SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Jake Delhomme fielded several questions about the Carolina Panthers' woeful performance in their exhibition game and had heard enough.

"I think with the questions you guys are asking, you're asking if you have your hand on the panic button," Delhomme said Sunday. "I'll be honest with you, we're not even close to that."

Delhomme had a calm, steady demeanor as the Panthers returned to practice, two days after their 27-10 loss to Philadelphia that showed they have a long way to go to correcting last season's offensive problems.

Delhomme failed to complete seven of his first 10 passes, was sacked three times, lost a fumble and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Fans may be already calling into talk radio shows and demanding backup David Carr, but Delhomme isn't letting it concern him.

"The good thing is, I never listen to those radio shows, that's one," Delhomme said. "Two, that's part of it. That's the deal. And you know what, there's going to be interceptions, get ready for it, write that down. That's inevitable. That happens. I worry about myself and what I can and can't control on the football field."

Delhomme, who struggled last year and was hampered by a thumb injury late in the season, looked good in Carolina's preseason opening win against the New York Giants.

But memories of that 13-play, 81-yard touchdown drive against the Giants were erased with the struggles against the Eagles. Having little time to throw, Delhomme was mistake-prone.

His worst moment came when he rushed a pass to the sideline intended for Steve Smith. Lito Sheppard read it perfectly, stepped in front of Smith, and brought it back 40 yards for a touchdown.

"It was where I was supposed to go with the football," Delhomme said. "It was an all-out blitz, and he just sat on it. He was waiting for Steve to stop right there. In a roundabout way, I guess I threw it blind, with them bringing the pressure, throwing to a point. I didn't get enough on it, but they made a good play."

Delhomme threw the pass off his back foot, a frequent occurrence for the unorthodox quarterback. But don't expect Delhomme to change.

"Not even in the least," Delhomme said. "If I step into that throw, I'm going to pretty much get hit, and the ball might go right into the guy's face. I play the way I play, and I've done all right with it. Certainly I'd like to have that throw back, but there's nothing you can do about it. It happens. That's part of it."

A year ago, many fans argued that Delhomme should be replaced by Chris Weinke. After he did - when Delhomme was injured - and there were almost immediate calls for Delhomme to hurry up and get healthy.

Now, David Carr is a much more attractive alternative. Carr has been OK in the first two games, but coach John Fox has never wavered from saying Delhomme is clearly the starting QB.

"Anytime you get into a situation where you're behind, you can get one dimensional," Fox said of Friday's game in Philadelphia. "We obviously have work to do. You never like turnovers and we had three of them."

Delhomme, 35-25 with five playoff victories in four years as a starter, isn't going to get caught up in one preseason game. Not after what he went through to make the NFL.

"I learned so much from playing behind Kurt Warner in NFL Europe," Delhomme said. "If he threw a pick, it was like, 'All right, we've got to go back out there and sling it.' That's the way he was.

"You can't let that affect your confidence. You've got to go out there and play. I think for the most part, we've done all right here. We've done OK throwing the football."

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