I can't think about Delhomme and Houston without remembering the Super Bowl following the 2003 season. Delhomme played one of the most stunning fourth quarters any Super Bowl quarterback ever has at Reliant Staduim in Houston -- and lost. He led the Panthers to touchdown drives on their final three possessions, threw for more than 200 yards in the fourth quarter alone and was still outdueled by Tom Brady and New England, which won 32-29 on a last-second field goal. Delhomme would have undoubtedly been the Super Bowl MVP had Carolina won that one.
So time marches on. Delhomme, 36, now will serve the injury-depleted Texans -- at least for now -- as a backup for T.J. Yates, the rookie and former North Carolina quarterback suddenly thrust into the lineup after season-ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. He can help serve as Yates' mentor and sounding board, certainly, and Jake is only about five hours from his Louisiana home and the horses he loves and has been helping with around there. (He and his family are into the horse business pretty heavy).
I think it's a fine move by the Texans (8-3), who are in a fairly desperate situation but would be the AFC's No.1 playoff seed if the season were over. Houston's defense and running game are so good that the QB can be a game manager -- although Schaub certainly was better than that -- and still win some.
I believe before it's all said and done Delhomme will get some meaningful snaps in Houston, and it will be interesting to see then whether his arm is shot or whether he can still summon up some magic. I'm glad he's back in the league, however, at least for awhile. Delhomme's one of the best guys to ever grace an NFL locker room, and if he wants to do it again, more power to him.
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36 comments:
There is something so wrong in this world when Jake Delhomme is backing up TJ Yates. Jake will be starting by next week.
Good Luck Jake. I was hoping he'd catch on with someone this year.
Hopefully, Panthers "fans" are finally starting to realize there were bigger problems with the Panthers than just the QB!
Good luck Jake!
As long as Yates can remember what jersey color his teammates wear, he's got nothing to fear from Delhomme. Thank goodness Houston didn't sign anyone that they'd actually be tempted to put on the field.
Well said! As a Panthers fan, I was sorry to see him go. Glad to see him back in the NFL.
Good for the Texans, good for Jake. Veteran presence in the locker room with playoff/Super Bowl experience, and the right personality to mentor Yates. I will him success if he plays.
Scott - never thought I would ever buy a Houston Texans Jersey. #17 in a XXL will look great along side my Cleveland Brown one. JD played way above his abilities....imagine if those that followed him did the same.
Still love Jake Delhomme. This is a good pickup for veteran leadership and a mentor to TJ Yates.
Back to reality.
Texans by 21
Good for Jake. I don't think the Panthers will ever be able to replace him. His 4-7 record with a top 10 defense. A TD/Int ratio of 11/18. A QB rating of 59.4. And the temper tanturms like a 4 year old on the sidelines.
First the Matt Moore comparison. Now this is written. I thought the "Does Cam need a better sideline attitude?" was ridiculous. Now it makes sense.
Texans should wear their red jerseys if Jake plays. I remember a game when Jake completed plenty of passes to players wearing a red jersey.
T.J. made the haters eat their own words! Way to go T.J!! You are going to be an NFL great for a long time. Enjoy your first start!
I think Scott is remembering the Jake Delhomme era with rose colored neurons. Jake had one and a half good seasons, and the rest were pretty dismal. He coasted by on that brief flash of success for years after Fox should have benched him and moved on.
Jake's problem was he was as reckless as Brett Favre, only without Favre's arm. He kept trying to force balls into places his skill level wouldn't allow, and the picks kept mounting up. Everyone, especially Fox & Hurney, wanted Jake to once again become the Jake of '03, but that was lightning in a bottle, and a better coach/GM would have cut the cord a couple of seasons earlier. Those were lost years for the Panthers and their fans.
I think if you look at what Matt Moore has been doing in Miami this season, it becomes pretty clear that the problems experienced by four different qb's in the last two years with Carolina have been about more than just the QB's. Whether they weren't getting enough protection or receivers weren't getting open something else was going on there. I also think you could see some players giving up on plays way too quickly and some of those picks can be directly attributed to that. I hope Jake gets a chance to return to the playoffs and maybe even play in another superbowl. A lot of people forget what a good QB he was for a few years there, even beating guys like Roethlesberger, Palmer, Garrard, and others at a QB challenge one year (and never really trailed anyone by much throughout that event, but won it in style on the two-minute drill).
I hope he gets to play and can win a game or two. Even after the way his run here ended, I still got nothing but love for Jake. Just seeing how he reacted to the Panthers letting him go, still hurts.
Anon 7:07am is a freaking moron
First, Anonymous at 7:07 AM. Why do you hate Cam so much? I admit I was not a fan of him at first but now seeing him play and his work ethic. The kid's getting it done. Don't blame him for putting up 35 points against Detroit and the defense just letting the Lions walk all over them.
You are right that he isn't half of what Manning is. He's already on track to be better than Manning is. Or did you not realize that he's already having a better rookie season than any other QB in history.
If you were a real fan you would support your team and ALL of its players. Do I care for Charles Godfrey? Not really. I think he's awful honestly. Has way too much talent to give up so many plays. But I support him because he's on my damn team. If you don't want to watch Cam play then don't want football because he'll be here for a while.
Plenty of Jake haters abound like a few media morons or nerd runt pos queer pedo x-wbs being barred from clubhouses shower rooms or sidelines.
