Delhomme’s status remains questionable

Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme started 66 consecutive games before a thumb injury ended his streak last week. Now he hopes he isn’t starting another streak.

Delhomme is unsure if he will be able to play Sunday against Pittsburgh. He didn’t practice Wednesday and is listed as questionable.

He has ligament damage in the thumb of his throwing hand, which caused him to miss his first game in four seasons when he was unable to play in last week’s loss to the New York Giants.

Delhomme watched practice from the sideline with a soft black cast on his right hand. He briefly tried to throw last Friday, but knew instantly he wasn’t ready.

“I have a little trouble with strength and gripping the ball, that’s the whole issue,” he said. “Had it been another finger, it wouldn’t be a problem. But it’s the thumb, and there’s a ton of swelling and we’re just trying to get the swelling out and build up some strength.”

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Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor missed practice because of a sore right hamstring, but Coach Jack Del Rio expects him to play Sunday at Tennessee.

Taylor strained his hamstring Sunday against Indianapolis. He ran nine times for a season-high 131 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but sat out the rest of the game.

“We’re optimistic we’ll have him this week,” Del Rio said.

Taylor was listed as probable.

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All that talk about the Miami Dolphins’ deciphering the signals of New England quarterback Tom Brady provided a background for a bit of humor.

“I’m a little late today because I was watching TV tape,” Dolphins Coach Nick Saban said with a grin as he began his news conference in Miami.

Even the usually somber Bill Belichick turned comedic when asked if there’s any other source of game audio than a television broadcast.

“Satellite,” the Patriots coach said to laughter at his own news conference. “Technology, that’s not really my thing. I can barely turn the computer on and off.”

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Bill Cowher will wait until the end of the season to decide whether he’ll return to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“There will be something at the end of the year,” Cowher said. “I’ll sit back and put a lot of thought into it and make a decision accordingly.”

Cowher, who has another year left on his contract, said several times during the off-season that he prefers to work on a year-to-year basis. He adopted that stance after the Steelers went 6-10 in 2003 after winning 23 games the previous two seasons.

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The Oakland Raiders signed receiver Doug Gabriel, three months after trading him to New England. Gabriel was cut this week by the Patriots.... Minnesota running back Chester Taylor will try to play Sunday against the New York Jets despite bruised ribs. He is listed as questionable.