I am usually a Jake hater, too, but I gotta givecredit where it’s due. We have to be objective. What I like about Jake’s leadership is he doesn’t fold in tough times. A great 4th quarter comeback by a QB usually happens after three bad quarters by the same guy. Jake has done that. But Jake understands clutch games and he has a way of tightening his game up a little here and there as the pressure mounts. As much as he has frustrated me, he should have been allowed to throw on 1st down against the Giants. If the birds get ahead early, he may have to throw more. We’ll see. I just think that Jake’s mental toughness and work ethic are what separate him from most other QBs, not his talent, skill or his arm. Those things are above average, but mental toughness can tenacity can turn above average into a win. And when only one team had a better record than us this year, we have to cut him a little slack.

You’re right. When you get past the stats, and look at the player, there are things that are hard to ignore. One thing about him is that he doesn’t just tank in the 4th quarter or tough games because he’s had it bad the first couple quarters. It sounds simple, but there are many QBs who do give up and get discouraged. I think Jason Campbell is a good example. The first half of the season, he played lights out football, and after a couple tough games, he seemed like he really didn’t even like football anymore. We can look for a better QB than Jake, but the only way to get one, in my opinion, is to draft one in this year’s 1st round, and let him sit behind Jake the way Rodgers sat behind Favre. Let the guy sit for two or three years and watch Jake’s work ethic and determination. The guy should be Tim Tebow by the way, but he won’t be available by the time we pick in the 2nd round.

As for the best QB in Panthers history, well Beuerlein had an incredible season, then an above average one, and then George Seifert dumped him for Weinke. Seifert really set the organization back a couple years. Because Beuerlein’s two years are the only competition, Jake is easily the best QB we’ve ever had. Not only that, but when he retires, he’ll have led us to at least one Superbowl victory.