Former Carolina Panthers quarterback and NFC South rival, Jake Delhomme, will be starting his first game as a member of the Cleveland Browns against a familiar foe.
With a career rating of 82.1, Delhomme isn’t a feared quarterback by any means, and he has recently lost his efficiency, proving to be more of a negative factor to his team, which eventually led to his dismissal from Carolina.
If you take a look at the numbers, Delhomme’s interception total has risen in recent seasons. In 2008, the Louisiana native threw 12 interceptions, and then followed that up with 18 picks last season. Throwing 30 picks in the past two seasons, and 96 interceptions in his career, the former undrafted free agent needs to figure out how to avoid the costly turnovers in Cleveland, or he could be one-and-done with the Browns, considering that they drafted former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy in the 2010 Draft.
Being a former NFC South rival to Tampa, Delhomme has seen a lot of the pewter and red in his career.
So how successful has Delhomme been against the Buccaneers in the 12 games that they have squared off?
The Numbers
Rating: 81.5
Completions/Attempts: 182/298
Yards: 2,228
Touchdowns: 15
Interceptions: 14
The Verdict
After glancing at the numbers, the one number that should pop out to the readers is the interceptions total. In Delhomme’s career, those 14 interceptions are by far the most against any other NFL team, the next closest is 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Another statistic that I didn’t mention in "The Numbers" section was the sack total against Tampa Bay. The Bucs have amassed 14 total sacks against Delhomme for a total of 128 yards lost. That ranks Tampa second among teams in sacks against Delhomme, with Atlanta compiling 18 against the former Panther. But that number could and should rise after this weekend, and who knows, maybe they can surpass 18 sacks after this week.
Delhomme’s numbers, or lack thereof, against Tampa Bay should give Tampa Bay fans hope that the Buccaneers can start off the 2010 season on the right foot, and gain some momentum heading into the brunt of their schedule.