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POSTED 9:47 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

LIKELY NO ACTION FOR JACKSON

Sean Jensen of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is likely to miss Sunday's game against the Eagles due to a broken bone in his throwing hand, and a groin injury that still is bothering him.

"It doesn’t look good for me," Jackson said on Friday, "but you never know."

He's technically listed as questionable for Sunday. But with his injuries and his ineffectiveness and Kelly Holcomb's familiarity with the Eagles, the backup seems to be the right choice now.

POSTED 9:21 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

HECKERT TO MIAMI?

In response to reports that Bill Parcells might be interested in heading to the Fins as the new General Manager of the team, a league source tells us that there are rumors on the NFL grapevine that Eagles G.M. Tom Heckert could be headed back to Miami.

Heckert spent 10 years with the Dolphins before joining the Eagles, and we're told that he remains close to Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga.

Under one of the theories making the rounds, Fins president Brian Weidmeier would be hired for the same job by the Packers, and Heckert would become the President/G.M. of the Dolphins.

As to Parcells, it's been no secret that he'd be willing to return to the NFL as a G.M. With the Dallas Cowboys attempting to undermine his contribution to the development of the team that currently has the inside track to the NFC title, the fire likely will start burning again for the guy who has never been able to fully extinguish it.

And if Heckert is the guy who lands in Miami, why not Parcells to Philly? In our view, he's been going out of his way to suck up to the organization and the fans during his Monday night appearances on ESPN, and our guess is that he'd love to pull the reverse T.O.

POSTED 3:54 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

WILDFIRES WON'T CHANGE NFL SCHEDULE by Michael David Smith

The city of San Diego and the NFL made official today that Southern California's wildfires will not affect the league's weekend schedule.

"Early Friday morning the Chargers informed me that the NFL has decided to play Sunday’s game as scheduled at Qualcomm Stadium," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said in a statement. "The Chargers and the Houston Texans will kick off at Qualcomm on Sunday, October 28th at 1:05 pm."

The NFL has had to move games in the past because of natural disasters, and it always has to walk a tight rope in these situations. Moving the game out of San Diego ran the risk of angering local fans who want something positive to look forward to after a long and trying week. Keeping the game in San Diego ran the risk of appearing insensitive. But once the game got the mayor's blessing, the right move was to keep it in San Diego.

Texans owner Bob McNair hasn't exactly bent over backward to sound supportive in all this, saying he didn't want the game to be played Monday night, which would force his team to have to fly back from San Diego Tuesday morning. McNair also said, "Our people are worn out," a comment that no doubt elicited a lot of sympathy from the thousands of firefighters who have risked their lives working through grueling conditions this week.

POSTED 2:38 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

VINNY TESTAVERDE TO START VS. COLTS by Michael David Smith

Carolina Panthers coach John Fox announced today that Vinny Testaverde will start at quarterback Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

The 43-year-old Testaverde gets the starting job even though David Carr practiced Friday and is listed as probable.

"It's not an indictment on David Carr by any stretch. I don't feel he's 100%," Fox said. "He's healthy enough to play, but I don't think he's 100%."

Even if he's not 100%, it's hard not to see this as an indictment of Carr. If he's healthy enough to play, and he can't beat out a 43-year-old who's only been on the team a couple of weeks, what does that say about Carr?

Fox wouldn't speculate about whether Testaverde or Carr will start beyond Sunday, saying only, "It's not a season-long decision. It will be game to game."

The Panthers lost starting quarterback Jake Delhomme for the season with an elbow injury, and Testaverde has looked more impressive in Delhomme's place than Carr. Testaverde was 20-of-33 for 206 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in his start against Arizona. Carr is 32-of-62 for 330 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions this year.

In other Panthers news, running back DeShaun Foster practiced today and is probable with a toe injury. Linebackers Dan Morgan (Achilles tendon) and Adam Seward (calf) will not play Sunday against the Colts.

