Delhomme Uncertain about Sunday’s Start
Day 2 of the Jake Delhomme Injury Watch has resulted in yet another no-show by the quarterback. Delhomme did not practice at all Thursday, and though Coach John Fox remains tight-lipped as ever about his quarterback’s injured throwing elbow, the fact remains that every day of practice Delhomme misses brings the Panthers closer to starting backup David Carr against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Carr led the Panthers on two touchdown drives last Sunday after Delhomme was injured, looking decently sharp but definitely being aided by DeAngelo Hall’s meltdown on the field that resulted in 67 of the Panthers’ 80 yards on their go-ahead drive.
Carr is certainly a capable passer, though his decision-making and leadership skills have been questioned in the past. We will see this week if Carr can truly start a game and finish it without throwing tons of interceptions and taking at least four or five sacks. If Carr can lead the team to victory, it would be a huge step for the Panthers, who look poised to take control of the division with a decisive win. However, if Carr fails to step up, the Panthers would be taking a huge step backward on their quest to make the playoffs and return to the Super Bowl.
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Delhomme Misses Practice
According to a report on ESPN.com, Jake Delhomme missed practice Wednesday and is unsure as to whether he will be able to play on Sunday. While Delhomme was adamant that he has yet to concede his starting spot to David Carr for this Sunday’s game, he did admit that he has yet to pick up a ball and throw a pass with his injured elbow. Luckily for all Panthers fans, the MRI on Delhomme’s elbow came back negative, meaning there was no structural damage, so if Delhomme does sit, it would only be for a game or two. However, in the NFL, a game or two is the difference between making the playoffs or sitting at home.
I think Panthers fans should be more than a little concerned right now. Your options at the moment are most likely Jake Delhomme at less than 100% or David Carr at 100%. Delhomme, even at 100%, is not an elite QB in this league, so having him at less than full strength is certainly a distinct disadvantage. David Carr at 100% is still a guy who likes to get sacked a lot and then blame his teammates. And on top of all that, when this type of thing happens, it becomes necessary for teams to play up, for the defense and running game to step up and pull more than their weight. Here’s hoping the rest of the team wakes up in time to do just that by Sunday.
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Panthers on the Rise
The Carolina Panthers have moved up four spots in ESPN.com’s NFL Power Rankings this week. They are now ranked number 12 on the list, their highest ranking so far of the season after spending the first couple of weeks squarely in the middle of the pack. With a few underachieving top 10 teams falling in the rankings, the Panthers appear poised to enter the top 10 if they can continue to find a way to win their games. The loss of Jake Delhomme may hurt the team in the long run though. David Carr has proven to be an indecisive playmaker and an inadequate leader in his tenure so far in the NFL. Will he turn over a new leaf with the Panthers?
Panthers fans had better start hoping and praying that he does. While Delhomme will not require surgery on his injured elbow, he is expected to miss at least one more game. During Carr’s days in Houston, he spent most of his time getting sacked. While most people attributed that to a lack of offensive line power, now that Matt Schaub has taken Carr’s place in Houston, things are rolling along a much better clip. If it turns out that Carr simply have a problem getting the ball to his receivers, it could be a long couple of weeks for the Panthers.
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Delhomme Not Going Under the Knife
ESPN.com is reporting that Jake Delhomme’s injured elbow will not require surgery. Delhomme, who injured his elbow Sunday in a game versus the Atlanta Falcons. Delhomme left the game and was replaced by backup David Carr, who led the Panthers to victory with a late touchdown drive. While Delhomme will not need surgery on the elbow, it is not yet known whether or not he will play in this Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though Delhomme threw for a five-yard touchdown pass even after he sustained the initial injury, he went on to leave the game and is unsure whether he will be ready to play this weekend.
Though on the surface it would seem that the Panthers aren’t in much trouble, since David Carr led the winning touchdown drive that sealed the game for Carolina last Sunday, but upon further inspection, one finds that Carr didn’t do much of anything last week. That big 80 yard scoring drive he led was mostly due to the complete and total meltdown of DeAngelo Hall, whose penalty yards netted the Panthers 67 of their 80 yards. So for those math majors out there, that means Carr was responsible for less than 20 total yards of the drive. I’m not saying Carr can’t get it done. I’m just saying, be cautious.
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Panthers Lose Delhomme, Win Game.
For Panthers fans, there is good news, and there is bad news. The good news is that the Panthers improved their record to 2-1 after defeating the Atlanta Falcons. The bad news is that Jake Delhomme left the game with an injury, and Carolina struggled to dispatch a team that may well be the worst in the league this year. The Panthers allowed Joey Harrington to throw on them almost at will, and needed quite a bit of help - most of it coming in the form of Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall’s on-field meltdown - to gain their second victory of the season.
The Panthers certainly did not look like a team prepared to vie for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl on this week. Indeed, if not for the Hawks’ unique ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory, the Panthers might be staring at a 1-2 record right now. If Steve Smith hadn’t managed to get inside Hall’s head late in the game - his breakdown resulted in 3 penalties for a combined 67 yards - the Panthers most likely would not have had a chanced to score the winning touchdown. Even on a day when Steve Smith didn’t have his big time fantasy numbers, he still guides his team to victory. That is just what leaders do. Whether or not he can continue to lead these Panthers to gut-it-out style wins remains to be seen.
