The end of an era: Panthers cut Jake Delhomme

will go down as one of the biggest mistakes in the Hurney era.

That actually speaks fairly well of Hurney and the FO’s decision making, though.

God does exist, because Jake is no longer a Panther! Hallelujah! No more 6 turnover performances to endure!!!

Love him, or lost faith in him, Jake Delhomme, always has been a nice guy and for even getting us so close to that Superbowl dream in Carolina, he sure does need to have his jersey retired from Panther’s.

Indeed, we are moving on to a new chapter of the Carolina Panthers

He was our guy for a long time and he should walk out with his head held high. He will be missed but its time we hand the reigns over to Moore now

And I was all set for a QB battle come training camp. Oh well. As much as I hated the guy and screamed for his benching with every INT, I kind of feel bad for the way he went out. Worst season of your career, ending up on IR, and no shot at redemption. I wish him luck, but I’m ready for the Matt Moore era.

NOW LETS DRAFT MCCOY!

I was very much looking forward to Moore starting and was frustrated with Delhomme as much as the next guy, but I didn’t expect this. I thought I would be relieved, but really I’m just sad. He was a good guy, and for a while, a truly great QB. I will always remember his heroics all the way back to that Jacksonville victory. I truly hope he’s happy where ever he ends up. Man.

They don’t franchise Peppers because its too expensive, leading me to believe they are wanting to “cut costs” in fear of an uncapped season. Then, we find out they actually tried to sign him to a 14mil per season deal, but failed. leading me to believe they ARE willing to pay big bucks. Then, they don’t resign Moore or especially Davis to a long term deal leading me to believe they are worried about the lockout, and they cut a bunch of players and even give a (what analysts believe to be) a low ball tender to marshall. Then they cut Delhomme paying him 12.7mil, which is great (though im sad) because we dont have the cap ramifications. SO… what the heck is it? Are they cutting players in fear of the lockout? If so, why did they offer Peppers a last ditch mega deal? There must have been a reason they cut those guys now rather than later in the offseason when most vets get cut. Maybe they are trying to make a splash. Then again maybe they just wanted to be able to afford the major Delhomme bonus hit. I jsut don’t get their plan!

The old Panthers era of Delhomme and Peppers being the stars on either side of the ball is gone. I think this is what San Francisco fans felt like when Elway left. Good luck Jake, whereever you go, you were always one of my favorites to watch, you gave me many great memories. I will remember you not for your faults, but for your leadership, fire, and wins. #17 will always hold a special place in my heart.

But you guys get what I’m saying. It’s the end of an era.

He was the best we’ve ever had and all of that. yes, I agree. But he was still jsut Jake Delhomme. I always felt like he was the product of a chinese pirate company creating a knockoff of Brett Favre. Cheap as heck, and not nearly of the same quality lol.

It sucks.

Both of them sucks.

You could never sign Peppers to settle down, and you could never pay Jake what he deserved. Now, you’ve given up on Julius, and cut Jake for money (and now backup status)

It’s all about clearing out the salary cap hell the Panthers would be in – even if the cap doesn’t shrink. They would be stuck like they have been the last few years, letting good players go because they had to defer others’ money from previous years.

I like Jake, but his elbow looks like it’s done. I think he’d do well with a clipboard. There really wasn’t much chance that he would be playing after next year, any way.

If there’s a time to take a super-critical eye, this is the year. On the Defensive side, I like walking away from Peppers, when he refused a high, but somewhat reasonable, long-term contract. Kemo was too much a risk to tie up longterm.

Young and cheap will be the word of the day.

Overall this makes sense to me because:

We have to sign Beason and Davis and maybe a couple of others like Kalil or D. Williams to long term deals and need money to do that.

Saves money and puts us in good position when the new cap comes in after the bargaining is over.

Meeks likes lighter, quicker tackles than guys like Kemo. They must like Leonard, Johnson (now we know why they grabbed him) Tyler, Irvin, Hayden, and others and will likely draft a young tackle too.

Avoids 2nd guessing all year about QB. If Moore has a bad game, people will start liking Jake again and want him to take over. Maybe they like what they see in Cantwell more than us fans think. I liked Cantwell in the pre-season last year and think he can become a capable back-up.

I think the FO takes too much criticism and doesn’t get enough credit. They are not afraid to make the moves necessary to continue putting the Panthers in the top half of all NFL teams consistently. A couple of years ago, it was Keyshawn. This year it’s Jake, Kemo, and Lewis. I suspect S. Smith was consulted in some way on the Jake deal also.

I still don’t see anyone other than Bradford that is very impressive in the draft at QB. I think Jarret Brown from WVU could be developed into an NFL starter, but is 1-2 years away. I think they may pick up a cheap veteran like Feely and develop Cantwell as future backup and potential starter rather than draft a QB. They need to draft WR and DE and CB more.

Definitely a changing of the guard……………….

I hate to see him go, but I understand this. I just want to say a quick thank you to Jake. I have been in Bank of America stadium for almost every game since the Panthers came here, and I will always remember that 2003 year as one of the defining moments of my sports fandom. 97 to 03 was a wasteland, and the last seven years have given us more winning then we every have had before. When he was healthy we made the playoffs. Yes he threw INTs, but he also won games. Thanks Jake, and I hope you find good luck in your football future.

97-03 was a wastland that you slipped into an NFC title game?

I would think a new Head Coach and FO were in town prepping the team for a rebuild. Wow Lewis and Delhomme cut in the same day. I hate to see Jake cut part of me will never be able to let go of his best years even with the misery of the Arizona playoff loss and the 2009 season. And Lewis seemed solid last season so wow the only one safe on the roster seems to be Smith and I’m starting to doubt that.

But don’t count on massive FA moves from the Panthers this offseason expect Randall El over Bolden type moves because the Panthers build through the draft with no first rounder its cheap talent and that seems to be the name of the game right now. According to Jason Cole on yahoo the Panthers’ roster is below $90 million this season and that was before Jake was cut so its all about the money right now.

…except this time, without my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek.

Thanks for the good times, Jake.