South Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — Jake Delhomme faced a perplexing issue during his first full season as a starting quarterback. The 28-year-old, new to the town but familiar with local staples like Bojangles, noticed he was losing weight as the season progressed. His wife Keri expressed concern at a 2003 charity event, asking Delhomme's backup quarterback what could be wrong.

Rodney Peete, who was 37 at the time, provided an answer. "Keri leans over and asked Rodney, hey, what can I do? I'm cooking, I'm trying," Delhomme recalled. "And Rodney started laughing. He said, Keri, it's called stress. He said it's good stress too. You don't realize that your body is taking a beating."

Peete guided Delhomme through his initial seasons with the Panthers by offering small bits of wisdom and defensive insights that proved invaluable to the young quarterback.

This weekend, the Panthers are hoping for similar benefits from experience as they turn to 36-year-old Andy Dalton to start against the Raiders in place of second-year quarterback Bryce Young.

Panthers coach Dave Canales finds comfort in Dalton's veteran presence. "I just think that when you have a lot of games under your belt... you can just anticipate things," Canales stated this week.

Dalton has started 163 games in his career across various teams including the Bengals, Cowboys, Bears, Saints, and now Panthers. Reflecting on his experience, Dalton said this week: "I've seen a ton of defensive schemes... there's times where you see something you're like, oh, I remember that from my time in Cincy."

Former Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen observed similar qualities in veteran quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins. Thielen noted how experience changes communication styles within the team: "You use your experience to your advantage... Learning how to deal with different people... you learn that over time."

Delhomme himself benefited from having experienced players around him when he joined the Panthers and later passed on his knowledge to younger players like Colt McCoy during his tenure with other teams.

The Panthers' history includes several successful stints by older quarterbacks such as Steve Beuerlein and Vinny Testaverde. These veterans provided stability and valuable lessons to younger teammates.

As Dalton steps into his new role this week, he relies on routines developed over years of playing in the NFL. "Obviously it's been a while since I've been in this position," Dalton said. "But my routine hasn't changed at all... So besides having a lot of friends and family excited, my routine's been the same."