Why Jake Delhomme Makes Me Want to Cut My Ties to His Team and Football

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

It's all a blur.

For the first time in my seven-year Panthers fandom, I had a hard time getting pumped up for a home Panthers opening week game. 

I was excited, but mostly because I thought I had kept down my cold enough overnight to be able to go to the game. I would later find out that I hadn't.

I went through all the motions of a traditional game day. I put on my newest Panthers jersey, a beautiful bright blue No. 52 Jon Beason jersey I got at Fan Fest.

I played the NFL Films music that usually gets me going. I read all the game previews and picks. I even took a long, hard look at the stadium as we passed by it on the light-rail.

No excitement whatsoever. But I was so focused on going to the game that I ignored it.

I sat next to a couple of vocal, funny fans in the upper deck. There were more fans like them all around us. With these folks sitting around us, the game atmosphere was amazing.

Much better than anything I had ever experienced in the lower deck. As a matter of fact, I vowed to never sit in the lower deck at a pro football game again.

If I had truly been into the game (and not sick), the fun of being with the right fans would have been limitless.

The game, however, was a completely different story.

After a solid opening drive that spanned 13 plays and 70 yards, culminating in a nifty touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams, the Eagles didn't just dominate the Panthers. They subjugated them.

At the end of the first quarter, the Panthers had the lead, 7-3. They still controlled the game. But in the second quarter, the Crumbling Cats reared their ugly heads as the Eagles scored 28 unanswered points.

The pathetic part of this ridiculous imitation of football by the Panthers is that the Eagles' offense only had to get about 30 yards to score their four touchdowns. Thirty yards. You may be asking if it's even possible for a team to gain 30 yards collectively to score four touchdowns.

Julius Peppers may be placing the blame for two of those touchdowns on himself and the defense, but the Eagles started the drives at Carolina's 10 and nine. That's a razor-thin margin for error. On the contrary, the defense surprised and was easily the Panthers' best unit.

The Panthers said throughout the off-season that they've been looking forward to this game for months, since that dreary January night, and that they really wanted to get that bad taste from that game out of their mouths.

But it looks like they came back the same team the Cardinals slaughtered. Delhomme hasn't fixed what was keying opposing defenses into him. The offensive line hasn't figured out how to protect Delhomme.

And Double Trouble (plus Mike Goodson) will do the Panthers no good unless the passing game can keep opposing defenses from putting eight or nine men in the box.

If the Panthers continue to play football as uninspiring as the effort they gave against the Eagles, they will lose fans (even hardcore ones such as myself—or at least what I was) and attendance.

I fully expect that to happen. Carolina plays the Falcons next week. Fox has already announced Delhomme will start. Atlanta does not have a particularly strong secondary or pass rush.

They lost their top defensive back, Domonique Foxworth, in the off-season. Their top pass rusher, John Abraham, is one of the most underrated defensive ends in the league.

He had 16 sacks last year and somehow flew under the radar. The Panthers should double-team him. That could partially solve the Falcons' defense.

But even then, Delhomme will likely telegraph a pass or two, and then stupidly throw the ball to the spot several seconds after he first locks onto his receiver.

Both throws will at least get batted down, but more likely intercepted considering Delhomme's lackluster velocity.

Then the defense, as improved as it is over the pre-season, will get run over by the Atlanta Express.

Then comes Week Three at Dallas. The Cowboys may only have an average secondary, but their extraordinary pass rush can make their entire defense look better. Mark my words: DeMarcus Ware will earn his season-high in sacks in this game.

The defense has a slim chance to chance to stop Tony Romo and Co., but don't count on it.

Even after the Panthers' Week Four bye, expect their opponents to watch game tape of the Cardinals and Eagles games, which will reveal the secrets to beating Carolina.

I have a couple tickets to the Week Five home game against the Redskins. But I don't see a lot of improvement out of every facet of the team, I will not hesitate to sell the tickets. Heck, I might not even watch the Falcons game. 

I can use my time for something more worthwhile, such as going to the batting cage to hit. I actually enjoy baseball, and a strong gut feeling tells me I have a bright future in the game.

I think that's part of the problem with my relationship with football. There used to be realistic goals that the Panthers could achieve. Milestones to look forward to and have fun trying to earn and surpass. 

Back in early January it was winning the Super Bowl. In the off-season it was re-signing Julius Peppers. In August it was making the playoffs. At dawn yesterday it was winning a game.

But not just the Eagles game. Panthers fans still believed their team could win. What goal do the Panthers have their fans believing in achieving now? Losing by fewer than 30 points?

I believe that I can go far in baseball. And I love the game. That's why I love baseball. And it's why I used to love football and the Panthers.

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