Delhomme Looks To Rebound
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back For Delhomme?
After a miserable game in Philadelphia, Jake Delhomme looks to get back on track against the New England Patriots on Friday.
The Carolina Panthers 1-1 start in the preseason has the team in a familiar place: a .500 winning percentage. The Panthers followed up a solid opening 24-21 win over the New York Giants with a demoralizing 27-10 loss in Philadelphia, again displaying the inconsistencies that marked an 8-8 campaign in 2006. Of course, these are preseason games, and are often meaningless gauges of a teams' potential. But for a team like the Panthers looking for any type of momentum to open the regular season, their performance has against the Eagles has Panthers' faithful worried.
Should they be worried? Yes. Two troublesome areas that plagued the 2006 season, quarterback and offensive line play, arose against the Eagles. Quarterback Jake Delhomme was inaccurate (9 of 18 passes) and the line surrendered three sacks. Delhomme also lost a fumble and threw an interception. It was the type of performance that left the Carolina brain trust worried, yet still able to pat themselves on the back for acquiring David Carr from Houston. Delhomme was candid, and somewhat defiant, about his performance.
"There's going to be interceptions, get ready for it," Delhomme said after the game. "Write that down. That's inevitable. That happens. I worry about myself and what I can and can't control on the football field."
That's probably not what Carolina backers want to hear from their starting quarterback--an admission that there will be interceptions. But while some have questioned Delhomme's ability, no one has ever faulted his brutal honesty. It’s true; turnovers and an inability to escape sacks have haunted Delhomme, and Carr’s ability to scramble and adjust in the pocket were the reasons he was added to the roster. But Delhomme is the quarterback. He knows Carr is in Charlotte more as an insurance policy to a Delhomme injury than as a threat or competition for the job.
Delhomme will look for a boost in confidence on Friday when the Panthers host the New England Patriots, the team that defeated Carolina 32-29 in Super Bowl 38. In that game, Delhomme passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns, a performance that remains the pinnacle of his career. Delhomme showed in that game the fearlessness and attitude he has yet to recapture. While a performance like that seems far removed in quality from last Friday’s, Delhomme is simply looking for consistent numbers that will erase the memory of the Philadelphia game. With their regualr season opener closing in, the Panthers need their quarterback in his Super Bowl form.
