The Seahawk

Issue date: 1/15/09 Section: Op/Ed

Media Credit: David T. Foster III | MCT Jake Delhomme holds his head in his hands after throwing one of his five interceptions. The Panthers fell to the Cardinals 33-13 in their divisional playoff match-up.

After throwing five interceptions against the Arizona Cardinals in the 33-13 divisional playoff loss, it's no secret that Carolina Panthers fans everywhere will be calling for quarterback Jake Delhomme's head. It was a performance that merits such a call for action; however, should the Panthers decide to give Delhomme the boot, it would be truly unfair to a player who has given his all for the organization he loves for six years.

By no means am I defending Jake's performance against the Cardinals. I can't. It's impossible. It was just downright awful. Go ahead and lay blame for the loss on Jake, I know I am. But not all of it. There are plenty more people out there who caused the loss just as much as the quarterback. Let's start with the coaches.

Judging by the Panthers' opening drive, it was going to be a long night for the Cardinal defense. The Panthers exploded down the field for the quick score looking as good as they have all season offensively. And how did they do it? The same way they won one of the toughest divisions in the NFL: running the football. This team is built around the running back tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They pound out the yards until the defense opens up and becomes vulnerable to the ever-so-dangerous Steve Smith. The Panthers' first drive consisted of 41 yards on the ground and 9 through the air. Jonathan Stewart pounded in the first touchdown of the game on a nine yard run. He touched the ball twice the rest of the game. Williams, my vote for team MVP, only ran the ball 12 times. The coaches abandoned the game plan the second the Panthers' fell behind on the scoreboard. 15 rushes, 34 passes. That's not Panther football. So it doesn't surprise me that the Panthers found themselves in world of trouble early in the game. If you blame Jake Delhomme, you have to blame the coaches just as much for putting him in a position where he had to take chances for the rest of the game.

Some of it also rides on the defense. You can not give up 33 points in an NFL playoff game and expect to win. Sure, you'd like to have a little help from your offense, but you can't ask them for 33 points when you're an organization who's prided yourself for several years on your defense. The front four were dominated by an appalling Cardinal run game and the secondary looked like Pop-Warner players against Larry Fitzgerald. The defense just couldn't shut the guy down even with Anquan Boldin sidelined. So don't forget to point the finger at the defense in that embarrassment of a playoff game.

For those convinced that Jake needs to go, it's not time to jump the gun just yet. Granted it was a dreadful game, it was just that: one game. Before this, Jake's playoff record was 5-2. He traveled into places like New York, Philadelphia and Chicago and came back with playoff wins. His only two losses came in the NFC Championship game and the Superbowl. The thought that one bad playoff performance should erase a résumé like that is simply absurd. Also, it's tremendously unfair to discredit everything Delhomme has done this season after just one game, especially after being the first quarterback to ever return after undergoing Tommy John surgery,

I'm not saying that Jake Delhomme is an elite quarterback. He's not. In fact, I'd put him towards the bottom of my top 15 NFL quarterbacks. But he's adequate in the system he's in. Let's not overlook what he's done for Steve Smith's career. Without Jake, Smith would not be the same player he is today. After examining many of the catches Smith has made over the years, you have to ask yourself, would other quarterbacks even have thrown it to him? Steve Smith has become one of the best wide receivers in the league simply because his quarterback is brave enough (even dumb enough) to throw to him when he's not open. Take away Jake and Steve Smith isn't the same player. I'm not even convinced he'd stay in Carolina.

So let's not rush into hasty decisions and dump a guy who's given the organization so much over the years. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to think about the future and go for a quarterback in the draft. But is Jake Delhomme the starting quarterback of the Carolina Panthers for the first snap of 2009? Absolutely. Until he proves that he can't cut it on a weekly basis in the NFL, I'm not ready to give up on him. Let's just hope he doesn't continue 2009 the way he started it

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