More focus on improving third downs

— Speaking of Burns, defensive coordinator Phil Snow said the amount of coverage the defensive end played last week in New York was largely because of the RPO-heavy offense the Giants were using, as he wanted to mix up his drops and his rushes to give them different looks.

Burns still had two sacks, and Snow said he’d been impressed with the way he has developed more of a bull rush.

“He’s two-dimensional now,” Snow said. “He’s gained 10 pounds, he’s a lot stronger, so in the past, he was more of just a speed guy, but now he can go to power too.”

— New acquisition Raheem Blackshear was in a running backs meeting with the Buffalo Bills Wednesday morning when he got the call that the Panthers wanted to sign him to the active roster. Whether he was supposed to have a phone in a meeting is another question, but he laughed and said, “I had to go to the bathroom.”

Now, he has to get his stuff here.

Blackshear said he threw “my cleats and my toothbrush” in a bag and jumped on an 8 a.m. flight to Charlotte Thursday, so he was here a few hours before he took the practice field wearing his new number 20 jersey. He did pack some things in his car and is having that shipped to Charlotte, so he’ll actually have some of his stuff.

“I had to get to work,” he said.

Blackshear grew up in Philadelphia, and initially committed to play at Temple, but switched to Rutgers when Panthers head coach Matt Rhule went to Baylor. But he went to the same high school (Archbishop Wood) as practice squad tight end Colin Thompson, and knows Moore and PJ Walker from the Philly connection.

— Moore and a lot of players were asked about the upcoming three-game homestand (the Panthers host the Cardinals and then the 49ers after Sunday’s game against the Saints), and he said it was a chance to change the tone after two losses to open the season.

“It’s time to stop losing,” Moore said. “And just go out there and stack back-to-back wins in the bank.”