Post Mortem on Delhomme (this game, and maybe his career)

[Mr. Scot]

Wrong... usually its a team loss.. that was all Jake on that one. All Jake. 5 interceptions? Come on. People were open, he just threw to wrong person. Not O-cord fault. Not Defense fault. They played well enough considering the position they were in and how long they were on the field. Jake's fault. Period end of. No need to argue about it.

Nope. Still a team loss, for a lot of reasons (detailed elsewhere).

Delhomme played a big part, but he didn't lose the game alone.

(Trgovac helped a lot, as did others)

[chbright]

only guys that get a gj, moose, jones, and harris, kemo to a degree. the others all sucked out loud. and the o gameplan was the worst in ages. no one outside these guys played worth a damn.

[Fox007]

Through the years jake has, won us some games and lost us some games, but never did i think that he irreplaceable and as boring as rodney pete was, if he had the running game that we had this year we would have put up much better numbers than jake has...i say all that to say, what harm could come from starting Matt Moore any NFL QB can hand the ball off and throw a hail mary to steve smith off his back foot without looking.

LOL!

No, come on man, we HAVE to have Jake do that.

It won't be the same w/e him.

I mean really who else can under throw, then turn around and overthrow people so drastically in back to back passes?

Hell they can pay me only 300k to go out there and under throw Smith.

[outlaw4]

Honestly, I feel sick to my stomach. Not only of the loss but of who not only not step up to the plate but basically prepped the plate, put on the apron and gave the other team dinner.

To think that this is how a person's career could potentially end like this, I don't even want to think about it. Yet, here I am, faced with the grim possibility that I've seen the last time with Jake under center. The fact that I saw it in person (at Oakland) and then again today on TV...

Now, having said that, although many would love to move on in a different direction at QB, there are a number of obstacles in the way that I see:

1. Salary - Simply put, anyone wanting a high priced free agent might as well stop right now. Foxy just doesn't go in that direction. That, and if we want to keep Pep and Gross, there may not be enough room. Not sure how the potential of an uncapped year will affect this.

2. Leadership - Quite an act to follow. I'm not sure if Moore or McCown can fill in that void. I certainly don't see a rookie meeting these expectations. Carr failed with us for that reason.

3. Performance - If were looking for greater play from the QB position, this could be trouble. Unless we strike gold during the draft (sans a #1 pick to boot), then I'm not sure how much of an improvement we'll see from the QB position. If we're asking for "game managers", then that's a problem as the whole point of ditching Jake is to get a "game changer" instead but we can't do that without the $$.

To be honest, if there is one person I would love to see become our next QB for 5+ years, it would be Matt Moore simply because there's something good about cheering for undrafted QB's. :redface:

[Mr. Scot]

Honestly, I feel sick to my stomach. Not only of the loss but of who not only not step up to the plate but basically prepped the plate, put on the apron and gave the other team dinner.

To think that this is how a person's career could potentially end like this, I don't even want to think about it. Yet, here I am, faced with the grim possibility that I've seen the last time with Jake under center. The fact that I saw it in person (at Oakland) and then again today on TV...

Now, having said that, although many would love to move on in a different direction at QB, there are a number of obstacles in the way that I see:

1. Salary - Simply put, anyone wanting a high priced free agent might as well stop right now. Foxy just doesn't go in that direction. That, and if we want to keep Pep and Gross, there may not be enough room. Not sure how the potential of an uncapped year will affect this.

2. Leadership - Quite an act to follow. I'm not sure if Moore or McCown can fill in that void. I certainly don't see a rookie meeting these expectations. Carr failed with us for that reason.

3. Performance - If were looking for greater play from the QB position, this could be trouble. Unless we strike gold during the draft (sans a #1 pick to boot), then I'm not sure how much of an improvement we'll see from the QB position. If we're asking for "game managers", then that's a problem as the whole point of ditching Jake is to get a "game changer" instead but we can't do that without the $$.

