Prisco wrong on Jake

Camp tour: OK, Panthers fans, the 'Fake' was a mistake
Aug. 3, 2006
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!


Panthers: Five things to know
SPARTANBURG, S.C., -- Sometimes, you just have to admit you were wrong, so here goes:

I was wrong about Jake Delhomme.

A few years back, I anointed Delhomme, the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, as Jake the Fake. It was a wise-guy play on Jake the Snake, the nickname for then-Arizona Cardinals and current Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer.

It was a moniker that infuriated the Panthers' front-office brass. General manager Marty Hurney would often chide me in a playful way for questioning his quarterback, particularly after Delhomme took the Panthers to the Super Bowl three years ago, his first season with the team.

Some day, I told Hurney, it could change, that my perception of Delhomme as little more than a middle-of-the-road starter would look foolish.

That time has come.

Jake isn't a fake in my mind anymore. Somehow this cubic zirconia turned into a legitimate four-cut diamond.

A fugazi? Fuggedaboutit

So it was time for my comeuppance, telling Delhomme face-to-face that I was wrong. In the middle of a bevy of media requests on Wednesday at Panthers training camp -- the guy is as accommodating as any starting passer in the league -- Delhomme snuck in some time to chat.

"I just want to let you know that I was the one who labeled you Jake the Fake," I told him. "I was wrong about that."

Delhomme, the easy-going, down-home Louisiana kid, didn't flinch. Other NFL quarterbacks could have stood up and left. Some others might have questioned my sanity, angrily telling me to stick my head where the sun doesn't shine.

Delhomme simply laughed.

"I never get involved in what people think of me," Delhomme said. "I just don't care. Jake the Fake? It works, I guess."

Maybe in a rap song about him it works, but not in a football description of him. Not anymore. Despite his wild, throwing-sidearm-at-times ways, an unconventional style to play the position, Delhomme has made himself more than just an average quarterback.

His teammates swear by him. The coaches love him. Panthers fans embrace him. I know. They killed me with e-mail over his less-than-flattering moniker. It's the teammates' love that matters most.

"When he got here, we really didn't know what to expect," defensive end Mike Rucker said. "Little by little, we came to realize that you can't teach his spirit. His tenacity and wanting to win, doing anything, clawing and scratching to do it, is what sets him apart. You can't teach that. And that's what he does best."

That's what can't be gauged by looking at him. You see a quarterback of average height (6-2) with an average to above-average arm and some strange setups and throws, and you think there's nothing prototypical about him.

Watching the Panthers practice, it's hard not to let one's eyes wander to backup Chris Weinke. He is big, strong, sets up sure in the pocket and has a rocket for an arm. Delhomme looks like the understudy next to him, but he's the star of this show.

"It's not pretty, that's for sure," Panthers coach John Fox said. "There have been guys through the years, guys like Bernie Kosar, who have been productive even if they weren't pretty. That's what makes it such a hard position to evaluate. The thing we saw in Jake when we got him was that he had 'it.' He has the ability to lead. That's what makes him so good."

Delhomme came to the Panthers as a free agent in 2003. He came having been cut three times, once actually considering giving up the game to become a football coach or work as a physical therapist.

"The last time I was cut in 1999 I had to make a decision," Delhomme said. "I was getting married in February of 2000."

The Saints, the team that had cut him, signed him back later that year. He ended up playing some, started a few games the next few years and did enough to attract the interest of the Panthers, who offered him a real chance to compete for the starting job. As it worked out, he opened the 2003 season behind Rodney Peete, but came off the bench in the opener to beat Jacksonville.

It's been his job since.

In three seasons, he's led the Panthers to a Super Bowl -- they lost to the Patriots after the 2003 season -- and two NFC Championship Games, including last January's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Along the way, he's become a good quarterback.

His passer rating and completion percentage have gone up each of the past three seasons and his yards-per-attempt, a key statistic when gauging passers, has gone from 7.17 in 2003 to 7.86 in 2005. He has thrown 53 touchdown passes the past two seasons, compared to 31 interceptions. His confidence has also risen.

