CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Perhaps to punish himself, Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme woke up Sunday morning after the little sleep he managed and popped in the video of the worst game of his NFL career.
Delhomme winced as he watched himself throw five interceptions and lose a fumble, ruining his 34th birthday and helping the Panthers become one of the biggest upset victims in NFC divisional playoff history.
"As easy as it can be and you want to sweep it under the rug, you want to see," Delhomme said. "You want to turn it on and look at it and get some closure to it."
Delhomme and his teammates gathered for a final meeting Sunday morning, cleaned out their lockers and headed for vacation at least one week before almost anyone expected following their stunning 33-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals one night earlier.
"Its amazing how one second you're on top of the world, and the next second, you're packing your stuff," Panthers linebacker Jon Beason said. "It's a learning experience, and there are some things we can do differently next time. We're a young team, and we'll be back."
The biggest unrestricted free agent, four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, didn't sound like somebody who was eager to stick around.
"Ideally I want to be in the best situation possible for myself and this organization," Peppers said Sunday before exiting the Bank of America Stadium parking lot. "I'm thankful for everything they've done for me, and I don't want to leave them crippled or in a bad situation, and I don't want to do that to myself either. So whatever works out best for both sides is what I'm comfortable with."
The Panthers have been trying for over a year to sign Peppers to a long-term deal. Carolina could place the franchise tag on Peppers, who had a career-high 14.5 sacks this season. That would mean they'd keep him -- barring a holdout -- but Peppers would be due a whopping $17 million in a one-year deal.
Carolina, which can use the franchise tag on only one player, slapped it on left tackle Jordan Gross this season. He's also an unrestricted free agent.
Delhomme was the primary culprit. Missing reads, overthrowing receivers and trying to force the ball into Steve Smith, Delhomme was awful one year after he began his comeback from ligament-replacement surgery on his right elbow.
"He had a bad game. He didn't have a bad season," Fox said of Delhomme in a news conference Sunday. "He's not a bad quarterback. He had a bad game. It happens."
While Delhomme received support from several teammates, too, he was struggling with the ramifications of his struggles on the big stage.
"I never anticipated in a million years that we would go out and play that way or I would have a hand in playing the way I did last night," Delhomme said. "You have those days, and you'd like to come few and far between. It's unfortunate that it came in the biggest game of the year."
And about four hours after players filtered out of Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, the loss stung even more when the Philadelphia Eagles knocked off the New York Giants. Had the Panthers won Saturday, they would have hosted the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Instead, the Panthers only have an ugly video to watch from the rainy night that their season came to an abrupt end.
"It's something that you think about a good bit," Delhomme said. "I know I will."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
