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Over and over, in the Carolina Panthers' 24-17 loss Thursday night to the Miami Dolphins, they kept trying to recapture the magic.
Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith were once one of the NFL's telepathic quarterback-wide receiver duos, seemingly able to read each others' minds on the fly.
That ability comes and goes nowadays, like a cell phone call with inconsistent reception. Delhomme and Smith hooked up for a 27-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter - a beauty of a play that looked just like old times.
But Delhomme also tried to force a pass into Smith in the third quarter that was intercepted inside the Miami 5. And several other plays that had a chance to become highlights for the Panthers (4-6) ended up as forgettable incompletions.
It rarely used to be like that.
Delhomme and Smith began and ended the most famous play in Panthers history - the 69-yard touchdown that won a playoff game at St. Louis in double overtime. They have pulled off one "Oh-my-gosh-he-didn't-just-throw-that" completion after another in their seven seasons together.
On Thursday night, however, No.17 and No.89 too often couldn't find the feeling as the Panthers offense struggled.
"We'd move a little bit and then we'd stall," Delhomme said. "Couldn't get much happening."
Smith was fortunate to play at all. He said that on the way to the stadium his car was accidentally sideswiped by the car of a Panthers fan, who was wearing a Panthers jersey and later told Smith that he was "in a hurry to get to the game."
The accident brought the police and delayed Smith's arrival at the stadium slightly. But no one was hurt and Smith said the fan was "very gracious."
As for the game itself: Delhomme threw at Smith 15 times. Seven went to Smith, seven were incomplete and one was intercepted.
In the first half alone, Delhomme threw 10 times at Smith. Long. Short. In between.
Smith caught three of the short ones, for a total of 18 yards, as Carolina fell behind 14-3 at halftime.
Of the incompletions, the most significant was a third-and-one deep ball. Smith had a step on the cornerback. Delhomme overthrew it. What might have been a TD dissolved into a long foul ball.
But Delhomme wasn't about to stop trying to rekindle his relationship with Smith. The interception - Delhomme's first in four weeks but his 14th of the season - came when he tried to force a ball into Smith inside the Dolphins' 10 early in the third quarter.
Smith scored only one touchdown in the first eight games this season as Carolina's passing offense lagged. But he scored twice Sunday against Atlanta, both from 4 yards out, on throws from Delhomme that were exactly where they needed to be.
Maybe it was back? Maybe the second honeymoon was about to start?
But no-o-o.
The Dolphins dared Delhomme and Smith to beat them. They covered Smith one-on-one numerous times - with rookie cornerbacks! And the rookie cornerbacks occasionally jawed with Smith, too, which is generally a recipe for a Panthers TD.
Eventually, it happened. Smith had Vontae Davis one-on-one in the fourth quarter. Delhomme lobbed it into a place where only Smith could get it, and he did. The two-point conversion cut a 17-6 Miami lead to 17-14.
But the Dolphins quickly scored again, as Ricky Williams burst through the middle on a 46-yard run for his third touchdown of the game and a 24-14 lead.
Carolina would later add a field goal, but that was all. The Panthers moved to the Miami 26 in the final seconds, but a last-gasp desperation pass from Delhomme as time expired was batted down.
Smith ended up with seven catches for 87 yards and a TD. Delhomme went 19 for 42 for 227 yards.
Their numbers were respectable.
But, as has too often been the case this season, it wasn't enough.