To be honest, if there is one person I would love to see become our next QB for 5+ years, it would be Matt Moore simply because there's something good about cheering for undrafted QB's. :redface:

Good points, though I admit I favor McCown over Moore (at least for one or two years, anyway).

[outlaw4]

Good points, though I admit I favor McCown over Moore (at least for one or two years, anyway).

I suppose it's the more logical route given he's the vet but I really don't see the point of letting Moore languish on the bench much longer without knowing if he has the tangibles to be an effective NFL QB.

A side note, Reed is convinced Jake's the starter next season.

Don't expect Saturday night's miserable performance to cost Jake Delhomme his starting job next season with the Carolina Panthers.

Coach John Fox said despite Delhomme's six turnovers in Carolina's 33-13 NFC Divisional Playoff loss to Arizona, he still views him as the team's starting quarterback heading into the 2009 season.

Fox said “I can promise you” Delhomme's performance wouldn't change his commitment to Delhomme in the future.

I think the reason for this is...

Delhomme has one year left on his contract and obviously he'll be back.

Easy call for Foxy. Don't re-sign him, give him one last chance, then he doesn't have to "cut" him.

[StepandFetch]

It is amazing. The one man that takes the team from 7-9 to 12-4 is the very same man that implodes in the playoffs... what a fuging crux..

[Mesmer]

It is amazing. The one man that takes the team from 7-9 to 12-4 is the very same man that implodes in the playoffs... what a f*cking crux..

He pulled a Marty Shottenheimer

[frash.exe]

I gotta ask is anyone else thinking that Jake is as good as QBing is going to get in this era considering the attention (or lack thereof) the FO has given it historically? I mean we did strike gold with this guy considering the tier of QBs we were picking from, but it pains me to think it won't get any better either.

I just can't help but think that at the end of Jake the focus is going to be finding the next "Jake" in a pile of journeymen and/or career backups, which finding a starter that can be a leader for you is like finding a needle in a haystack.

[Mr. Scot]

I suppose it's the more logical route given he's the vet but I really don't see the point of letting Moore languish on the bench much longer without knowing if he has the tangibles to be an effective NFL QB.

A side note, Reed is convinced Jake's the starter next season.

I think the reason for this is...

Easy call for Foxy. Don't re-sign him, give him one last chance, then he doesn't have to "cut" him.

That, plus the fact that his teammates are rallying behind him, probably does seal it, tough it wouldn't preclude his being benched.

I gotta ask is anyone else thinking that Jake is as good as QBing is going to get in this era considering the attention (or lack thereof) the FO has given it historically? I mean we did strike gold with this guy considering the tier of QBs we were picking from, but it pains me to think it won't get any better either.

I just can't help but think that at the end of Jake the focus is going to be finding the next "Jake" in a pile of journeymen and/or career backups, which finding a starter that can be a leader for you is like finding a needle in a haystack.

It's a very valid point.

(especially given that pro scouting is currently the weakest area in our front office)

[Mesmer]

Finding a QB that works for your team has got to be the hardest thing about building a successful NFL team. Over time, QB's have become more and more specialized to different types of offenses and styles. It's borderline impossible to find someone for your team who not only has all the skills to be a good starting QB, but also fits well with your offense.

For example, I've always thought really highly of Donovan McNabb. I don't know why. I just think he's a very good QB, despite all the criticism he's taken over the years. What if he were to somehow end up in Carolina next season? It'd most likely turn out disastrous. We run an entirely different offense than the one he can thrive in in Philly.

Look at the upcoming free agents list. How many of those QB's actually have a chance of starting somewhere..anywhere and being remotely successful? Not many. How many could come here, at a reasonable price, and run this offense? I don't see any.

We really did hit the gold mine with Jake Delhomme despite what people will be saying for the next few months.. (Perhaps for years to come depending on what happens next..). He's really done a lot for this team since he signed with us, and his end-game heroics got a lot of people hoping he could be to the Carolinas what Brett Favre was to Green Bay.

