I went to cover the Butler-Independence game tonight at Independence -- here's my column about it -- and it was definitely one of the sports highlights of my year so far. Butler's 31-24 win wasn't decided until Independence fumbled the ball away inside the Butler 20 with about two minutes to go.
The game was chockful of big plays -- 3 touchdown passes of 65 yards or longer, a key turnover about every 5 minutes, one or the other team close to scoring on just about every play.
For the 4,250 fans lucky enough to get a $6 ticket to a game where no tickets were sold at the door, this one was worth a lot more than that. In fact, I saw Bruce Springsteen perform earlier this week in Charlotte and I'd even say that this game was...
OK, I'm getting a little carried away here. It wasn't better than Springsteen.
But for high school football, it was just about as good as it gets. Butler was stronger, more balanced on offense and more disciplined. Independence was down 24-7 and 31-10, but Independence QB Anthony Carrothers had a wonderful second half after throwing four interceptions in the first and nearly got the Patriots all the way back.
Indy coach Tom Knotts told me after the game: “I hope we play them once more in the playoffs. Because they won’t beat us again. I’m sure of that.”
I'm not sure of that at all -- Butler head coach Mike Newsome and his staff had a team with more discipline and more overall talent Friday. But I'm with Knotts on part of that statement: I sure hope the two of them play again -- and at a much bigger venue next time. Because that was something.
Friday, November 6, 2009
My Saints-Panthers prediction
A few pregame thoughts on New Orleans and Carolina, who play at 4:05 p.m. Sunday:
-- I love watching Saints receiver Marques Colston play. He’s not that fast, but he’s big and strong and just goes up and gets it over shorter defensive backs. He’s everything, in other words, that Dwayne Jarrett should be but hasn’t been for the Panthers. And Colston was a seventh-round pick; Jarrett a second-rounder.
-- The key for Carolina in this game: a lot of 10- to 12-play drives on offense. That means running the ball effectively, as usual. I think Carolina’s only chance at an upset is to gain 200 yards on the ground, which likely would translate into 35 minutes of possession time, which would give New Orleans a couple fewer shots than the Saints are used to in terms of scoring.
-- Don’t discount the confidence factor in this one with Jake Delhomme. He’s never lost a game as a starter in the Superdome. For a quarterback whose confidence has been on-and-off all season, that’s big. He’s comfortable there – the city has long been a home away from home for him, personally and professionally.
-- There isn’t a more fun offense to watch this season than the one that Drew Brees runs for the Saints. I mean, 39 points per game? That’s ridiculously good. The Charlotte Bobcats often don’t get 39 in a half.
-- The Saints are 7-0, but they aren’t going to go undefeated. I think they will ultimately lose 2-3 games this regular season. But despite their lack of previous success at home against Carolina, they are clearly the hotter team and their defense has finally stopped being so much of a liability. It will be entertaining, but ultimately: New Orleans 34, Carolina 24.
The stats: After starting 4-1 picking Panthers’ games this season, I’ve faltered the past two weeks on Panther predictions and now rest at a mediocre 4-3. Before the 2009 season began, I picked Carolina to go 7-9, and I’ll stick by that one until it’s no longer statistically possible.
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-- I love watching Saints receiver Marques Colston play. He’s not that fast, but he’s big and strong and just goes up and gets it over shorter defensive backs. He’s everything, in other words, that Dwayne Jarrett should be but hasn’t been for the Panthers. And Colston was a seventh-round pick; Jarrett a second-rounder.
-- The key for Carolina in this game: a lot of 10- to 12-play drives on offense. That means running the ball effectively, as usual. I think Carolina’s only chance at an upset is to gain 200 yards on the ground, which likely would translate into 35 minutes of possession time, which would give New Orleans a couple fewer shots than the Saints are used to in terms of scoring.
-- Don’t discount the confidence factor in this one with Jake Delhomme. He’s never lost a game as a starter in the Superdome. For a quarterback whose confidence has been on-and-off all season, that’s big. He’s comfortable there – the city has long been a home away from home for him, personally and professionally.
-- There isn’t a more fun offense to watch this season than the one that Drew Brees runs for the Saints. I mean, 39 points per game? That’s ridiculously good. The Charlotte Bobcats often don’t get 39 in a half.
-- The Saints are 7-0, but they aren’t going to go undefeated. I think they will ultimately lose 2-3 games this regular season. But despite their lack of previous success at home against Carolina, they are clearly the hotter team and their defense has finally stopped being so much of a liability. It will be entertaining, but ultimately: New Orleans 34, Carolina 24.
