Jake's done for season, not done with team

Published Dec. 25, 2009 at 1:58 a.m.
Though speculation about Jake Delhomme's future with the Carolina Panthers ratcheted up after he was placed on injured reserve Thursday, the team's position on him remains the same, according to general manager Marty Hurney.

"This move doesn't change anything about his future," said Hurney. "We feel the same about Jake as we did yesterday before we put him on I.R. We've made it clear we have confidence in Jake."

Delhomme became the 11th Panthers player on injured reserve, one day after testing the broken finger on his right (throwing) hand in practice and realizing he wasn't healed enough to practice or play.

So his season was brought to a close with two games remaining - but that doesn't mean he won't return next year.

The Panthers have been steadfast in their commitment to Delhomme. He has quarterbacked the team to three playoff appearances, but struggled this season. He threw a career-high 18 interceptions in 11 games and ranks 32^nd in the NFL in passing efficiency with a 59.4 passer rating.

Regardless of whether he remains with the team, Carolina owes Delhomme $12.675million in guarantees from the contract extension he was given this year.

The Panthers are expected to aggressively try to improve their passing attack in the offseason, which likely will include seeking new additions at quarterback and receiver.

Delhomme, 34, said he "100 percent, yes" wants to stay with the Panthers.

"There is nothing inside of me that says, 'Let's try to start over some other place' - absolutely not, not even remotely close," he said.

Delhomme said he was disappointed not just with his season but with his play during the 2009 calendar year. His struggles began last January when he threw five interceptions and lost a fumble in a home playoff loss to Arizona.

"For some reason, it just hasn't been good football-wise for me," he said.

Delhomme disagreed, however, that he wasn't the same quarterback this entire season that he was in his previous six years with the Panthers.

"You can go to a couple of games I threw the ball better than I did in many years," he said. "All in all, offensively, in my opinion, we didn't carry our end of the bargain, so to speak, especially the passing game."

As for his 55.5 completion percentage, which is 4.2 percent below the career average he had coming into the season, Delhomme said:

"I think a lot of factors played into that, but ultimately when you throw the football, you're the last one who has it in your hands, so you've got to put the blame on the quarterback."

For the first time Thursday, Delhomme revealed specifics about the finger injury he suffered late in a 17-6 loss to the New York Jets on Nov. 29 when he was hit in the right hand by Jets defensive end Calvin Pace.

He said the knuckle to his right middle finger was broken, making it difficult for him to squeeze or grip a football.

The Panthers had hoped Delhomme could return before the end of the season, but his recovery went more slowly than expected.

"If I didn't have to take a snap and I could place (the ball) in there, I could possibly throw a few throws," said Delhomme. "We were optimistic, but in the end, time wasn't on our side."

The Panthers are 2-1 without Delhomme since Matt Moore took over at quarterback and are 6-8 overall going into Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

Speculation about Delhomme's future with the Panthers began stirring soon after news surfaced that he had been placed on injured reserve, but coach John Fox remained in in-season mode.

"I'm sure there's going to be a lot of talk. There usually is," said Fox. "With us, all our focus is on the New York Giants. After (this) week, we'll finish up with the New Orleans Saints. We'll evaluate everything after that, and that'll be true of our whole football team."

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