Delhomme unsure about next start
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme started 66 consecutive games before a thumb injury snapped his streak last week.
Watching from the sidelines is something Delhomme hopes he never has to do again.
“When the teams get introduced and you walk out from the other tunnel, it kind of feels like you have no life inside of you,” Delhomme said Wednesday. “It feels like you aren’t part of it. As a player, that’s the hardest thing – especially when things aren’t going the way you want them to.
“You want to be a part of the solution. To not be able to help wasn’t fun.”
Delhomme isn’t sure, though, if he’ll be on the field this week as the Panthers desperately try to rally back into playoff contention. He didn’t practice Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He has ligament damage in the thumb of his throwing hand, which caused him to miss his first game in four seasons when he was unable to play in last week’s loss to the New York Giants. The 2003 season opener was the last time Delhomme had not started a game.
Delhomme watched practice from the sideline with a soft black cast on his right hand. He briefly tried to throw last Friday, but knew instantly he wasn’t ready.
Carolina coach John Fox said Delhomme might throw later this week.
Also missing practice were cornerbacks Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas, running back Nick Goings and tight end Kris Mangum. All are questionable against the Steelers.
Injured Falcons get help
With Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood hobbled by injuries, the Atlanta Falcons signed former Carolina and San Francisco running back Jamal Robertson.
Robertson adds depth to a backfield that might be without its top two tailbacks for Saturday night’s crucial game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dunn went down in last week’s game at Tampa Bay with a calf injury. Just a few plays later, Norwood left the game after hurting his right knee. Dunn and Norwood both skipped practice, and the Falcons listed them as questionable for the contest against NFC East-leading Dallas. If neither can play, fullback Justin Griffith would start at tailback.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Robertson was initially signed by the 49ers as an undrafted rookie in 2002.
In 34 career games, Robertson has rushed for 248 yards on 62 carries with one touchdown. He also has 58 kickoff returns for 1,325 yards.
Taylor misses practice
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Fred Taylor missed practice because of a sore right hamstring, but coach Jack Del Rio expects him to play at Tennessee.
Taylor strained his hamstring Sunday against Indianapolis. He ran nine times for a season-high 131 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but sat out the rest of the game.
“We’re optimistic we’ll have him this week,” Del Rio said.
Taylor was listed as probable for Sunday’s game against the Titans.
Sides work toward truce
Time Warner Cable moved closer to reaching a truce with the NFL Network over carrying the Texas Bowl game between Rutgers and Kansas State on Dec. 28.
Another New York area cable operator, Cablevision, said Tuesday it would carry the Rutgers game after the NFL Network offered both cable companies free carriage for the week of Dec. 24-30.
Neither Time Warner nor Cablevision have agreements to carry the network full-time, meaning many Rutgers fans wouldn’t be able to watch the matchup at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
The NFL Network is available in roughly 40 million of the nation’s 111 million homes with televisions in the country, mainly through satellite providers.
Time Warner says the network is asking for too much money to carry the network. Time Warner would like to offer the channel on a digital tier, but the NFL Network has declined. Cablevision has also declined the NFL Network’s long-term carriage terms so far.
Amid the impasse, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the AP on Tuesday the league would offer the network for free to Time Warner and Cablevision from Dec. 24-30, which would include the Rutgers game and the Insight Bowl between Minnesota and Texas Tech on Dec. 29. It applies only to systems in the New York area.
In a letter to NFL Network president Steve Bornstein, Time Warner Cable’s CEO Glenn Britt offered two possibilities: making just the Rutgers game available to all customers on Time Warner’s basic tier, or carrying the network all week on a digital tier, which costs extra and is received by about 75 percent of New York City area systems.