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An Ode to Jake Delhomme... "He is our Quarterback"

Shocked, Amazed, A little confused, slightly refreshed... and ultimately thankful.


These are all things I felt on my way to work this morning when my local talk radio station informed me that Jake Delhomme had been cut.

After nearly jerking the car off the road in initial shock, I settled into a period of "this didn't really happen, this isnt the Panther organization that I know" prompting me to believe they were making a joke. But the joke kept going, and people started calling in offering their opinions... soon enough it was abundantly clear.

Jake Delhomme is no longer a Carolina Panther.

 

Let that soak in for a moment...

Star-divide

From the moment he trotted out onto the field against Jacksonville and we all said... "who is this... Jake... Dell... Home...May... guy?" to his final start against the Jets. His name was on our lips. He was the anti-hero of our beloved franchise. The guy we all loved, but sometimes loved to hate. The hero of many comebacks, and the goat of many losses. Having Jake Delhomme at Quarterback defined us as "The Cardiac Cats." No game was ever over with Jake at Quarterback... whether up by 14 or down by 10, just a flick of #17's wrist would change the game. For better or for worse. We talked about him constantly. We talked about his flaws and his virtues. We spoke about good times, like our super bowl run, and we spoke about bad times, like the great Arizona meltdown.

But, ultimately, we all spoke about Jake.

Only one man could have a last name like Delhomme, and still every single person in the Carolinas could pronounce it. Everyone from the champagne toasting aristocracy to the backwoods hillbilly could tell you exactly how to pronounce "Delhomme." And every Sunday, whether in front of an old 20" tube set, or a mammoth 60" HDTV, they would sit down and watch Jake Delhomme and his Carolina Panthers take the field... and each would chant "Come on Jake!" or "Dammit Jake!" or "Atta' boy Jake!"

There was something in Jake Delhomme that had us all enamored. Whether you loved him or hated him, he represented hope that seemingly an average Joe could one day pick up a football and throw with the big boys. He brought that down home Cajun attitude and fire to Charlotte, but nary a bad word was ever said about "Jake Delhomme, the man." He was the Carolina's favorite son...

For better…  or for worse.

So now as we look ahead to the Matt Moore era, it is only fitting to look back and send a toast to Jake Delhomme. A man who left it all out on the field, and wanted nothing more than to help the Panthers succeed. Yes... he may have lost some of that talent that made us fall in love with him in the first place, but he never lost our hearts. And while some may be relieved to see him gone, and to see another QB controversy squashed before it could get going, they too will settle down, and realize that Jake Delhomme is exactly the kind of man we want this franchise associated with.

*raises a glass*

So here's to you Jake. May you ride your horse "She Hate Me" with pride off into the sunset, and know that in the fans hearts, you'll always be one of the greatest Panthers to ever see the field.

And DEFINITELY the most talked about.

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via cdn.bleacherreport.com


The content of these posts are those of the person/idiot making the post only

13 recs  |  Comment 48 comments |

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A nice 'Ode' Tater

He is worthy of such high praise!!

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Mar 5, 2010 9:46 AM EST reply actions  

How about some Rec's?

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Mar 5, 2010 10:13 AM EST up reply actions  

So I keep hearing rumors that the Panthers are interested in Pennington

Might be nothing… But I think that he’d be a good move. Doesn’t have a very strong arm, but has great accuracy. Safe option, and it sounds like he wouldn’t mind being a backup either.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 9:55 AM EST reply actions  

Great post Tater

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I also blog the Panthers at www.realbitsofpanthers.com

by James The Aussie on Mar 5, 2010 9:56 AM EST reply actions  

Thanks Tater for making a nice post for Jake.
He deserves it for where he has put our team and our community.

by tarheelfan on Mar 5, 2010 9:58 AM EST reply actions  

i was thinking about pennington

i would like for him to come in, and he’d be an upgrade over McCown. he’s not gonna start anywhere, in my opinion, so we should give him a workout, and maybe culpepper. but moore is the future. remember we brought in jake and he couldn’t beat out rodney peete in training camp. i was so disgusted cuz peete was not the answer, and for us to bring in a worse qb was depressing. then jake got in the game, week 1, and was throwing an 85 yard bomb to Moose in the superbowl a few months later. moore’s story is pretty similar. he hasn’t beaten anyone in camp, but his success in the regular season can’t be denied.

by usana_gaines on Mar 5, 2010 9:59 AM EST reply actions  

McCown and Feeley are both gone, they’re UFA’s.

