Dave’s Football Blog

First off, let’s get to the most important detail — the Carolina Panthers gave Jake Delhomme $12.5 million to go away.

That’s how bad this man was at his job in 2009. He opened the calendar year by throwing six interceptions at home in a playoff game, then followed that up with a five-turnover performance, also at home, in his first game in September. Somewhere in between those 11 turnovers, though, the Panthers saw fit to give him a 5-year, $42.5 million contract — a deal which made him the official captain of the Ski-Mask All Stars.

Maybe all that guaranteed money was a thank you of sorts. After all, Delhomme did help this franchise get to a Super Bowl that it almost won, two NFC Championship games and three playoff appearances in 7 seasons, which would make quite a few NFL fan bases pretty happy. Still, Delhomme always seemed to be more lucky than good, and as any gambler will tell you, bad streaks are inevitable. That bad streak finally hit Jake last year, and the Panthers had to consider whether they were willing to take the salary cap hit to let him–

What’s that? NFL owners got rid of the salary cap? Well, that makes it a little easier, doesn’t it?

The question now is which way Panthers GM Marty Hurney will go next. The initial thought is that he’ll stick with Matt Moore for now. Matt Moore is not a great quarterback. Some would argue he’s not even a good quarterback. What cannot be argued, however, is that he is a winning quarterback. Moore is 6-2 as a starter for the Panthers, including a 4-1 stretch at the end of last season that saw him complete 61.6% of his passes, throw 8 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions, and compile a passer rating of 98.5.

That said, Moore doesn’t exactly light Charlotte on fire, and that’s going to lead to a ton of speculation about the Panthers’ off-season strategy. Ron Mexico started that speculation last week when he suggested he might like to play for Carolina - a notion that must have had owner Jerry Richardson rewriting his will to ensure that any Panthers GM who acquired Mexico over his dead body would be relieved of his duties immediately.

Plus, as of today, Mex is still an Eagle, so it seems Philadelphia is entertaining trade offers. Despite what Andy Reid says, though, the question remains which QB the Eagles will trade, and Carolina might be in the best position to make a deal here — not for Mexico, but for Donovan McNabb.

There are several factors at play here. For one, McNabb has worn out his welcome in the Illadelph for just about everyone not named Andy Reid, and while Kevin Kolb and Ron Mexico don’t exactly excite anyone, they would at least be a fresh start.

More importantly, however, the Eagles cut Brian Westbrook last week and are now shockingly thin at the running back position. Carolina is not so thin there. They have a strong 1-2 punch in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, plus a guy named Mike Goodson who has what the pro types call “upside.” Panthers head coach John Fox prefers a running back like Stewart over Williams, who has a bit more power on the line. Stewart shined in Williams’ absence late last season, rushing for 5.7 yards per carry and 4 touchdowns in Carolina’s last five games.

Williams, meanwhile, is dangerous in the open field, which is exactly where Andy Reid liked to put Westbrook when he had the chance. Thus, it stands to reason that the Eagles could offer McNabb to the Panthers in exchange for Williams, and it would be the sort of blockbuster deal that benefits both teams. The Eagles get their new starting running back, and the Panthers get a strong veteran presence in the pocket to run their offense.

Personally, I hope such a deal doesn’t happen, as Williams is one of my favorite Panthers of all time, and I would hate to see his big play ability leave the state. Plus, Williams are Stewart are not only a great tandem at running back (and both better than anyone on the free agent market right now), but they have one of the coolest fan clubs in the NFL. Furthermore, Fox and Hurney are fairly conservative types who have a system that doesn’t put much value in a star QB, and they have to shore up their defense this off-season after Julius Peppers left for Chicago.

Still, business is business, and the bottom line is that a McNabb-for-Williams deal would get more season tickets sold in Charlotte than the prospect of a full season of Matt Moore. The mere notion of McNabb throwing to Steve Smith every week is pretty buzzworthy. What’s more, McNabb would give the Panthers a legitimate passer to fall back on if their running game falters. All Jake ever gave them was a gambler’s chance, and as any poker player will tell you, shouting “One time, baby!” gets old in a hurry.