In the Cleveland Browns' preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, Jake Delhomme played like the quarterback fans of the Carolina Panthers long adored, the player who led the team to the Super Bowl in the 2003 season.
Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme spent seven seasons with the Panthers before going to Cleveland during the offseason.
He looked nothing like the player whose career there more or less imploded in recent years.
He was the Delhomme of old, clapping his hands, pointing here, pointing there, head bobbing up and down with words of encouragement. He guided the Browns 80 yards to a touchdown on the opening drive.
"It was real good -- I was just so excited to go out there and play," Delhomme says after a practice at the Browns training camp. "It was something new, something fresh. I loved every minute of it.
"I mean, I had seven good years at Carolina. Well, make that six good years, but hey ... "
The bad year, of course, was 2009. That was the one during which he had hoped to atone for his playoff debacle several months earlier -- when he threw five interceptions in a first-round loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Instead, he began 2009 by tossing four interceptions in a 38-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Things deteriorated from there, and he finished the season with 18 interceptions and eight touchdown passes. He injured his hand late in the season and was placed on the injured reserve list.
After the season, he was cut.
Just like that, the love affair was over.
"It all started with the playoff game," he says, "I didn't play well that night, and of course we lost. And in actuality, Arizona was the better team, I don't care what anybody says. But it just wasn't a good night, especially for me.
"I take a lot of responsibility, and I think it just ate away at me a bunch. And I think I came out (last season) and tried to play too good, not make a mistake, and it just kind of went downhill from there, from the first week on."
Click here to continue reading.
SOURCE: USA Today
Comments |  RSS |
|