POSTED 1:21 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

LIONS STILL GOING AFTER ROGERS' BONUS MONEY by Michael David Smith

Charles Rogers, the wide receiver who joins Tony Mandarich and Ryan Leaf on the list of biggest No. 2 overall draft pick busts, will have a hearing next month to settle a grievance filed by the Lions, who want Rogers to pay back more than $10 million in bonus money.

"I expect it will be scheduled relatively soon," Lions Chief Operating Officer Tom Lewand said of the grievance hearing, per Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News.

The Lions' grievance seeks $10.1 million of the $14.4 in bonus money the Lions paid to Rogers as part of his rookie contract, which he signed when the Lions chose him second in the 2003 draft. The Lions claim Rogers violated his contract when he was suspended by the NFL for four games in 2005 for violating the league's policy on substance abuse.

Rogers won't be able to follow in the footsteps of Broncos RB Travis Henry and claim that his positive drug test is a result of inhaling secondhand smoke, seeing as he admitted to smoking marijuana in an interview with the NFL Network.

Rogers spent three years in Detroit and caught 36 passes for 440 yards. He has worked out for other teams since the Lions released him, but no one has offered him a contract.

POSTED 12:10 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

PARCELLS TO DOLPHINS? by Michael David Smith

Citing sources close to the four-time former NFL coach, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Bill Parcells could be the Miami Dolphins' General Manager in 2008.

"It makes a lot of sense that the Dolphins would be a job he'd be very interested in if it came open," a source close to Parcells told Cole. "But only as the GM. I don't think he'll ever coach again."

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga has told the Miami Herald that he plans "internal self-studies" to figure out what's wrong with his 0-7 team and whether solving the team's problems would include replacing General Manager Randy Mueller and/or coach Cam Cameron.

Parcells, who has coached the Giants, Patriots, Jets, and Cowboys, has a friendly relationship with Huizenga. The two played golf together at Huizenga's private course in the spring. Parcells might be interested in a job with the Dolphins because he spends a lot of time in the off-season in Florida, although he has twice turned down job offers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Would an offer from the Dolphins get Parcells to leave ESPN and get back into the NFL? Who knows? Parcells' career moves have been impossible to predict, and there will be rumors linking him to NFL jobs until the day he dies.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith

Cowboys WR Terry Glenn expects to return this season, but doesn't know when.

The Giants haven't changed anything offensively to account for the loss of RB Tiki Barber.

Redskins DT Anthony Montgomery was a 300-pound quarterback in high school.

Eagles S Sean Considine left practice Thursday with a sprained right knee, but he said it won't keep him out of Sunday's game.

Packers DT Justin Harrell will miss at least a couple weeks with a sprained ankle.

Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz on RB T.J. Duckett: "People don't realize how quick he is. He probably has the best run vision of the backs we have."

Says Bears special teams coach Dave Toub of the way teams approach return man Devin Hester, "It's a little frustrating. You have to practice returns, and we do that. Now we're practicing a lot of squibs and bloops and all kinds of crazy kicks."

The Vikings have signed P Chris Kluwe to a six-year, $8.3 million contract extension.

Panthers coach John Fox isn't delegating as much to his defensive assistants as he used to.

Buccaneers DT Chris Hovan says Jaguars RB Fred Taylor "can still run the ball better than anybody in the NFL."

Saints C Jeff Faine missed his second straight practice with a pectoral strain.

Falcons coach Bobby Petrino and other team officials refused to speak to the media following Thursday's practice.

Of fans booing RB Shaun Alexander, Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell says, "It's been a little surprising the negative reaction to Shaun when you consider all the things that he's done."

Some folks in Arizona wonder why the Cardinals didn't draft Adrian Peterson.

Sources within the 49ers say the league has admitted to some key officiating errors in two of the team's losses.

Rams LT Orlando Pace says he's not retiring.

Asked about his team's red-zone defense, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, "It's a big concern. The red area defense really hasn't been that good all year."

Bills LB Angelo Crowell comes from a football family, and he says his brothers criticize him more than his coaches do.

The Jets are preparing for life without LB Jonathan Vilma.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga is thinking globally.

S Troy Polamalu is the youngest member of the Steelers' 75th anniversary team.

