by Chuck Burton - AP

3 days ago: Carolina Panthers' Matt Moore (3) prepares throw a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. Moore was a winner in his first start of the season for the Panthers, and likely will remain Carolina's quarterback for another week. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Does anyone else find it slightly incredulous that Panthers coach John Fox calls Jake Delhomme day-to-day following a fracture of his middle finger on his throwing hand? That easily sounds like a three or even four week healing process.  I'm pretty sure it took Tony Romo three to four weeks to recover from a similar injury last season. Four weeks until being able to throw without pain sounds reasonable and besides, why would you want to rush back a QB with 18 INT's in 11 games? Wouldn't you want to make sure Delhomme's finger is a 100% before risking another loss at this point?

So if we assume Delhomme is out four weeks then why not just sit him the final two? If in these next two games Matt Moore leads the Panthers back to .500 at 7-7 they are suddenly back in the wildcard hunt.  Removing Moore from the line up after resurrecting the season against teams like the Patriots and Vikings would certainly put Fox in the hot seat if Delhomme tanked...again.

If the Panthers instead lose the next two games the season is dead and so again I ask why start Delhomme. Let him go ahead and start his planning for next season. With his contract the Panthers will at the very least have him back in camp and competing.

If the Panthers do lose and Matt Moore fails to impress then why not give AJ Feeley a shot? I'll stop there and not suggest we elevate Hunter Cantwell as tempting as that sounds. Fans pay good money to see these games and they should see the best the Panthers have on the roster. The Panthers know ultimately that need to keep a competitive team on the field to keep the wine and cheese crowd happy. Besides, even if Moore tanks you can hardly fault Fox for sticking with the kid, he obviously doesn't better options.  

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Hello Patriots fans and Pats Pulpit!

Jaxon here from Cat Scratch Reader. I thought I would get the Blogger Q&A posts kicked off on this Hump Day. BTW, you can read our Patriots Hump Day Prognotication here.  

So I'm here to answer any questions you may have about my beloved Panthers leading up to our throw down on Sunday. I'll start with some quick hits on where we are at this point in the 2009 season and then address some of the obvious stuff:

• 3rd year QB Matt Moore should get his second straight start due to Jake Delhomme's broken finger on his throwing hand and I am glad. Moore wasn't steller in last weeks win over the Bucs but he played well enough to give us hope. The Patriots obviously present a better indicator as to whether this kid has a future as astarting QB.
• QB Jake Delhomme will always be one of my favorite Panther players but I think he has lost his mojo (and arm strength?) and its time for a permanent change. His large contract may keep him around another season but I', hoping its in a back-up role.
• RB DeAngelo Williams sat out last week and though it hasn't been announced I fully expect him to play this week.
• Since you guys passed on DE Julius Peppers (kind of) last offseason I'm hoping he is motivated to have a big game. He's played well this season at times (8.5 sacks) but he has been limited by a broken hand a couple weeks back. He may be 100% this Sunday though.
• We've got 10 guys on IR and some of them were key players. Regardless, at 5-7 we still have some hope for the post season but your guys could be the final nail in the coffin.
• I'd give my left nad to beat the Patriots this week (don't need it anyway - V). We are still sore about that SB loss. Hey, when you only have one appearance its hard to forget. The fact you are only 7-5 is slightly satisfying though 7-6 might make the season (for me anyway).
• Here's to hoping Brady is on diaper duty Saturday Night and comes to work a little foggy.

All in good fun Pats fans;)  So I'm ready for your questions. I'll check back from time to time; someone will try to answer your quesitons. I have some avid readers who like to help out too.

One last request, err two. Can I get a couple Rec's to keep this post at the top? Q#2, can someone put up a similar post on my site for my readers? They enjoy the Q&A sessions.

Good luck on Sunday...no injuries ...and as always...Go Panthers!

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

4 days ago: Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore, right, is congratulated by teammates Travelle Wharton, left, and Mackenzy Bernadeau, center, in the closing seconds of their 16-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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The Panthers took care of business today beating a one win Bucs team that is still breaking in a new QB. The game featured two young QBs trying to rally their teams. The Panther defense made sure their new starter got off to a good start intercepting Bucs QB Josh Freeman 5 times on their way to their fifth victory.

Here's some quick hits with further analysis coming:

• LB Jon Beason led the defense with two red zone INTs and 6 tackles
• RB Jonathan Stewart got his first start of the season and responded with 120 yards and TD on 26 carries
• QB Matt Moore was a pedestrian 14 of 20 for 161 yards with one INT but more importantly he limited his mistakes
• WR Steve Smith was mostly silent (3 for 78 yds) outside of a big catch late in the game (66 yards)

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So here we are Panther fans...game time yet again. It spite of the 4-7 dead end record the Panthers are sporting I find myslef a little excited. Panthers perennial back-up QB Matt Moore gets his first start since 2007 against a 1-10 Bucs team that is playing better of late even if it hasn't generated any wins.

The Panthers are battling a number of injuries too...walking wounded everywhere.

Let's just get on with it...this in now an Open Thread!

