Third Down Jake

   Jake Delhomme took some big hits this week, bigger than anything he so far has taken Sunday night, from national commentators, among them Keyshawn Johnson.

   But at a time New York had all the momentum and its fans were making all the noise and Carolina's lead, which was once 11, was down to a point, the Panthers faced third and five. Jake found Muhsin Muhammad for a first down. The Panthers faced third and nine. Jake found Dwayne Jarrett for a first down.

   De Angelo Williams toucdown will get the attention, and he should get most of it. But the third-down passes Jake hit, in this place against this defense, put DeAngelo in position to do what he does.

Comments

[steve]

we will be taken down by atlanta in palyoffs

[steve]

how do yoou not run d williams on the last drives-our d is crap

[steve]

our d will get us gone in 1st round

[steve]

we go to 5th seed in playoffs--

[steve]

atl wins next week --we can not win on road-we go down to n o

[JC]

This is how good Jake is, when tonight's game was on the line, the coach didn't trust him to make plays. Seriously, Fox has never met a lead he wouldn't sit on.

[iamhubby]

Well said Tom, it needed to be said. We played toe-to-toe with the Giants, and Jake matched up pretty well with Eli.

[mike]

Fox gave his team a chance to win and that's all you can ask of your coach.

There were a few bonehead decisions, including Steve's penalty which brought the Kasey kick back to 50 yards! Had it been a bit closer, it might have gone in.

Our defense... well can we admit that it isn't that good? I mean, come on! The secondary basically sat around and watched the Giants catch balls before they decided to make a hit. ANd our line had no answer for the Giants running game.

I wasn't expecting to get the #1 seed and it would be icing on the cake but I see a lot of holes with this team and I can understand why many people won't give them respect --- they don't deserve any. They arne't even a top 5 NFC team...

[tyler]

what was wrong with the defense god. gamble is horrible. offense played well enough to win. williams is a class act. give props to giants though they battled back

[gamble20]

This win stings because it was so close and could have been won.

Trgo never blitzes that explains the D, plus Maake was out and that hurt a lot. But the biggest coaching failure was keeping D-Will on the bench for most of the second half.

[Cheven]

I am not blaming this lost soley on jake i am not but...come on people the defense made big stops when we had too and I don't care what Fox says about "I trust jake" well the play calling didnt reveal that..and on this night he did NOT trust jake the way he was playing i mean he completed like 2 passes in the 2nd half.....and i guess fox was thinking it's only a matter of time before the giants actually catch one of jakes 3 INT's he threw.

[af]

there will be no superbowl

[Xmas Comes Early]

Stupid moron Steve Smith missed a perfectly thrown football bouncing off his stomach and then got a 10 yard holding penalty that even Mother Teresa couldnt have missed.
You dont grab a goddam jersey and hang onto it in front of the fucking ref you idiot causing the run to come back and a loss of the game. This guy was pathetic.
Thr Giants overall sucked. They were given the game on a silver platter by Smith and the defense that fell apart at the end.
Kasay cant stop the wind from blowing. Ward was the only decent Giant player.

Xmas and Santa came a few days early for NYG. Suck it up.

[Shub]

This game is to be blamed on no one but FOX. interesting last name don't you think? His last name should be chicken little. Truthfully though no 89 is the only reason this team has ever won any significant game. Defenses have to completly change their game plan because of him. The coach didn't utilize him in the second half. Not 89's fault. Holding penalty was a result of delhome fumble. Our defensive minded head coach has no offensive creativity and thus calls plays that help cover his ass and his job security. His underlying plan is no longer a secret. WE WERE THE BETTER TEAM.

[Michael Procton]

Uhh...WHAT? Smith held because Delhomme fumbled? Smith HAD HIS BACK TO THE PLAY!

[garronb]

So many bandwagon Panthers fans...I've been true from the jump. I think Fox has done well this year as a coach. We win one game and it's rah rah, we are superbowl bound, but the minute we lose a game you are ready to form a lynch mob. The fact is this, both teams fought hard and the game could have gone either way. The G-men exploited the fact that our DT depth is thin behind Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis. I'm proud of the fact our team has been to the Superbowl, won an NFC championship, and been to another NFC championship games during Fox's tenure. There are many teams around the league that would die to have the success we have had and the coach we have. I think this loss will fuel the Panther's fire more than anything else. The road to the Superbowl might have gotten a bit harder, but such is life. I still see this team doing some great things. Panthersfan4life!

[Brian]

you panthers "fans" are pathetic. the panthers just played one of the best games they've ever played (regular season wise, that is) and all you can do is whine and complain and call for people's heads. sure, in perfect conditions you can utilize steve smith, but with the winds swirling like they were, you just can't chuck it down field. the first half, where smith went off, the winds weren't nearly as bad as the 2nd.

if anybody wants to say that fox doesn't trust jake, just look at what jake did tonight, making several key third down throws late in the game. if nothing else, fox proved tonight that he has total trust in his kicker, and fox made the right decision once we got to the 30 yard line to play it conservative and try to win it with a fg.

panthers fans, after losses like this, make me sick. jump off the bandwagon or be with your team through the thick and the thin. i know the loss hurts, but grow up.

[cobb]

That doesn't discount the fact, that the Panther's seem to like the harder road. As a thirteenth year panther fan, I personally expect more than going to the the NFC championship or Superbowl and falling short. Unfortunately, WE WILL PROBABLY FALL SHORT THE REST OF THIS YEAR. (crying..) but I love them.

[cobb]

garronb, you lack real depth to you're argument, but that's right stay optimistic!
YOU FORGET one CRUCIAL ELEMENT. Respect from larger markets. You hear it every week, "where did they come from and will it last?" There are people in NC that come up to me and ask, "how long have you been a panther fan." A question that only comes up when the Panthers are winning. So they feel like the Panther FAN only comes out when we are 11-4, not 7-9. My brother (NYC native) ask me last night, "Where do the panthers play?" A football fan asking where a particualar team plays. Man that hurt me more than the lost.

I'll see you when the final loss for the season is finally in the books and we will talk.

[Michael Procton]

Come on, cobb...there are four teams in the NFL who have NEVER been to the SB. We went in year NINE. Get over yourself.

[TobaccoHead]

Dear Panther Nation,
Please check out my free, totally clean, high spirited Panthers songs on www.tobaccohead.com. Let's keep it rolling, Panthers! Congrats on a great 2008

Sincerely,

Chris "TobaccooHead"
Asheville, NC