Pro. Jake Delhomme

[NewsCopy]

BREAUX BRIDGE — The business cards that cover every inch of Mulate’s low ceiling sprinkled the screaming fans like confetti as they stood on chairs and pounded every surface in sight Sunday, when it appeared that native son Jake Delhomme had won a Super Bowl victory.

Then, they got sucker-punched.

The New England Patriots’ Adam Vinatieri landed a 41-yard field goal with only 4 seconds remaining, to snatch a win in what undoubtedly will go down as the one of the more exciting second-half-offensive games in Super Bowl history.

After that stunned silence, the fans collected themselves and became philosophical.

Eventually, they cheered again for their thwarted hero.

“Way to go, Jake! Way to go!”

Chris Domingue of Breaux Bridge said Delhomme couldn’t be blamed for the loss — his performance was stellar.

“He did great,” he said. “It’s only his first year as a starting quarterback.”

Domingue and his wife, Vanessa, have been so impressed with Delhomme that they plan to name their first child after the starting quarterback — if the baby is a boy, of course.

“At the beginning of the year, he said if Jake made it to the Super Bowl, that’s what we’d name the baby,” said Vanessa Domingue. “Now, we’re just trying to figure out a middle name.”

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Brittain Quibodeaux
bquibode@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Delhomme spectacular in defeat

HOUSTON — Jake Delhomme needed one more chance.

If he’d gotten it, then maybe the outcome would have been different.

Perhaps, then, it would have been Delhomme, the Cajun from Breaux Bridge, driving off in the Cadillac given to the MVP of Super Bowl XXXVIII.

As it was, his fourth-quarter touchdown passes weren’t enough. His Carolina Panthers couldn’t hold on for overtime, and the Patriots escaped with a 32-29 victory before 71,525 fans at Reliant Stadium, ending Delhomme’s and the Panthers’ Cinderella season.

Delhomme made a good run at the Super Bowl, though, guiding the Patriots to three fourth quarter touchdowns, the last two coming on touchdown throws of 85 yards, giving Carolina a 29-22 lead, and a 12-yarder, pulling them to a 29-29 tie.

Before then, Delhomme had to overcome a difficult start.

But Delhomme, who completed 16-of-33 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns, has grown accustomed to slow beginnings.

He usually finishes with a flurry, however.

Just take his entire football career.

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Nakia Hogan

[NewsCopy]

HOUSTON (AP) — All the Carolina Panthers wanted was for Jake Delhomme to have a shot at leading them to victory in the fourth quarter. No matter how bad he looked for most of the first three quarters of the Super Bowl, they knew he’d come through when it mattered most.

He did. It just wasn’t enough to top the last-second dramatics of New England kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Despite a go-ahead 85-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad and a 12-yarder to Ricky Proehl that tied it with 1:08 left, Delhomme could only watch helplessly as Vinatieri kicked the Patriots past the Panthers 32-29 Sunday night.

“I just wanted to watch the celebration and let it hurt even more,” Delhomme said. “In two days when I am going to be complaining and whining, I am just going to keep on working and try to get back here and be on the other side of the rope.”

When Carolina’s last-chance kickoff return was stopped and time expired without him getting back on the field, the Cajun quarterback stood on the sideline with his helmet off, his hands on his hips, biting his lip.

He was practically in a trance, his eyes red-rimmed, as he watched New England celebrating amid the falling confetti, snapping out of it when Patriots running back Kevin Faulk came by for a quick hug.

Of all the thoughts flooding Delhomme’s mind, there had to be a sense of what might’ve been. After all, he’d missed 2-point conversion passes after the first two of Carolina’s three fourth-quarter touchdowns. With one or both of those, everything else might’ve been different.

“I just wanted to watch the celebration and let it hurt even more,” Delhomme said. “In two days when I am going to be complaining and whining, I am just going to keep on working and try to get back here and be on the other side of the rope.”

Delhomme completed only one of his first nine passes, for just 1 yard, and the offense had minus-7 yards after seven drives. He also was sacked three times in that span, losing a fumble that set up New England’s first touchdown.

But Delhomme recovered to finish 16-of-33 for 323 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. He was sacked only once more and looked far more in control, especially in the fourth quarter, when Carolina scored touchdowns on its last three possessions.

The Panthers were used to this kind of nail-biting finish, although they usually were the ones who ended up celebrating. They were 7-0 in games decided by three points or less — until Sunday. Delhomme had led them to eight second-half comeback wins.

