BEREA —  Jake Delhomme can’t guarantee dismayed Browns fans he’ll bounce back from a 2009 season that was so disastrous he lost the starting job he held for seven years and was cut by the Carolina Panthers despite being owed $12.7 million in guaranteed money.

“I’ve got to go out and prove it,” the Browns quarterback said Wednesday in his first meeting with local media after signing a two-year deal Monday. “I can feed you whatever kind of line you want me to feed you, but I don’t know what good that’s going to do. I’ve just got to go out and play well and that’s how you get it turned around.”

Delhomme won’t promise anything, but he’s confident last year was an anomaly. He thinks a change of scenery, the influence of quarterback guru and Browns president Mike Holmgren and the power of positive thinking will return him to the form that earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and the Super Bowl in 2003.

“For one, I’m optimistic. I’m a glass half-full guy,” Delhomme, 35, said. “And, two, it’s a fresh start for me. You don’t have those old scars. That’s why I’m excited.”

Delhomme (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) is a Louisiana native who was undrafted out of Louisiana-Lafayette and spent his first five years as a backup with the New Orleans Saints, then the next seven in Carolina. He’s never played outside of the NFC South.

You can take the man out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the man. The twang was immediately noticeable, he dropped a “ma’am” on a female reporter and he didn’t avoid numerous questions about his poor 2009.

“I didn’t play good football,” said Delhomme, wearing a black golf shirt. “I’m not going to blame anybody else or anything. I didn’t play good football. Very simple.

“We didn’t have the same continuity on offense as we have had in years prior, and I don’t think there’s any doubt I probably tried to do too much. It didn’t work. I wasn’t just being me. For six out of the seven years I started there, I was just me.”

Delhomme was 58-40 as a starter with Carolina, has a 59.2 career completion percentage, 123 touchdowns, 94 interceptions and an 82.1 rating. But after throwing five interceptions in a playoff loss in January 2009, he never recovered. He went 4-7 last season with a career-high 18 interceptions, eight touchdowns and a career-low 59.4 rating.

The Panthers decided to move forward with backup Matt Moore, and the Browns jumped on Delhomme when he became available. Brady Quinn was traded to Denver to complete the position makeover, and the Browns will pay Delhomme $7 million in 2010, giving him a total of $19.7 million when the Carolina money is included.

“Guys do go through bad years,” coach Eric Mangini said Monday. “Over time he’s been consistent in terms of his level of production and his ability to win games.”

Delhomme doesn’t want that opportunity to end. His only scheduled visit other than the Browns was New Orleans, but he canceled the trip following weather delays and more contemplation.

“I had an opportunity to compete (for a starting job) over here,” said Delhomme, who would’ve been Drew Brees’ backup with the Saints. “I had to decide if I wanted to still try to compete, or if I wanted to hold a clipboard.

“I wasn’t ready for that, plain and simple. I wanted to have a chance to compete and play.”

Holmgren and Delhomme said no guarantees were made, but he is expected to be the starter ahead of Seneca Wallace, acquired last week in a trade with Seattle. Delhomme will have to regain the confidence that took a beating in 2009.

“The playoff game was such a downer off such a great season when we go 12-4, and I probably tried to do too much,” he said. “You’re working even harder, you’re putting in more hours and not getting the results. You’re thinking instead of playing and that’s something that has never worked well for me.

“I’m at my best if I’m out there slinging it. Sling, people take as such a loose term. Just out there playing and reacting. Bouncing around and having fun.”

Delhomme said his body feels great, much younger than 35 because he was a backup for five years and missed 13 games in 2007. He said he’s fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery in 2007 and the broken finger that ended 2009.

Holmgren plans to draft a quarterback in April, and didn’t rule out trading up to No. 1 to take Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford. Delhomme embraces the role of mentor.

“Absolutely. I was lucky enough to have a couple older quarterbacks take me under their wing when I was young,” he said, naming Billy Joe Tolliver and Rodney Peete. “I broke my finger last year and I was there for Matt Moore. That’s what I believe in.

“If a young quarterback comes here, I’m going to try to show him what I was taught was the right way and that’s a legacy that you pass on.”

Delhomme was here for the start of the offseason workout program Monday and said he’s still trying to learn people’s names.

“His energy is contagious,” Mangini said. “He feels that rejuvenation, that passion that he has had over so many years.”

When Delhomme researched the Browns before his visit he learned about their four-game winning streak to end 2009 after a 1-11 start. The comeback played a role in his decision to sign.

“You find a lot of teams that start 1-11, those bags are packed in December. Guys are ready to get out,” he said. “This team won the last four games. I’m telling you, that’s something. Something was happening.”

Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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