Panthers fans will love Jake Delhomme if he can return to his early 2007 form. AP Michael Lombardi's Mailbag Submit a comment or question to Michael. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Players

Jake Delhomme, QB, Carolina: The Tommy John surgery comes to the NFL. If Delhomme comes close to his play of the first three weeks of the NFL season in 2007, when he threw eight touchdowns and had only one interception, then watch out for the Panthers in 2008.

He led the Panthers to two road wins before the elbow gave out, and the Panthers season went downhill from there. Now with a much improved line, a big-time back (yes, another shoutout for Jonathan Stewart) and the great wide receiver Steve Smith, all that is missing is for the Panthers to have a great year is for Delhomme to be the player we saw in 2007.

Mathias Kiwanuka, LB/DE, NY Giants: When the Giants drafted Kiwanuka, they thought he could be the eventual replacement for Michael Strahan. The time is here for the third-year defender, who enters the season with 8.5 career sacks. The Giants' strength is in their defensive line, with all the attention focused on Osi Umenyiora when it comes time to pass rush. And when Umenyiora is not getting chipped, then Justin Tuck is getting doubled team. Kiwanuka is the real sleeper on the line. He will face very few double teams, enabling him to make a big statement rushing against the weaker right offensive tackles in the NFL.

Ricky Williams, RB, Miami: The "new" Williams is playing for the love of the game, not the money. He is motivated being around a new regime, plus he has an old time offensive coordinator in Dan Henning, who knows how to properly feature a running back. Williams' fumbling history might put him in the coach's dog house, but the feeling in Miami is they need someone who can carry the load while they sort out their quarterback situation. The stars may finally be aligned perfectly for Williams.

Frankly Speaking

• The San Francisco Chronicle reports, "Oakland owner Al Davis is steamed running back LaMont Jordan signed with New England over the weekend. Davis and Jordan's agent Alvin Keels had an agreement that if the Raiders did grant Jordan's release, he wouldn't sign with the Patriots or the Broncos and may want to file tampering charges against the agent and the team."

That would be an interesting tampering claim because it may open a whole set of other problems for Davis and the Raiders. The agent for Jordan also happens to be the agent for ex-Giant safety Gibril Wilson, who the Raiders signed this offseason. If the Raiders contacted Keels before the beginning of free agency regarding Wilson, which is something I've heard bandied about, this might not go over well with them filing a charge against the Pats. Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house.

• From the Philadelphia Daily News blog, here's Jon Runyan talking about the mysterious holdout of Shawn Andrews: "It's not helping us, and it's not helping him sitting out. The longer he holds out, the longer it will be before he gets in there. So it's going to be a tough situation. If you keep giving reps to the guy who's backing you up, at some point, he's going to pass you."

I agree with Runyan and know from my own experience that if his fellow teammates don't feel Andrews' reasons are valid, there will be problems in the locker room. All the Eagles know the reasons Andrews is not in camp, and if they are angry, not sympathetic, with his absence, there can be huge problems if he ever returns.

• From the New York Daily News, "At Hofstra, WFAN's morning co-host, Craig Carton, tried to whip the crowd into a pro-Brett Favre frenzy. Thirty minutes before practice, Carton, armed with a bullhorn, stood in the middle of the 'Jets Fest' theme park and told a gathering of about 50 fans why the Jets should acquire Favre. Carton began a "Let's Get Brett" chant, which lasted for only a few seconds."

Sounds like the Jets fans in attendance that day have the same enthusiasm as the Jets front office does about acquiring Favre from the Packers.

• From the Rocky Mountain News, John Lynch discusses his situation: "I'm going to explore all of my opportunities Is it retirement? Maybe. Is it playing for another team? Maybe. [Coach] Mike [Shanahan] has given me the opportunity to explore that, and that's what I'm going to do. But I won't be playing for the Broncos."

Lynch is a great teammate, player and person and the Broncos are a class organization. Denver being brutally honest with Lynch about his future and the team's expectations were the best course of action. It might not be what Lynch wants to hear, but it's the right way to deal with a great player. If the Favre situation was handled with this much communication and honesty, it would not be dominating the news every day.

If I ...

• If I were Jeff Garcia I would be very upset. Not only did I lose $1 million last year by resting at the end of the season and missing my incentives, but also I helped secure new contracts for GM Bruce Allen and coach Jon Gruden. And now I have to deal with a microphone in my face everyday as reporters ask me about Favre playing for the Bucs. You would be upset too.

• If I were the Packers I would be worried about the durability of 2007 first-round pick defensive tackle Justin Harrell. He had durability issues while in college at Tennessee and only played in seven games last year for the Pack. Trading defensive tackle Corey Williams to the Browns this offseason opened the door for Harrell, but injuries might not allow him to find the field.

• If I were in Baltimore I might call Dallas and see if I could acquire one of its young offensive tackles. I would prefer 2007 fourth-round pick Doug Free, but doubt the Cowboys would trade him. Dallas is one of the few teams that has five very good offensive tackles.

• If I were a team playing the Browns I would be worried whenever returner Joshua Cribbs entered the game. It appears the Browns might use this multi-talented player in more ways than just returns. He only touched the ball twice outside of returns last year. I would want him to touch it twice a quarter. He is a big play waiting to happen.

Taking a knee

To all of the Hall of Fame inductees this weekend in Canton, a very special toast and thank you. This game is so great because of all the great players and coaches who have done so much for the advancement of the league. Congratulations to everyone. It's well deserved.