Deloatch getting another chance

[trues]

NFL is tough.

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Deloatch getting another chance
After getting caught up in numbers game, third time might work

By John Delong
JOURNAL REPORTER

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CHARLOTTE

It would be understandable if Curtis Deloatch felt a bit uneasy in his third attempt to stick with the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers have cut him twice already this season, only to re-sign him after injuries to others.

But Deloatch, a cornerback in his fourth NFL season, is looking at his latest opportunity in a different vein.

He understands that one of the NFL’s harshest realities is that life in professional football is not always fair. Or predictable. So he’s back preparing for Sunday’s road game against the Atlanta Falcons with passion and appreciation to be back on the field and drawing a paycheck again.

“It’s just a blessing to be back,” he said.

Deloatch, who grew up in Ahoskie and played at N.C. A&T, should be active Sunday as the team’s fourth cornerback, behind starters Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas and nickel back Richard Marshall.

The Panthers have tried to go with four cornerbacks instead of the more-common five this season, choosing to carry an extra safety. That’s largely why Deloatch has been in and out of their plans. He was good enough to start 13 games for the New York Giants in 2005 and was with the New Orleans Saints last season.

He was in line to make the 53-man opening-day roster after a decent training camp, but wound up getting cut after the Panthers claimed Dante Wesley off waivers from Chicago.

The Panthers re-signed Deloatch two days later, going with five cornerbacks for one game after there were questions about Gamble’s ankle going into the opener. Deloatch played on special teams in the 27-13 victory at St. Louis.

The next Monday, the Panthers signed tight end Christian Fauria and decided to go back to four cornerbacks. They waived Deloatch again.

Then Wesley suffered a collarbone injury early in the Panthers’ 34-21 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Suddenly the Panthers were calling Deloatch again. He had remained in Charlotte through it all and was just a short walk away when the call came, but there was a twist.

The Rams were planning to fly him to St. Louis for a tryout Monday, so Deloatch had to make a quick decision. Did he want to stay in Charlotte and rejoin the Panthers, or head elsewhere? Other teams were calling, too.

“I could have went (to St. Louis) and played the rest of the season with them,” Deloatch said. “But I didn’t go, because if I did, I’d have to start over, learn a new defense. The team didn’t know me. I didn’t know them. Here, I’ve been here since March, know the guys, know the system. I just felt comfortable here. Plus, I’m from North Carolina. So this was the place to be.”

Marty Hurney, the Panthers’ general manager, said that the Panthers wanted to keep Deloatch all along. They got caught in a numbers crunch with the 53-man roster, particularly since they have felt the need to carry extra tight ends and safeties this season.

“You hate when something like this happens because it’s an emotional roller coaster for any player,” Hurney said. “The thing is, Curtis was good enough to make the team all along. We wanted to keep him from the start.

“When Dante Wesley came available, we decided to pick him up because we knew he was a good corner and an excellent special-teams guy. Then, Curtis got caught up in the numbers game. That’s the way it is in the NFL sometimes. You want to keep a guy, but you can’t.”

Deloatch said he is at peace with the numbers game.

“It’s a big emotional roller coaster, but it’s more for my family than anything,” he said. “I understand the business. They don’t understand what goes on behind closed doors. I used to think, ‘What am I doing wrong?’ So they told me there’s nothing I’m doing wrong. I’m working hard, I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, but it’s out of my control. Leave it in God’s hands, and things work out.”

Others have pointed out that the Panthers are 1-0 with Deloatch this season, 0-1 without him.

Deloatch gets a chuckle out of that, knowing he was not the reason the Panthers won at St. Louis or the reason why they lost to Houston.

But if he can provide a little karma, fine.

As he says, he is a blessed player just to be back with the team.

“I hope I’m a good-luck charm for this team,” he said. “I hope so.”

■ John Delong can be reached at [e-mail].