| NFL Briefs |
|
The Seahawks placed Patrick Kerney on injured reserve Wednesday, ending the season for Seattle's top pass rusher. Kerney had shoulder surgery earlier this month. He injured it in a win at San Francisco on Oct. 26. It's the same left shoulder on which Kerney had surgery last offseason to repair cartilage damage. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end had five sacks in seven games this season. This is the second time in three years his season has been cut short by injury. His final season with Atlanta in 2006 ended after nine games when the 31-year-old tore his pectoral muscle. Seattle signed defensive end Brandon Miller off waivers from Atlanta. Darryl Tapp and rookie first-round draft choice Lawrence Jackson have been starting at end with Kerney out. Browns Tight end Kellen Winslow sustained a sprained right shoulder in Monday night's win over the Buffalo Bills, an injury unlikely to keep him out for an extended period. Winslow, who played through a painful injury to his left shoulder last season, got hurt while catching a 16-yard pass that set up kicker Phil Dawson's 56-yard field goal in a 29-27 win. After making the reception, Winslow was wrapped up by Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny near the sideline and fell hard on his shoulder. An MRI taken Tuesday revealed no structural damage in Winslow's shoulder. Coach Romeo Crennel said Winslow would not practice Wednesday and that the five-year veteran's status for the game against the Texans would depend on getting strength and range of motion in his shoulder. Winslow declined comment when he came into Cleveland's locker room. A Pro Bowler last season after making 82 catches for 1,106 yards, Winslow has 39 catches for 402 yards and three TDs this season. He missed Cleveland's Oct. 13 game against the Giants after being hospitalized with a staph infection, and he sat out an Oct. 26 game at Jacksonville after the Browns suspended him for detrimental conduct. The team later rescinded the one-game suspension. Winslow isn't the only Browns player hurting. Running back Jerome Harrison (hamstring), safety Sean Jones (ankle), nose tackle Shaun Rogers (shoulder, neck), defensive tackle Shaun Smith (calf), fullback Lawrence Vickers (ankle), defensive tackle Corey Williams (shoulder) and running back Jason Wright (neck) all missed practice on Wednesday. Seahawks Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is beat up and won't be at practice until Thursday at the earliest. he took last Sunday in a loss to first-place Arizona. It essentially ended the meaningful portion of Seattle's lost season in the NFC West. Holmgren said he expects Hasselbeck to practice Thursday and start Sunday against Washington. Hasselbeck threw three interceptions, admitted to being exhausted and looked beaten down after the loss to the Cardinals. It was his first game in six weeks. A bulging disk in his back was causing a nerve problem in his right leg. Hasselbeck took a hit to the head on a sack last weekend, but Holmgren said Monday the 33-year-old did not have a concussion. Saints The struggling ground game took another hit when tailback Aaron Stecker was put on injured reserve and will miss the remainder of the season. Stecker has a hamstring problem and became the 13th player on the Saints' list. Joining him on the sidelines is tight end Mark Campbell, who sustained a season-ending injury to his left knee in Sunday's win at Kansas City. Campbell is a 10-year veteran who signed with the Saints as a free agent before the 2006 season. He's started 15 of 23 regular season games for the Saints, and caught 30 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. He missed the entire 2007 season with a back injury. This year, he's caught 12 passes for 121 yards and two scores in nine games before hurting his left knee against the Chiefs. Stecker had been battling his injury since the first week of the season. He aggravated it on a 12-yard catch early in the first quarter Sunday at Kansas City. The Saints replaced him on their roster with free-agent fullback Darian Barnes. They also agreed to a deal with free-agent tailback Mike Bell, according to Bell's agent, Steven Feldman. A free agent after this season, Stecker's future with the team is uncertain. But he also was a free agent this past spring, and he chose to sign a one-year deal to stay in New Orleans. The ninth-year veteran has been a valuable player for the Saints on offense and special teams since he signed as a free agent from Tampa Bay in 2004. Bell ran for 677 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2006, but he fell out of favor in Denver last season. He has been out of the NFL since the Texans released him during training camp. Barnes, 28, has bounced around with eight teams since he signed with the Giants in 2002 as an undrafted free agent out of Hampton. The Saints are without starting fullback Mike Karney (knee) for at least another week. Campbell is a 10-year veteran who signed with the Saints as a free agent before the 2006 season. He started 15 of 23 games for the Saints, and caught 30 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. He missed the entire 2007 season with a back injury. This year, he's caught 12 passes for 121 yards and two scores