Local writers tip toeing around Jake...

[CRA]

Keeping Jake around another year to see if he can 'correct his self?'

I think he has already tried that.

Jake was average to slight above average at his best.

Then Tommy John......

2008 - he showed he was getting worse

2009 - he continued getting worse to the point he shouldn't be able to touch a ball.

2010 - regardless of his cost, there is no reason to even have him as a backup. Not if winning is the real goal.

[X-Clown]

That has nothing to do with it, and neither does Delhomme's situation. You cannot be a starting RB in the NFL without being able to pass block. Some of you really need to start listening to these ex-coaches when they're calling NFL games. If you would do that, you would find that they will praise a RB more for his pass protection skills than they will for a good run. This is not something I just made up people, this is NFL football 101.

Newsflash: Not all starting running backs in the NFL are great at pass blocking....so if that's one of the most important qualities you would figure Deshaun Foster would be able to get a job with another team, right? He signed with SF as a backup last year and is out of the league this year just two years removed of being the starter for a run first team. I guess that because the rest of the league is not as smart as John Fox though when it comes to talent evaluation

[panthers55]

Would cutting him save us any money, yes or no.

None at all if I read this article right.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Delhomme-contract-has-Panthers-on-the-hook.html

What is your take?

[Zod]

Looks to me like they would save 20% by cutting him.

[Davidson Deac II]

Looks to me like they would save 20% by cutting him.

minus what they would have to pay another 3rd string qb. Admittedly, its probably not that much. How much does Feely make if we keep him?

[panthers55]

JR is on the hook to pay him the guaranteed amount. If no CBA is reached before March 1st, then an uncapped year is in place so it wouldn't hurt the team to cut him (will not happen especially if Fox is still here).

He still has guarateed payments in 2011 and 2012 if we cut him. From what I read the best plan is give him the signing bonus of 10.4 this spring, give him the salary of 2.3 million for 2010 which is guaranteed already. Then none of his salary for 2011 and 2012 is guaranteed when there is a salary cap again and we can let him go without consequence.

[Pantherxtreme]

I have never confused Jake with being great to be he's always been average.

2003 - all we needed was a average QB who could pass downfield (Peete could'nt do it) and keep defenses honest and let Stephen Davis and our defense do the rest. ( To his credit Jake was great in the post season.)

2004 - Injuries killed us early in the season especially Smith's and we were riding off of the Superbowl high, "Jake played OK" and then Moose saw his contract at the end of the tunnel and played out of his mind.

2005 - Moose's big year was a blessing, it tricked the rest of the league into thinking we had just lost our best reciever in the off season, Smith would catch the entire league off guard, I think this was Delhomme's best season mainly because he had form such a repor with Smith however that repor would eventually be his downfall.

After the 06' season we should have been looking for a upgrade at QB not a backup to Delhomme but a upgrade, no doubt forward-thinking teams like Philly, NE, or Pittsburgh would have.

the 09' season is just a culmination of a front office that truthfully lacks forward thinking.

[CRA]

Hmm...Tom Brady must suck because he throws the ball to Wes Welker all the time then. There is a damn good reason why Delhomme was throwing to Smitty so much. I guess you wanted Delhomme to throw it to Drew Carter more though right?

um, Brady has won Superbowls with nothing at WR. Has Brady ever been accused of Jake Delhomme tunnel vision? Nope. Not sure what Brady has to do w/ Jake's biggest flaw of forcing balls to unopen WRs.

[skarbar001]

Sad, when these biased fluff pieces don't even fool the novice NFL fan. Want to sell tickets in 2010? Get rid of Jake.

[monstercat]

Newsflash: Not all starting running backs in the NFL are great at pass blocking....so if that's one of the most important qualities you would figure Deshaun Foster would be able to get a job with another team, right? He signed with SF as a backup last year and is out of the league this year just two years removed of being the starter for a run first team. I guess that because the rest of the league is not as smart as John Fox though when it comes to talent evaluation

Show me a starting NFL RB that can't pass protect, and I'll show you a QB that gets the poo beat out of him on a regular basis. It's OK as long as he makes a good run every once in a while though, right?

As for Deshaun Foster, his problem was fumbles and multiple injuries that started having a big effect after a while. That has nothing to do with the fact that DeAngelo Williams wasn't taking the NFL as seriously as he needed to early on. I guarantee you that Fox would have loved to have started Williams, but he didn't know the whole play book and he kept missing pass protection asignments...that's a damned fact, not an opinion. Ask Tyrell Sutton if Fox is just stubborn about giving rookie RB's a chance if they deserve it.

[Huffgolf30]

moore is definitely a better athlete than delhomme. i could tell that the first time he took off running in the pocket. as long as he keep protecting the ball and is accurate on the long ball, then he is perfect for us. don't need joe montana when we have stewart, williams, and smith.

[panthers55]

Looks to me like they would save 20% by cutting him.

How so?

What happens, you ask, if the Panthers simply release Delhomme prior to March, never reaching the time frame to exercise the option, pay the non-exercise fee or supersede the contract? Good question. The short answer is that they’re not off the hook.

The contract provides for guaranteed salaries in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The guaranteed salary ensures payment to Delhomme even if he’s terminated (his contract, not him).

The guarantees are for skill (not being good enough), injury (having an injury carrying into the next year) or cap (having too high a cap number). The amounts of the guarantees are:

2010: $4.16M

2011: $5.12M

2102: $3.4M

Predictably, the total guaranteed future salary amount of approximately $12.7M is the exact same amount as the first option. Upon exercise of that option, the future guaranteed salaries become null and void, replaced by far lower salaries that are not guaranteed

What I read suggest if we supersede the agreement with a signing bonus of 10.4 which then negates the options and then pay him the 2.53 million guarateed in 2010 for a total of 12.94. You get him for 2010 for $220,000 over what you get if he is released. Even the rookie minimum is above that.

You numbers appear to be off.

[CRA]

Show me a starting NFL RB that can't pass protect, and I'll show you a QB that gets the poo beat out of him on a regular basis. It's OK as long as he makes a good run every once in a while though, right?

As for Deshaun Foster, his problem was fumbles and multiple injuries that started having a big effect after a while. That has nothing to do with the fact that DeAngelo Williams wasn't taking the NFL as seriously as he needed to early on. I guarantee you that Fox would have loved to have started Williams, but he didn't know the whole play book and he kept missing pass protection asignments...that's a damned fact, not an opinion. Ask Tyrell Sutton if Fox is just stubborn about giving rookie RB's a chance if they deserve it.

since when does a great RB saying he needs to work on something mean he is horrific at something? Sorry but you don't go from "not being good enough" to the arguable the best RB overnight.......Williams was not as bad as you want him to of been.

[beastson]

Jake riders