Matt Moore feels like this is his team now. (Photo by John Clark)

   CHARLOTTE – Matt Moore believes he’ll be the starting quarterback this coming season for the Carolina Panthers regardless of who the team brings in.
   “From what they are telling me, yeah, I do feel like it’s my team now,” Moore said in an interview Friday with Carolina Growl.
   Moore said he was “shocked” when his agent Dr. Lynn Lashbrook called to notify him that the Panthers were releasing veteran Jake Delhomme last Thursday on the eve of free agency.
   “I was completely caught off guard,” Moore said.

   Moore said it didn’t really sink in that he’s now the face of the franchise until he walked into Bank of America Stadium earlier this week.
  “That’s when it really hit me -- when I walked in the locker room for the first time and seeing everybody and just started talking about things,” Moore said. “It’s been awhile since everybody was together. So yeah, it was a little different. But I will try my best not to let it change me. It’s a good feeling and I realize what a great opportunity this is, which is one the reasons I wanted to sign the tender, get in here and start working my tail off.”
   Moore could have waited until April 14 to sign his tender, but instead was Carolina’s first restricted free agent to sign.
   Moore said during the short period he was under the restrictions of the tender offer he didn’t receive any interest from other teams.
   “I didn’t really expect to, but the bottom line is I didn’t want to play anywhere else,” Moore said. “We love Charlotte and we love the Carolina Panthers and I’m the type that doesn’t like waiting. I have trouble with waiting for things to happen. I didn’t want to miss any workouts and I just wanted to be there and get going.”
   The Panthers decided to go with Moore as their starter after he finished last season strong, leading them to four wins in five games. During that span Moore threw eight touchdown passes and only one interception and finished with a passer rating just under 100.
   Most expected the Panthers to bring Moore and Delhomme to training camp and let them battle it out for the starting spot.
   But general manager Marty Hurney made the decision to release Delhomme and hand the reins over to Moore.
   Moore went out of his way to talk about just how much Delhomme meant to him.
   “I ‘m going to miss the guy so much,” Moore said. ‘He taught me a lot. He will be missed in the quarterback meeting room, that’s for sure. But I think he’ll land on his feet and I certainly wish him the best.”
   Moore said he sent Delhomme a text message after he heard the news.
   “The guy is as classy as anybody I’ve ever met,” Moore said. “At same time where he’s probably at the low point of his career he sends me a text message back saying what a great opportunity this is for me and wishing me all the best. That's just classy.”
   As of right now Moore and Hunter Cantwell are the only quarterbacks on the roster.
   Moore said he realizes the Panthers are likely to add at least one more quarterback through the NFL draft and perhaps another in free agency.
   But he has no idea who that might be.
   Nor does he seem concerned. That, after all, would simply be wasted time. His focus is on getting better.
   “I feel good right now regardless of whom they bring in,” Moore said. “That’s not to say there won’t be competition. There’s always competition. But I feel good and feel solid and being given this opportunity I’m going to try to make the best of it. But am I threatened? Not really.”