Carolina also tied an NFL record with three overtime wins, then won in double overtime in the second round of the playoffs.

What they wouldn’t have done for one more extra period this time.

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[NewsCopy]

HOUSTON — If this was to be a truly epic season for the New England Patriots, an exclamation mark was needed at the end. Something to remember them by, boldfacing the greatness of a 15-game winning streak.

A Super Bowl winning field goal — ANOTHER Super Bowl winning field goal — by Adam Vinatieri.

A fourth quarter display of poise and will by Tom Brady that could get him confused with Joe Montana.

New England 32, Carolina 29.

Sure. That ought to do it.

Vinatieri’s 41-yard field goal with four seconds left ended a shootout to savor Sunday night, giving the Patriots their second championship in three years, and making Super Bowl legends of the man who kicked it and the man who passed him close enough to do it.

A dynasty? It seems far too early to utter the very word.

But one of the finest seasons of our time? Who could argue, about the longest winning streak since the unbeaten Miami Dolphins in 1972?

A team that did not lose since September, blowing through the land of parity?

A team that answered every challenge, including the one Sunday by a Carolina team and quarterback that would not fall?

“It was a great team effort again,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We’ve done it 15 weeks in a row. This team has met all comers this year. There’s been some heart attacks ... but these guys are champions.”

Once again, it was Vinatieri at the end. As he was two years ago when he beat the St. Louis Rams at the gun from 48 yards.

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[NewsCopy]

February 2, 2004 -- HOUSTON — Over the first 26:55 of Super Bowl XXXVIII, you figured the team that had its defense on the field last would win the game. This one resembled the '85 Bears against the 2000 Ravens. Tom Brady's Patriots and Jake Delhomme's Panthers fought for every last inch in the midst of a savage turf war that threatened to tick past midnight before one side would surrender its end zone to the other.
And then a Gunfight at the OK Corral erupted between Brady and Delhomme.

No one could have liked Delhomme's chances.

No one except Delhomme.

Apparently stricken with Belichickitis during a 1-for-9, 1-yard start, Delhomme magically became a Ragin' Cajun and transformed the Panthers into Cardiac Cats. They would be Comeback Kids today against most quarterbacks.

"Jake Delhomme threw the [heck] out of it against our defense, which you don't see very much," Brady said.

But Brady, the 32-29 winner, is not most quarterbacks.


With the Lombardi Trophy for the taking, Brady, the MVP, threw the heck out of the ball against the Carolina defense, which you don't see very much.

"They got the ball last," John Fox said.

Only once did Brady lose his Montana cool, when he threw off his back foot with Al Wallace in his face from the 10 and Reggie Howard intercepted in the end zone.

So now Delhomme, down 21-16, had 7:38 to cover 90 yards.

He covered 85 of them with a lightning touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad, and it was 22-21.

Brady had 6:47 to march his team into position for Adam Vinatieri to win another Super Bowl with his right foot.

He marched them 68 yards into the end zone instead.

He hit David Givens for 25 yards and Givens again for 18 and finally Mike Vrabel, the linebacker, for the one-yard TD pass that made it 29-22 with 2:51 left.

Delhomme had 2:51 to cover 80 yards.

He covered them in seven plays, one a 31-yard dart to Ricky Proehl, and 1:43, and tied it with a 12-yard TD pass to Proehl.

Brady had 1:08 and the ball at his 40 because, heavens to Jim Fassel and Matt Bryant, John Kasay kicked one out of bounds.

He did it with a 17-yard pass to Deion Branch (10-143-1 TD) and here came Vinatieri for the 41-yard game-winner with four seconds left. "He's The Iceman," Ted Johnson said.

So is Brady.

"Who would you rather have running the two-minute offense in today's age of football than Tom Brady?" Charlie Weis said.

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New York Post
Steve Serby

[NewsCopy]

Sheldon Mickles: Delhomme did all he could do

HOUSTON -- A disbelieving Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme sat in stunned silence Sunday night on his team's sideline in Reliant Stadium.
The former Louisiana-Lafayette and New Orleans Saints quarterback knew he had just been a huge part of the most exhilarating Super Bowl ever -- one complete with a 37-point fourth-quarter barrage by two defensive-minded teams -- and he couldn't enjoy any of it.

A furious final-quarter comeback that was fueled by his two touchdown passes and a scoring run by teammate DeShaun Foster -- which wiped out a completely dreadful start to Super Bowl XXXVIII -- went down the drain as Delhomme watched the New England Patriots march down the field.

