Delhomme leads Panthers to first 1-0 start since 2003
By MIKE CRANSTON
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—The last time the Carolina Panthers won their season opener, little-known Jake Delhomme had taken over at halftime for Rodney Peete and led a comeback win to kick off a magical Super Bowl run.
Four years later, a seasoned and more-criticized Delhomme was nearly flawless in the Panthers’ 27-13 win over St. Louis that ended the team’s streak of three straight 0-1 starts and quieted talk about backup David Carr taking over.
“He adjusted in the pocket and made some big throws,” coach John Fox said Monday. “A couple other instances in the game I thought he did an excellent job of avoiding the rush and making the next best thing happen.”
Delhomme was 18-of-27 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. There were none of the damaging mistakes or interceptions that plagued him last season. His 125.7 passer rating was fourth-best in the league, slightly than Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.
But Delhomme’s job was made easier by an offensive line that didn’t allow a sack and opened up enough holes for the Panthers to rush for 186 yards.
“That is very nice. When you can run effectively, it makes the passing game that much better,” Delhomme said. “Our running backs ran the ball well. Not only the top two, but certainly Brad Hoover, too. Our O-line, they need a lot of credit, too. They played pretty solid.”
It was quite different from last season, when Delhomme had little time to throw and was working with the NFL’s 24th-ranked rushing attack.
“Any quarterback does a lot better when the timing is right and you have protection,” Fox said. “I thought he did exceptionally well on some things that maybe were covered.
“He threw the ball away a couple of times that, from a coaching standpoint, those were good plays. As a fan you look at it and you wonder what they are doing. But he took a potentially bad play and managed it well, causing it to be a no play, rather than a minus play.”
The win temporarily silenced Delhomme’s critics, who have been calling for Carr to replace him. A five-year starter in Houston, many figured Carr might face his former team in Week 2 if Delhomme’s 2006 woes flared up against the Rams.
But buoyed by several wrinkles in new coordinator Jeff Davidson’s offense, the Panthers looked like a much better team than last season.
Steve Smith had seven catches for 118 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown on Delhomme’s perfectly thrown ball. Drew Carter caught two short TDs, and DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams combined to rush for 156 yards on 32 carries.
“With this offense, he gets the opportunity to run it the way he wants to run it,” Williams said of Delhomme. “It’s more open to him this year. He gets to change things. He can call a whole another play if he wants. It keeps the defense off-balance and it keeps the offense thinking and moving.”
The defense also deserves credit for helping Carolina move alone atop NFC South after losses by New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
After allowing a 7-minute, 67-yard touchdown drive on their first possession, the Panthers didn’t allow another touchdown, scoring 20 unanswered points.
Dan Morgan made a successful return from multiple concussions, making a team-high seven tackles. Rams QB Marc Bulger faced more pressure as the game wore on, and the secondary held up despite featuring new safeties Chris Harris and Deke Cooper.
Steven Jackson rushed for only 58 yards and lost two fumbles - forced by Harris and Cooper.
“You know you’re going to get something you’ve never seen and that’s one of the coaching points going into a first game - being able to adjust. Don’t panic,” Fox said. “I thought we did that pretty well on defense. We settled down after that first drive.”
With a favorable schedule, the Panthers could get off to their best start since the Delhomme-led 5-0 beginning in 2003. They’ve been 0-2, 1-2 and 1-2 the last three years. Carolina will likely be favored in its next three games against the Texans, Falcons and Buccaneers.
“This is huge. Thinking back, this is three in a row for us because we ended last year with two wins,” Williams said. “We’ve started something that we hopefully can finish at the end of the year.”