Jake Delhomme's Future: Does He Deserve to Start in 2009?

Jake Delhomme's Return from Tommy John Surgery was a great success in the 2008 season.

He threw for 3,288 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. However, after his extremely poor performance against the Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional Playoffs where he threw five interceptions, many are saying he shouldn't be the starter of the Carolina Panthers in the 2009 season.

Jake Delhomme has a career record of 50-32 as a starter for the Carolina Panthers. Including three trips to the playoffs where he holds a 5-3 record. As a Panther he has had made two trips to the NFC Championship game and one trip to the Super Bowl. He had a career night in the 2003 Super Bowl where he threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, just losing to the Patriots 32-29.

So the question remains, where does Delhomme go from here? He hit his career low when he threw five interceptions against the Cardinals, but history shows that it can be a learning experience for Delhomme.

In the 2001-2002 playoffs, the Packers Brett Favre threw six interceptions against the St. Louis Rams while the Rams routed the Packers 45-17.

Since the 2001-2002 season Brett Favre has gone on to four pro bowls and has led the Packers to the NFC Championship game in 2007. Needless to say Brett Favre has done good for himself since that rough game against the Rams in 2002.

In the 2003-2004 season Kurt Warner fumbled six times in the regular season opener against the New York Giants. After that game the Rams pretty much dumped Kurt Warner to the curb for Marc Bulger.

The New York Giants eventually picked Warner up, but after he went 5-4, they elected to start rookie Eli Manning.

Following that season he ended up in Arizona and, well, lets see what Kurt has done since then. He struggled to take command of a bombing franchise at first, but he has since almost single-handedly (with help from Larry Fitzgerald) taken the Arizona Cardinals franchise to the NFC Championship game this season. He has been elected to the Pro Bowl for the NFC also.

Not bad for a player just dumped to the curb. Bad decision Rams and Giants.

So through that, history shows Delhomme may have hit a rough patch. But needless to say he will be the starter going into the 2009 season for the Carolina Panthers, and don't expect this trend to continue for Delhomme.

Expect the Panthers to contend for the NFC South Division next year with Delhomme piloting the Carolina Panthers offense.