Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was among the many (so many) people to interview Young this week, during an appearance for the team’s YouTube channel. But as much as the answers he gave then, Delhomme (who sees Young often while calling games on the Panthers Radio Network) noticed the same kind of subtle differences in Young that showed up on the field.
Delhomme was walking between some of his many appearances, and it’s easy for him to get distracted. As a native of Breaux Bridge, La., he’s a celebrity in his own right here, with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry among the many who stopped by to talk. But Delhomme was looking at his phone, and not where he was going when he felt someone playfully poke at him and tell him to pay attention. It was Young, laughing and cracking jokes.
“It’s just different, right?” Delhomme said. “You can just see it. You feel it, you know.”
After talking to former Panthers center Ryan Kalil on set, Delhomme was reminded of another story. When Kalil was drafted in the second round in 2007, they had an established veteran center in Justin Hartiwg. So Kalil spent the year filling in and waiting for his turn to take over in a lost season in which Delhomme was hurt early, and they ended up with David Carr and Vinny Testaverde starting games.
But in 2008, things were different. First, their quarterback was back from Tommy John surgery. But with rookie running back Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in the backfield, they were running the ball so well it became their personality. Late in the year, on Monday Night Football against the Buccaneers, it was going so well (they ran for 299 yards that night), Kalil got lathered up and started yelling, “We’re a bad-ass offense, and this is what we’re going to do on every play.”
Delhomme and left tackle Jordan Gross, who lived on the same comic wavelength, cracked up. “Both of us, at the same time, we’re like, whoa, tough guy,” Delhomme said with a laugh. Kalil then swore at them and told them to get back in the huddle. It was a funny story, but it was also a moment where a center was feeling himself emerging as a leader. And that was a role Kalil would continue to play for a decade.
“It was the moment he arrived,” Delhomme said. “It was like, OK, he felt comfortable. Bryce told us yesterday, you know, yeah, we beat the Saints, we beat the Giants, then at the bye week he goes, ‘I took a deep breath for a little bit, and I was like, you know…
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