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A year ago, Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme suffered an elbow injury three games into the season, and the Panthers struggled through a long season with Vinny Testaverde, David Carr and Matt Moore all getting significant playing time under center.
This year Testaverde and Carr are both gone, and the Panthers might be even worse off if Delhomme can’t go. Fortunately for Panthers coach John Fox, he expects Delhomme to be just fine.
“I can tell everybody here that Jake looks outstanding,” Fox said Wednesday of watching Delhomme throw. “He looks fit. He’s bigger, stronger. His arm looks fantastic, maybe stronger than ever.”
Panthers fans had better hope Fox’s optimism is warranted. The team’s decision not to draft a quarterback or sign a veteran free agent means that Moore and Brett Basanez are behind Delhomme on the depth chart.
May 15th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I expected there to be “(not that there’s anything wrong with that)” next to the headline. Call me disappointed.
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Rating: 4.25 / 5 with 9 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I spoke to Fox at the Medical Center. I asked him about the season he said he was just “happy to have his quarterback back”
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Are the Panthers going to be a “trendy” SB pick once again this year, only to totally disappoint?
I say yes.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
What was John’s BAC when making these comments?
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Well I’m glad that at least he’ll look good while he sucks at being a QB.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Delhomme is a great qb and carolina should support and keep him. There is no need to get another quarterback and create a quarterback controversy when they have already have the best one.
I should mention that I am huge bucs fan and also supported Aaron Brooks, Michael Vick, Chris Redman, etc.
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Rating: 2.5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Here’s hoping he and the Panthers suck this year, it’ll give the Eagles a higher 1st round draft pick next year!!!!!
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May 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I really liked Basanez, and I hope he isn’t stuck as a backup for his career.
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May 15th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Delhomme is the epitome of mediocre
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May 15th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
This is a surgery that is very common among MLB pitchers and their arms go through a lot more wear and tear than an NFL QB’s. However, this is uncharted territory for an NFL QB. I’m hopeful that the arm holds up, and I think it will for throwing purposes, but I won’t rest easy until he gets hit a few times. The Panthers looked bad with Testeverde and Carr at QB, but improved when Matt Moore took over. I’m comfortable with Moore as the backup. I’m not sure if he’s the QB of the future that many Panther fans are claiming, but there wasn’t an urgent need for a QB - especially in a weak QB draft.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
May 15th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I think Jake will be fine. People forget he was having a great season before he was hurt last year. Also I’m okay with Matt Moore as backup. When he got the chance last year Moore played well in the last three games of the year. Considering he was not in training camp with the team he looked better than JamArcus Russell looked for the Raiders last year.
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May 15th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Jake had several good years in a row prior to his injury despite having for the most part only one decent receiver to throw to (Steve Smith) and a mediocre running game. If healthy you can bank your franchise on him for several years (he’s mid-career for a QB) and focus on improving the rest of your team (which includes backup QB in general since injuries are a part of the NFL).
The only question is whether Jake is healthy, we’ll have to wait and see on that. I’m hoping he is healthy, I just drafted him early in the inaugural season of a Strat-O-Matic football keeper draft league (www.somiba.com/ssfa.html) so my team is in trouble if he doesn’t come back well from his injury.
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May 15th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I don’t think Moore is the answer yet, but he’s damn sure a better back up than Carr or Weinke ever were.
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May 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
No need to worry about the QB. If Jake can’t go, Matt will get valuable snaps.
The worry should be with the D-line. Big holes there.
No need for “trendy” SB pick, just making the playoffs would be an accomplishment. But it will be nice to have Jake back, hopefully to his Pro Bowl caliper play.
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May 15th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
jake is young for a fulltime starter. he also has some moxie. if healthy he is ok.
i remember his first start way back in the 90s. late season friday night game, the horrible saints host an iffy dallas team tryin to go to the playoffs. saints went 3-13 that year.
saints were a huge dog. i was the only guy in the pool to pick them to even cover.
noo awlins wins 30-28 on a late td pass from jake to kevin poole… who beat… neon deion sanders!
truly a beautiful moment in sports.
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May 15th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Carr another #1 overall bust.
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May 15th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Yeah the guy only had tommy john surgery.
Its a surgery that pitchers are often known to get, and often come back from.
But in football only a few QBs have undergone this surgery.
Each case of a QB who had this surgery did not return to NFL shape after having Tommy John.
In other words, Delhomme better get to filling out those retirement papers.
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May 15th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Look, some internet hack was crying “hot seat” for John Fox for a freaking year before Jerry Richardson finally announced that no one was going anywhere. Now I see a new pattern emerging, this insistence that they should have drafted a QB. Well, they have two young developing QBs already, what difference would it have made to draft yet another, other than there’s a chance he would earn a roster spot? Carolina already has that dynamic in place, and Matt Moore looked pretty dad-burned good last year. So did Jake, who was on fire for three weeks. So, don’t fret over the QB position in Carolina, it looks good.
The defensive tackle situation, however, gives me the heeby-jeebies. Ditto left end and safety. And kicker. And defensive coordinator.
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May 16th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I totally agree with BigMikey though I am not as concerned with the defensive tackle position as I am with the left end. Safety is not a big priority in the defensive scheme they run but Chris Harris was well worth the 5th round they gave up for him. I also agree a change at defensive co-ordinator is needed at some time, Tergovac just doesn’t seem to motive them enough.
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