Favre To Be Traded, But Not To Panthers... Fortunately

Thank goodness the Brett Favre soap opera is on the back-burner for a little while. I am happiest that the notion “Favre would make a great Carolina Panther” gets put to rest. The Panthers have a quarterback and his name is Jake Delhomme.

Yes, Delhomme is coming off major surgery and has no where near the career stats that Favre has, but I would take Delhomme over Favre right now. Yes, you read it right, I would take Delhomme over Favre right now.

I understand Brett Favre is the greatest human being in about 2000 years, he can throw the football through a needle’s eye from 60 yards away, he once saved a bag of kittens from sinking into a black hole while fighting Dr. Doom, and he once played an entire quarter without an offensive line and still put 35 points on the board.

I understand all that. Trust me, I do. But I also know this. The Brett Favre in most people’s minds is the one that played 10 years ago. I don’t think he is that guy anymore and there is no chance of him being that guy again.

Last year, the Green Bay Packers hosted the NFC Championship Game, but lost after Favre threw a bad pass that was intercepted. That interception led to the New York Giants’ game-winning field goal in overtime.

One bad pass makes him someone to pass up? No, it’s not just one bad pass. It is a history of them. “He’s a gun-slinger,” “he just lets it rip” and any other phrase you want to throw out there as praise for Favre is fine. They are all applicable.

They have also been used to describe Delhomme, but because Delhomme doesn’t have the resume that Favre does, Delhomme is labeled a little differently.

Here are some facts: the Panthers have been to the NFC Championship Game twice in the last six years, the Packers once. The Panthers have been to a Super Bowl in the last six years, the Packers have not.

In fact, if you take out last year’s season lost to injury, Delhomme has led the to the NFC title game twice in five years. The only other QB who can say that is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Donovan McNabb. Heck, Peyton Manning has only been in the AFC title game twice during the last six years. Not bad company to be in.

The Panthers’ success, like every other team’s in the NFL, comes down to the offensively staying healthy and being productive.

Who would you rather have QBing your team this year, a guy who may have spent the last five months relaxing and distracted by off-the-field issues or a guy who feels he has something to prove and has been working out as much as possible over the last year?

The Panthers have to have a running game and the suspension of Steve Smith for two games won’t help, but if the pieces fall into place, the Carolina Panthers could be headed to the NFC title game once again. And they will do it with a quarterback with a 5-2 playoff record. His name is Jake Delhomme and he is pretty good. He is also the best player to lead the Carolina Panthers.
- Jim Clark

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT