GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Somehow, it was appropriate that a week that began with deliberation over Jake Delhomme's starting status ended with him fighting against all odds to remain in the game.
"You're going to have to force him out," said left tackle
In the end, discretion ultimately outweighed Delhomme's adrenaline-fueled grit, and a chest contusion suffered when Chike Okeafor slammed into him late in the third quarter forced a precautionary trip to a local hospital for a CT scan following a brief return to the field.
"I'm really close to the doctors the whole time," Delhomme said. "(Dr. Robert) Heyer (said), 'Be honest with me, be honest with me.' I know where they're coming from, with the Chris Simms deal (where the Tampa Bay quarterback suffered a ruptured spleen after a hit against Carolina in 2006)."
The result of the precaution? Said Delhomme: "I think everything's good."
The same could be said for Delhomme's performance, which wasn't statistically impressive but did see his first touchdown pass to a wide receiver this season -- a 50-yarder to
Even with the injury, Sunday's 34-21 win was largely a time of tranquility compared to the storm of questions that swirled around him six days earlier, when he was trying to overcome a three-interception day in the 20-9 loss to Buffalo while waiting for head coach John Fox to announce whether Delhomme would remain the starter.
"Last week was a low point," he said. "To say it's the lowest point I've had as a Panthers quarterback? Probably so.
"There was a ton of soul searching. Long talks with (Fox) on Monday and Tuesday. I was looking forward to getting back out there and just playing, and I think we did that."
Delhomme began the day with a pair of third-down completions on the Panthers' first drive, a clock-draining, 15-play masterpiece that saw five third-down conversions and established the tenor of the game within its first seven minutes.
By the fourth quarter, he was in a hospital, watching the minutes elapse from the clock. He wasn't able to celebrate with his team in the locker room, but the man who replaced him at quarterback, third-year veteran
"I grabbed that one for Jake," he said. "I know he wants that one."
But not nearly as much as the win itself.
SHORTLY AFTER DELHOMME'S INJURY, Hoover crumpled on the grass near midfield, unable to make it to the Carolina bench.
"Unfortunately for me, I got the bad end of a roll-up," Hoover said.
He soon stepped aboard a waiting cart, propping his right foot up on its front as he rode shotgun. As he was whisked to an X-ray machine, he feared -- and expected -- the worst, leaving him relieved that the ankle injury he suffered was merely a sprain.
"I'm really surprised that it wasn't broken," he admitted. "I assume it'll be treated as day-to-day. hour-to-hour."
Injuries have been Hoover's perpetual and unwanted companion the last seven weeks, beginning at Atlanta in Week 2 when he first suffered back spasms in the hours prior to a 28-20 loss. The troublesome back would sideline him in Week 3 at Dallas and Week 7 against Buffalo, but in the last few days he felt better, and the back wasn't a problem Sunday.
"The good thing is that my back was great today," Hoover said. "It's just frustrating to go from one thing to another.
Before the game started, the Panthers were already in a battered state, with safety
"You've got to be real careful when you're warming up and you only have two tight ends and three wide receivers," Delhomme said. "But we did enough to win, which is great."
SPLIT SECONDS: Also injured was fullback
