I think Delhomme may have been holding the team back during the reg season as well. He hasn't been the sole reason for any of our wins yet he has been responsible for a few of our losses. When he's not a turnover machine, he's a above average QB. I hate to say because I really like the guy but he may need to go.
This loss is pathetic.
Ballgame.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
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I think its safe to say Jake DelHomme is playing his last game as the starting QB for the Panthers.
Wow. Just wow. That's 5 for Jake.
I think it is time to put in Zack Asack.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
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Look how empty the stadium is. With 10 mins left.
I'm sure a lot of fans will feel that way, but Jake will almost certainly start next season. On the other hand, I've been saying for years that they need to get another QB in behind him as a backup plan, either if he is playing terrible or if he's injured. Both cases have happened, and suitable backups haven't been available.
I would like to see the Panthers draft a good QB next year. Delhomme isn't going to play forever anyway, we need to have someone to take his place in the future. How far in the future will depend on how well he and the team puts this game behind them next season.
Has a QB had a worse playoff performance?
I've been a die-hard Panther fanatic since they came to NC in '95. I've cheered great teams and hoped against hope for miserable ones to break through. But I'm done. Jake Delhomme has killed great team after great team and we've stuck with him and made no effort to find any sort of backup. As long as that piece of garbage is wearing a Panther's uniform I'm done with the team. I hope we lose every game and never sell a ticket.
Once he's gone I'll be delighted to cheer for the team again and even if we lose every game I'll be screaming my head off for "my" team. Until then, we're just enablers and I'm through. It's not fair to the D, to our great receivers and running backs, and most of all to the fans.
To be fair, is the D playing well at all today? Is anyone playing well today? The receivers might be (Smith and Muhammad usually are) but nobody can tell because nobody can get them the ball. I think they should have put Smith in for punt returns long ago. They've done it before in the playoffs with good results.
The issue with Jake is that he is a decent QB who occasionally has a really great game, but when he has a bad game, he does it in spectacular fashion. He isn't a guy you can legitimately build a franchise around, yet we haven't even bothered getting a mediocre guy to back him up. Do we even have a second string QB?
I also blame Fox for some of this. Why did we give up running so early? We completely abandoned the running game while it was still 1st half, and still manageable. Not happy with any of this. And while mentioning other parts of the team not playing well...O-line. And if the O-Line doesn't get it done, everyone looks worse, and they already looked bad to begin with...
The D has definitely been mediocre, but given the time they have spent on the field and the field position they've had, I find it pretty hard to fault them. This isn't the soul-wrenching Asack game, but it has a similar feel. That first fumble killed a lot of momentum and watching your QB throw it away over and over (and over and over and over and counting) just kills a defense.
And I can't even begin to imagine what is going through Steve Smith's head. It's like having the best center in the NCAA but a PG who just can't get him the ball. Ever. If Jake was having a bad game that would be one thing. But this has been him MO for YEARS. He's a gambler who kills you half the time and is only a bit above average even when his big gambles pay off. The fact that he's still here makes me seriously question the Panthers as an organization and, although I love most things about the guy, have serious doubts about Foxy as well.
So, what big moves would people like to see the Panthers make this off season? Specific players to sign/trade for/draft, positions that need work in general, etc.
I hesitate to quit on Jake because I honestly like the guy, but we need to at least look at other QB options. The Panthers have a great pair of running backs and a great set of receivers, and a mediocre QB to match. If we had one of the top 16 QBs in the league think how good that offense would be.
You can probably guess where I'd start But I don't think we need a great QB, just one who won't hurt us. The term "game manager" is a cliche and often used for mediocre guys, but I think that's all we really need. Hand off to the RB's, pass the ball to Moose and Smith (and how many teams have better receivers than that?) and don't make risky or wild throws. We don't need Tom Brady and we REALLY don't need a Brett Favre-like "gunslinger", just a solid and safe QB.
Otherwise, I'm a bit baffled by the inconsistency of our lines, especially our O-line and I think we could stand to upgrade a bit there. The fact that we're so good some weeks and not on others might to point to coaching issues as well.
C'mon. Jake was putrid tonight, no getting around it. Go ahead and hang the loss solely on him if you like (I won't argue with you on that). But keep in mind that this "piece of garbage" was 5-2 in the playoffs prior to today, took you to an NFC championship game and a Super Bowl, and led the team to a 12-4 record this year. Without him in the lineup, we would have been dead last in the league. Look back one season if you don't believe me.
I agree the Panthers need a backup because Jake isn't getting any younger. I'd rather they pick up a backup from another team (a la Matt Cassell) than draft a QB, because it's rare to find a Matt Ryan.
When Jake is on, he's really good. But when he gets rattled early (like tonight) he never recovers and it just snowballs. Same thing happened against Minnesota earlier this year with the 2q fumble.
"There can BE only one."
You're aware that Smitty was in the top 5 in the league in receptions this year (after spotting everyone two games), and had 100+ in 5 of our last 6 games. He made the freakin' pro bowl for crying out loud. It's not like he's been throwing the ball to himself. Jake certainly didn't have a problem getting him the ball against Green Bay. Or Tampa Bay. Or New Orleans.
I agree, our defense, especially our secondary, hasn't been playing well in weeks. This is the third team in a row to put up 30+ on us. They gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter 2 weeks ago and almost cost us the division. Larry Fitzgerald had over 150 yards receiving before halftime, and that was on like 5 catches. Lately, the Offense has been bailing them out. Tonight, they played just as bad.
Do you honestly think Carolina would have won tonight with a Joe Flacco type game manager as QB?
"There can BE only one."
I have to disagree with you there. Certainly if you take Jake out and replace him with a worse QB the team would do worse. But there are clearly better QB's out there. They basically gave up last season because they didn't want to acquire a good QB to replace him, so they just grabbed Vinnie T. and waited for Jake to come back. The thing is, Jake is no Tom Brady, Payton Manning, Eli Manning, Matt Cassel, Matt Ryan, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Philip Rivers...I could go on. The point is, the team can probably do better. Like I said, I like Jake, and I'm not ready to give away his starting job, but this was a bad time to have such a spectacularly bad game. I'm not sure if he, the team, or the fanbase will be able to completely get over that performance.
Jake obviously has the skills to get the ball to his receivers, but he has some pretty good recievers to make his job a little easier. I think there are QBs that could do better than Jake at getting the ball out there. I do not believe that Jake is in the top half of starting QBs in the NFL right now. Does anyone disagree? If we had a better QB, would that somehow hurt the team? I think its an option worth at least considering.