Brooks: 'I'm gonna getcha Jake'

    When told that Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks thinks  Carolina is his team's biggest rival, Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme laughed.

    "It's exciting to play them, because you know you've got to be pretty good," said Delhomme, whose team plays in Tampa Sunday. "You've got to be on your game because if not, they'll make you pay."

    Told that Brooks said there was a lot of on-field talking that goes on between the teams, Delhomme said, "Yeah, but it's a healthy thing.

"You get to know guys personally when you play them more than once a year. I spent some time at the Pro Bowl with Ronde (Barber) and Derrick. And Derrick is such a wonderful person, on and off the field. 
There's no malicious intent when he's on the field -- I mean, he's gonna hit you; there's no doubt. But early on playing against them, I can remember throwing and hearing him talk in that deep voice, 'I'm gonna getcha, Jake, I'm gonna getcha," and just laughing.

    "And that's him, and that's great, and that's what it's about. He's a true class act, on and off the field, and you respect guys like that."

    *On another subject, for those worried about Carolina DE Julius Peppers, who slipped to 2.5 sacks last year, he's got three through five games this season. Bucs coach Jon Gruden, who has watched a lot of recent film on Peppers, said, "Julius is back," and called him "an upper-echelon player in the world."

--Stan Olson