions around the league, the pressure boiled over.

“We found out Greg was down right before we went out. It was really out of the blue,” Panthers’ fourth-year defensive end Mario Addison told FOXSports.com in a telephone interview Sunday night, as he sat outside a Charlotte steakhouse. “It was shocking because Greg Hardy put in great work this week. He was prepared to play. We were all prepared to play.

“When we found out he wasn’t playing, it was a big shock.”

Addison, though, is aware of how rare opportunities are on Sundays. He knew it was time to go to work. And he did, racking up 2 1/2 sacks in the Panthers’ 24-7 win against the Lions.

Carolina’s defense had three takeaways, four sacks and didn’t allow a first-half score. It was Addison, though, applying the pressure, with four hits on Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. When it mattered most, in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end came up with a sack on each of the Lions’ final two drives.

“I know on one of the sacks, the [offensive] tackle was tired,” Addison said. “I saw him catching his breath. I was a little winded, too. But I wasn’t tired. I knew it was time to man up. I knew if I turned up on him, he wouldn’t be able to touch me so I speed-rushed him.”

Just like that, another Stafford stumble. Six days after torching the Giants’ secondary for nearly 350 yards, Stafford was off the mark.

Said Addison: “He’s big on flushing out the pocket. He has a strong arm. He likes to keep the play going no matter what. When he has a lot of pressure on him, though, he’ll throw the ball up.”

Second-year cornerback Melvin White came down with an interception in the fourth quarter. Seventh-year cornerback Antoine Cason was a game changer in the secondary, making 10 tackles and forcing a fumble. For the second straight week, the Panthers finished plus-3 in the turnover battle.

The defense may have paved the way, but the Panthers benefitted from playing complementary football.

Quarterback Cam Newton, who fractured his ribs during the preseason, threw for 281 yards and a score while running for 19 yards on four carries in his season debut. Sitting atop the NFC South, the Panthers improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2008.

All of that success came without the team’s leading sack leader from 2013.

"At the end of the day, I had to make the decision that was best for the Carolina Panthers," Rivera said after the game, via the team’s website. "The decision I made today was based on all the information I tried to get, with the people that I talked with. We have a young man going through a very difficult time as well. Let's not forget that. There are a lot of people involved, and a lot of people are going through a difficult time as well. Let's not forget that, either. It's a very serious issue, and we're trying to treat it with as much dignity as possible. We'll let the process take care of itself as we go forward.

"As a football team, I thought we played a heck of a football game, and I'm very proud of our football team for dealing with the distraction that we had to deal with."

While Hardy still earned his weekly game check of $770,000, his status for the future remains uncertain. It’s not something that will derail the Panthers, though, who are planning to steamroll the Steelers next Sunday night.

“I know it won’t pull us apart,” Addison said. “It could be a distraction, but we won’t let it. Us being real mentally strong, we’ll push it to the side and we will play on his behalf.

“We need Greg Hardy, but we can play just as great without him. It’s not a one-man show. It’s a group.”

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