Panthers sticking with Delhomme, but Feeley now waiting
Jake Delhomme has had a two-game stretch that is almost unprecedented – but that’s in a bad way. After turning the ball over six times in the Panthers‘ playoff loss to Arizona last season, Delhomme still got a big contract extension. So what did he do in Sunday’s season opener against the Eagles? Turn the ball over five more times.
So that’s 11 turnovers in two games. By comparison, the Giants and Dolphins had 13 turnovers all last season. Delhomme’s turnovers Sunday led to 24 Eagles points. He threw four picks and fumbled once before he was pulled in the third quarter. Coach John Fox made the move to Josh McCown after Delhomme threw back-to-back interceptions.
“It’s frustrating,” Delhomme said. “Practices have been good, I’ve been throwing the ball well. I felt good. We came out and had a really nice long opening drive, we made some plays. It’s frustrating, especially to open the season this way. We’ve still got a lot more to go.”
But Delhomme will start on Sunday at Atlanta, which is a 6.5-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.
“It’s like Tiger Woods doesn’t win every tournament. [Roger] Federer doesn’t win every tournament,” Fox said. “There’s a lot of people out there that practice and get paid, too.”
Fox said Delhomme’s role “hasn’t changed.” He offered this when asked how much job security the quarterback has: “Probably like the security of all of us. Day to day.”
The coach added that Delhomme’s stat line was a byproduct of problems throughout the passing game.
“I think it’s definitely true, and after watching every play on the tape, it’s not just Jake. We didn’t execute well in the passing game,” Fox said. “The quarterback is easy to blame, but it’s not always accurate.”
Week 2 isn’t going to be any easier for Delhomme. Atlanta’s defense played well against Miami, forcing four turnovers and coming up with four sacks in a 19-7 win.
McCown beat out Matt Moore for the No. 2 job, but McCown got hurt Sunday, so the team signed former Eagle A.J. Feeley, who is a much bigger threat to unseat Delhomme than McCown was.
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