How Elite Were They? #55- Jake Delhomme’s 12-win 2008 Season

Photo Credit: NFL

By Zane Miller

After going undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette (now simply Louisiana) in the 1997 NFL Draft, Jake Delhomme’s prospects of becoming a starting quarterback at the NFL level appeared far-fetched, especially with the Ragin’ Cajuns posting average records with Delhomme leading the team for his final two seasons. However, the 1997 offseason also coincided with the New Orleans Saints cleaning house after a disastrous 4-12 record the previous year. This included the quarterback room, as starter Jim Everett was released in favor of former top-five draft pick Heath Shuler, who was looking to resurrect his career after failing to latch on with the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders).

Now needing an extra quarterback to add to the roster, the Saints picked up Delhomme with Lafayette only being a couple hours west of the Big Easy. The Saints had no intention of starting Delhomme in what was technically his rookie season, only suiting up in preseason games while spending the regular season on the practice squad. However, it might have been worth giving him a shot in 1997, as New Orleans’ new quarterback plan did not whatsoever. Shuler threw for just two touchdowns in his nine starts before going down with a season-ending injury, and none of the three backup quarterbacks that were trotted out in the second half of the year could right the ship. The Saints finished with the worst offense in the NFL, but somehow salvaged a 6-10 record.

The spring of 1998 would be an interesting time for Delhomme, as he would not be a part of the Saints roster, though the team would still retain his rights during the NFL season proper. Instead, he was sent over to NFL Europe in the league’s first season under that moniker, going by the “World League of American Football” previously. Even overseas, Delhomme was unable to break into the starting lineup right away, as he was the backup to future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner with the Amsterdam Admirals. Warner, of course, would have his big break the next season, but led the best offense in NFL Europe that season in the meantime while Delhomme made limited relief appearances. Despite the Dutch team taking a three-way tie for the best record in the league at 7-3, they would be the odd team out of the World Bowl, losing the tiebreaker to the Frankfurt Galaxy and Rhein Fire.

Speaking of the Galaxy, this was the team Delhomme found himself on in spring 1999 after another year on the New Orleans practice squad (the Saints finished at 6-10 for the second straight season). He would split playing time with 1997 fourth-round draft pick Pat Barnes, as Frankfurt eventually snuck into the championship game with a 6-4 record, beating out the Fire in a tiebreaker for the final spot. They would face the 7-3 Barcelona Dragons in World Bowl ’99 (held in Dusseldorf). Like they had done all season, Delhomme and Barnes alternated snaps throughout the game, which ultimately proved too much for the Barcelona defense to handle. Galaxy wide receiver Andy McCullough was dominant in the tandem situation with 151 yards and three touchdown grabs, as Frankfurt captured the 38-24 win for the second title in franchise history.

With an NFL Europe championship now under his belt, Delhomme placed himself in the running for a final roster spot with the Saints as the start of the 1999 NFL season rolled around. This particular season was already shrouded in controversy for the Saints, as they traded all six of their 1999 draft picks, along with their first and third round picks in 2000, to the Redskins in order to move up and select Heisman Trophy-winning running back Ricky Williams. The dark cloud over the team only grew larger once the season actually began, as the Saints had the third-worst offense in the league by season’s end. The anemic passing offense saw Billy Joe Tolliver and Billy Joe Hobert score just one win each while combining for less than one touchdown per game. With two games left in the Saints’ season and both Billy Joes dealing with injuries, the team finally turned to Delhomme for his official NFL debut against the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve. The Louisiana native did not disappoint, throwing for two touchdowns and 278 yards as New Orleans scored a significant upset win over the playoff-bound Cowboys 31-24.

Delhomme struggled in the season finale against the Carolina Panthers, culminating in a dreadful 3-13 finish for New Orleans. This prompted another massive internal shakeup for the team, as the head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator were all let go going into 2000. Additionally, neither Tolliver nor Hobert played in the NFL again after the 1999 season, but instead of giving Delhomme the reins, the Saints signed veteran free agent Jeff Blake to fill the starting role. Delhomme would not take a single regular season snap in 2000, thanks to former fourth-rounder Aaron Brooks taking over the backup spot and eventually the starting job after Blake went down with a season-ending broken foot late in November. Brooks maintained a winning record the rest of the way, completing a massive turnaround for the Saints as they made the playoffs with a 10-6 record. While New Orleans was eventually knocked out in the second round, there was no question who the starter would be in 2001.