The stats: After starting 4-1 picking Panthers’ games this season, I’ve faltered the past two weeks on Panther predictions and now rest at a mediocre 4-3. Before the 2009 season began, I picked Carolina to go 7-9, and I’ll stick by that one until it’s no longer statistically possible.
Follow Scott at Twitter.com/scott_fowler
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Should Panthers have hosted Butler-Independence?
In my column today on the Butler-Independence showdown Friday night, I briefly raised an issue that deserves more explanation.
Because 24,000-seat Memorial Stadium is closed for repairs (and believe me, that place needs it), this game will be played in the 4,250-seat stadium at Independence. It is already sold out -- I'd advise you not to show up without a ticket.
Obviously, this game could draw far more than 4,250. Probably 15,000-25,000, depending on the venue.
There was a campaign to get the game moved to the Panthers' stadium, but the Panthers said they wouldn't host the game.
Why? Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton told The Observer recently: "There are several considerations that prevent Bank of America Stadium from being the site of the Butler-Independence game, including fairness to other area schools. There is also the consideration of field damage if we were to have three days of (bad) weather as we (experienced a couple of weeks ago)."
Butler coach Mike Newsome -- who I really like and respect -- was vocal in my interview with him about his displeasure that the Panthers wouldn't host the game.
“With the season they’re having right now,” Newsome said of the Panthers, “I think it would have been a big community gesture for them to allow this to happen…. What if Clemson would have said years ago, ‘No Panthers, we don’t really want you tearing up our field?’ What if every other college had said that, too?”
The Panthers played their home games in 1995 at Clemson while their privately-owned stadium was being built.
Newsome also said about the issue -- and I didn't have room for this in the column: "It really bothers me as a community that we couldn’t have come together and allowed that to happen. When you look at how many other NFL stadiums allow high school and college teams play at their place…"
Then the coach cited as examples the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers sharing Heinz Field and sometimes playing on the same weekend. The same thing happens in Tampa, with the University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sharing Raymond James Stadium. Other NFL stadiums occasionally have been used for high-school state title games and the like.
Those stadiums are generally public venues, however -- the Panthers' stadium is primarily owned by the Richardson family. The Panthers have traditionally not let the grass be used for much of anything except Panthers' games, which means the stadium seats are vacant close to 350 days a year (and the field is routinely ranked very high in NFL Players' Association of best fields in the league).
Long ago, the stadium hosted a highly successful Billy Graham crusade and the Rolling Stones. It still has an annual college football bowl game right after Christmas and a smattering of other college football games (including the ACC football championship in Dec. 2010) on the horizon.
But I would agree with Newsome to a point -- the stadium is under-utilized. The grass certainly isn't going to tear up with a few more events per year, and it'd be nice to see a couple of high school games played there every season.
Then again, you can see the Panthers' point. Let's say Friday night's game is played there and Butler wins. That means Butler would be the higher playoff seed. In 3-4 weeks, the two teams could very well meet again -- this time in Butler's 2,500-seat stadium! Do the Panthers have to host that one, too?
It's a slippery slope -- there are dozens of very good high school football teams around here. All would clamor loudly for a chance to get into the stadium if the door was ever opened.
With all that said, though, I really wish the Panthers would have made an exception for this particular game.
The weather is going to be beautiful Friday night. The field would not have torn up. And about 20,000 more people could have seen live what could well be the best high school football game of 2009 in the state of North Carolina.
Follow Scott on Twitter.com/scott_fowler
Because 24,000-seat Memorial Stadium is closed for repairs (and believe me, that place needs it), this game will be played in the 4,250-seat stadium at Independence. It is already sold out -- I'd advise you not to show up without a ticket.
Obviously, this game could draw far more than 4,250. Probably 15,000-25,000, depending on the venue.
There was a campaign to get the game moved to the Panthers' stadium, but the Panthers said they wouldn't host the game.
Why? Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton told The Observer recently: "There are several considerations that prevent Bank of America Stadium from being the site of the Butler-Independence game, including fairness to other area schools. There is also the consideration of field damage if we were to have three days of (bad) weather as we (experienced a couple of weeks ago)."
Butler coach Mike Newsome -- who I really like and respect -- was vocal in my interview with him about his displeasure that the Panthers wouldn't host the game.
“With the season they’re having right now,” Newsome said of the Panthers, “I think it would have been a big community gesture for them to allow this to happen…. What if Clemson would have said years ago, ‘No Panthers, we don’t really want you tearing up our field?’ What if every other college had said that, too?”