The sad but real truth is that Jake Delhomme is a pretty average QB overall. He does certain things better than most other QB's, but he's barely average in other departments. For the majority of his time here he has been pure clutch. I know we all get on his case when he throws the game away on an interception while he's trying to drive down and get the game winning score.. but how many times has he succeeded? A good plenty more times than he's failed. That's for sure.

He's not the most accurate. He doesn't have the biggest arm. He's definitely not the most patient, and his ability to feel the pressure coming is average at best. He's survived here and kept the job based on his ability to lead this team. If there's one thing that Jake is way above average at, it's being a great leader.

Is Delhomme done here? We probably won't know for a good while. But, whatever happens, he's the best quarterback we've ever had in my little stupid opinion.

Kerry Collins had all the potential in the world, but had the maturity of a 12 year old until his beard was just about 100% gray.

Steve Beurlein was nearly pin-point accurate with his passes, and managed to run a pretty good offense that had little to no running game or even pass blocking.

But Delhomme, regardless of the talent he's had around him, has lead us to the most success we've ever had as a franchise. Whatever happens, I'll always remember him for that. Since this team started we've all been dreaming of a Lombardi Trophy in Carolina. It wasn't til Jake Delhomme came to Carolina that those dreams almost became reality.

[Hairless Cat]

Face facts. I said it on the old board and got called a hater, when in fact I was faceing facts. Delhomme always has 3 or 4 horrible games every year. And the team crumbles around him. We were lucky in 2003 that he didnt have one in the playoffs.

Our luck ran out this year.

We will never be a serious competitor for the SB until we get a franchise qb.

[Sam Mills Fan]

To the guy that said that salary is a reason that Jake will stay, it's also a reason why he COULD go. If they cut Jake, they'll save $6.3 million towards the cap according to Schefter.

[raleigh-panther]

Well, I've loved Jake Delhomme his whole time here.

We know good Jake, we know bad Jake.

We also know the Panthers failed on all cylinders, in front of a National TV audience, in front of an owner who may not get a second chance, and in front of fans who have wanted desperately to believe in a team and can never quite do it.

We also know the defense couldn't cover their grandmothers, and that's a whole other thread.

We also know, that the Panthers have passed on the chance for blue chip QBs over and over and over again under John Fox and now, the time is here to pay.

We can say, well, they had a good season, fine. What about a great season?

We can say its just one game? ...but is it? ...is it really? This is not the first time under JOhn Fox that this team has had a catastrophic melt-down at the wrong time.

It won't be the last either. Next year, the schedule is more difficult, can anyone say 8-8 at best or 6-10 or worse coming up. That's John's trend. When the schedule is softer, 10+. When the schedule is easier, 10 minus wins.

2003 season and 2004 Superbowl were 5 years ago. Jake is not the same Jake as in that game, not even close.

We have seen Atlanta with their rookie QB and we see the Ravens with theirs.

The future for both those QBs and teams is very bright.

What is our future at QB like? Ask yourself that one question, for the most important position on the football field.

What is the Carolina Panthers' future at the QB position? Luke, ahhh no. Matt Moore, I don't see it. Like the kid, but, don't see it.

Again, I love Jake Delhomme. I believe him to be a nice guy. Nice guys finish last and this is not about being a 'nice guy'. Its about being a top flight QB in the NFL.

There are rookie QBs who understand:

1) don't throw into double-coverage, throw it away or take the sack

2) you have 3 seconds to throw the ball, throw it.

3) you have to protect the ball, period.

4) you do not throw into double-coverage, triple coverage, you find the man who ISN"T COVERED

Jake, has never understood these things, at least that's what his performance indicates.

Can't teach old dogs new tricks.

Oh, and let us not forget, that Fox traded away substantial draft picks in 2009 for Jeff Otah. We need not worry about getting a blue chip QB....not gonna happen.

Did Fox/Davidson fail him, yes. For years under John Fox, there is NO short passing game and that sure would have helped with a rhythm too.

It is, what it is.