As a fan of the NFL and more specifically, the Carolina Panthers, I have seen nearly every game that the team has played since Jerry Richardson started the team and brought the NFL to Charlotte. Since their inception in the mid 1990s, the Carolina Panthers have had many quarterbacks to play and even start for them. I have seen all of their good times and their bad times also. Here is my list of the best and worst quarterbacks to ever start in a game for the team.
The best:
1. Cam Newton. Although Cam Newton has only been with the team for one season, he has the ability to do what only great quarterbacks can do and that is the ability to make the players on the team better. He makes the offensive line better, the wide receivers better, and the running backs better.
2. Steve Beuerlein. Steve was the consummate professional with great leadership skills. What he lacked in talent, he made up for in his knowledge of the game and his ability to motivate his offense. The team released him before the 2001 season and proceeded to win only one game that year.
3. Jake Delhomme. Delhomme was a fiery quarterback who could motivate the players around him. He would be number two on this list if it weren’t for his tendency to try to throw the ball into tight windows and have them intercepted.
4. Rodney Peete. Rodney was coach John Fox’s first starting quarterback and did pretty well considering the lack of talent surrounding him. He did have the trust of his players though and won seven games in his only year as a full time starter.
The Worst:
1. David Carr. Even though Carr is still in the league as a backup to Eli Manning in New York for the Giants, when he was with the Panthers, he was the anti-Newton. By this I mean that when he was on the field, the players seemed to play worse and out of sync. He lacked the confidence and the motivational skills necessary in all good quarterbacks.
2. Randy Fasani. The only thing Randy Fasani had going for him was his youth. Everyone gave him the benefit of the doubt right up until the only game he ever started. Even the TV commentator for the game, hall of fame quarterback Troy Aikman, commented on how poorly Fasani played even for a rookie.
3. Matt Lytle. His one and only start for the Panthers was a 48-14 loss to the St. Louis Rams in the one win season of 2001 when starter Chris Weinke and backup Dameyune Craig were out with injuries. Although he did throw one touchdown, he also threw two interceptions.