The Panthers played their home games in 1995 at Clemson while their privately-owned stadium was being built.
Newsome also said about the issue -- and I didn't have room for this in the column: "It really bothers me as a community that we couldn’t have come together and allowed that to happen. When you look at how many other NFL stadiums allow high school and college teams play at their place…"
Then the coach cited as examples the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers sharing Heinz Field and sometimes playing on the same weekend. The same thing happens in Tampa, with the University of South Florida and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sharing Raymond James Stadium. Other NFL stadiums occasionally have been used for high-school state title games and the like.
Those stadiums are generally public venues, however -- the Panthers' stadium is primarily owned by the Richardson family. The Panthers have traditionally not let the grass be used for much of anything except Panthers' games, which means the stadium seats are vacant close to 350 days a year (and the field is routinely ranked very high in NFL Players' Association of best fields in the league).
Long ago, the stadium hosted a highly successful Billy Graham crusade and the Rolling Stones. It still has an annual college football bowl game right after Christmas and a smattering of other college football games (including the ACC football championship in Dec. 2010) on the horizon.
But I would agree with Newsome to a point -- the stadium is under-utilized. The grass certainly isn't going to tear up with a few more events per year, and it'd be nice to see a couple of high school games played there every season.
Then again, you can see the Panthers' point. Let's say Friday night's game is played there and Butler wins. That means Butler would be the higher playoff seed. In 3-4 weeks, the two teams could very well meet again -- this time in Butler's 2,500-seat stadium! Do the Panthers have to host that one, too?
It's a slippery slope -- there are dozens of very good high school football teams around here. All would clamor loudly for a chance to get into the stadium if the door was ever opened.
With all that said, though, I really wish the Panthers would have made an exception for this particular game.
The weather is going to be beautiful Friday night. The field would not have torn up. And about 20,000 more people could have seen live what could well be the best high school football game of 2009 in the state of North Carolina.
Follow Scott on Twitter.com/scott_fowler
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Springsteen rocks Charlotte
Bruce Springsteen played the entire "Born to Run" album at his concert in Charlotte Tuesday night.
A few of you have noticed that I am moonlighting occasionally as a concert reviewer for The Charlotte Observer and asked me why. Music has always been a passion of mine -- can't play it well, can't sing it worth a darn but can enjoy the heck out of it as a fan. I've probably attended close to 100 concerts in my lifetime at this point -- like the best sporting events, I find them to be great entertainment.
The Bruce Springsteen show Tuesday night in Charlotte was the fourth I've covered for the newspaper (following the Eagles, Jewel and Jimmy Buffett) and was undoubtedly the best of that quartet. Springsteen is a legendary live performer for good reason -- here's my review of the show. At 60, it's remarkable what he can still do on a stage, and that gravelly voice is still so commanding.
I'd be interested in the thoughts of any of yall who attended The Boss's show in Charlotte. Please post below if you saw it (or have been to any of his concerts on this most recent tour).
I had seen him in concert a couple of times before -- once in the old Charlotte Coliseum with the full E Street Band and another time in Ovens Auditorium in a much more intimate, stripped-down show. I like the big shows better with the full band, and my personal highlight Tuesday came when Springsteen played the full "Born to Run" album, in order, early in his set.
"Thunder Road" is my favorite song on that album (and also my favorite rollercoaster at Carowinds, incidentally) and I thought he did that one beautifully. Be interested in what yall think, too, about Springsteen, whether you've seen zero "Bruuuuce" shows or 100 or more of them.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
No I.D., no wallet, no money -- a personal story
In Monday's paper, you may have noticed this column I wrote from the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.
There's a little story behind that story, and here it is.
Talladega is about a six-hour drive from Charlotte. The race started Sunday, Nov.1 at 1 p.m. Eastern. I had nothing I had to do prior to the race -- I just needed to be there to cover it.
So I decided to stay as late as I could on Saturday night in N.C. so I could take my 4 kids trick-or-treating. They range in age from 2 to 11, so Halloween is a big deal in our house.
Around 9 p.m. Saturday, with Halloween duties complete, I took off in a hurry with the intention of driving to just outside of Atlanta that night. Then I would get up early and drive the last several hours in the morning, arriving in plenty of time for the race.
Just past Spartanburg, at around 10:30 p.m. and about 90 miles from home, I stopped for gas. I reached for my wallet and...
No wallet.