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Panthers look to Edge Falcons
In what is apparently a slow news day in the Carolinas, the Charlotte Observer is running a column predicting a Panthers victory this Sunday. Unfortunately, after that, the columnist goes into his full NFL predictions, as though he couldn’t find more than a couple paragraphs to write about the Panthers game. The point that he makes is that while the Panthers look average, the Falcons look terrible, and therefore the Panthers will win this game. While I agree with his reasoning and his conclusion, I have to take issue with the fact that this is all he could find to say about the game.
So here are my tips. If you have Steve Smith in your fantasy football league, thank your lucky stars. You’re about to get 40 points this week against a terrible defense. If you have Jake Delhomme, I don’t care who else you have, start him. He’s going score big too. The Panthers aren’t just an average team, by the way. They’re an above average team with some really young receivers who are still struggling to establish a new rhythm. Luckily, they have Steve Smith to bail them out while they get going. The defense is scary and suspect, but I’m not ready to write those guys off just yet. The Panthers still have a shot in the wide open NFC.
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Steve Smith Interview
The Charlotte Observer is running an interview with Carolina receiver Steve Smith. Smith is quite candid about everything from the Panthers’ woes so far this season to the cds and movies he’s into at the moment. The entire interview is extremely interesting, especially to Panthers fans, but also to anyone who enjoys football and would like a glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of one of the greatest living wide receivers in the world today. Among some of the funnier bits of the interview are the revelations that Smith is into both the movie “The Notebook” and Carrie Underwood’s newest cd.
Smith is at times funny, intelligent, and brutally honest about the state of his team. He certainly doesn’t point fingers, but it’s apparent that he knows there are issues to address, and he feels he is one team leader who must help the team to fix those problems. Smith is a family man who claims he doesn’t enjoy movies with too much cursing. He is exactly the type of face the NFL needs during these times of cheaters, ‘roid heads, and head cases. Read the interview and gain a little insight as to what makes one of the greatest guys in the NFL tick.
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Bridges Cleared to Return to Team
ESPN.com is reporting that Jeremy Bridges has been cleared to return to the Carolina Panthers after serving his team-imposed two game suspension. While it is still not clear whether Bridges will be in playing shape for this week’s game, don’t be surprised if you see Bridges in the line up almost immediately. Rookie guard Ryan Kalil did not have a very good game versus the Texans last weekend, and the Panthers will need a stronger offensive line to protect Jake Delhomme and open up a rushing game that has been less than stellar so far.
Bridges, suspended after an altercation with a stripper in which he allegedly brandished a gun, has yet to receive any sort of punishment from the league office, which could still happen, although it is unlikely. The most likely scenario would be that the Panthers bring Bridges back as soon as possible, as he stout blocking would be helpful in opening running lanes and giving Delhomme more time to find his receivers. Though rookie Kalil showed promise in his first regular season game, it is clear he still needs has some things to work on, after giving up two big sacks in last weekend’s loss to Houston.
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Panthers Slide in Power Rankings
ESPN.com has released their weekly power rankings, and the Carolina Panthers slid 4 spots this week, to number 16 overall. The Panthers have been hindered by a lack of defense, and indeed, their latest loss came in spite of three Steve Smith touchdown catches. While the Texans are a surprising upstart team, the Panthers will need to win these types of games if they hope to make the playoffs this year. Especially at home, where the Panthers actually received boos after their lackluster performance on Sunday.
The Panthers are team with big questions and big problems. They are riding Steve Smith and Steve Smith alone to all their points right now. They need to establish a run game and some type of defense, because quite frankly, Jake Delhomme is one nasty hit away from going out for a month, at which point you’re stuck with David Carr throwing to Steve Smith. Right now the only thing keeping you in games is the chemistry between Smith and Delhomme. You lose that without gaining anything else, and you’re looking at a world of hurt and a very long season.
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Panthers Defense Fails to Show Up
The Carolina Panthers got beaten up pretty badly in a shootout with the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Panthers jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in their home opener before surrendering two quick touchdowns in the third quarter on their way to allowing 34 points to the surprisingly good Texans, who are 2-0 for the first time in team history. Carolina would go on to lose the game 34-21 despite a stellar effort from playmaker Steve Smith, who had all three of the Panthers touchdowns in the losing effort. Texan Andre Johnson had big day as well, negating Smith’s touchdowns with his own.
The Panthers couldn’t run the ball, thus rendering them one-dimensional and putting their defense on the field too often. The Panthers have left many questions unanswered after week 2. Fans are beginning to wonder if perhaps this team may be the same inconsistent squad they saw last year. However, Panthers fans should hold off on pushing the panic button just yet, as the Texans have a good upstart defense and are better on offense than people know. This Texans team is going to surprise a lot of people. Consider the Panthers surprised, and expect them to bounce back next week.
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