For the second year in a row, and the fourth year total while under contract with New Orleans, Delhomme did not see the field at all during the regular season (don’t worry, I’m getting to the 12-win season part). After the Saints concluded their 7-9 season, Delhomme had a minor victory regarding the depth chart as Blake vacated the backup role to join the Baltimore Ravens for the 2002 campaign. This meant Delhomme was the next man up behind Brooks, though Brooks was still playing as good as ever in 2002. This only created a few cracks here and there for Delhomme to get into the game, but was still his first on-field action of the new millennium. The team managed a winning record at 9-7, but a late-season collapse dashed their hopes of reaching the playoffs.

The next season would be the biggest turning point of Delhomme’s NFL career, as his sporadic time with New Orleans was up. With the Saints declining to renew his contract for 2003, he headed over to their NFC South rival in the Panthers. There he was expected to be the backup for the aging Rodney Peete, though this arrangement didn’t even last through the season opener.

After Peete mustered just 19 passing yards in the first half against the expansion twin Jacksonville Jaguars, Delhomme came in off the bench in an effort to erase a 17-0 deficit. With his first real opportunity to take control of a game in almost four years, Delhomme went on the attack, throwing three touchdowns and 122 yards, including the eventual game-winning score as Carolina won it 24-23. With that, he was finally named a full-time starter at the NFL level.

The quarterback switch seemed to breathe new life into the Panthers squad, which was just two years removed from a dead-last 1-15 record. Delhomme, aided by a fantastic season from running back Stephen Davis, led the way to an 11-5 record and a surprisingly strong playoff run. After holding off the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams in a rare double overtime victory, the Panthers knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game to reach Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots. Despite Delhomme getting the game-tying touchdown to wide receiver Ricky Proehl with just over a minute left, this was more than enough time for quarterback Tom Brady to set up Adam Vinatieri for the game-winning field goal.

After finally getting a full season of experience, Delhomme posted what would be his best statistical season in 2004, claiming 29 touchdown passes and 3,886 yards (wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad led the league in touchdown catches and receiving yards), though this wouldn’t be reflected in the Panthers’ record as they missed the playoffs at 7-9 thanks to an incredibly slow start. Carolina was able to bounce back in 2005, going 11-5 with both the offense and defense ranked inside the top-10. Another Super Bowl appearance was in reach for Delhomme and the Panthers, as they made it to the NFC Championship Game for the third time in 10 years, but the Seattle Seahawks were having none of it with a definitive 34-14 takedown.

After a mediocre 2006 campaign saw the Panthers end up at .500, Delhomme was met with adversity once again in 2007. A season-ending elbow injury just three games into the year forced Carolina to trot out a revolving door of backup quarterbacks, though amazingly enough the team only finished the year one game short of a winning record. This set the stage for Delhomme to make his grand return to the field in 2008, and the Panthers, in turn, would make their return to the top of the NFC South.

Going across the country to face the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers to open up the 2008 season, Delhomme got off to a good start with a touchdown and 247 yards through the air, with that touchdown being a walk-off 14-yard strike to tight end Dante Rosario to give the Panthers the 26-24 win. Delhomme had his finest game of the season overall soon after in a division rivalry game at home against the Atlanta Falcons on September 28^th. There he threw for 294 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 56-yard touchdown to the legendary Steve Smith, as the Panthers took care of Atlanta 24-9.

Panthers fans wouldn’t have to wait long for another spectacular performance by Delhomme, as the team remained in Charlotte to kick off the month of October against the Kansas City Chiefs. Carolina dominated from the jump with a 21-0 halftime lead, eventually finishing it off at 34-0, which would be the largest margin of victory in a shutout that season. Delhomme didn’t need to pass the ball much with the Panthers being firmly in command, but still amassed two touchdowns and 236 passing yards on the afternoon. To close out spooky month three weeks later, Delhomme had another multi-touchdown showing at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite the Cards taking a 17-3 lead early in the third quarter, he responded with two touchdown passes to Smith, including a 65-yarder at the end of the penultimate frame to give the Panthers their first lead of the contest. Carolina held on for the 27-23 triumph, as Delhomme contributed 248 passing yards to go along with the aforementioned TDs. He would set his season-high in passing yardage on November 23^rd in their road matchup against the Falcons, getting a touchdown pass and 295 yards with 168 of them going to Smith. Nonetheless, the Panthers were not as fortunate as their earlier game, with the Falcons taking care of business 45-28.

