Packers notes: Delhomme owes a lot to McCarthy
By JASON WILDE
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/packers/316257
GREEN BAY — Jake Delhomme doesn't know where he'd be if it weren't for Mike McCarthy, but the Carolina Panthers quarterback knows this much: There's a good chance he wouldn't be in the NFL.
Delhomme was entering his fourth NFL season when McCarthy, now the Green Bay Packers coach, came to the New Orleans Saints in 2000 as the offensive coordinator under new head coach Jim Haslett.
While Delhomme had shown enough promise as an undrafted free agent out of nearby Louisiana-Lafayette for the Saints to keep him around, he was reaching a critical juncture in his career after spending 1997 on the practice squad and the '98 and '99 seasons as the Saints third quarterback after going to NFL Europe during those offseasons.
McCarthy arrived, opened an offseason "quarterback school" and, after breaking down his remedial student, built him into the quarterback who later led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2003 and made the Pro Bowl in 2005.
"I learned a ton from Mike. He was fantastic, an absolutely wonderful teacher," Delhomme said. "I've said this many times: When he got there in 2000, I was football illiterate. And we started in March with our quarterback school (learning) everything — from the footwork, to breaking down the protections and run game and things of that nature. He just made it to where that you just gained a bunch of knowledge so when you went out on the practice field or game field, you always felt extremely prepared."
Delhomme spent the 2000 through '02 seasons with McCarthy, and while the quarterback played in only four games in his five active seasons with the Saints, the Panthers saw enough promise in him to sign him as a free agent before the '03 season.
"He definitely came up the right way in the NFL, in my opinion," McCarthy said. "He had to work for everything that he has achieved. It's really a credit to him as an individual. He was a very, very raw prospect, but always very ambitious and very hard working. And he had a unique, natural leadership ability about him. You could see that even in his years as the backup."
Health watch
While the Packers still had 19 players on the injury report, the news was considerably better Thursday. The best news: Veteran right tackle Mark Tauscher (hamstring), who had been scheduled to rest and was iffy for today's practice, participated on a limited basis in the jog-through session at the start of practice.
"That was definitely encouraging," McCarthy said. "The plan for Mark was to rest him Wednesday and Thursday. He was able to do the walk-through, which was good for him because every week you have some new wrinkles. He is definitely making progress."
So are safeties Atari Bigby (ankle) and Nick Collins (knee), both of whom went from being limited Wednesday to full participation on Thursday. Safety Jarrett Bush (ankle), left tackle Chad Clifton (knees), No. 2 halfback Brandon Jackson (ankle), defensive end Mike Montgomery (ankle) and center Scott Wells (shoulder) also went from limited to full work.
Tight end Tory Humphrey (ankle), receiver Greg Jennings (rib), defensive tackle Johnny Jolly (ankle), safety Aaron Rouse (ankle) and cornerback Charles Woodson (toe) remained limited, while safety Charlie Peprah did some limited work after sitting out Wednesday. Cornerback Pat Lee (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
Extra points
McCarthy intended to practice outside for 11-on-11 periods Thursday but field conditions forced him to stay inside the Don Hutson Center. "It just didn't work out as far as the frost and the snow removal," McCarthy said. ... With the quick turnaround from Monday night's loss at New Orleans, McCarthy said the players were "definitely turning the corner" physically after being sore and sluggish in practice Wednesday. ... McCarthy got his players out of the building by 1 p.m. to spend Thanksgiving with their families, and he spent the holiday "with family and friends."
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