By Mike Cranston
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó Jake Delhomme bobbled the snap, then somehow held onto the ball following a bizarre pump fake. Finally, he unleashed a risky and wobbly pass toward the end zone.
Confident, unorthodox and a bit lucky, it was classic Delhomme. And any thoughts he wouldn’t be the same with a new ligament in his passing elbow were quickly squashed amid the celebration after Dante Rosario plucked Delhomme’s high pass out of the air as time expired Sunday in San Diego.
As Delhomme serves as a test case for quarterbacks and reconstructive elbow surgery, the early results were positive ó and eerie. Delhomme’s first game with his bionic elbow ended the same way his debut with Carolina did five years ago: with a winning touchdown pass that left his teammates joyous, and questioning how he did it.
“We just watched the film, there was nobody open,” left tackle Jordan Gross said Monday. “Dante wasn’t open. It was just a good throw and a good catch.”
For the 10th time, Delhomme led the Panthers on a winning drive in the final two minutes or overtime. But this stunning victory, against the two-time defending AFC West champion Chargers, was extra special following a frustrating 2007 that saw Delhomme question his football mortality.
“We’re always one game away, so just enjoy the heck out of it,” said Delhomme, who hadn’t played in a regular-season game since shredding the ligament in his elbow in Week 3 last season. “I put a lot on myself, don’t get me wrong, but I embrace it more instead of (thinking) ‘You can’t let them down. You can’t let them down.’ I still have that, but you prepare and you go out and play, and hopefully it’s good enough.”
It was on Sunday, when Delhomme turned what was an ordinary day into a spectacular finish, rivaling his debut with Carolina in 2003. Then, the former New Orleans backup threw a 12-yard TD pass to Ricky Proehl with 16 seconds left that jump-started Carolina’s run to the Super Bowl.
After the Chargers quickly parlayed D.J. Hackett’s fumble into a touchdown and took a 24-19 lead, the Panthers took over at their 32 with 2:21 left. Having not scored an offensive touchdown all day and with top receiver Steve Smith back home serving a two-game suspension, the Panthers appeared doomed.
But Gross remembered Delhomme’s previous comebacks.
“We went onto the field and I told him, ‘This is what you do,”‘ Gross said. “He’s awesome in the 2-minute (offense). He’s got confidence. He knows what he’s doing and I don’t think he ever doubted it.”
Delhomme, who had been a pedestrian 15-of-30 for 179 yards, suddenly started firing bullets. Hackett, Muhsin Muhammad, Rosario and Dwayne Jarrett all caught passes.
With the ball at the San Diego 14, the Panthers called a simplistic play run often in the back yard: five receivers run vertical routes to the end zone and try to get open.
Working out of the shotgun, Delhomme had trouble with a high snap. He gathered it and got good protection, but the Chargers had sent seven players into coverage and they swarmed five receivers. The Panthers called their final timeout with two seconds left.
Delhomme eyed Rosario, a backup tight end, in middle of the end zone. He made an awkward pump fake in hopes of getting a safety to bite. After bringing the ball back, Delhomme fired a high pass, far from a spiral, to the 6-foot-4 Rosario. The ball was tipped by Chargers linebacker Matt Wilhelm, and Rosario extended his arms and caught it with the nose pointing to the sky.