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Mac & Bone Show - Jake Delhomme Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Right now, we continue Luke Keighley Appreciation Week with the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: guy that works with him many Sundays on the Panther
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Radio Network. And I know he's a guy that would
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: have had a headache or two bone if he would
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: have been going head to head against Luke Keigley when
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: they play. We're talking about Jake Delome of your Carolina Panthers,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: an absolute legend in his own right, and he joins
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: us here to talk about Luke and of course the
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six Panthers. Jake, what's going on? How you doing, man?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: I'm doing great, guys. I can feel the excitement in
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: your guys boys for the season coming up, and I
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: feel the same way. And I think certainly this weekend,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: you know, with Luke being inducted, And yeah, I did
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: not play with him, and I knew him very little
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: when he was playing here because I wasn't really around
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: getting to know him the last few years. I would
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: like to say, pretty darn well, Yeah, anything that's said
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: about him, it could be multiplied times ten, because what
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: he was on the field, he's probably better than that off.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: The field, and and everybody says that, and it's sincere.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: You can tell and Jake, have you said.
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: That about you? Also? Ja, we said in the show today, Yeah, you're.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: You're like you guys both kind of seem like regular guys,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: even though you did these special things. Do you is
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: as far as being like a Hall of Famer, an
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: absolute superstar, I can't imagine there's as many as humble
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: as Luke. Like he doesn't even feel comfortable. That's why
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: I can't wait to see the speech. Like he doesn't
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: even feel comfortable talking about himself. You know, he's so humble.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: No, he does it and uh, he always wants to
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: deflect to someone else. And even you see it. And
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: I'll say it again, and I've said it many times.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: When we go on the field before the game, we
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: make a couple of trips up and down from the
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: booth and we always go watch the other team warm
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: warm up in the Flesh film is one thing, but
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: just seeing them move body types, things of that nature.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: I want to see arm lengths, I want to see
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: how they set things like that. We're both that way.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: It's amazing that the players from the other teams they
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: go up to him and it's in reverential terms. It's
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: almost like the genuflected in front of them and they're like,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: oh my gosh, I still watch film. And then guys
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: in street cloths like guys that are inactive are practice
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: squad guys. Oh my gosh, I watched film leading up
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: to the combine on you I want it's it's unreal.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: And he just never wants to talk about himself. He
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: was like, well, good, how you doing, man, how's everything?
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: You know, he wants to deflect it immediately. But that's
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: the impact that I think he had on the game
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: that I don't unders think people truly understand is that
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: he is still studied to this day by all these
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: young players and they continuously talk about him and that's
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: the standard. Yeah.
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: Jack.
• 2:42
  Speaker 5: When I asked to him on the show this week,
• 2:44
  Speaker 5: he didn't tell me that he was too busy going
• 2:47
  Speaker 5: into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Luke told me
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: that he's busy coaching the kids up, the high school kids.
• 2:52
  Speaker 4: So it wasn't a Baut's true, like, it's it's a
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: he just like when we'll talk on the phone and
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: we talk a lot and a lots during the season,
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: and he'll start talking about his games, coaching the kids
• 3:05
  Speaker 4: and things like that.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: He just he loved it. He just wants to pour
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: everything into him, into the kids.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's awesome, man, And that's one of the things
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: about him. He was such an awesome player. But man,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: like you said, fans and Panther Nation are in love
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: with with him as a as a person as well.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: When you're sitting up there in the booth and you're
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: talking ball, whether it's on the air during a game,
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: whether it's you know, before the game, like, how apparent
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: is it talking to this dude that, Oh my god,
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: this is one because I know a lot of times
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: y'all quarterbacks maybe think those defensive guys aren't as sharp
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: as you. I'm not sure any quarterback ever thought that
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: about Luke Man.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: He was. He was. He was playing chess, wasn't he.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he was. And his like formation recognition and how
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: he can pick up everything's formation wise and you know,
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: like offensively. For me, when I watch film on the defense,
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: I'm looking at obviously the whole structure and you kind
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: of know the distances, what a team tendency is, what
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: they like to do, and so you have that as
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: you build up your game plan through the course of
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: the week. Well, he was so good at recognizing formations
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: and things of that nature. And hey, they like doing
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: this out of the backs off set, be careful of this,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: and he's gonna go to a guard set or a
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: tackle set and watch kind of how they're set in
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: their stance. It's pretty remarkable, just his recall and what
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: he can see and what he can do, and just
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: pattern recognition that he was able to do. Like you
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: go back to, everyone knows the two Tony Romo plays,
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: but the interception on things given night, you just watch him.