What a great game...even better that GT won...Orange Bowl bound. Sorry Clemson fans...we just got your number. Was I worried when Clemson scored to take a 34-33 lead? Nah...well maybe a little. But Clemson had stopped GT from scoring only once all night so I knew GT could do it. I just hoped they didn't leave too much time on the clock...and then they did. I minute and 20 seconds actually. But the defense stepped up...well DE Derrick Morgan did on that 4th down. Why in the world they started to throwing the ball rather than just handing it off to Spiller is beyond me.

CJ Spiller should win the Heisman if those guys know anything about football. The guy is just incredible. 200+ yards and 4 TD's.

RB Jonathan Dwyer is only a Junior but he will be playing in the NFL next season. Morgan too unfortunately.

The Citrus is a fine bowl Clemson fans...he he he  ;)

We'll be in south Florida though, probably playing TCU who beat Clemson early in the season.

So GT coach Paul Johnson wins the ACC in his second season. I guess that truly answers the question as to whether you can win running the triple option at the top level of college football. Sign that guy to 20 years...give him the keys to the ATL. I'm sold, Johnson IS my daddy!

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 2009 ACC Football Champs!

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You may recall a few weeks back I posted that JC Penny/Van Huesen is running a Fan Choice HoF Vote that mimics the actual NFL HoF vote to get a comparison of who the fans think should get in versus who the board gets in. Both the NFL HoF and the Fans Choice have released their Top 25 for consideration. Former Panther LB Kevin Greene is in the top 25 on both lists (#24), one of only 14 people included on both lists.

So now it is time to vote for round 2. Come on Panther fans, vote for LB Kevin Greene at www.fanschoice.com  . He is way better than several names on the list that got more fan votes. Greene is #3 all-time in sacks with 160 over 15 seasons.

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This is pure speculation on my part hence the Fanpost versus FP story but thought its worth discussing. The Panthers obviously need to make some changes on offense and special teams so why not fire Davidson and bring in Charlie Weis? He seems to prefer the type of offense John Fox prefers, more of a short-passing game, passes to the RB and other low-risk play selection. I'm sure he will end up somewhere back in the NFL in the offseason:

It makes sense to wonder if Weis, who was very well-regarded as an NFL offensive coordinator, might end up back with the Patriots. What's Bill Belichick say? Not right now, but in the offseason, one never knows.

So is anyone out there impressed with Weis? Would he be a fit here?

Hello Buc 'em, Jaxon here with Cat Scratch Reader. Recently I've been doing the Q&A thread versus the formal 5 question Q&A with some of the other blogs and its gone pretty well so I thought lets keep it going. 

I'm here to answer any questions you might have about the Carolina Panthers and their match-up with your Bucs this weekend. I hope your 1-10 record hasn't dampened your love of football NFL style and that you keep watching and talking about your favorite team.

The good news for you is I'm almost 100% positive 3rd year QB Matt Moore will start due to Jake Delhomme's broken finger. Moore started three games his rookie season at the end of 2007 and went 2-1, one being against the Bucs. In our view the kid could hardly do much worse than Delhomme and his 18 INT's on the season. It's too bad it took an injury to pry the guy from the starting line-up as he should have been riding pine a few weeks back. By the way, we Panther fans have a new theory as to why Fox wouldn;t bench Delhomme that you can find here (humorous).

So lets hear your questions Buc fans, either I or one of my loyal readers will give you an answer. Good luck on Sunday.

Oh and can I get some Recs for this post to keep it near the top?

More photos » by Seth Wenig - AP

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'm starting to get a little excited about seeing QB Matt Moore get the start this weekend. I would have preferred HC John Fox to have simply faced reality and benched Delhomme thereby giving Moore a shot of confidence. As it stands he might feel like he'll be back on the bench once Delhomme is healed, unless of course Moore shines in Delhomme absence. This edition of Paw Prints  is focused on QB Matt Moore and his pending start against the Bucs. Steve Reed reports that if we liked what we saw from Moore in '07 he is a different QB now:

Now in his third year, Moore insists he's a much different quarterback than he was in '07
Moore said he’s much more prepared this time around. "I mean, a ton," Moore said of how much more comfortable he is with the team’s offense now compared to 2007. "I was here four games before I got in here before, and I'm going on my third year now. I feel good, I feel ready. If it comes to that, we'll find out soon enough. But I feel good."

Photo: Jake Delhomme's finger, pre-break but he's already in pain

One of the keys to Moore's success will be the protection, which has struggled since LT Jordan Gross went on IR:

ProFootballWeekly.com - Delhomme feels effects of Gross’ absence
Wharton gave up three sacks in the team's Week 11 loss and QB Jake Delhomme's play suffered because of it. He was sacked a season-high four times and was hit eight times. The team was optimistic that losing Gross, who made the Pro Bowl last season, wouldn't be a major issue due to Wharton's experience at left tackle, but it's clear, at least when it comes to pass protection, that the front five are not as capable as they were with Gross as an anchor.

So much for the "kick Wharton to the outside" strategy should we need a LT. I would hope the Panthers look to add a true LT as  back-up at LT next year.

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