No merit to QB question

This year's success shows Delhomme is where he belongs

One year ago today, the Carolina Panthers were in the middle of a five-game losing streak and were headed to a 7-9 record.

Their quarterback position was a mess.

Vinny Testaverde, a 43-year-old who'd been out of retirement for barely a month, started in a 20-13 home loss to Atlanta.

Jake Delhomme was out for the season with an elbow injury.

Back then -- when he was unavailable -- it was easy to appreciate how much Delhomme meant to Carolina. The Panthers' struggles without him were painfully obvious.

David Carr, Testaverde and then-rookie Matt Moore all got their chance to play during Delhomme's absence, combining for 11 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions.

This season, with Delhomme healthy and back in the starting lineup, the Panthers are 7-2 and already have matched last season's victory total.

Still, a debate about Delhomme's merits as a starter has resurfaced among some Carolina followers after his dreadful performance in Sunday's 17-6 win at Oakland. He threw four interceptions, completed seven passes and had a career-worst 12.3 passer rating.

That dropped his season rating to 77.9 -- 7.3 points lower than his career average. He ranks 22nd in the NFL in passing, trailing rookies Matt Ryan (89.9) and Joe Flacco (79.7) and first-year starter Matt Cassell (83.9).

The truth is the offense with Delhomme on Sunday was as bad as it was at any time without him last year. The Panthers' 10 first downs matched their 2007 season low.

Those who oppose Delhomme are lobbying for his benching, or at least for the Panthers to give backup Josh McCown a chance to play.

But that's highly unlikely as long as Delhomme stays healthy.

Coach John Fox and his staff are committed to Delhomme as the team's leader.

They fondly remember how he led the Panthers to the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship Game in 2003 and '05, respectively.

Ever since coming to Carolina before the 2003 season, Delhomme has had occasional off games.

But those days are the exception.

Much more often, he is the Panthers' steadying influence, the fiery leader whose enthusiasm and confidence spread to others on offense, defense and special teams.

Delhomme has had a knack for come-from-behind wins, such as this season's victories over Chicago and Arizona after trailing by 14 points.

He's about as accountable as you'll ever find in a quarterback. There was no need to grill him about his play against the Raiders. He gave a full confessional after the game.

So despite his play at Oakland, there's no reason to question who should be quarterbacking the Panthers in the weeks ahead. That's a non-issue among his coaches and teammates.

They know what it is to be without Delhomme and they would prefer to avoid it, even on his worst day.