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: He's running up the scene with somebody, then realizes, Okay,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: well I have a da coming in behind me, and
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: he lets the guy go and he goes right to
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: whether they's supposed to be in the ball, he catches
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: it right in front of his face. It's those things
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: that he could do so fast. And another thing we
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: probably don't talk about enough. He was so athletic. I mean,
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: I don't think he gets enough credit for quick and explosive.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: When you watch those those films, he's backpedaling when he
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: puts his foot in the ground, it's immediate he's going
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: forward or he's going in the direction, and just it
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: was different, man, He was different Jake.
• 5:10
  Speaker 5: While we're excited to see we go to the Hall
• 5:13
  Speaker 5: of Fame. We saw Sam Mills, we saw pap We're
• 5:16
  Speaker 5: waiting for the day when eighty nine can get up
• 5:18
  Speaker 5: there as well Steve Smith and give what will likely
• 5:22
  Speaker 5: be an iconic Hall of Fame speech. Well, what do
• 5:25
  Speaker 5: you think about Smitty not getting in yet? And how
• 5:28
  Speaker 5: ridiculous do you think it is that he's having to
• 5:30
  Speaker 5: wait a little bit here?
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, listen, I'm certainly I'm very biased, I will say that.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: And here's the thing that's that's so tough. I mean,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: there seemed like there's been a log jam there that
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: they have you know, Tory Holt, you know, Reggie Wayne,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: and then you had Smitty. It's like everybody that was
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: cannibalizing each other. And then Larry comes in and Larry
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: becomes a you know, a first ballot. So it's and
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: it's frustrating for me. I just know what Steve was
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: and then talking to other players, and he'ven tou coordinate
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: us throughout the years. The number one thing that they
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: that they had to do weekend and week out was
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: stop eighty nine. And the thing that I know that
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: I took, I don't want to say it was frustration
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: on steven I's part, but like we would play a
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: couple of games. We played Tampa one year, I think
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: it was eight or whatnot. I couldn't throw the ball
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: to him because they dedicated two people to stop him,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: so he had to split in the corners on him,
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: and the safeties all the way outside the hash well,
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: the Angelo and Jonathan were just running it right at
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: him because we had a numbers advantage. Because Steve affected that,
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: and that doesn't show up in the stat sheet. The
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: same thing happened in Green Bay in two thousand and eight.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: It wasn't that good of a game for him statistically,
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: but because it was so okay, he is not going
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: to beat us. And then what happens late in the game,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: under two minutes, I hit him down the team and
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: he's able to run past all the guys he catches it,
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: we kick a field goal to win. Those are the
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: things that it goes unnoticed. And it's not what he
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: did on the field. Listen, if this guy would have
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: only been a kicking pun returner, he'd be the best
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: kicking punt returner there ever was. I mean, he did
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: it as a as a rookie in his second year.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: He was in our third year Super Bowl. Yeah, he
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: was still returning kicks for touchdowns. The guy was just different.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: I know I'm standing on the soap box and I
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: know I'm beating the drum for him, But the guy
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: was different than the other ones. That's just my opinion.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: I don't think there's any doubt. When will he get in,
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I don't know, but it definitely I feel I'm frustrated
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: for him and he's done. He's done the right thing
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: by taking him the high roll. But I promise he
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: was pretty frustrating for him too.