in nine games. Bengals The Bengals placed receiver Antonio Chatman on injured reserve, three days after he suffered a neck injury during a 13-13 tie with the Eagles. The Bengals also signed offensive tackle Dennis Roland from their practice squad. Roland, who has been with Dallas and Tampa Bay, has spent the entire season on Cincinnati's practice squad. Cincinnati will be missing left tackle Levi Jones and left guard Andrew Whitworth for a game in Pittsburgh on Thursday night because of injuries, leaving them short-handed on the offensive line. Chatman was hit hard and tackled around the neck by safety Quintin Mikell after he made a catch, causing him to fumble. Chatman stayed down and was carted off the field as a precaution. X-rays were normal, and he had full movement in his arms and legs. The team later said he had pinched a nerve. Chatman was the Bengals' No. 3 receiver. He had 21 catches - tied with tight end Reggie Kelly for third on the team - for 194 yards. He also returned punts, a job that will revert to receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Colts three to the team's practice squad. Santi, a sixth-round draft pick in April, made two starts this season but missed the last three games with a shoulder injury. Coach Tony Dungy said he was uncertain whether Santi would have surgery. Graham played in the last four games after signing as a free agent. He hurt his left ankle during Sunday's victory over Houston and was taken to the locker room on a golf cart. Dungy said X-rays were negative. The Colts signed tight end Jamie Petrowski off Tennessee's practice squad and promoted defensive back Brandon Foster from their own practice squad. But the Colts also added some possible reinforcements to a secondary that has been ravaged by injuries. They placed defensive backs A.J. Davis and Brannon Condren and receiver Marques Hagans on the practice squad. Condren played eight games with the Colts last season, but was cut Aug. 30. To make room for the newcomers, the team released tight end Eric Butler and quarterback David Greene from the practice squad. Chiefs Kansas City added three more players to stabilize a hobbled roster, signing linebacker Curtis Gatewood and defensive end Andy Studebaker to two-year contracts, and promoting running back Jackie Battle from the practice squad. Defensive tackle Antwon Burton also was added to the practice squad. Gatewood signed this year with Washington as a rookie free agent out of Vanderbilt and appeared in three preseason games before being released. He spent nine weeks on Washington's practice squad. Studebaker was the third of Philadelphia's three sixth-round draft choices and spent the last 11 weeks on Philadelphia's practice squad. Battle has appeared in six NFL games, getting 47 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The former University of Houston player started his career with Dallas after signing as a rookie free agent in 2007. The Chiefs (1-9) have been besieged by injuries this season, with a staggering 34 transactions just in the three weeks prior to last Sunday's game against New Orleans. Titans Backup cornerback Eric King had surgery to repair a broken forearm. Whether the injury ends his season remains to be seen. Coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday that King had surgery Tuesday to repair the arm, which King hurt in last weekend's 24-14 win over Jacksonville. King had started in place of Nick Harper, who was deactivated with an injured ankle. Fisher will only say that King will miss Sunday's game with the New York Jets (7-3). But King is valuable as a cornerback and on special teams. Harper did not practice Wednesday along with defensive tackle Jason Jones (foot), running back LenDale White (calf), linebacker Keith Bulluck (chest/rib) and receiver Paul Williams (ankle). Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin) practiced in a limited fashion. He has missed three of the last four games and has not finished a game since getting hurt Oct. 5. Bills Injuries are mounting along with the losses for Buffalo. Starting safety Donte Whitner, his backup Bryan Scott, and starting cornerback Jabari Greer missed practice Wednesday, leaving their status uncertain for the Bills' game at Kansas City on Sunday. Whitner is still bothered by a separated right shoulder, which prevented him from playing the second half of a 29-27 loss to Cleveland on Monday night. Greer sprained his right knee against the Browns and was limping around the locker room Wednesday. Scott is nursing a knee injury. The Bills (5-5), who have lost four straight and five of six, are also still minus defensive end Aaron Schobel, out indefinitely after missing the past five games with a left foot injury. Reserve linebacker Marcus Buggs also missed practice because of an ankle injury. The only good news was No. 2 receiver Josh Reed's return to practice after he missed the past three games with a sprained right ankle. in a 26-17 loss to the New York Jets on Nov. 2. Jauron said Whitner didn't reinjure his shoulder against the Browns, but rather was unable to finish because he was experiencing too much pain. Redskins Running back Clinton Portis, who surprised himself by playing last week on a sprained knee, sat out practice Wednesday but expects