I started to panic a little. I looked all through my car. I had about $1.25 in quarters, 1/8th of a tank of gas. No credit cards, no photo ID, nothing.
I called my wife. "Yes, I'm looking at your wallet right now," she said after I asked her to go look in the drawer where I sometimes keep it.
So now what?
Option 1: Go back home, arrive a little after midnight, then get up at 5 a.m. and do all 352 miles of the drive in one day?
Option 2: Try to skate through and skip the extra 3 hours of driving?? My parents lived only a few miles outside of Spartanburg. Maybe I could figure something out with them.
I decided on Option No.2. My parents could loan me some money and a credit card. Maybe I could talk my way into the race the next day without a photo ID.
So I drove over to my parents' house. It was nearly 11 p.m. by the time I arrived. I was afraid I would wake at least my Mom up; my Dad usually stays up late.
Instead, neither one of were home! My parents are close to 70 years old! Where could they possibly be at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night?
I have a key to their house, so I let myself in. Then I started to act like I was one of those grown-up kids on drugs that are always in the news for robbing their parents -- ransacking the house in a desperate search for cash and credit cards. Even while I was doing it, I was embarrassed for myself.
I found nothing, but their ugly and very sweet dog Stella happily nuzzled me wherever I went. She has never carried a wallet and thus had no idea of my rising sense of panic.
Eventually, my folks got home -- they had been to a local play and were quite surprised to find me there. But they loaned me money and a credit card. They have always been wonderful parents, and I have to say it was their right to enjoy the hearty laugh at my predicament that they enjoyed.
The next day, at Talladega, I contacted the track's excellent PR staff ahead of time. They allowed me to pick up my credentials outside the track.
But then I still almost didn't make it inside. I got to the track gate, only to be stopped by a young but ornery security guard who demanded my photo ID.
"No photo ID and you don't get in," he said.
I tried to explain that I had been through this once before already. I tried to be nice, because he looked like he would enjoy very much the idea of beating me up.
Then I tried to call the PR folks, who were a half-mile away at this point. I got one on a cell phone but, as I talked to her, a raucous jet flyover made conversation impossible and the call got dropped.
Meanwhile, the race engines were gunning and the green flag was about to fly. I could hear them -- I was so close, but yet so far. I tried the cel phone number of the PR woman again. No luck.
The security guard watched all this with some amusement. I don't think I looked too threatening as he saw me fumbling in my backpack for various items.
Then, after making me suffer awhile longer, he jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the track.
"Go on," he said. "I guess I'll let you in."
And so I made it, and wrote my column from Talladega.
And on the way back home, no cop stopped me. But it was still a nerve-racking 36 hours, and I'm still sort of amazed it all worked out in this post-9/11 world. I had to depend on the kindness of strangers (and family members), and they all came through for me.
But you better believe I'm checking my pockets 10 times each for my wallet before every trip from now on.
If you're a guy, you know that sickening feeling when you check for your wallet and realize you don't have it. I'm determined not to have it again for a loooong time.
There's a little story behind that story, and here it is.
Talladega is about a six-hour drive from Charlotte. The race started Sunday, Nov.1 at 1 p.m. Eastern. I had nothing I had to do prior to the race -- I just needed to be there to cover it.
So I decided to stay as late as I could on Saturday night in N.C. so I could take my 4 kids trick-or-treating. They range in age from 2 to 11, so Halloween is a big deal in our house.
Around 9 p.m. Saturday, with Halloween duties complete, I took off in a hurry with the intention of driving to just outside of Atlanta that night. Then I would get up early and drive the last several hours in the morning, arriving in plenty of time for the race.
Just past Spartanburg, at around 10:30 p.m. and about 90 miles from home, I stopped for gas. I reached for my wallet and...
No wallet.
I started to panic a little. I looked all through my car. I had about $1.25 in quarters, 1/8th of a tank of gas. No credit cards, no photo ID, nothing.
I called my wife. "Yes, I'm looking at your wallet right now," she said after I asked her to go look in the drawer where I sometimes keep it.
So now what?
Option 1: Go back home, arrive a little after midnight, then get up at 5 a.m. and do all 352 miles of the drive in one day?
Option 2: Try to skate through and skip the extra 3 hours of driving?? My parents lived only a few miles outside of Spartanburg. Maybe I could figure something out with them.
I decided on Option No.2. My parents could loan me some money and a credit card. Maybe I could talk my way into the race the next day without a photo ID.
So I drove over to my parents' house. It was nearly 11 p.m. by the time I arrived. I was afraid I would wake at least my Mom up; my Dad usually stays up late.