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't blame him.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: We're frustrated too, because it's just I see these guys
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: that were great receivers, but I see them in offenses
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: that passed more, you know what I mean, whereas you
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: got it. Yeah, and I just know, man, he's better
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: than that guy, you know. I just feel that in
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: my heart. And I'm biased to, you know, being a
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: Panther fan. One other thing I got to ask you
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: about Smitty is we we played a clip earlier in
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: the week. It was Shannon Sharp's podcast. He had Jeremy
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: Shockey on and Shocky played with the Panthers for one
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: year and played with Smitty for one year, and they
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: were both talking about something that we always marveled at
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: the fact that this dude was five to nine but
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: would go up and get Pete for jump balls like
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: he was Randy Moss, like he was some six or
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: five receiver, and they were just freaking out over that Jake.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: You would throw it up for him, man, and you
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: would trust him, like did you like, did it take
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: a while to trust like that little dude, He's gonna
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: go up and get like like that's that's I've never
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: seen a jump ball receiver at his size.
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: It was ridiculous, man.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: So okay, I'll go back to O three and we're
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: splitting reps Rodney, Petechris Winky and myself because Rodney was
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: the establaged starter going into the year. And I remember
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: trying to throw some in routes right, so about eighteen
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: yard in route, and I could when when I think
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: it needs to let go, I let it go and
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: I would throw early with anticipation that hits the receiver
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: where he's supposed to be. Every time I would throw
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: it like Steve's catching it, but he's catching it behind
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: his body, and I'm like, Ibbi, damn, what am I doing?
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: And I never forget Rodney and Chris a lost back,
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: and I didn't know them well enough yet. It's early
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: in the springs and they both looked at me and
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: Rodney said, Jake, he said, he's not normal. I said,
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: what do you mean? He goes, there's no one with
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: the explosion out of his break like him. He goes, well,
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: you think you need to throw it in your mind,
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: go to yours further. And I really agree. I had
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: to kind of retrain my brain. And he and I
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: were both so wet behind the years that year. Yeah,
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: I was in my seventh year as my first year
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: starting well, he was in his third year, but really
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: and truly his first time as a full time wide receiver.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: We grew together. We made mistakes together, but I was
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: able to kind of Dan Henning would say it best
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: guys with Steve Smith has he said, only the good
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: law can produce. He goes, he's just different. And we
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: had a we had three letters. We'd say all the time,
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: f t s and it will feed the studs. And
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Dan was like, any time he's one on one or anything,
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: give him a chance and I mean, that's a exactly
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: kind of what we did. We gave him a chance,
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: and he made us right many more times than not.
• 10:05
  Speaker 5: I don't know if anyone's ever played a better game.
• 10:08
  Speaker 5: It took over a game at wide receiver more Jake
• 10:10
  Speaker 5: than you guys in that er five playoff game against
• 10:13
  Speaker 5: the Bears, considering dision, divisional round, the defense that the
• 10:18
  Speaker 5: Bears had that year, and what Smithy did to them
• 10:21
  Speaker 5: that day, I don't know if a receiver's ever had
• 10:23
  Speaker 5: a better day than that.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that was special. You know, the first third down
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: of the game, we ran a play that was a
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: staple fifty hitch Oregon, and you know, you had Charles Tillman,
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: and usually there was if he was like six yards
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: or less, Steve would run the go. Well, if he's
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: had seven yards or more, he's going to run the hitch.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: And you know, as he lined up, you know I
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: kind of glanced breaking the hudd offs. Okay, he's about seven,
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: we're gonna run the hitch. We'll get the first out. Well,
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: I heard it. I'm making my drop and it's just
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: a quick five. I'm replacing steps in the pocket and
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: I turned and I crank it. To go to throw
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: the hitch. Well, Steve has his head topped down and
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: he is running the one hundred meters like usain boat
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: and Pina kind of watches my stance and he thinks
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: I'm driving, and Pina kind of fits for a second.