Only QB’s under contract right now are Moore and Cantwell.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I also blog the Panthers at www.realbitsofpanthers.com

by James The Aussie on Mar 5, 2010 10:07 AM EST up reply actions  

But they could come back

once they sniff around a little bit. The Panthers #2 spot has to be attractive to a FA QB.

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Mar 5, 2010 10:12 AM EST up reply actions  

Especially to a veteran

Who knows that’s where his career is headed.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 10:13 AM EST up reply actions  

Could Delhomme come back?

Not advocating it, just curious. Can a team resign a player they cut?

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I also blog the Panthers at www.realbitsofpanthers.com

by James The Aussie on Mar 5, 2010 10:22 AM EST up reply actions  

Why would you pay a guy to leave?

Then sign him back?

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 10:25 AM EST up reply actions  

Sure. For a 1 year, veteran minimum deal… absolutely.

I still think Delhomme is a fantastic option as a backup, as I’m sure other teams will show in free agency. It was his contract that was the major problem.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I also blog the Panthers at www.realbitsofpanthers.com

by James The Aussie on Mar 5, 2010 10:29 AM EST up reply actions  

He's a fantastic option as a backup, on any other team

I agree with all the pundits, that Moore doesn’t need team-leader Jake looking over his shoulder. Let him take all the snaps with the 1st team, and get prepared and focused for the big task ahead.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 10:32 AM EST up reply actions  

didn't know that

i thought we still had mccown. thanks for the update.

by usana_gaines on Mar 5, 2010 11:09 AM EST up reply actions  

Moore + Pennington

Would be such a huge upgrade over 2009 Delhomme + McClown.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 10:12 AM EST up reply actions  

+1 I would love to see Pennington come here.

I’m really pumped and excited about entering the season with Moore now being our unequivocable starter, but the back up situation now has me squeamish.

by paydirt16 on Mar 5, 2010 10:26 AM EST up reply actions  

I'm not worried. They can't do much worse.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 10:30 AM EST up reply actions  

I dunno...

He couldn’t throw the ball downfield coming out of Marshall, and now he’s, what, THREE surgeries later?

by The Kackalack Kid on Mar 7, 2010 6:26 AM EST up reply actions  

Weak arm, great accuracy

The former would not go well in this offense

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 7, 2010 2:05 PM EST up reply actions  

Pennington would be great... but don't hold your breath on it.

He’s easily the most desirable free agent QB and team’s like Arizona still need a QB.

I think Pennington will go somewhere where he has the opportunity to start, and I don’t want Moore challenged by Pennington at this point.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I also blog the Panthers at www.realbitsofpanthers.com

by James The Aussie on Mar 5, 2010 10:31 AM EST up reply actions  

ARZ would be a similar situation as here

I’m sure they still would prefer Leinart to start. Pennington would only be there to help push him along.

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 10:34 AM EST up reply actions  

Slightly different

Arizona are on the hook for Leinart until 2012, there’s no rush in starting him.

The Panthers need to see Matt Moore start this season to determine whether he’s worth signing to a long term deal.

Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I also blog the Panthers at www.realbitsofpanthers.com

by James The Aussie on Mar 5, 2010 10:44 AM EST up reply actions  

There's no reason to delay starting him

If you really think he might be your future. Who does that more than a year or two?

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 6:28 PM EST up reply actions  

Sums up how I feel exactly Tater

Bittersweet indeed, like putting your horse down because it broke its leg. Hopefully he has some Bojangles nearby to cheer him up. He will be missed.

by EyeSack on Mar 5, 2010 10:19 AM EST reply actions  

Great Post

no legitimate pass rush, no proven quarterback and the head coach in his last year under contract. Where do we go from here

by michael panther on Mar 5, 2010 11:11 AM EST reply actions  

Rec'd

Great post, Tater! Summed everything up perfectly.

by D-Ranged1 on Mar 5, 2010 2:42 PM EST reply actions  

Best of luck Jake

Best of luck Jake. Was it Jacksonville? I thought it was Philly for some reason. Rodney Peete was the starter. He played poorly, Down 19-0 at the half, Peete was yanked and Delhomme brought us back for a 20-19 win… or something like that. Classic comeback. Awesome game. How I will remember him.

by hunt! on Mar 5, 2010 3:25 PM EST reply actions  

It was Jacksonville

We were down 14-0 at halftime (and 17-7 at the end of the 3rd), and Jake brought us back to a 24-23 win.

