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September 29, 2003
Panthers paste Falcons
Davis surpasses 100 yards rushing for third straight game; Delhomme keeps mistakes to a minimum in passing game
By Joe Menzer | JOURNAL REPORTER
Quarterback Jake Delhomme entertained reporters by accepting a dare and turning a cartwheel in the middle of the Carolina Panthers' Ericsson Stadium locker room last Thursday.
Yesterday Delhomme gave his coaches reason to turn some cartwheels of their own in celebration of the Panthers' 23-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons before a sellout crowd of 68,174.
Delhomme completed 17 of 27 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown. Modest statistics, to be sure, but he would have had another touchdown pass if wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad had not dropped one. And more importantly, aside from one mishandled snap that he covered himself and another time when he tripped over himself long after the outcome had been determined, Delhomme kept away from making the kinds of mistakes that cost football teams wins and quarterbacks their jobs.
He wasn't the only reason that the Panthers won their third consecutive game in as many outings, snapping a six-game losing streak to the 1-3 Falcons in the process.
Running back Stephen Davis was a sledgehammer again, gaining more than 100 yards for the third game in a row and scoring the Panthers' first rushing touchdown of the season on a 1-yard run in the first quarter. That and place-kicker John Kasay's ensuing extra-point kick gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead with 3:17 left in the first quarter - and the way the defense played against the Michael Vick-less Falcons, it was more than enough to ensure the victory.
But Delhomme had to play well to preserve the Panthers' early-season prosperity. After struggling in his last start - a 12-9 overtime win at Tampa Bay two weeks earlier that also was his first start as a Panther - Delhomme needed a strong showing to convince coaches, teammates and casual observers alike that he deserved the starting job.
'I think every game is going to be big for me,' Delhomme said. 'I know I'm 28 years old and I've been in the league for a few years - but I'm a young guy. I haven't played a lot and I really haven't done anything in this league. So I think that ... until I can really establish some consistency and things like that, every week is going to be big for me in regards to that.'
Davis, meanwhile, was spectacular. His total of 153 rushing yards on 21 carries was the third-highest total in team history, and he didn't even play most of the fourth quarter.
Left tackle Todd Steussie said of Davis: 'He's phenomenal. He's our workhorse.'
Davis and Delhomme alternated taking the spotlight during a 10-play, 46-yard drive that culminated in the Panthers' other touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Delhomme to wide receiver Ricky Proehl with 4:31 left in the second quarter. That still left the Panthers enough time after getting the ball back with 1:43 remaining to set up a 53-yard field goal by Kasay that provided a 17-0 halftime lead.
Perhaps the seven-play, 41-yard drive that set up that field goal with 26 seconds left in the half was Delhomme's most impressive. Instead of sitting on the 14-0 lead, the Carolina coaching staff turned Delhomme loose and he completed three quick passes to move the Panthers into field-goal range.
'We could have easily ran it a few times at 14-0,' Delhomme said. 'But Coach called some pretty safe plays and said, 'If it's there, take a shot. If it's not, throw it away and we still go in with a 14-point lead.' Things were there and guys made plays. I think it's always big for an offense to do something like that going into the half.'
Carolina likely would have scored a shutout if not for a 63-yard gain on a Doug Johnson-to-Alge Crumpler completion that set up a 28-yard field goal by Jay Feely with 3:46 left in the game. The field goal by Feely, who earlier had a 55-yard attempt tipped away by Carolina defensive lineman Kemp Rasmussen, were the only points that the Falcons could muster all day.
Johnson - subbing at quarterback for the injured Vick, who is out with a broken right fibula - wasn't permitted to get comfortable in the pocket at any time. He was sacked six times and, until the late pass play to Crumpler, hadn't been able to generate enough offense to get the Falcons anywhere close to the end zone.
It was quite a turnaround from last year, when the Falcons beat the Panthers twice by the combined score of 71-0.
After taking the previous Sunday off on their bye week, the Panthers were sharp in all phases off the game - most of the time. That greatly pleased Fox, who also saw room for improvement.
'We were sloppy in some spots,' Fox said. 'I felt like there were some points that we left on the field. There are definitely some things that we still need to work on. But overall, I was pleased - particularly because it came against a division opponent.'
Now the Panthers sit all alone atop the NFC South standings at 3-0 heading into this Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints at Ericsson Stadium. Delhomme won the right to start against his old team, which never saw fit to see him as anything more than a backup quarterback.
He finished off yesterday's game by taking a knee as the Panthers ran out the clock, and later admitted that he enjoyed it more than turning a cartwheel.
'I'd much prefer the knee. That's probably the greatest thing in the world: getting in the huddle and saying, 'Let's kneel to victory,'' Delhomme said.
At the same time, he didn't rule out performing his signature gymnastics move as well after leaving the stadium.
'You never know. Look at this smile. There's no telling what I'll do,' said Delhomme, grinning.
• Joe Menzer can be reached at jmenzer@wsjournal.com