FanHouse DwayneJarrett

One of my favorite moves on fantasy football draft day is taking a late-round gamble and letting everyone else laugh at me. You can have the first round, just let me pick late. To illustrate, here's an actual message board post last season after one of my drafts: "Commish Snyder purposefully did not draft a kicker so he could take a flier on yet another long shot (Steve Slaton of the Texans). I'm sure he'll say it will pay off in the long run."

My response? "I'll end up dropping Patrick Crayton (my fifth WR) for a kicker before week 1 when Slaton wins the Houston gig -- unless someone suffers a season-ending injury, in which case I'll drop that person."

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With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
Home of Smash and Dash. Why is that important? Because that's the nickname of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, one of the most prolific running back combinations in the NFL last year. Oh, yes, and in case you didn't see the Jake Delhomme Meltdown Party against the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs last year, the running game is mildly important to the Panthers success.

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Terrell Owens and Keyshawn Johnson have a history of clowning each other that dates back to last season. Two months ago, T.O. took time out from complaining that he wasn't getting the ball enough to take a few shots at "Sheshawn." And then, last week, Johnson's ESPN colleague Emmitt Smith announced that the 2008 Cowboys were nothing more than mediocre, which after what happened Sunday, it probably a fair assessment.

Shockingly, Owens isn't terribly impressed with Johnson or Smith. According to the Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon, T.O. says he doesn't watch ESPN, but he has plenty to say about two of its NFL analysts who formerly played for the Cowboys. (And the media didn't even have to ask him -- he just starting taking shots!)

Last night I pointed out that Terrell Owens, according to sources, had concerns with how Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was utilizing his awesomeness during games. No specifics, but some vague mention of being frustrated with his lack of touches (wait, what?), especially in the deep passing game.

Turns out, T.O. isn't upset with Dallas' offensive game plan, he's bummed that ESPN studio analyst Keyshawn Johnson, who Owens has affectionately taken to calling "Sheshawn", was critical of his play following the Redskins game.

No worries, though; T.O. WILL NOT BE SILENCED ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT MATTER:

Regarding Keyshawn Johnson, whom Owens' referred to as Sheshawn at least three times, he said: "[As the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft] he is the ultimate underachiever on that panel. I am the reason he is in the booth. Everybody is aware when I was brought to Dallas he was the one they let go to get me here."

He said there was one thing he agreed with that [Cris] Carter had to say and that was that Jerry Rice is the best receiver of all time. "But I am second all time behind Jerry Rice," Owens said in accentuating his superiority over Carter and Johnson.

Two things: first, Dwayne Jarrett is the reason Keyshawn is "in the booth"; the Panthers drafted Jarrett in the second round of the 2007 draft, which ultimately led to Johnson's release -- or, asking to be cut, depending on who's telling the story -- and a second career in television.

The important thing to remember about Sunday for the Carolina Panthers is that the the San Diego Chargers played a very good game. Why is that important? Because the Cats won, that's why.

Jake Delhomme, after completing a highly improbable walk-off touchdown pass to Dante Rosario (see right) was by all accounts pretty emotional, "Oh man, I don't know how to put in words. Let's be honest ... Games like this, they don't happen often. This ranks for me, I promise you, and with good reason."

Delhomme missed all of last season, and believe me when I say that having to watch Mittens mangle your team for an entire season is good enough reason to cry.

The comeback was especially impressive because it came amid an efficient three touchdown performance by Philip Rivers and a near 100 yard game for LaDanian Tomlinson. Of course, it was never a blowout: Carolina showed offensive balance and defensive toughness and in the end, and more importantly, they flashed some of Delhomme's trademark last second luck.

And luck matters a whole hell of a lot more in a short football season than it does in other sports -- a few good bounces and a few close wins turns a decent team into a playoff and Super Bowl contender.