to be ready for Sunday's game against Seattle. ``Sore. It's better than it was last week,'' Portis said. ``I'm playing this week, if that's what you all want to know. No ifs, ands, buts about it, I'll be playing.'' Portis rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries in the 14-10 loss to Dallas despite not practicing at all last week. ``Friday, I didn't think it was possible for me to play,'' Portis said. ``Saturday it was like, 'Maybe I'll be OK.' Sunday, it was like 'I'm playing.''' Portis, the league's second-leading rusher with 1,063 yards, said he wasn't at full strength. ``I didn't have leg drive, and I couldn't high-knee and pull up out of stuff,'' Portis said. ``But I think as far as running the ball, I did OK. But when you talk about breaking tackles and the burst of speed, I didn't have it, so that's what I'm working on this week.'' Receiver Antwaan Randle El (ankle), guard Pete Kendall (knee), left tackle Chris Samuels (knee) and linebacker Marcus Washington (ankle) did not practice. All but Washington are expected to play Sunday. Cornerback Shawn Springs, who has missed four straight games with a calf injury, returned to practice. Rams Guard Richie Incognito (rotator cuff) did not practice but expects to be ready by Sunday. An MRI exam earlier in the week ruled out serious injury. Rookie John Greco would get his first career start if Incognito can't play against Chicago. Two days after coach Jim Haslett said the Rams would consider placing tackle Orlando Pace (knee) on injured reserve, the outlook has improved dramatically. Haslett said Pace, estimated to be out two to four weeks, could return as soon as next week while wearing a brace on his right knee. Cardinals J.J. Arrington has gone from inactive to important for the Cardinals. Considered a disappointment after being drafted in the second round out of California in 2005, Arrington has emerged as another potent cog in the Cardinals' high-scoring offense. ``He's really been a great spark for us,'' quarterback Kurt Warner. ``It's been great to see.'' Arrington's low point came when he was inactive for the first four games this season, but he didn't let it affect his attitude. ``I just tried to work hard and just tried to take heed of everything,'' he said Wednesday. ``After that, every time I get the ball I just go try to make the most of my opportunities.'' In Arizona's 26-20 victory at Seattle on Sunday, Arrington scored two touchdowns in a game for the first time in his pro career: a 4-yard run and a 6-yard pass from Warner. It was his first TD rushing since his rookie season. Arrington's only other touchdown this year came on a 93-yard return of the opening kickoff against Dallas on Oct. 12. He is one of only four players who have scored touchdowns three different ways this season. The others are Reggie Bush of New Orleans, DeSean Jackson of Philadelphia and Leon Washington of the New York Jets. In an offense that features probably the best receiving tandem in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, Arrington knows he won't be touching the ball all that often. ``The chances aren't abundant over here,'' he said. ``... That's not for me to speak on. I just know that in my situation every time I get the ball I just need to make something happen.'' Bears Whether he was healthy or not, Kyle Orton said the Bears would have lost to Green Bay last week. It might not have been so ugly, though. ckers and Vikings. ``We have a six-game season starting up,'' coach Lovie Smith said. It would help if their starting quarterback was healthy. To that end, Orton said he's ``feeling better every day'' but realizes his sprained right ankle will need time to completely heal. ``It's going to be a process,'' he said. ``I don't think it's going to miraculously get better, but just as long as it keeps making improvements and hopefully (on) Sundays doesn't take too far of a step back ...'' Although Orton said the ankle did not hamper him during the Green Bay game, he took a shot in the leg from the Packers' Aaron Kampman and limped throughout. His control was off and his stat line was anything but healthy at 13-for-26 with 133 yards. Now, the Bears have back-to-back games indoors and on turf - at lowly St. Louis on Sunday followed by a trip to Minnesota. Orton said he's not concerned, and offensive coordinator Ron Turner said the quarterback told him Wednesday after an indoor practice he felt ``great.'' ``I don't feel it will be an issue,'' Turner said. ``His ankle is feeling real good right now.'' Lions The Lions signed Stuart Schweigert to add depth at safety and on special teams. Schweigert said Wednesday he signed a two-year contract, ending a brief stint as a substitute teacher in his hometown of Saginaw, Mich. He started 39 games the previous three years with the Oakland Raiders, but was cut by them and the New York Giants. The speedy Schweigert had two interceptions last year and a pair in 2005, a year after Oakland drafted him in the third round out of Purdue. |
See who's favored to win American Idol Season 9, which will be holding its Finals Round March 17 through May 26.
The 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins in a few weeks. Check out the odds for which teams is favored to win this year's national championship.