Pro. Jake Delhomme

[PantherCanada]

Speaking of the victory cartwheel, folks.... this is the coolest animated .gif I have ever made..... just had to share...

It's huge on dialup and will even take about 30 seconds on broadband but it's worth it....

(you may have to refresh after a minute or so to get the whole thing).

[Turbine]

Speaking of the victory cartwheel, folks.... this is the coolest animated .gif I have ever made..... just had to share...

Love it, LUV IT.

I might go so far as to say I'm head over heels for it.

[DaddyCajun]

Speaking of the victory cartwheel, folks.... this is the coolest animated .gif I have ever made..... just had to share...

It's huge on dialup and will even take about 30 seconds on broadband but it's worth it....

(you may have to refresh after a minute or so to get the whole thing).

So when does this competition "Air" on TV?

DaddyCajun!

[NewsCopy]

Jake Delhomme never had a doubt that he belonged, even though players from Class A schools sometimes seem overmatched in the Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star Game.

When Delhomme starred at Teurlings Catholic, he played quarterback, defensive back and also won games as a kicker.

In fact, he made the Class A All-State team at safety because record-setting Evangel High passer Josh Booty was the quarterback.

But when Delhomme reported for LHSCA practice in 1993, he felt comfortable with his chances to impress.

"That was a long ways from now," said Delhomme, the former Louisiana Ragin' Cajun star who is preparing for his third year as the starting quarterback for the NFL's Carolina Panthers.

"I never had any doubts that I could succeed," he added. "At that time, I had already been working out with the USL team, and I found I was on a par with them. And after the first (all-star) practice, I said, 'This is me. This is what I'm supposed to do.' "

All-Star coaches were quick to notice his ability, as the Breaux Bridge product erased any doubts they might have had.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

Football Gear

[NewsCopy]

Anyone who knows Jake Delhomme knows about his legendary intensity in football.

When he quarterbacked the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl after the 2003 season, finally getting his chance to lead an NFL team after years as a New Orleans Saints backup, he passed the Panthers to within an Adam Vinatieri field goal of an upset in a 32-29 loss to the New England Patriots.

At game's end, he was the last Carolina player to leave the field because he wanted to remember the gut-wrenching feeling of being so close to fulfilling a dream.

So, when injuries and uneven play doomed the Panthers' 2004 season almost before it began, Delhomme was miserable. And he bore much of the weight on his own shoulders.

"You can blame injuries (to Stephen Davis and Steve Smith, for example) for our 1-7 start and our lack of continuity, but we just needed to play good football," said Delhomme, who is wrapping up loose ends in the Acadiana area before Carolina's July 29 start of camp.

"We just weren't playing well, and after a few losses, you try to do too much instead of trusting what you've been doing all your life."

The Panthers roared back in the second half of the season but fell short of the playoffs with a 7-9 finish.

"The guys did not complain or point fingers, and a lot of the young guys got a chance to play and develop," Delhomme said. "It was a growing experience for me."

Delhomme freely admits he's one of those who tried to do too much as the Panthers struggled out of the gate. Davis had been the chief running force in the 2003 Super Bowl season, and Smith was Delhomme's go-to deep threat, so with both sidelined the former Louisiana Ragin' Cajun began pressing.

"It's extremely hard when you're the quarterback," Delhomme said. "Everybody wants to win. You have that burning desire to succeed. But last year I didn't have some of the guys I'd had the year before.

"Last year, I was searching. I would sit down with (veteran QB) Rodney Peete and say, 'Tell me the truth. What am I doing that I should be doing differently?'

"I got calls from (quarterback and ex-Saints teammate) Billy Joe Tolliver and (All-Pro linebacker) Bryan Cox, encouraging me. They would tell me that my feet were all over the place and that I was throwing the ball all over the field. They told me to just relax and play, and that's what I started to do."

Delhomme compiled the best statistical season of his NFL career in 2004, hitting 58.2 percent of his passes for 3,886 yards and 29 touchdowns with just 15 interceptions and an 87.3 passer rating. But the only numbers he saw were 7-and-9.

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[PantherCanada]

So when does this competition "Air" on TV?

DaddyCajun!

Well, it already was on this past weekend (July 16th/17th) and that was the first airing.

However, I understand NFL Network will be showing it again shortly (and then they always show it in offseason a couple times too before the next one in Summer 2006).

Maybe someone knows when it's on NFL Network? If I find out I'll let you know but because I don't have NFL Network (can't get it here yet) I'm not sure.

[PantherCanada]

Just updated my site with some screenshots of the QB Challenge, thought some of you may be interested....

http://www.thecarolinacajun.com

[Turbine]

A gift from King Rob Harris

[CDeb]

High-larious!

[RedBug58]

That is awsome!!!!!!