Dante's touchdown gave my stomach an inferno. Or was that the fish & chips?So the Panthers upset the Chargers in week 1 at home on the last play of the game, as a Jake Delhomme touchtown pass soared over the outstretched fingers of Old No. 32 Eric Weddle. The resulting acrobatic catch by tight end Dante Rosario with time expiring stunned everyone at the Q. Not only that, but the Oregon product Rosario had a career day to the tune of seven catches for 96 yards, much of it against Weddle's coverage.
Subsequently I have received varioius texts/e-mails saying things like "Sorry dude, Weddle sux," "Weddle is terrible" and "We should sign John Lynch." Trying times to be a Weddle fan, indeed.
However, it's my opinion that this first performance should be taken with a grain of salt. Despite tons of playing time last season, this was his first NFL start at safety. The pourous run defense and a sub-par pass rush (looking at you, Merriman) made it easy for Carolina to pick apart the Chargers secondary. In addition, a lot of tight end coverage responsibilty lies not only with the safety, but middle linebackers being in the right spot. Donnie Edwards had this down to a science, but it's clear Matt Wilhelm has miles to go (if he ever gets there), and Derek Smith is on his last legs. In an interview with XTRA-1360's Dave & Jeff in the Morning (check the podcast section), Eric talks about how he was actually positioned at linebacker on the play, expecting safety help over the top. It's a pretty interesting breakdown; EW in the end blames himself for not getting there in time.
So one loss in the books, and some Charger fans angry at Weddle. But just remember one thing as the season progresses, that will help you stick with E-Dubs through thick and thin:
ERIC WEDDLE IS NOT MARLON MCCREE!
We all know how this play ends. A dead man would have done a better job. Eff you Marlon.
