| NFL Briefs |
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As if an 0-4 start wasn't bad enough, things got worse for the St. Louis Rams on Monday: Tight end Randy McMichael will be lost for the season with a broken right leg. McMichael broke his tibia and tore a ligament in his leg in the Rams' 31-14 loss to Buffalo on Sept. 28. On Monday, the team put him on injured reserve, ending his 2008 season. ``He is a guy that is another playmaker on our football team,'' said Jim Haslett, who became interim coach a day after the Buffalo, when Scott Linehan was fired. ``It's a shame. He's a good kid. He worked hard. He's one of our better blockers and he's a guy who can run and go catch it, so obviously not having him is going to hurt us.'' Third-year player Joe Klopfenstein will start end, beginning with Sunday's game at Washington (4-1). Klopfenstein started as a rookie in 2006 before the Rams signed McMichael as a free agent. kle as he stayed in to block instead of catching passes. After finishing with a career-low 39 catches in 2007, McMichael led the Rams in receiving in the first week against Philadelphia and had 11 catches for 139 yards in four games. Seahawks Wide receiver Deion Branch has a bruised heel and will be out indefinitely. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck apparently will be fine. Coach Mike Holmgren said Monday that Branch will decide when he can return based on how much pain he can tolerate in his right heel. The former Super Bowl MVP was injured in the first half of Sunday's 44-6 loss at the Giants. It was his first game since January following reconstructive knee surgery. Hasselbeck hurt his right knee on the first drive Sunday while getting hit from front and behind. He returned for the next series and played until late in the third quarter. Holmgren said an MRI showed a tweak but that Hasselbeck should be fine to play Sunday when the Packers come to Seattle. Broncos Tony Scheffler's groin injury isn't nearly as serious as the one that knocked out fellow tight end Nate Jackson last season. Scheffler said it was unlikely he'd play Sunday against Jacksonville, but didn't speculate about how long he'll be sidelined. He said he didn't have a sports hernia. larger role in the offense without Scheffler, Jay Cutler's biggest target. ``Nate's going to step in and do a great job like he always does,'' Scheffler said. ``The coaches have confidence in him, also.'' Although Scheffler said he felt twinges while playing in the rain Sunday, the injury occurred on his last reception, a dangerous throw from Cutler on first-and-10 from the Broncos 14 just after the 2-minute warning with Denver clinging to a 16-13 lead over Tampa Bay. With linebacker Derrick Brooks undercutting the pass, Cutler had to throw it high and Scheffler went up to grab it, but fell right to the grass in severe pain. ``It was something that was hurting me the whole second half, but I actually pulled it when I was making the catch,'' Scheffler said. ``It's one of those things that come with playing the sport as long as you do. Stuff happens, but luckily, I don't think it's too major.'' Scheffler was one of three Broncos who suffered pulled left groins in the game. Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban and running back Selvin Young weren't hurt as badly as Scheffler, who needed crutches. There was no word Monday on how long rookie receive/returner Eddie Royal might be out with a sprained left ankle. Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden isn't in a hurry to declare who will start at quarterback when the Buccaneers face Carolina this week. uring Sunday's 16-13 loss at Denver and was replaced by Jeff Garcia, who was slowed by injuries in training camp before losing the job after playing poorly in the season opener. Gruden said he would have a better handle on the situation by Wednesday. Griese, 3-1 as the starter, completed 13 of 19 passes for 88 yards at Denver. Garcia was 13-of-17 for 93 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first action since struggling in a loss at New Orleans on Sept. 7. Gruden was noncommittal about whether Garcia played well enough to regain his job, even if Griese, who beat Chicago and Green Bay the previous two weeks despite throwing six interceptions, can play this week. ``Obviously health is going to be an issue,'' Gruden said. ``Jeff did some good things. His health has been an issue, and his return to health is something we're excited about.'' Also, pat-down searches of fans entering Raymond James Stadium for will resume Sunday. The searches were suspended in 2005 pending a lawsuit from a high school civics teacher and season ticket holder. Gordon Johnston argued the pat-downs violated constitutional protection against unreasonable searches. A state circuit judge and U.S. District judge agreed with him. onsented to the searches. Further, the court's opinion said, Johnston knew he would be searched, and the process ``supported a 'vital interest' ... to guard against mass casualties at NFL games from a potential terrorist attack.'' The Tampa Sports Authority filed a motion last month to dissolve the three-year-old injunction preventing the searches, which also are performed at other NFL stadium gates as part of the league's security procedures. Fans attending Super Bowl games have been subject to pat-downs since 2002. Raiders Tom Cable's passion for blocking and the players who take on that all-important task remained the same following his promotion last week from offensive line assistant to head coach. He still spends most of his time at practice during individual drills with the offensive linemen, meticulously arranging blocking pads at the beginning of the sessions. Even if his new job has given him more responsibilities, Cable won't stray far from his roots. hing them. ``It is, without question, a tremendous passion for me. So, I always want to be a part of that.'' Cable has been universally praised by Raiders offensive linemen and coaches since joining the franchise as an assistant before last season. Tasked with rebuilding a line that was ineffective and often seemed confused under the tutelage of head coach Art Shell and line coach Jackie Slater - a pair of Hall of Famers - in 2006, many of those same players have thrived under Cable's zone-blocking scheme that stresses mobility over power. The Raiders improved their rushing total by more than 35 yards per game under Cable and reduced their sacks from a league-worst 72 to 41. Eagles Last place is starting to look too familiar to the Eagles. They followed a disappointing 24-20 loss at Chicago with a distressing performance at home against Washington. The Redskins overcame an early 14-0 deficit, dominated on both sides and left Philadelphia with a 23-17 victory that further legitimized their status as an NFC East contender. As for the Eagles (2-3), it might be time for them to accept being the fourth-best team in the NFL's toughest division. It's really nothing new. They've finished last twice in the previous three seasons after losing the 2005 Super Bowl. d losing in the NFL. These games come down to the wire week after week, so you have to minimize mistakes and you have to maximize consistency. You just keep working and working and working, and as long as you stay aggressive here, I think good things will happen.'' Even if the Eagles correct their problems, they still have to find a way to compete with the Super Bowl champion Giants (4-0), Redskins (4-1) and Cowboys (4-1). ``I think we know what we are as a team,'' running back Brian Westbrook said. ``We have to do better. We know what we have, we know the guys, the playmakers that we have, we know the team that we have. We have to do a better job of doing the things that we're good at. We have to find a way to do it every single week. ``We can't say we did it last week and depend on that to win the game this week. We have to find a way this week. Now we are going to look at this tape, we are going to dissect it and see what went wrong. We're going to move forward to San Francisco.'' Bears Lovie Smith insists the heart of the offense remains the running game. But the coach also said Monday there was much to like about career-best efforts by quarterback Kyle Orton in a 34-7 victory over winless Detroit. The fourth-year pro set career highs in yards passing, completions and quarterback rating as Chicago (3-2) vaulted into sole possession of the NFC North lead. e best game we've played offensively,'' Smith said. ``It all starts with the quarterback and Kyle Orton had a lot of passing yards and made a lot of great decisions spreading the football around. Orton, who was 24-of-34 for 334 yards, completed passes to seven receivers and earned a 121.4 rating for the day. Bears offensive lineman Roberto Garza said Orton continues to grow. ``From week to week he's getting better and he's doing a great job of getting this offense going,'' Garza said. ``Kyle and the receivers were definitely in sync and we did a good job throwing the ball. But we didn't establish the run early. Our objective is to have a balanced attack and establishing the run early and throughout the game is where we need to get to.'' |
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