Instead, neither one of were home! My parents are close to 70 years old! Where could they possibly be at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night?
I have a key to their house, so I let myself in. Then I started to act like I was one of those grown-up kids on drugs that are always in the news for robbing their parents -- ransacking the house in a desperate search for cash and credit cards. Even while I was doing it, I was embarrassed for myself.
I found nothing, but their ugly and very sweet dog Stella happily nuzzled me wherever I went. She has never carried a wallet and thus had no idea of my rising sense of panic.
Eventually, my folks got home -- they had been to a local play and were quite surprised to find me there. But they loaned me money and a credit card. They have always been wonderful parents, and I have to say it was their right to enjoy the hearty laugh at my predicament that they enjoyed.
The next day, at Talladega, I contacted the track's excellent PR staff ahead of time. They allowed me to pick up my credentials outside the track.
But then I still almost didn't make it inside. I got to the track gate, only to be stopped by a young but ornery security guard who demanded my photo ID.
"No photo ID and you don't get in," he said.
I tried to explain that I had been through this once before already. I tried to be nice, because he looked like he would enjoy very much the idea of beating me up.
Then I tried to call the PR folks, who were a half-mile away at this point. I got one on a cell phone but, as I talked to her, a raucous jet flyover made conversation impossible and the call got dropped.
Meanwhile, the race engines were gunning and the green flag was about to fly. I could hear them -- I was so close, but yet so far. I tried the cel phone number of the PR woman again. No luck.
The security guard watched all this with some amusement. I don't think I looked too threatening as he saw me fumbling in my backpack for various items.
Then, after making me suffer awhile longer, he jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward the track.
"Go on," he said. "I guess I'll let you in."
And so I made it, and wrote my column from Talladega.
And on the way back home, no cop stopped me. But it was still a nerve-racking 36 hours, and I'm still sort of amazed it all worked out in this post-9/11 world. I had to depend on the kindness of strangers (and family members), and they all came through for me.
But you better believe I'm checking my pockets 10 times each for my wallet before every trip from now on.
If you're a guy, you know that sickening feeling when you check for your wallet and realize you don't have it. I'm determined not to have it again for a loooong time.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
3 things I liked in Panthers' win
I'm sitting in the press box at Talladega -- writing about the latest huge crashes at this dangerous racetrack -- so I'm not in the best position to talk about the Panthers tonight.
Given that Carolina just upset Arizona 34-21, however, I think the tradition of "Things I Did or Didn't Like" must continue from afar. I did manage to see a bit of the game in this pressbox as well as the highlights and the stats. Here's what I liked:
1. The Panther defense. They turned Kurt Warner into "Jake Delhomme from the Arizona playoff game." It seemed like every time I looked at the stats, Warner was getting intercepted again. He ended up with Jake's exact turnover numbers from the playoffs in fact -- 5 interceptions, 1 lost fumble.
And Julius Peppers finally made one of those big-ticket signature plays -- his pick-six for a TD was superb and constituted his first TD since 2004.
2. Double Trouble. Carolina led 28-7 at halftime in large part because Williams and Stewart couldn't be contained by the Cardinals. This was huge for the Panthers' passing game, which needed to be able to play from ahead for once and got to. As in the Tampa win, Delhomme spent much of the game handing off.
3. John Fox. Hey, he went against popular decision and started Jake Delhomme. It worked out fine. His coaching staff came up with a way to stop Warner, run the ball so effectively Jake only had to throw 14 times (he had a chest injury and came out of the game late) and get a huge win on the road.
Give Fox credit -- that's why he is going on his 8th year coaching at Carolina.
Just when you think it's all over for Fox, he pulls one out like this. And if you think about it, so many of Fox's best wins as a Panther coach have come on the road, just as this one did.
The Panthers are still only 3-4, but they deserve to celebrate this one. For the first time in the calendar year 2009, they just beat a good team.
Given that Carolina just upset Arizona 34-21, however, I think the tradition of "Things I Did or Didn't Like" must continue from afar. I did manage to see a bit of the game in this pressbox as well as the highlights and the stats. Here's what I liked:
1. The Panther defense. They turned Kurt Warner into "Jake Delhomme from the Arizona playoff game." It seemed like every time I looked at the stats, Warner was getting intercepted again. He ended up with Jake's exact turnover numbers from the playoffs in fact -- 5 interceptions, 1 lost fumble.