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: Steve runs right past him, sow recoil real quick, get
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: it to him and we come to the sidelines and
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: I'm like, dude, I was bying to throw the hitch,
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: and he said, that's the way to watch me and
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: know what I'm doing.
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: You know.
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: It was one of those deals. And as the game
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: went on, I remember it was one point the touchdown
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: passed on the left side line when Steve jumped and
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: celebrated on the goal post. They put maybe Nathan Vasher
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: on him, and I knew he had good ball skills,
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: but he couldn't run. And I'm like, oh no, I
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: mean this is easy. I'm throwing it. It's a go route.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: It's not even close. And I lay it up there
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: and Nathan Vasher just falls because Steve goes by him
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: so fast, and he just he was just different. Even
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: Ronde Barbaro, who I thought it was. He's the Hall
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: of Famer for a reason, but Ronde the same weight.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: We play in Tampa and Ronde if ever he pressed
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: him and he'd laugh about it. I heard him give
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: a signal we throw a oh, and he just shake
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: his head like, what am I gonna do? If I
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: play off? They throw it in front of me and
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: gets in yards. If I you're getting near him, he's
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: gonna run past me. He's just different.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Cannot wait till Steve has
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: his day in Canton, uh and it's coming and Luke
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: will have one this week. We got to ask you
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: before before you go. You're the radio analyst on the
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: Panther radio network. You know this team. You lived it
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: last year, the run to the playoffs. I want to
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: ask you about the current quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: has seem like they're kind of in a wait and see.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: They want to see a little more before they commit
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: to him long term with a contract. As someone that
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: watches him but knows the position way more than we do.
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: What are some of the things that you think Bryce
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: has to do to take it to the next level.
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: Well, listen, we want to annoy guy so fast, right
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: rookie year c J Stroud is the next great quarterback? Well,
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: now that that's the question in youson they feel that's
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: the super both team, but they're questioning the quarterback like
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: it takes time, guys, and I'll go back to it.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: I think continued growth up rice. And that's not a
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: cop out on answering the question. Last year, we took
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: away his his his blanket, right, we took away Adam Feelnd,
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: meaning he got traded, so we didn't start early in
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: the season that well, we got better as we went
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: on during the season. But you're throwing to the year two,
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: Cooper year two and team back year one, so like
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: and I think Bryce mentally he's so far ahead of
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: so many players at his age that you know he's
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: learning these guys. And I just think you saw the
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: steps that he made last year. I'm looking for another
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: continued growth and hopefully he's the guy and a lot's
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: gonna determine what we do this season. I mean, look,
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: that's just the way it gets, the way it goes.
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: I think this roster is getting built different now. I mean,
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: like I was able to be out there for the
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: first practice of the year when Nick Scordon went down,
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: but just watching this team, watching how we look, watching
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: how you know Dave and Dan Morgan and Grant have
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: built this football team. You just you sent it coming,
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: You sent it coming together. And the quarterback is a
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: big part of it. But I just think consistent play,
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: especially early in the season and early in games, and
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: then just kind of go from there and hopefully the
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: continued growth and hopefully you know, we're talking about a
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: massive deal for Bryce at some point in the future,
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: because that's what you want when you drop somebody first. Overall,
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: you want a decade quarterback or longer for yourself, for
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: your team.
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: Definitely, no doubt about it.
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: Jake.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: It is always fun. We could go down Panther memory
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: Lane with you for hours, man. I mean, I tell you,
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: it's beautiful, dude. We want some John Foxx stories next time.
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: Next I got a B, I got a B.
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: Bet man, all right, Jake, be good man. I know
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: it'll be go time before we know it in the
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: regular season. Man, thanks for joining us.
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: Anytime, guys. I appreciate it. And uh, you know, go Panthers, baby.