This loss dropped them to 8-3 on the year, but would make up for it with three straight victories going into mid-December. After being handed an overtime loss in a nailbiter against the New York Giants, Delhomme and company finished out the regular season strong against his original team in the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers claimed a 30-10 lead through three quarters, but the Saints mounted an impressive fourth-quarter comeback attempt off the arm of quarterback Drew Brees, who captured his first 5,000-yard season in the process. With this, New Orleans took a one-point advantage with just over three minutes left, but a 39-yard pass from Delhomme to Smith set up the game-winning John Kasay field goal. The 33-31 victory allowed Carolina to stave off the Falcons for the NFC South title, going 12-4 with Delhomme at the helm for every offensive snap. Keeping in mind that this performance was coming off of a major elbow injury the year prior, he came in second in Comeback Player of the Year voting. The award went to Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, who became the only player at the time to earn CPotY twice in his career.

While Smith nabbed a second-team All-Pro nomination, Delhomme himself was overshadowed as he finished outside the top-10 in both passing touchdowns and passing yards. His 15 TD passes put him in a three-way tie for 17^th with the Jaguars’ David Garrard and Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans, while his 3,288 passing yards placed him 15^th, 13 yards behind Ben Roethlisberger, who would go on to win that season’s Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Delhomme was also significantly assisted by the Panthers’ excellent running game, with rookie running back DeAngelo Williams leading the league in touchdown rushes with 18. In spite of that, the offense which had been in control for much of the regular season would crumble in the playoff rematch against the Cardinals.

With their 12-win season, the Panthers were able to secure home field advantage and a first-round bye, with their second-round opponent eventually manifesting as the team they had beaten in late October. However, January 10^th, 2009, would be a completely different story, as Arizona was able to jump out to a 27-7 halftime lead thanks to a masterclass from wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who would end the night with 166 receiving yards. Carolina never made any serious comeback attempt, and were unceremoniously tossed from the playoffs with the 33-13 loss. Delhomme had an ugly evening with five interceptions against a touchdown pass and 205 passing yards, while his old friend in Warner collected two touchdowns and 220 yards with one interception. Unfortunately, this would also spell the beginning of the end for Delhomme’s tenure as Panthers quarterback.

While he would show some flashes of brilliance in 2009, Delhomme largely struggled in the final chapter of the 2000’s with eight touchdown passes and 18 interceptions through the first 11 games. His season came to an end in late November after sustaining a broken finger, though the Panthers were able to rally back and salvage an 8-8 record. Delhomme was released during the offseason, but was able to land the starting job for the Cleveland Browns to open up the 2010 season. What at first seemed to be an opportunity for a late-career resurgence instead became another footnote in the lengthy history of quarterbacks who did not pan out in Cleveland. Delhomme was sidelined with an ankle injury after the season opener, not seeing the field as a starter again until late November, which just so happened to be against the Panthers. In that matchup, Delhomme threw for 245 yards, albeit with no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions, but still did well enough to grab a 24-23 win and send Carolina to an abysmal 1-10 record.

Delhomme’s final career win came a week later against the Dolphins, as he threw for a touchdown and 217 yards as Cleveland took it 13-10. After going unsigned for much of the 2011 season, the 36-year-old quarterback eventually found himself on the Houston Texans with a handful of games remaining in the regular season. As a backup to rookie TJ Yates, Delhomme was nonetheless a part of history as the Texans made the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s existence. He did not appear in either of the team’s playoff games before their elimination at the hands of the Ravens, and announced his retirement shortly after, finishing his unconventional career with 56 career wins to go along with his 1999 NFL Europe title.

Delhomme took a bit of a break from the football world after retirement, but eventually jumped into broadcasting as he was named a color commentator for Carolina Panthers’ radio coverage in 2019, a position he remains in to this day in addition to providing TV commentary for Panthers preseason games. Also in 2019, Delhomme was inducted as a member of the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor.