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January 31, 2004
FOOTNOTE: Quarterback Peete is forgotten man in Panthers' rise to the Super Bowl
By Joe Menzer | JOURNAL REPORTER
HOUSTON
Many years from now - or heck, maybe even right now - Rodney Peete will be the answer to a very good trivia question.
Who was the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers at the beginning of the year when the team finally made it to the Super Bowl?
While Jake Delhomme is getting all the attention as the Panthers' starter heading into Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, it was Peete who was under center taking the snaps at the very beginning of the regular season. He lasted only a half before getting replaced by Delhomme, who took over with the Panthers trailing Jacksonville 17-0, rallied them to victory and, well, the rest is history - or will be when Sunday's game is over.
"It probably would be a good trivia question - because it happened in Week One, after the first half of the first game," Peete said. "People probably don't even realize that I started our first game. I think if you asked a dozen people right now, eight or 10 of them would say that Jake started the first game this season."
Peete is playing in his 15th NFL season and this is has first Super Bowl appearance. It's not exactly how he envisioned getting here.
"Obviously you would like to be out there playing and be the guy taking the team to the Super Bowl," Peete said. "But the fact that it didn't turn out that way doesn't deter from the fact that I'm still excited about being part of this team and having a chance to get a Super Bowl ring."
Peete wasn't a member of the Panthers when they went 1-15 two years ago, but he was a big reason they were able to follow that up with a 7-9 record last year during Coach John Fox's first season. Peete started 14 games, including all seven of Carolina's wins. He achieved single-season career highs in starts, passing attempts (381), completions (223), passing yards (2,630) and touchdown passes (15).
He said that he's proud of being part of the team's turnaround, and pleased for the Panthers' home city of Charlotte.
"It's definitely more fun playing, without a doubt. But if you can't play or you're not playing, it doesn't get any better than this," Peete said. "To be able to see this, to see the way the city of Charlotte has responded to us throughout this season, it's unbelievable.
"We had people lined up from Ninth Street to Morehead in Charlotte, which is about 10 or 12 blocks. They just lined the streets and sent us off when we got on the bus to go to the airport to come here. And it was snowing and sleeting.
"When we got back from Philadelphia about 3 o'clock in the morning (after the NFC championship game), there was 10 or 15,000 people waiting to greet us at the stadium. It's been great. Short of playing in the game, it's been a great experience."
Delhomme credits Peete with helping him become a better quarterback.
"I can't say enough good things about Rodney," Delhomme said. "He's seen a lot of football and he's someone I can lean on, someone who can give me tips.
"When I come off the field to the sidelines, certainly you talk to your coach, but it's always nice to talk to Rodney and bang some ideas off his head, too.... He's meant the world to me."
Peete said that he never resented the fact that Delhomme took his starting job.
"I think I was instrumental in helping get this team turned around last year from 1-15 to 7-9. And yet one of the reasons I was brought here in the first place and I'm still here is because they knew I wasn't going to be a disruption if they decided to make a change like they did. I wasn't going to be that guy," Peete said.
"I'm happy that they had that kind of respect for me that they knew they could keep me around and not worry about that stuff. I'm here to help the team any way I can - whether I have to go out and play, or I have to go out and slap Jake around a little for getting too excited, or help him out with different reads on the field."
• Joe Menzer can be reached at jmenzer@wsjournal.com