NBCSPORTS: Don’t rush to judgment on QB play just yet

[Happy Panther]

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32829753/ns/sports-nfl/

And then he rushes to judgment on jake!

As bad as Delhomme and the Bears Jay Cutler looked at times on Sunday and as good as Brees and Dallas’ Tony Romo were, all of them just a tweak or two from flipping their fortunes.

Panthers must want to puke

Carolina has to feel like wretching after watching quarterback Delhomme’s total meltdown in their season-opening 38-10 hammering at the hands of the Eagles.

After four interceptions in 17 attempts (and a special bonus, strip-sack touchdown), the Panthers benched the 34-year-old Delhomme midway through the third quarter.

Benched him. A little more than four months ago, they gave him a five-year, $42 million extension with $20 million of it guaranteed.

And they gave him that deal while the wounds from his five-interception, one-fumble playoff meltdown against the Cardinals were still fresh.

For anyone keeping score — and no doubt Panthers fans are — Delhomme’s gone 24 for 51 with nine interceptions and two fumbles in his past two games. In that time, the Panthers have been outscored 71-23 with him at the controls

And now the Panthers are out of options. You can’t give a guy $20 million in April and then start looking for the escape hatch 130 days later. You can’t sit him and let a combination of Josh McCown and Matt Moore run the team. You play him.

And the Panthers — a 12-4 team last season — have no choice but to cover their eyes and try not to throw up. And the odds of that don't look good.

Ouch!