Thanks to all who entered my contest for a signed, free copy of a Panther book I wrote back during the Jake Delhomme glory days.
To enter, you had to write a comment on my previous blog entry you can see here about Jake Delhomme, and those comments taken in sum provide quite a tribute from fans of No.17. If you haven't seen them already, the comments alone are worth a look.
The winners, drawn randomly from all those who followed the instructions correctly, were: Bailey Carter, Daniel Torres, David Swaim, Shane Triplett and George Bass. I am sorry I did not post these winners earlier -- I've had some unexpected things going on in my life today.
Thanks to everyone else for entering. In case you're interested, the great memories most often cited by fans were:
1) Delhomme's first game ever as a Panther -- the comeback vs. Jacksonville in 2003.
2) The touchdown pass to Steve Smith that won the double-overtime playoff game against St. Louis.
3) Delhomme's last-second TD pass to Dante Rosario after coming off Tommy John surgery that won a road game at San Diego in 2008.
4) "Up close and personal" stories from the many fans who had met Jake and experienced his warmth as he endlessly signed autographs, posed for pictures or simply chatted.
5) Some aspect of the Super Bowl.
6) The bootleg run in which Delhomme overpowered DeAngelo Hall and clinched a win over the Redskins.
We're moving!
9 years ago
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4 comments:
Maybe Jake will let you move in with him. Sounds like you have an unhealthy cursh on the ole fumbleruski.
Great article Scott!!!!
Jake will be greatly missed! I wish him great success wherever he goes!
I only wish he would have been able to stay a Panther for the remainder of his career.
It will be so hard to watch the Panther's play and not see Jake there. It is going to take me a while to get my same excitement back. Wow, I am still sad, the reality hasn't totally sunk in yet. Good luck Jake!
Thanks Scott for always reporting about him fairly.
How about this link and article on NFL.com!
Panthers lack of free-agent aggression makes task ahead tough
By Pat Kirwan | NFL.com Senior Analyst
With the vast majority of top free agents off the market, the big spending is just about over. Although unsigned players aren't necessarily on the verge of panic, you can rest assured that they're calling their agents about getting a deal done now.
The annual NFL owners meeting starts March 21, which usually signifies the end of real interest in free agents until after the draft.
One team that seems to have passed on free agency is the Carolina Panthers. They could definitely sell a few available veterans on getting an opportunity to play in Carolina. Coach John Fox and general manger Marty Hurney are in a tough situation right now. How will they compete in 2010 if they don't get some experienced players on the roster?
Every coaching staff and front office faces the challenge of replacing talent with talent. Carolina's roster has been hit hard by free-agent departures, contract terminations and eroding skills. The skill lost must be replaced, and no position has a young, rising star sitting behind the starter.
The Panthers lost defensive end Julius Peppers in free agency, released quarterback Jake Delhomme, linebacker Na'il Diggs, defensive tackles Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis, as well as fullback Brad Hoover. They probably will lose defensive end Tyler Brayton and maybe even guard Keydrick Vincent. Veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad is also a free agent. Even though some of those names don't sound like stars, they were starters. At this point, the Panthers are going to ask at least six young players to fill the void and start.
Ultimately, the club will likely ask upwards of nine inexperienced players to start for the departed veterans. The young talent pool has a combined 26 career starts and would be possibly replacing nine starters who made 114 starts between them last season.
Consider for their whole career that quarterback Matt Moore (eight starts), receiver Dwayne Jarrett (three), guard Mackenzy Bernadeau (seven), ends Everette Brown (one) and Charles Johnson (four), defensive tackles Louis Leonard (one) and Corvey Irvin (zero), linebacker Dan Connor (zero), and fullback Tony Fiammetta (two) now move into starting roles. So ask yourself the next critical question: Who replaces this young group as the quality reserves on the roster?
Don't overlook the fact that replacing talent off the bench with more talent is also critical with all the potential injuries during the course of a season. A deep roster is usually the only way to success. The New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl with multiple starters on injured reserve.
Carolina is without a first- and fifth-round pick from previous trades, which currently leaves it with only five draft selections, pending the announcement of compensatory picks. On top of that, the Panthers have only signed special teams contributor Wallace Wright in free agency. Does that mean the team will have four undrafted rookies make the team as backups? That almost sounds like an expansion team.
The Panthers ranked No. 8 in overall defense last season, but with five of the front seven players not projected to return, how can they maintain that top 10 status?
Leaders aren't assigned in the NFL by management; they emerge as they prove they can play and inspire others. Who are the 2010 leaders of the Panthers?
There's no doubt this is an exciting time for the young players on the Panthers. However, as Brown said to me last week, "It will be different in the locker room this year."
That might be an understatement. Not one of the players being asked to step up was even a first-round pick.
Granted, it was time for some of the veterans to be shown the door, as is the case with teams every year. But these wholesale changes are going to put too much pressure on a great coach like Fox and a real smart GM like Hurney.
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