Steve Smith may not be feeling Dwayne Jarrett’s ability to help the Panthers win in 2008 but he’s sold on Jake Delhomme.

In fact, after yesterday’s practice Smith told reporters that he feels like Delhomme is even stronger than he was before he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. “Yeah, I think so. I can tell he worked out real good; you can see the difference inĀ  his body,” Smith said. “I’m going to say he looks better. It seems like he has a stronger arm; he’s not showing any signs of weakness with that major surgery.”

It’s been said that pitchers who have the surgery come back with a stronger arm but it usually takes a full year, at minimum, for them to get back into action. Delhomme had his operation a little more than six months ago, putting him well ahead of that timetable.