"A quarterback is lying if they say they think they're just OK," Delhomme said. "Every quarterback thinks they're good. They think they can get it done. I'm not different."

It's the way he gets it done that makes him different.

"He has a little Brett Favre in him," Rucker said.

That means throws on the move, sidearm deliveries that drive coaches nuts and never really setting his feet in the pocket. It also means making plays where there aren't any, and simply finding a way.

It's a style that some coaches tried to coach out of him, but the Panthers leave him be.

"Sometimes I wish I could change who I am, but I can't," Delhomme said. "A lot of times I wish I didn't throw sidearm and could keep my feet under me, but I can't. It's just not me. You work on it, and it helps. But it's who I am. And you know what, sometimes I'm glad I am who I am."

The Panthers are a trendy Super Bowl pick in the NFC this preseason. A lot of that has to do with the defense, but it also is a reflection of Delhomme. At 31, he no longer has to worry about his job security, but you'd hardly know it by talking to him. The way he's worked to become a starter makes him one who will never get comfortable on the job.

It's part of what makes him the quarterback that he is, a style that has endeared him to the Panthers fans, making him one of their favorites, and a group that will be glad to read this:

I was wrong about him. He is Jake the Fake no more.

 

And a blurb on Haynes from Prisco:

CAROLINA PANTHERS
Out of Nowhere Man
RB Alex Haynes

Haynes, who spent time on the Ravens and Panthers practice squads as a rookie, has been impressive in camp. The 5-10, 230-pound back from Central Florida could push 2005 second-round pick Eric Shelton for a roster spot. Shelton has been a major flop and if he doesn't show well in the preseason, he could be in trouble of being let go. Haynes has impressed the coaching staff so far, although it is early.
Five things you should know
"When he got here, we really didn't know what to expect," defensive end Mike Rucker said. "Little by little, we came to realize that you can't teach his spirit. His tenacity and wanting to win, doing anything, clawing and scratching to do it, is what sets him apart. You can't teach that. And that's what he does best."

 

Prisco is a retard, but I do think that if you put Jake on the Lions that no one would think of him as an above average quarterback. He would have been better than Joey Harrington, but I think our record has gotten him more attention than he would have otherwise.

 

Between Prisco's initial evaluation, and typical homerism, is where you will find the real Jake Delhomme. A good quarterback. Not great. Nowhere near perfect. But a good quarterback, who earned every ounce of his starting job. There's maybe 5-7 quarterbacks that I see as better, and a couple dozen that are either on par with Jake, or below his par. However, it's an apples and oranges game. Would you take Vick's unbelievable arm strength and speed, but sacrifice accuracy and leadership? Would I prefer Bledsoe's read/recog and accuracy, but sacrifice improvisation?

Chemistry is obviously a huge factor. Delhomme has been fortunate enough to develop it with this franchise for upwards of 50 games now.

That said:

QUIT SAILING YOUR OUTS!!!!

 

In an offense with failed 1st round talent, poor blocking, and poor use of a good running back, it would be difficult for any quarterback to be above average. No, we don't have to put Jake on the same level as Brady or Manning, but Prisco was right to call himself out on that one.

 

Everyone wants to say it is all Smitty and Moose that have done it for us but Jake deserves some of that credit too. This year will tell you more about his ability. He will have the best set of wideouts he has ever had so he should flourish. If he locks on to Smitty and does not make use of Meshawn, Carter and Colbert then I might question him.

 

Honestly I don't give Jake any of the credit for Smitty or Moose. He sailed a lot of shit that they went up and got, then turned into big yards. I give Jake a lot of credit for having guts and inspiring the team to never give up, as well as being a strong leader. So no, I wouldn't trade him for that many QBs in the league, I just can't forget that he did a lot of dumb shit even last year that almost cost us the playoffs.

 

all the Prisco cuts aside, you have to respect a guy who cooks up his own crow and takes a hearty bite.

 

When Jake got here Smitty was a special teamer with a bad temper and Moose was washed up, just sayin..........

 

That's a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Look it up.