Box score here.

by bwsmith25 on Mar 5, 2010 3:40 PM EST reply actions  

This is a real credit to the man Jake Delhomme is,

all the tearful press conferences from Fox and Hurney and Jake himself. I myself was close to tears at one point. As bad as he was this last season, he is still my favourite quarterback and favourite person in the NFL. No one shed any tears for Julius Peppers and he played for the Panthers for just as long.

by jojoisthemann on Mar 5, 2010 4:14 PM EST reply actions  

+1000

If God came down on Christmas Day
I know exactly what He'd say
He'd say "Oi!" to the punks
and "Oi!" to the skins
but "Oi!" to the world and everybody wins.

-The Vandals

by Oi2dwrld on Mar 5, 2010 4:26 PM EST up reply actions  

Great Post Tater.

I don’t know what I’m going to do now. xD

"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn

by Revshawn on Mar 5, 2010 8:08 PM EST reply actions  

When Delhomme's ready to retire

I hope they sign in to a contract one last time so he can retire a panther.

by LittleKing on Mar 5, 2010 8:45 PM EST reply actions  

No doubt

on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city

by southtunnel on Mar 5, 2010 9:42 PM EST up reply actions  

I'm sure they will

Burlein did the same thing. I can’t wait to see him back in Carolina…that will be a great ovation that he will get. As for pep, i can’t for chicago to come to charlotte next year, that will be an epic booing!!!

by SouthernPanther on Mar 6, 2010 1:21 AM EST up reply actions  

Great post Tater!

The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

by Flowing Willow on Mar 6, 2010 4:24 AM EST reply actions  

ASTOUNDED!

I am willing to give the man his dues but the show he put on at his news conference totally blew me away. This is suppose to be a grown man in control of himself, well what you saw or heard is why he had problems on the field. He wore his feelings on his sleeves. I like so many others I lost my job in the last year and I took it like a man and walked away with unempolyment and he walks away with thirteen million. I’ll trade with him and smile and go my own way.

by Cwilly1 on Mar 6, 2010 2:04 PM EST reply actions  

So you prefer the way Peppers exited the team

“It’s been a nice 8 years in the NFL…see ya” to paraphrase…Seeing Delhomme cry didn’t surprise me, he is no doubt an emotional guy but that’s not a bad thing in many cases. I don’t think you can correlate that exit interview to his decline in performance. In many cases it was those same emotions that lead the team to a 4th quarter comeback. Lile the SD game that he referenced as one of his best moments. I have to agree

I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Mar 6, 2010 2:13 PM EST up reply actions   1 recs

+1

Definitely it was his emotionality out on that field that made him a leader. His love for the game and competitive nature really showed, and I think his teammates really fed off of that. Jake was certainly a guy that the other players wanted to play for, regardless of the game situation.

by The Kackalack Kid on Mar 7, 2010 6:29 AM EST up reply actions  

Hard for any of us to relate to either of these guys, but...

…all other things being equal (and I know they’re not, in many ways), I have warmer memories of a guy who gave a damn, about the team and its players and employees, than one who couldn’t care less.

 I felt sad for Jake’s not being able to control his emotions, on the one hand, but on the other, had to respect his honesty, and the fact that he had the press conference at all. I wish him well. I don’t have those feelings for Pep.

by bigdavis on Mar 7, 2010 12:53 PM EST up reply actions  

I feel the same way

I hope Jake wins a SB some day, even though I wish he could have done it with us. But, as for Pep – he can blow his ACL on day one next year and I won’t give a rat’s ass.

by bwsmith25 on Mar 7, 2010 1:09 PM EST up reply actions  

No comparison

This guy has been with the franchise for years, they’re pretty much a family and you know how close Fox and Delhomme are

Two completely different things

by RaWrASaUrUs on Mar 10, 2010 6:31 PM EST up reply actions  

Great Post tater

i will really miss Delhomme and i wish nothing but the best for him as he continues to play in the national football league

by pantherpride on Mar 7, 2010 4:56 PM EST reply actions  

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