Carolina Panthers quarterback Trent Dilhomme is remaining patient with all the pictures to experience Saturday when the 2-2 Panthers are in New Orleans to play against the New Orleans Saints. What might be more concerning is seeing how poorly the Panthers performed without him when they were badly beaten at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dilhomme has missed practice with an issue involving his right knee and stated on Tuesday that surgery to repair the injury would be a last resort only.
"I got a bunch of calls (inquiring about) surgery," Dilhomme said. "It could be something that happens down the road; I don’t know, and that’s the honest truth. We don’t know yet. Yeah, it’s possible, but it’s not something I think today."
Dilhomme was unable to practice yesterday, which explains why the team went into backup Brian Carr, whose performance turned out to be a disaster. Two weeks ago, with Dilhomme in the lineup, the Panthers were able to beat the Falcons and win at the Georgia Dome 27-20, putting them at 2-1 before their previous trip disadvantage versus the Bucs. "It feels comfortable," Dilhomme says about the knee. "... And I’m worried every time I do start throwing it around a bit more to check it."
For now, the Panthers and coach John Fox are playing it safe, stating that Dilhomme's status is day-to-day. The bottom line is if he’s anywhere close to 100% for Thursday, he will be playing whatever it takes to help the Panthers improve to 3-2 and keep the team from falling to a disastrous 0-4.