USAT: Panthers Wire audio clip

USAT: Panthers Wire

Jan 29, 2022

Few people, if any, had a better look at the career of Carolina Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr. than Jake Delhomme. So imagine how he felt when his old partner in crime wasn’t named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. - Well, you don’t have to imagine—because Delhomme hopped on the Upon Further Review podcast this past week and gave host Zach Brooks his reaction to the surprising snub. - “I wasn’t shocked, I was floored,” said Delhomme, who learned of the news through the Panthers.com app. “Well, I see an update on my phone that Sam Mills is one of the finalists. And I was so fired up, never thinking in my mind that Steve wasn’t. I thought that was a given. And nothing against some of the other guys that were finalists. They were great football players. But I was absolutely floored.” - Smith, despite a very worthy résumé, was not named one of the 2022 class’ 15 modern-era finalists back on Dec. 30. And considering Delhomme was the man feeding Smith for much of that résumé, his opinion is particularly pertinent here. - Delhomme and Smith were teammates in Carolina from 2003 to 2009, where the beloved quarterback helped his No. 1 target to five seasons of at least 1,000 yards receiving (with one being his 2005 triple crown) over seven campaigns. The duo also helped the Panthers to a pair of division titles and a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII, the franchise’s first ever shot at the Lombardi Trophy. - “And it kinda makes you question, ‘Do the people that vote on this really, truly do their homework? Do they really and truly watch games?’ Delhomme added. “I don’t know. That bothers me.” - It bothers all of us, Jake—especially when Smith absolutely deserves a spot in Canton. - - RelatedWas Panthers great Steve Smith Sr. snubbed from Hall of Fame finalists list? - - RelatedPanthers great Steve Smith making historic strides in behavioral healthcare - - List - - Panthers react to wild weekend of Divisional Round playoffs - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Panthers Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Panthers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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