In yesterday’s summer school practice Jake Delhomme took his first snaps under center since week three of last season. This is a very good sign, as Delhomme is recovering from Tommy John surgery, something not many NFL quarterbacks have been able to come back from. With Delhomme’s pitch count still being watched, he said Wednesday that he wasn’t sure exactly how many throws he had taken, something he was very aware of at the Panther’s minicamp earlier in the month.

“It felt great, but mentally I was maybe a little rusty,” said Delhomme on Wednesday. “But that’s to be expected. It felt good to be in the huddle and competing again.”

Though Delhomme isn’t 100%, he is right on track to be ready for training camp on July 25th. More than anything, it is good to see Delhomme back in the huddle, not because of his throwing ability, but because of his leadership, something Carolina greatly lacked on both sides of the ball last season. Delhomme seems to be able to inspire his teammates.

“It’s great to have your starting quarterback out there,” Head Coach John Fox said while being interviewed on Wednesday. “He’s not only a good quarterback, he’s the leader of your offense. To see his enthusiasm was a joy to watch. And that’s contagious. It’s different when you don’t have `that’ guy in there. I hope we’ll see the results. It’s been a long time.”

As for now, it looks like Delhomme will be ready to lead the Panthers offense, hopefully into the post season, next year.

Tags: delhomme, panthers, Surgery