Among the more important things on the Carolina Panthers to-do list as they seek to rebound from a 0-3 start is to get wide receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad more involved in the offense.
That's been difficult since quarterback Jake Delhomme, the running game and the offensive line all have struggled, too.
But the relative lack of impact from Smith and Muhammad runs contrary to what the Panthers expect from their veteran receivers, particularly Smith.
Consider the following:
Neither Smith nor Muhammad has a reception of 30 yards or more, something they accomplished in 11 and six games, respectively, last season.
Neither has a touchdown catch. The only other times Smith has been without a scoring reception through the first three games of the season were his rookie year in 2001, when he was primarily a kick returner, and 2004, when he suffered a season-ending injury in the opening game.
The "other" Steve Smith with the New York Giants leads the NFL in receptions (with 34) while Carolina's Smith is tied for 46th in the league (with 15), a ranking affected somewhat because the Panthers already have had their bye and thus have played one game less than 28 other teams.
The Panthers play Sunday at home against the 2-2 Washington Redskins, who rank 15th in the NFL in pass defense.
Smith is drawing almost constant double-teams and Delhomme's attempts to keep defenses honest with long passes to Muhammad so far hasn't resulted in a completion.
"We're not going to stop trying," said Delhomme.
Delhomme said he overthrew Muhammad twice on long passes in the season opener against Philadelphia and may have tried to place the ball too carefully on a deep pass the Cowboys intercepted in Carolina's most recent game.
Though the pass appeared to be slightly underthrown, Muhammad said he lost the ball in the bright lights of Cowboys Stadium and thus wasn't able to try to prevent the interception.
A later Delhomme-to-Muhammad pass at Dallas resulted in a touchdown that was called back because Muhammad was penalized for pass interference for pushing off a Cowboys' defender.
"I thought it was a touchy foul," Muhammad said Wednesday. "It's a discrepancy call. The refs try to use their best judgment. Obviously, the guy had the opportunity to jump when I jumped. I didn't think it was that much of a push off, but that's my opinion.
"It's one of those you can't flag and dispute. It obviously was a real pivotal part in the game. I kind of wish he had that call back, but what can you do about it?"
As for Smith, he's been one of the NFL's elite receivers for years and has been accustomed to regular double-teaming. Against the Cowboys, he sometimes faced press coverage from cornerback Terence Newman at the line of scrimmage, with safety Ken Hamlin close behind for backup coverage.
Smith has excelled at times in the past against double-teams, but it isn't easy. He said he tries not to get frustrated by all the extra attention.
"I think I really have to, quote-unquote, take it as a compliment," he said. "It's a challenge. We all say we want challenges in life and we want patience. This is my opportunity to work on patience.
"I'm actually very, very impatient. I know that's a shock to some of you guys."
Smith was joking, of course.
At times, his impassioned desire to get the ball when it doesn't come his way is extremely evident on the field and the sidelines.
"You've got to understand what he brings and his fiery attitude," Delhomme said of Smith. "If he's not that way, or when it doesn't mean that much to him anymore, then he needs to give it up."
Asked whether Smith was nearing that point, Delhomme broke out into a laugh.
"Not even close," he said.
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