And Julius Peppers finally made one of those big-ticket signature plays -- his pick-six for a TD was superb and constituted his first TD since 2004.
2. Double Trouble. Carolina led 28-7 at halftime in large part because Williams and Stewart couldn't be contained by the Cardinals. This was huge for the Panthers' passing game, which needed to be able to play from ahead for once and got to. As in the Tampa win, Delhomme spent much of the game handing off.
3. John Fox. Hey, he went against popular decision and started Jake Delhomme. It worked out fine. His coaching staff came up with a way to stop Warner, run the ball so effectively Jake only had to throw 14 times (he had a chest injury and came out of the game late) and get a huge win on the road.
Give Fox credit -- that's why he is going on his 8th year coaching at Carolina.
Just when you think it's all over for Fox, he pulls one out like this. And if you think about it, so many of Fox's best wins as a Panther coach have come on the road, just as this one did.
The Panthers are still only 3-4, but they deserve to celebrate this one. For the first time in the calendar year 2009, they just beat a good team.
Friday, October 30, 2009
My Panthers-Cardinals prediction
OK, here's a pop quiz. After which 2009 Panther game did Jake Delhomme say, “I should get the blame. It’s inexcusable. It’s disappointing.”
You’ve got a lot of choices there, don’t you? The correct answer is after the Arizona playoff game – the 33-13 loss that started all the mess around here. Delhomme had six turnovers in that one and never has completely recovered.
Now he will play Arizona again, in Phoenix this time. The bad news for Delhomme is that the Cardinal defense may actually be better right now than the one from last year’s Super Bowl team.
-- You may know that Delhomme and Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner were teammates on the 1998 Amsterdam Admirals. Warner beat Delhomme out for the starting job and started almost all season. (They were each paid about $1,600 per game back then – a total of $16,000 for the 10-game season). What you may not know is that the field where the Admirals played had a moat surrounding it to keep unruly fans off the field.
-- It will be really interesting to see how the Panthers cover – or don’t cover – Larry Fitzgerald. Because Warner’s release is so quick, the Panthers’ defensive line won’t have many chances to get to him unless the secondary plays really well.
Putting Chris Gamble on Fitzgerald most of the time is the best way to go, but he better get a lot of safety help, too. Fitzgerald is particularly dangerous near the goal line because of his size – he’s scored five times already this season and absolutely killed the Panthers in the playoff rout.
-- I’ve called for Delhomme’s benching for much of the past month, but coach John Fox hasn’t listened (no surprise there). Fox has wedded himself to Delhomme, and it would be a fine storybook finish for Delhomme today if he could exorcise some Arizona demons.
Could it happen? Yes, but only if the Panthers’ running game and defense dominates. Delhomme has a chance to be effective then.
Still, the Cardinals are hot -- did you see that impressive win over the New York Giants last week? -- and they have too many weapons.
My prediction: Arizona 27, Carolina 17.
You’ve got a lot of choices there, don’t you? The correct answer is after the Arizona playoff game – the 33-13 loss that started all the mess around here. Delhomme had six turnovers in that one and never has completely recovered.
Now he will play Arizona again, in Phoenix this time. The bad news for Delhomme is that the Cardinal defense may actually be better right now than the one from last year’s Super Bowl team.
-- You may know that Delhomme and Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner were teammates on the 1998 Amsterdam Admirals. Warner beat Delhomme out for the starting job and started almost all season. (They were each paid about $1,600 per game back then – a total of $16,000 for the 10-game season). What you may not know is that the field where the Admirals played had a moat surrounding it to keep unruly fans off the field.
-- It will be really interesting to see how the Panthers cover – or don’t cover – Larry Fitzgerald. Because Warner’s release is so quick, the Panthers’ defensive line won’t have many chances to get to him unless the secondary plays really well.
Putting Chris Gamble on Fitzgerald most of the time is the best way to go, but he better get a lot of safety help, too. Fitzgerald is particularly dangerous near the goal line because of his size – he’s scored five times already this season and absolutely killed the Panthers in the playoff rout.
-- I’ve called for Delhomme’s benching for much of the past month, but coach John Fox hasn’t listened (no surprise there). Fox has wedded himself to Delhomme, and it would be a fine storybook finish for Delhomme today if he could exorcise some Arizona demons.
Could it happen? Yes, but only if the Panthers’ running game and defense dominates. Delhomme has a chance to be effective then.
Still, the Cardinals are hot -- did you see that impressive win over the New York Giants last week? -- and they have too many weapons.
My prediction: Arizona 27, Carolina 17.
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