Which is what both of these teams are going to be in 2008, and for likely the same reason: the return of their quarterbacks. It's an encouraging sign for San Diego that Rivers played like he did against a tough and underrated defense, considering he was Captain Strugglesworth last year.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Jake Delhomme is coming off Tommy John surgery so no one knows what to expect. At the end of 2006, some fans wanted someone new at quarterback. Before he was injured in 2007, he was off to a white-hot start. How he recovers will go a long way to a successful Panthers season. Matt Moore filled in nicely late last season and may be the team's future. Brett Basanez isn't ready for prime time. No more Vinny or Mr. Mittens. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: The Panthers have been looking for a Stephen Davis type back and may have found one in rookie Jonathan Stewart. He's the kind of bull coach John Fox likes to center his offense around. DeAngelo Williams will be more efficient as a change-of-pace back. Brad Hoover is back again as an effective fullback. Nick Goings is always around to back up anybody. Heat Index: 5

Remember a few months ago when we were joking about how deep the Carolina Panthers were at receiver? It seemed silly, didn't it? After all, this team's wideout corps has been Steve Smith and the Droptastics for the last three years. Where are all these receivers going to come from?

Apparently, from nowhere. Reports out of camp are that Jason Carter, a former Texas A&M QB-turned-receiver who was on the Panthers' practice squad last season, is making big noise in camp, catching everything thrown his way -- including passes that third-string QB Brett Basanez is intentionally throwing several feet over Carter's head. As Basanez told the Charlotte Observer: "I make him look good. We work on that all the time."

Does Carter's emergence create a dilemma for the Panthers at receiver? We can assume Smith, Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett will make the cut, but what about the guys behind them? Dwayne Jarrett is reportedly much improved this year, and Ryne Robinson is still the designated kick returner, so replacing him with Carter seems highly unlikely. John Fox isn't the kind of team to carry six receivers on the active roster. If Carter continues to impress, would Carolina cut or trade someone else to make room for him? Or does the inevitable D.J. Hackett injury leave Carter plenty of room?

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet the ...
Super Bowl Champions. Look, people can claim they're not homers all day long, but the fact of the matter is, I read/watch/write re: the Panthers a lot. (Well, as often as I can anyway.) And maybe I'm a little biased, but they're going to win the NFC South this year and they're going to do it by scoring a ton of points. Of course, if Jake Delhomme goes down again, I may look stupid. But it wouldn't be the first time.

The Breakout
The bad news? Jonathan Stewart is already getting a lot of preseason love (check him dead center of the sixth round in an average 12 teamer). The good news? The love is warranted. Stewart was thought to be a top choice of plenty of teams in the draft, but a turf toe injury let him hang around for the Cats. Note that the Carolina team doctor performed his surgery

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who was arrested and charged with DWI last March, pleaded guilty to that charge on Monday in a Mecklenberg County courtroom. He was fined $420 and will perform 24 hours of community service. He also surrendered his driver's license to the court, so hopefully he'll find someone who can drive him to film sessions.

To his credit, Jarrett said all the right things following this conviction:

"This is a thing that happened and you learn from your mistakes. ... You always have to take the right steps in everything you do. That's life in general. I took full responsibility for what happened."

Jarrett had a forgettable rookie season with the Panthers, which likely prompted the free agent signings of D.J. Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad. Is this guilty plea a sign that Jarrett is finally maturing and will own up to his mistakes on the field, too? It's a good sign, but it's just a starting point for him, really, if he wants to be the kind of receiver in the NFL that he was at USC.

It's only May, so we're months away from seeing the proof here, but it seems the big story about The Train Wreck That Is The Carolina Panthers -- you can thank the FanHouse commenters for that moniker -- is that they have (*gasp*) actual depth at receiver.

First, there's D.J. Hackett, who reportedly made "several fine catches" during the weekend workouts and had nothing but good things to say about Jake Delhomme. In turn, the Panthers QB had nothing but good things to say about Muhsin Muhammad's return.

"I'll be honest with you -- the day we got Moose back, that was huge. And not for what he's done in the past. Just the way he works, the way he blocks. He brings a presence."

Another report has Jason Carter, the third-year man from Texas A&M who spent last season on the Panthers' practice squad, making the most spectacular catch of the weekend and looking generally impressive. That same report says, "Dwayne Jarrett has great hands. That's all." (Translation: He runs routes like Keary Colbert.)

Of course, it's way too early to tell whether any of these guys will take the double- and triple-teams off Steve Smith during actual games, but it sure sounds like there's a light at the end of the tunn-- Agh! It's an oncoming train! Run!