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September 2009
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Here's what the Panthers' decision to sign quarterback A.J. Feeley really means: Carolina is covered just in case Jake Delhomme melts down again. This afternoon John Fox declared that Delhomme is still his starter this week in Atlanta, but then again... that was at 12:30. Feeley brings a veteran's experience and the ability to move around a little bit, but he's been a journeyman in the league for a reason - he has his own set of limitations. The 32-year-old out of Oregon has some starting experience, but has never found overwhelming success in the league. But he does bring the Panthers an option that they didn't have this morning, and at this point, we'll call that progress. I don't think that we'll ever know how badly yesterday's backup, Josh McCown, was really hurt. His knee and foot/ankle injuries looked like "a few weeks" kind of thing yesterday, but today, McCown goes on injured reserve. That move means that the Panthers know they can't wait for McCown to come back. They don't have the luxury of say, three weeks to wait for him to return so he goes on IR and his season ends. Hello, AJ Feeley. WHAT ABOUT JAKE? This whole episode reminds me of the Seahawks team I covered in 2001 and 2002. Matt Hasselbeck struggled and Seattle signed Trent Dilfer. No proclamations from the Seahawks front office, but you knew what it meant - Hasselbeck had to play well or else. The "or else" came quickly and Dilfer took over. It can happen here and it can happen in a hurry. Jake looks lost right now. Sure, his protection failed at times. But other quarterbacks get bad protection and they find a way to hold on to the football. Delhomme has to do that and he has to believe that he can do that. On Sunday he insisted his confidence wasn't shaken, but he's not playing like a quarterback who trusts himself right now. Can his physical skills deteriorate that quickly? Probably not. Everybody hits the wall sooner or later, but this quickly? I don't buy that. Jake's never had the strongest arm or the strongest anything, other than his desire to win and help his team. So I understand that any slippage at all for him would be costly, but like this? You know this for sure - Atlanta smells blood and they'll send pressure in waves on Sunday. Everybody will until the Panthers prove they can make teams pay dearly. Can Jake still do that? We'll find out soon enough. 3 CommentsLeave a comment |
Jake did not lose his physical skills. If that happened it would have been obvious in training camp and the preseason. He can still make the throws. What Jake seems to have lost in the last two games is the ability to see the field and anticipate where his receivers and the defenders are going to be after the ball is thrown. They say for rookies that the games slows down after their first season. It seems for Jake the game has sped up and he can't process information quickly enough to make the needed adjustments. Add relentless blitz pressure, repeated sacks and knockdowns, and he is chucking the ball up in the general area of his receivers without any thought about the location of the defenders. He is panicking and not thinking.
Jake needs to get his mental game back. He needs to calm down and focus which is easier said than done. He also needs to stop telegraphing every play to Steve Smith. When Jake is in trouble he stops doing his checkdowns and focuses on Smitty. The DBs all know this.
Bottom line is that only Jake can fix the problems he has developed. The O line needs to erect a steel curtain around him this week so he can work the cobwebs out of his brain. Even if they do he might not get ever get back to where he was. We joke that our dog picks up bad habits on her own very quickly but good ones we have to be teach over and over. I hope Jake recovers his composure or this will likely be a lost season.
...recover his composure? How many seasons does it take?
The Panthers need to stop "settling" for just an average quarterback. The key word here is "inconsistency". Sure, Jake might find a way to have a fantastic game now and then. But he lacks the ability and talent to have more good games than bad ones. I think the Panthers could be one of the great teams, but not with him as the leader. They need to find a CONSISTENTLY good quarterback that will help them stop looking foolish. Jake Delhomme gets paid way too much money to make that many mistakes.