"Jonathan Stewart makes only one mistake. After the game, he stands in the locker of practice squad player Billy Latsko. Nobody stands in the locker of Billy Latsko.

On the field, Stewart is impeccable. After running one time for one yard in the first half, he runs 13 times for 76 in the second. He scores two touchdowns. He has no room on the second touchdown, a one-yard run that pushes Carolina to its first lead. If he hits the hole fast, he also will hit Chicago middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.

So Stewart waits, which is so difficult so close to the goal line, especially for a rookie. And then there is room and then, with fewer than four minutes remaining, there's the touchdown. The Panthers win 20-17.

Stewart, whom Carolina selected with its first pick in the 2008 draft, officially is Charlotte's newest star - if an athlete as humble as he is qualifies.

"He's a quiet guy, extremely soft-spoken," says last season's rookie sensation, middle linebacker Jon Beason, who is not extremely soft-spoken. "But he goes out and plays like a beast."

I ask DeAngelo Williams, who carries the ball 10 times in the first half and one in the second, to contrast his style with Stewart's.

"Well, I'm 215 and he's 240," says Williams. "Let's just say that. He's about 25 pounds heavier than I am."

Williams might be 25 times more quotable.

Of his first NFL touchdown, a 4-yard run, Stewart says: "Of course it felt good to get in the end zone." Then he praises the offensive line.

Of Stewart's first touchdown, Williams says: "It's huge, it's huge, I don't think he knows how huge it is. I didn't when I did it until now. I told him he finally got his feet wet. I was excited for him and he was excited for me, too."

Stewart three times praises the offensive line.

Williams praises the offensive line, the defense, the crowd at Bank of America Stadium and still has time to make fun of a television guy wearing an East Carolina cap, calling him bandwagon, as well as the retro suit and fedora worn by Carolina cornerback Ken Lucas.

Against San Diego last week, Williams rushed for 86 yards on 18 carries, Stewart 53 on 10.

This week, Williams is limited to 31 on 11 carries. In the first half, Chicago allows Carolina nothing. Williams looks as if he is on I-485 at 5:15 p.m. on a Monday afternoon. The Panthers finish the half with 47 total yards and one field goal.

In the second half, they gain 169 total yards and score 17 points.

"There were some big holes in there in the second half," says Williams.

He adds: "We made some corrections at halftime."

What did you do?

"See, I can't tell you," he says.

You wore the Bears down.

"Just kept leaning on those guys," Williams says.

Despite Stewart's performance and potential, the Panthers can't feature him at the expense of Williams. The difference in their style is more than 25 pounds.

Williams, 5-9, is quicke