Carolina Panthers: Can They Join The NFL Elite?

ESPN's John Clayton seems to believe the Carolina Panthers are just one bad elbow away from disaster.

Let's look at Clayton's evaluation of the Panthers' situation at quarterback.

"The Carolina Panthers tried to upgrade at backup quarterback last season, but David Carr was a bust. Now, no team has a more fragile quarterback situation than Carolina.

"Starter Jake Delhomme is coming back from Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. A healthy Delhomme could take the Panthers to the playoffs. An unhealthy Delhomme could cost management jobs in Carolina.

"The backup is Matt Moore, an undrafted player plucked from the Cowboys' roster in September. The Panthers like Moore, but things could get dicey if he must start."

First of all, how many baseball players have come back from Tommy John surgery to pitch again? The answer is literally thousands.

Now many of those who have had the procedure are high school and collegiate players who went through little league throwing way too many fastballs or tossing too many breaking balls before their growth plates had finished maturing. 

There are also scores of major league ballplayers who have had the operation.  The surgery has an overall success rate of about 90 percent.

Delhomme is in good company with players like John Smoltz, Mariano Rivera, Matt Morris, Tom Gordon and Jose Canseco who have all had successful Tommy John surgery. This operation has become highly refined and has proven very effective in prolonging the careers of some of the best pitchers in baseball.

Those are just a few of the "big name" players to have successfully had the procedure.  Let's not forget Tommy John...John had the original surgery done by pioneering surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe, and after 18 months of rehabilitation, John started to pitch again.

Not only did John pitch again, but John went on to pitch for 13 more years, to the ripe old age of 46.  A 2002-2003 look at baseball pitchers revealed that roughly 75 of out 700 players had the surgery. 

About 1 in 9 pitchers have had their Ulnar Collateral Ligament replaced.   After rehab, most of these players just have a 4 inch scar and a better throwing arm.

So, why is John Clayton so worried about Jake Delhomme not making it back or  going out due to a hit placed on his elbow?   The truth is a quarterback's arm  will typically take a lot less abuse and stress than that of a major league baseball pitcher.

Remember, once healed, the procedure is not like a concussion where just one more hit may end a career. It is actually a small piece of tendon, taken from the player's own body (either the forearm or leg) and surgically placed where the original worn-out ligament used to be.  A direct hit on the area of the operation or directly on the scar may be painful but it should not be career-ending.

Delhomme had the procedure done because his throwing motion had become too painful.  The surgery has been a success, as Delhomme has reported no pain when throwing and is already exhibiting very good ball control ahead of his rehab schedule.

Also, for baseball pitchers, the rehab period is 18 months, but for other athletes the rehab period can be as low as six to eight months. The demands on the new tendons of non-pitchers are not nearly as taxing as the demands the repetitive throwing motion places on a pitcher's elbow. 

Delhomme should be fine.  If he has a setback, then Matt Moore is there and ready to play. Moore's career has gone a bit like that of a young Jake Delhomme before Delhomme landed a roster spot in 2003.  Delhomme was also an undrafted rookie who came off the bench, while trailing in the opening game, only to come back and win the game. Delhomme then took the Panthers all the way to the Super Bowl.

When finally given the chance to play last season, Moore came in relief of an injured David Carr and completed a 43-yard bomb on his very first pass play. But David Carr quickly returned to the game and Moore was again "shelved" in favor of Carr and Vinnie Testaverde.  However, late in the season, Moore excelled when he had his chance and he basically beat the class of the NFC in the final 3 games.

Moore won two games outright, and he seemed to really outplay the Dallas Cowboys while facing adversity from all sides, including an officiating crew who seemed to have possibly forgotten their job duties during a few plays.  There were two major calls that were totally blown. The fans at Bank of America Stadium were furious as were the Panthers players and staff (in a very rare moment even many of the Cowboy fans in attendance were dumbfounded by the lack of proper officiating and also "boo'ed" the refs' lack of action after seeing the instant replay of a potential game changing pass interference call that was not called).  Even though those all important "non-calls" were easily game-changing in nature, Moore kept his cool and fought until the end. Had the game been better officiated, the Panthers could easily have finished 3-0 with the undrafted rookie under center. 

In the last game of the season against the Tampa Bay Bucs the Panthers' and Moores' efforts were criticized because some critics felt the game was not a true challenge because the Bucs had rested a few starters.  I beg to differ with that analysis because the Panthers as well, had a handful of players out of that game due to injury, including the fact they were playing with what amounted to a 4th string, undrafted rookie free agent, walk-on playing as their starting quarterback.

If Delhomme needs a little help to make him feel more comfortable in the "pocket", he now has standout blocker Jordan Gross watching his blindside. Delhomme will have one of the largest and possibly most dominant offensive lines in the NFL.

To help take more heat off of Delhomme the Panthers added a new "power" runner to the mix. The new running back, Jonathan Stewart, weighs in at a very muscular 235 pounds. Stewart should be able to help Delhomme by blocking  blitzing linebackers and by using his punishing rushing style to help keep opposing defenses off balance. 

Deangelo Williams will also share duties at tailback this season. He is a very solid "change of pace" back. Williams showed glimpses of greatness last year when finally given the bulk of the carries at the end of the season.

Delhomme  now has a receiving corps that should be one of the top five units in the NFL and a unit that is very similar to the cast of characters that were around for the 2003 Super Bowl run.

Mushin Mohammad is a few years older now and should be a great possession receiver playing a role very similar to the role once played by former Panther Ricky Proehl. D.J. Hackett should fill the second receiver's role once held by Mohammad and Steve Smith...well, he is still Steve Smith. That name alone  means he is one of the best in the business.

The Panthers also have a kickoff specialist capable of kicking the ball out of the end zone. This will force opponents to start drives on their own 20-yard line instead of their 30- or 40-yard line. Stewart should also be an effective kick returner, giving the Panthers better starting field position this season.  

Considering the Panthers schedule, the offensive changes and a stronger, faster defensive unit, the Panthers have a very good chance at success.

The Panthers could probably plug in Matt Moore, Brett Basanez, Lester Ricard, Taylor Tharp or any other backup QB signee they could find and still walk away playoff bound at the end of the season.  But can this team actually win a playoff game, advance toward a championship and become one of the leagues' elite teams? With a healthy Jake Delhomme or Matt Moore at the helm, they certainly  can.