Pro. Jake Delhomme

[NewsCopy]

CHARLOTTE — When “Sports Illustrated” picked the Carolina Panthers to win the Super Bowl this season, you’d have to imagine this was the type of performance they envisioned from Jake Delhomme and company. Behind a near perfect first half, the Panthers bolted to an early 24-point lead and sank the hapless Minnesota Vikings 38-13 on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium to move into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South with Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Delhomme bounced back from his head injury by throwing three touchdown passes, while Steve Smith set a new team record with 201 yards receiving and Stephen Davis added two more touchdown runs, his eighth and ninth of the season. Defensively, the Panthers picked up where they left off in Detroit, knocking Duante Culpepper out of the game on the final play of the first quarter while holding the Vikings to just 253 yards, most of those coming when the game was out of hand. The Panthers didn’t force any turnovers, but did have four sacks and limited Minnesota’s running backs to 36 yards. “I told the team afterward it was the first time we put 60 minutes together in all three phases,” said Panthers head coach John Fox. Smith, in particular, was amazing. Inspired by the trash talking of Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot, Smith showed incredible speed on a 69-yard reception and amazing agility with another leaping one-handed grab. “Sometimes you don’t pick a fight with a bigger bully,” Smith said after the game. Delhomme finished with a quarterback rating of 141.1, the second-highest rating of his career. “We did some good things in the passing game today and a lot of that starts with number 89,” Delhomme said of Smith. The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE, La. - Jake Delhomme, a Cajun to the core, was about as popular as a backup quarterback could be during his time with the New Orleans Saints. Since he left for Carolina in 2003 - leading the Panthers to the Super Bowl and keeping them in playoff contention ever since - New Orleans has been left to wonder what could have been if Delhomme had been given a chance to compete with Aaron Brooks for the starting job. Delhomme's latest return to Louisiana, where he's never lost since leaving New Orleans, comes on the very week the Saints gave up on Brooks, benching him in favor of Todd Bouman. "We're 3-10, so let's see what the other kid can do," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. "Let's see if there is another Jake Delhomme here, or can Todd Bouman be a No. 1 quarterback in the league." Brooks does not expect to play for the Saints again, given that he's due $6.5 million in salary and bonuses next year and $7.5 million in 2007. With the Saints ready to explore other options - they might even finish low enough in the standings to draft USC's Matt Leinart - it might make sense to unload Brooks' salary. Bouman, 33, is in his ninth season and has started only three games. He had his best game with Minnesota in 2001, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns filling in for Daunte Culpepper against Tennessee. Today, he may need to summon a similar performance against the Panthers (9-4), who have been strong defensively and will be hungry for a victory after losing last week to Tampa Bay. That defeat cost Carolina its hold on first place in the NFC South. "It's that time of year. It's a must game," Delhomme said. "You could say we're mad. Any time you lose, you're down and you're upset." Delhomme's success has come despite average passing numbers. Playing in a run-oriented scheme, he has thrown for fewer yards (2,822) than Brooks (2,882) this season. But Delhomme has a knack for making clutch plays and managing the game well enough to win, while Brooks has often undermined otherwise impressive performances with untimely turnovers. The Cajun QB's rise has made him a celebrity in his hometown of Breaux Bridge, near Lafayette. Some stores there display Panthers jerseys in the windows. And it takes less than an hour to drive from Breaux Bridge to the open-air Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. The effect could be one of the friendliest road environments the Panthers have encountered, far different than the loud, hostile Louisiana Superdome. Delhomme has acquired tickets for numerous relatives and has been home enough in recent years to appreciate his popularity. "I think it will be a decent little crowd," said Delhomme, who played his college ball for Louisiana-Lafayette. "I'm not saying it's going to be packed, but there will be some people there. LSU hasn't played in a couple of weeks, and people might just show