Associated Press

The NFL notebook …

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers promoted rookie quarterback Brett Basanez to the active roster Saturday, another signal that Jake Delhomme may not be able to play Sunday against the New York Giants.

Delhomme did not practice all week because of ligament damage in his right thumb.

The Panthers only had two quarterbacks on the active roster, so Basanez was signed off the practice squad to back up Weinke if Delhomme sits out.

Basanez, last year’s Big Ten player of the year at Northwestern, has spent most of the season running the scout team after being cut just before the start of the season, and has had limited time working with the first team.

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REDSKINS: Joe Gibbs will be 67 by this time next season, but he remains patient. The Hall of Fame coach of the Redskins says he’s not only returning for a fourth season, but he’s not interested in making many changes.

“I don’t see myself shaking things up,” Gibbs said. “You make good decisions based on who you’ve got. We have a lot of players we can build on.”

The Redskins are 21-25 since Gibbs returned from retirement in 2004.

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BENCHED: Of the nine quarterbacks who have started more than one game this season and have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, three have been benched.

The group includes Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer.

The group of nine also includes one rookie — Arizona’s Matt Leinart — and a player who has started and won a Super Bowl — Minnesota’s Brad Johnson.

Of the nine, Plummer is the only one who plays for a team that currently has a winning record.

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ROMO MANIA: Back when he was offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, Sean Payton worked closely with backup quarterback Tony Romo and liked what he saw.

So when Payton got the job as New Orleans Saints coach, he tried to bring Romo along with him. No luck.

Dallas coach Bill Parcells liked Romo too, and he told his old assistant “to sit down on the couch and have some warm milk” after hearing that suggestion.

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ARRESTED: Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Deltha O’Neal was charged with driving while intoxicated early Saturday after being stopped at a traffic checkpoint.

The two-time Pro Bowl player had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10, above Ohio’s legal limit of 0.08

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NOTES: The 50th 100-yard game of Edgerrin James’ career last week was also his first in Arizona. It was the first 100-yard game for the Cardinals since Emmitt Smith got 106 against the Seahawks on Oct. 24, 2004.