Jake Delhomme: Quality or Not?

Carolina Panther fans seem to be torn in determining whether Jake Delhomme is a quality quarterback or not.  I think the real question should be, does Delhomme come through in the clutch and what has his record been in the past?

To begin with you cannot judge a quarterback based off of one game.  So many fans have crucified Delhomme because he had a bad game in the playoffs last year against the Arizona Cardinals and that doesn’t seem to be fair.  So let’s look at some numbers and see what Jake has done in the past.

2008    12 Wins – 4 Losses     3,288 Passing Yards   15 TD’s

2007    7 Wins – 9 Losses       624 Passing Yards      8 TD’s (Injury Year)

2006    8 Wins – 8 Losses       2,805 Passing Yards   17 TD’s

2005    11 Wins – 5 Losses     3,421 Passing Yards   24 TD’s

2004    7 Wins – 9 Losses       3,886 Passing Yards   29 TD’s

2003    11 Wins – 5 Losses     3,219 Passing Yards   19 TD’s

Past 6 Years Win Percentage:    58%

The numbers don’t lie.  Most fans in the NFL would truly appreciate having a quarterback that has won more games than they have lost (and the 2007 season skews the numbers because Jake didn’t even play in most of those games).  Another question to ask yourself is how many teams have a quarterback that has been with the team for six years?  I will be the first to admit that I haven’t always been super-excited about Jake’s performance, but I have quickly realized by looking at the numbers that Jake Delhomme has been a blessing to the Carolina Panthers.  We should appreciate his efforts and applaud his character.  Thanks Jake!