Then, he watched as Adam Vinatieri broke his heart with a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left.

And four agonizing seconds later, Delhomme stood on the field and watched the Patriots celebrate their 32-29 victory.

If it sounds like Delhomme was rubbing a little salt in his own wound by remaining on the field a little longer than usual, that's exactly what he did.

After congratulating Patriots running back Kevin Faulk, an Acadiana-area neighbor and former LSU player on winning his second Super Bowl ring in three seasons, Delhomme stayed on the field a few minutes more to "make it hurt."

"I wanted to watch and let it soak in," Delhomme said later.

"I wanted to let it hurt a little more and then see how it feels to get to the other side of the rope. Somehow, we're going to find a way to get to the other side."

Delhomme, who joined the St. Louis Rams' Kurt Warner as the only undrafted quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl, certainly did everything in his power to win Sunday night's game.

He completed 16 of 33 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns -- including an 85-yard pitch to Muhsin Muhammad to give his team the lead for the first time at 22-21, the first time the Patriots had trailed in a game since Nov. 23.

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By SHELDON MICKLES
smickles@theadvocate.com
Advocate sportswriter

[NewsCopy]

HOUSTON — Jake Delhomme passed offensive guard Jeno James late Sunday night as he walked down the dimly-lit corridor toward the Carolina Panthers' locker room at Reliant Stadium.

"Great game,” James said.

Delhomme didn't raise his head, which was dropped seemingly halfway to the floor. He said the last time he felt so bad after a loss was as a senior in high school when he lost in the state semifinals.

"I cried like a baby,” he said.

Asked what he planned to do after the 32-29 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII he forced a smile and said, "I don't know. I just don't know.”

Had Delhomme gotten one more possession he might be celebrating like New England quarterback Tom Brady, who was named the game's most valuable player after completing 32-of-48 pass attempts for 354 yards and three touchdowns.

He was practically unstoppable down the stretch, completing an 85-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad to give the Panthers a 22-21 lead with 6:53 remaining and a 12-yard touchdown pass with 1:08 left to knot the score at 29-29.

He finished 16-for-33 for 323 yards, making it the first Super Bowl two quarterbacks surpassed 300 yards passing since Joe Montana and Dan Marino in Super Bowl XIX.

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By DAVID NEWTON
(803) 802-2091
sportsscribe01@aol.com.

[Turbine]

I would just say to compare Jakes SuperBowl performance to Dan Marino's is being disingenuous to Jake.

Yeah they both passed for over 300 yards in a Superbowl, but Jake had 3 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions.

Marino had 318 yards on 50 attempts and only 1 TD coupled with 2 interceptions.

[NewsCopy]

Carolina QB Jake Delhomme was sacked four times by New England but threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns while nearly leading the Panthers to their first Super Bowl victory.

HOUSTON -- At the beginning, Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was fighting nerves. At the end, he was fighting tears.

At the beginning Delhomme seemed as skittish as a blindfolded colt in a barn on fire. At the end, he was in command of the biggest stage in sports.

For a quarter Sunday, Delhomme couldn't find an open receiver, couldn't avoid a rushing New England Patriots defender, couldn't feel the movement of his line, couldn't make his arm throw the football freely, couldn't make his heart beat slower than a hummingbird's, couldn't catch his breath or will a receiver to catch a pass.

That was when Delhomme was 1-for-9 for 1 yard passing, when he had been sacked three times and when it seemed the Panthers wouldn't score until 2005 and might become the first team ever to have negative yardage in a Super Bowl.

And then Delhomme took the Panthers on a 95-yard drive of creative thinking, gutsy play-calling and football-slinging bravado. It was when Delhomme found receiver Muhsin Muhammad for 23 yards, ageless Ricky Proehl for 15 yards and irrepressible Steve Smith for the 39-yard touchdown that seemed to free all the Panthers of their offensive sloppiness and mark the beginning of the ferocious competition that would mark the rest Super Bowl XXXVIII.

"You were a tackle away from being MVP," someone told Delhomme an hour after New England had won its second Super Bowl in three years with a 32-29 victory against the Panthers.

There was a moment of silence as a puddle of tears gathered in Delhomme's eyes. "I don't feel like that at all," Delhomme said. "I feel like I want to keep playing because otherwise we're the losers. And what not."

"And what not."

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By Diane Pucin
Los Angeles Times

[CajunFanatic91]

Well Jake you didn't win but you sure as hell did better then Brady.

I hope they cut the guy who kicked the last kickoff out of bounds!!!