up (today). They love football." The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE - It was a sign of the times. There were more Jake Delhomme No. 17 Carolina Panthers jerseys visible in LSU's Tiger Stadium on Sunday than there were Joe Horn No. 87's. It looked that way on the scoreboard, too, as Delhomme ran for one touchdown and passed for another in a 27-10 victory that vaulted the 10-4 Panthers back on top in the competitive NFC South Division. The hurricane-ravaged Saints, who seemingly have played all over this season without going anywhere, slipped to 3-11. It was a return to form for the Panthers after a home loss to Tampa Bay last week. "It's nice to win," Delhomme said. "We were 9-4 last week, and you'd have sworn we were 4-9. That was our mindset this week. We wanted to come back. "This (New Orleans) is one of the most talented teams in the NFL, and it's hard to win one game in this league. Having 10 wins is nice, but it doesn't mean anything yet. It's not an easy road for any one of us." "This was a tough win on the road," Carolina coach John Fox said. "This team always gives us fits, and they've won the last two times we've played them. It's nice that the team took care of business on the road." The Saints knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs in the 2004 regular-season finale, then won 23-20 at Carolina to start the 2005 campaign after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. But Delhomme kept his record clean of never losing to his old NFL address in Louisiana, with previous wins in the Superdome and now at LSU. "I have no feelings towards Tiger Stadium," Delhomme said. "I have nothing here. Everything is the Superdome for me. It is a nice feeling that my family and friends can drive over and see me play." Some 32,551 tickets were distributed for the game, and a large portion were fans of Delhomme's from his hometown of Breaux Bridge or from his days as leader of Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns. The rest of the story Bruce Brown bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Cajun Country's favorite son returned home Sunday. You could tell by the thick accents. Or the fans' most common choice of attire for the day: a No. 17 Panthers' jersey with Delhomme in big block letters on the back, either in black or white, paired with a choice of University of Louisiana at Lafayette ballcap, red or white. Or the throng chanting "Jake, Jake, Jake" that gathered postgame on the east side of LSU's Tiger Stadium. That bunch was decidedly larger than the subdued crowd that found its way to the north side, where the New Orleans Saints exited. Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme hoisted children for pictures and signed autographs. All the while, he flashed that familiar smile. The scene may have had a rock-star quality, except for the easy-going neighborhood feel. "I knew I was going to have a great deal of people," Delhomme said, "and that's nice -- they can come and watch us play. Certainly, you're honored when you have a lot of fans in the stands. I'm just happy they can drive back home with a smile." The homecoming/Cajun get-together took place as the Panthers (10-4) established a one-game lead in a tight NFC South division race with a 27-10 win over the Saints. There are two games remaining in the regular season. The rest of the story By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN jschiefelbein@theadvocate.com Advocate sportswriter

[Pirogue]

WWW.PANTHERS.COM

[Turbine]

A Ragin' Cajun Pro Bowler

[NewsCopy]

Four Carolina Panthers were selected to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday. Quarterback Jake Delhomme, wide receiver Steve Smith, offensive guard Mike Wahle, and defensive end Julius Peppers were selected to the NFC squad for the All star game in Hawaii after the season. Punter Jason Baker is a first alternate to the NFC Pro Bowl squad. Special teams player Karl Hankton, middle linebacker Dan Morgan and return man Steve Smith are second alternates. Safety Mike Minter and cornerback Ken Lucas are third alternates. The rest of the story

[RaginRash]

WWW.PANTHERS.COM

What about those naughty, naughty cheerleaders? They get my vote!

Way to geaux Jake!

[DaddyCajun]

What about those naughty, naughty cheerleaders? They get my vote!

Way to geaux Jake!

I totally agree, way to go Jake!! Do you think the Panthers will make it to the Super Bowl again this year?

DaddyCajun!!

[studentfan]

Man it's going to be tough to beat Seattle this year, I really hope Jake and the Panthers do it but I'm not completely confident they will.

I totally agree, way to go Jake!! Do you think the Panthers will make it to the Super Bowl again this year?

DaddyCajun!!