Delhomne was a dedicated winner not some scam artist dumb crook who tainted college and pro football but protected by the NCAA and union mafia scum.
Had Jake or Anderson been QB so far the record would be 8-3 as opposed to 3-8 soon to be 3-13 after Tampa destroys the losers.
Tampa Bay by 25
As long as he's not playing against the Panthers, I'll be rooting for Jake. Best quarterback in franchise history. (I do expect Newton to pass him, but let's see him win a playoff game first.)
That Jake did what he did with a weak arm and less than fantastic accuracy just made him easier for me to like. His understanding of how to get the ball to Steve Smith where Smitty could make a play was what made those offenses work -- even Cam hasn't quite developed that touch with Smitty yet.
Delhomme was never a great quarterback, but the haters who said he was garbage need to STFU.
NotAFan says,
Fowler nailed it for once. The title says it all. Thats all you need to read.
Jake is a nice guy, but you guys keep bringing up the fact that he took us to the superbowl as a reason he is a great QB.
You do realize people age and their skills decline right?
Jake's NFL career is done in the sense that he will never be a starting QB again for a full season.
Read it and weep your heart out you emos.
Awesome news. I'm wearing my Texan shirt today and just ordered another one. Love Jake and yes, even with a #1 draft pick, Panther's still lose. The QB was not the problem. It takes a TEAM. Good Luck Jake. Heading the Houston for the Dec. 18th game.
LOL you Panthers fans are still infatuated with Delhomme (and I am simply in dismay to see derogatory comments about Cam Newton I mean wft). The guy was horrible and a semi cancer inside the locker where real talented dudes like Peppers always wondered why he got the special treatment by both fans and management or in case you forget Jake got that ridiculous guaranteed money huge contract even when he was already showing signs of decline (not that he was ever an elite QB in the first place anyway, always getting bailed out by Smith) and Pep got nothing (and who's laughing now, he is still very much productive in ChiTown), good ol' boy network at his best (hence the many compliments I see here, still wonder why b/c Cats never had a back to back winning season and if not for a powerful run game they would never made it to the SB). And worst of all his tantrums on the sidelines, terrible. He went to Cleveland and sucked of course and was benched by...Colt McCoy, LOL. And now Houston is just resisting themselves to sign Brett Favre, completely gutless b/c the AFC is there for the taking, NO WAY they win a SB with either Yates (who I think will be a very good QB, just not ready yet to take the team to a SB). It would be awesome to see Favre v. Rodgers in the SB, Hollywoos script material.
Anonymous 12:39 PM, what the heck are you talking about? Jake was a "semi cancer" in the locker room??? You obviously know nothing about the Panthers' team. They offered Peppers an extension to make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history in 2008 when he was coming off a 2.5 sack season where he played like garbage. He turned it down, said he wanted to play in a 3-4, and then signed with 4-3 Chicago. Peppers wanted out of Carolina - for whatever reason - plain and simple. Jake didn't throw "tantrums on the sidelines", he was just a fiery guy; now Cam gets criticized for doing the opposite, go figure.
They never should have signed Jake to that contract and Fox should have pulled him earlier in 2009, but he never got any "special treatment" any more than other QBs; he was a popular player here and took us to a Super Bowl. Who cares who Houston should have signed instead, take it to a Texans board please.
Always loved his attitude. He's a great leader and always plays with fire. His gunslinger mentality and willingness to take chances make him both electric and horrifying to watch, but you always knew something was going to happen. I, personally, think the world of him as a player and as a leader and wish him nothing but the best !!
At lest it didn't take 5 games before they say "I guess we got to put in another QB now, yuk yuk yuk!"
I like that this paper covers everything but Charlotte sports a lot.
we need some massive articles written on the impending ACC champ game that is HERE in charlotte..how about that?
also, the two most historic basketball progams of all time play on Saturday.......how about a little history on UK and UNC.
but wait, let's talk about delhomme and fox all the time.....
Houston has a better football team and much better sports writers than Charlotte. I hope T.J. Yates does well and that Jake will be an asset.
To bad the Texans didn't want Jimmy Clausen. I would have taken an 8th round pick for him....
I liked Jake as a person, BUT I hope they put him in this weekend sometime and watch for the next 4 weeks him run them(texans) straight into the offseason! So everyone will SHUT IT about Jake! OK! As someone above said there are other topic to follow!
Enough already about Jake and Fox!!
Whoever the Cam HATER is, either it's Clausen or Cam stole his girlfriend. Get over it idiot!
Bigger scammer in the league.
NEWTON SUXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Trade the mofo ............
Love this guy! One of the classiest Panthers ever.
@ Anon Giants fan 4:49PM:
Almost all of these idiots trashing Cam are not Panthers fans, just a bunch of Harvey Updykes, pathetic little people (usually whose teams got steamrolled by Cam last year) who get off on trolling message boards writing garbage about Cam. It's almost beyond belief how many of them we've picked up on this site this season.
Real Panthers' fans realize exactly what we have in Cam. As for the trolls, I just ignore them and so should the rest of you. Eventually (like children) they will get bored and go away.
Cam wair a towl a towel on his his haid bcause he want too
second year in a row looks like we will be facing jake... last years game was crucial... should b a good one this year
Get'em Jake! Just aim for their feet... should hit them right in the numbers! ;)
Shakey Jake is back!!!Get ready for the the Great Interception Show..Without Smitty to bail him out he is will once again be exposed as Garbage like usual.Jake still sucks!!
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