Know who that is? It's Jake Delhomme, in rare duty for the Amsterdam Admirals. For most of that 1998 season, Delhomme sat on the bench behind starter Kurt Warner.
In Friday's Charlotte Observer and on charlotteobserver.com, I'm going to take you back to 1998 in Amsterdam -- an "anything-goes" city where prostitution was legal, soccer was king and an NFL Europe franchise called the Amsterdam Admirals had two future starting QBs named Kurt Warner and Jake Delhomme.
Those two -- who each made $16,000 the entire season -- had a fierce battle for the starting job that spring. Warner won it. Delhomme didn't like it, and still doesn't. But he got over it, and the two remain good friends. On Saturday night, they'll face off in Charlotte in an NFL playoff game.
There's a lot more to this story, and it's coming Friday. I just thought I'd give you a little taste of it today. Delhomme's memories of Amsterdam include people always trying to sell him drugs on the street, staying 2-to-a-room all season in a basic hotel, calling his then-girlfriend (and future wife) Keri back home in Louisiana constantly and the food.... well, I'll just let him tell you that in the story.
Believe me, though, if you've ever been to Amsterdam, it's a strange place -- and not a spot where you'd think 2 future NFL QBs would flourish. But it happened.
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1 comment:
I was very intrigued that Kurt Warner felt Delhomme was the better QB at that stage in their careers. Said he had the better arm and more mobility.
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