ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Time for the Carolina edition of the mailbag. Let's start off by saying there were a lot of notes about DeAngelo Williams and his chances for Most Valuable Player or the Pro Bowl. I'll use one note here as the first question to summarize the masses.

Justin in Omaha writes: Given his performances over the last 6 weeks, is it time to start considering DeAngelo Williams an MVP candidate? He leads the league in TD's at 15 and is 5th in yards, and he SPLITS carries. He is averaging 121 ypg on 18 att for 6.7 avg and 11 TDs. If you compare him stat for stat with Michael Turner, the only reason Turner is ahead in anything is because he has almost 90 more carries (300) than Williams (212). Oh, and DeAngelo doesn't exactly have the benefit of having a strong passing game to take men out of the box the way Turner does. And as far as Kurt Warner is concerned in MVP talks, Arizona has defeated a staggering TWO teams with winning records this year. It must be nice to play college teams for 6 weeks out of the year in the NFC west. And on a side note, this is the reason I hate that they allow fans to vote on the Pro Bowl, but close voting with 3 weeks to go. Everyone votes on a players 1st half performance, yet its what happens down the stretch that matters. Hopefully the players and coaches will realize how good of a player he really is.

Pat Yasinskas: As I said, there's sudden momentum by the fans to put DeAngelo Williams in the MVP talk. I can't argue with any of your points. The good news is the MVP voting won't take place for several more weeks and Williams can help his argument by continuing to do what he's been doing. As for the Pro Bowl, he probably earned himself some votes from coaches and players (fan voting has ended) with Monday night's performance. But he has some strong competition from NFC backs like Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis and Michael Turner.

Austin in Charleston, SC: Pat, did you hear Jon Gruden refer to the Panthers as the North Carolina Panthers in his post-game press conference? It may just be splitting hairs, but I think I speak for all of us Panthers fans in South Carolina when I say that they are the Carolina Panthers, not the North or South Carolina Panthers, and thats important because it unites both fan bases.

Pat Yasinskas: While I doubt any offense was meant by Jon Gruden, I definitely understand your frustration. In fact, as I was boarding my plane out of Charlotte on Tuesday, I heard a woman wearing Tampa Bay garbing talking about how the Bucs had lost to "North Carolina''. That bothered me, even though I'm not allowed to be a fan of any team, because I know the history behind the team being called the Carolina Panthers. Jerry Richardson, who I again wish all the best with his health situation, took great pride in using Carolina (not North Carolina or Charlotte) in the team name because he wanted the franchise to represent both Carolinas. Having lived in Charlotte for nearly nine years, I can say Richardson accomplished his goal and the Panthers truly do represent the Carolinas -- and represent them very well. If there are a few people out there that don't realize that, it's their problem.

John in Charlotte writes: Why is it that people at ESPN don't seem to understand that when talking about the NFC South's road record this year, they need to consider that they each have to play at each other's home? I keep hearing "yeah Carolina is 7-0 at home but only 3-3 on the road..." but they never seem to stop to think about the fact that the Panthers are actually 3-1 on the road to non-NFC South opponents! You cannot have a division which is 24-2 at home without inflating the road losses. Yeah, we play the Giants in the Meadowlands... but they aint' in the NFC South!

Pat Yasinskas: Good points. Heck, I'll take it one step further on your Meadowlands comment and remind everyone that the 2005 Panthers went up there for the playoffs and shut out the Giants.

wolfpack bob writes: The next several weeks will make or break the Panthers, but also could make or break Delholme's future with the Panthers... Rumors that his arm is tired, etc. cause alot of concern of the Panther fan base. IF Jake fails the next several weeks, what would the Panthers do next season? Is Josh McCown a legitimate player??? What about free agent options?

Pat Yasinskas: Jake Delhomme's had some rocky moments this year, but he also has had those in the past and been able to overcome them. As for his arm -- and, or, elbow --, I'm sure the Panthers would rest him if that were the problem and they haven't. That said, I do think the Panthers need a viable alternative for the future. From everything I've heard within, they are really high on backup Josh McCown. He's similar to Delhomme in a lot of ways and has some starting experience. They also like third-stringer Matt Moore. I know for a fact John Fox and Marty Hurney believe it takes a rookie quarterback too long to develop and I don't see them spending big money on a quarterback in free agency when they've got to worry about re-signing Julius Peppers and Jordan Gross. If there is an eventual replacement for Delhomme, I think it will come from within.