SPORTS WEEKEND : AROUND THE NFC : WEST : A Rush to Judgment

The Carolina Panthers may be one of the worst teams in the league, but there’s no slipping anything past them.

“We’ve heard of him,” noted Carolina linebacker Dean Wells when asked about Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, who will be making his NFL debut for New Orleans against the Panthers.

Carolina defensive end Jason Peter played against Williams while at Nebraska, and said, “He has the power of Jamal Anderson. He can also get to the corner like Terrell Davis. And he’s got great breakaway speed.”

Everybody who plays against the Panthers, however, has breakaway speed when you take into consideration Carolina ranked 26th in stopping the run a year ago.

Williams, who carried the ball only nine times before injuring an ankle in the exhibition season, missed 23 days of practice recuperating.

“There’s a lot of pain still,” Williams said. “But it’s easy to play with pain.”

Especially when the alternative is having Coach Mike Ditka glare at you on the sideline.

How bad are the 49er cornerbacks? The Packers, more than any other team in the league, understand it takes great cornerback play to contend with division rival Randy Moss. And yet they were willing to trade Craig Newsome to the 49ers for a fifth-round pick.