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CHARLOTTE -- Jeff Davidson never had much of a chance in his first season as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator in 2007.

Jake Delhomme was lost for the season in Week 3. Behind him came a dizzying carousel of quarterbacks, from an ineffective David Carr to 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde to undrafted rookie Matt Moore.

Davidson's plans had to be scaled back, and the Panthers stumbled to a 7-9 record with the league's 29th-ranked offense.

"We had quarterbacks going down, so he didn't fully give us the whole offense," running back DeAngelo Williams said. "We were kind of hindered a little bit."

Fast forward to this year and the playbook is full, the running game is flourishing and the passing game is potent. The playoff-bound Panthers are 11-4 and have scored at least 28 points in six straight games.

"We finally got in the groove in the offseason and he gave us the whole playbook," Williams said. "We got the concepts down, got everything down. Our offensive line started jelling together and understood what they were doing up front."

The Panthers now have the run-first approach that coach John Fox craves. Carolina has run the ball 462 times and thrown 394 passes. Williams has emerged as one of the game's top backs, rushing for an NFL-high 18 touchdowns. Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart have combined for 2,117 yards rushing.

Delhomme has returned from reconstructive elbow surgery to be consistent and led last-minute, game-winning drives at San Diego and Green Bay.

The Panthers are averaging 25.4 points per game, eighth-best in the NFL. Carolina averaged 16.7 points last year and 16.9 in 2006, an 8-8 season that got former offensive coordinator Dan Henning fired.

"The quarterback has more on his plate, so to speak, where in Dan's (offense) we really didn't," Delhomme said. "We're heavily involved in the run game checks and things like that. But that's what's great about this offense: you try to get us in the right spot and the right situation.

"Dan, that book has been written and we did some good things. I think we're a little different personality-wise. But I think Jeff is doing a great job."

A Panthers spokesman said Davidson was busy preparing for Sunday's regular-season finale against New Orleans Wednesday afternoon and unavailable for comment. But it's clear the former Broncos and Saints offensive lineman has gained the respect of his players after a rough debut last year.

"When Jeff got here two years ago, we weren't really comfortable in his offense," Williams said. "It was kind of different for us. We were trying to get a feeling for it and then Jake goes down. ... But having the ability to have Jake back in there and for us to be comfortable in this offense, guys are believing in the system now. I think it's a good thing for us, and I think it's going to take us a long way."

Williams' breakthrough season has been the biggest key to Carolina's turnaround. A backup last year to DeShaun Foster, Williams has been bursting through holes opened by a revamped offensive line, which has allowed 19 sacks.

Williams' play has forced teams to focus on the run, finally giving receiver Steve Smith room to maneuver. After being the Panthers' only consistent threat last season, Smith is seeing fewer double teams.

Earlier this month, Denver went as far as to put an extra linebacker on the field in a 4-4 alignment to stop the run. Davidson, a former assistant with New England and Cleveland, quickly realized what was happening.

He put the Panthers in a no-huddle offense and called for deep passes. Smith caught three for 66 yards on the first drive, forcing the Broncos to abandon the strategy in Carolina's 30-10 win.

Smith finished with nine catches for 165 yards and a touchdown.

Despite being suspended for the first two regular-season games, Smith ranks fourth in the NFL with 1,287 yards receiving.

"When we're two-dimensional and not one-dimensional, it gives us something to work with and keeps the defense on their heels," Williams said.

It's produced a sight unseen in these parts for some time. Instead of the defense keeping the Panthers in games, it's the offense that has been bailing out a struggling D. The Panthers have scored 30 or more points six times, and have won games by scores of 26-24, 31-22, 35-31 and 38-23.

"Jeff, he's doing some great play calling down the stretch," Williams said. "He's getting us into situations where we can be successful. I think we're being more consistent this year than we have the past two years. I think that's the big change that I see."