Says Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan of the emergence of DT Kelly Gregg, "It's amazing. When you first looked at him, really nobody wanted him."

The Browns' defense is struggling against tight ends.

Bengals LB Robert Geathers is adjusting nicely to the switch from defensive end.

Colts coach Tony Dungy was one of six defensive backs on the Steelers' roster in 1977; in 2007 the Colts have 11 defensive backs on the roster.

The Jaguars have signed QB Todd Bouman.

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow doesn't think the Titans need a clear-cut No. 1 receiver.

Injured Texans QB Matt Schaub says, "I feel pretty good."

Chiefs offensive coordinator Mike Solari wants to get better on first downs.

Chargers TE Antonio Gates has caught 79.6 percent of the passes thrown his way.

Broncos K Jason Elam is writing a book.

Raiders QB Andrew Walter still has a job, but he isn't doing much in practice.

POSTED 10:50 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:03 a.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

QUALCOMM WILL BE READY FOR SUNDAY GAME

On Thursday night, the Houston Chronicle reported that Texans coach Gary Kubiak was under the impression that the Week Eight game between the Texans and the Chargers would be played in San Diego on Monday night.

But if the Chargers and the Texans want to play on Sunday, Qualcomm Stadium will be ready.

And the Texans want to keep the game on Sunday, because they don't want to have a short week to prepare for their Week Nine game against the Raiders.

"If this game were played Monday night, we wouldn't get back to Houston until early Tuesday morning," owner Bob McNair said. "That would make it more difficult for our coaches to prepare for our next game."

We see the point, but if we owned the Texans (and every fans of the team should thank the Great Texan in the Sky every night and every morning that we don't), we'd give up a day to prepare for a so-so team in exchange for an opportunity to get our moribund franchise onto Monday Night Football, even if it means going up against the Packers against the Broncos and the Red Sox against the Rockies.

The fact that the City of San Diego has declared that the stadium will be ready makes it difficult if not impossible for the game to be moved. Surely, the Chargers won't qualify for business interruption insurance coverage if they could have played the game as scheduled. So even though it might seem insensitive to some for the Chargers to play at home given the events of the past week, the business realities leave them with no other practical option.

MAKE YOUR PICKS, AND PREPARE TO LOSE

Last week, I followed up a 7-0 sweep of the early Sunday games with a pathetic 2-5 finish. It was good for a mark of only 9-5 for the week.

If you did better than that, you got lucky. If you did worse, what did you expect?

Wanna go again? Click here to get started.

And for those of you who haven't played in a couple of weeks, come on back. Our BETA version of the game is getting better and better as the season unfolds.

The user whose name is drawn from the names of all users who get more games right than me wins a free Fathead product, under our "Meathead or Fathead?" contest (and in the unique case of Jags assistant Mike Tice, the correct answer is "both" . . . yeah, we used the same line last week, but it's gold, Jerry . . . gold!)

The folks who get the most games right for the week are entered into a separate drawing, and the winner gets a free one-year subscription to Sporting News.

Under the "Refer A Friend" program, the winner of the drawing made up of all folks who refer (not reefer) someone else to the game gets the 2008 Rotoworld online draft guide.

And everyone who correctly guesses the outcome of the Steelers-Bengals game is entered into a separate drawing, and the winner gets a copy of The Bus: My Life In And Out Of A Helmet, which has been made available to us at no charge by Jerome Bettis and by Doubleday Books.

Finally, remember that every game picked correctly is an entry into the end-of-season grand-prize drawing for two tickets to the Football Game of Significant Significance, which will be played this year in Arizona. The tickets have been available to us at face value from our friends at NFL.com.

For this week, the winning (eventually) picks are: Colts, Bears, Steelers, Giants, Vikings, Rams, Titans, Jets, Chargers, Bucs, Pats, Saints, Packers.

WILL THE RAMS WIN THIS WEEK?

PFTV takes a look at what could be the last, best chance for the St. Louis Rams to notch a win during the 2007 season.

Have a look and a listen.

By the way, I've ventured onto a limb and picked them to pull off the "upset" over the Browns. (Then again, I'm one of the few idiots who saw the Rams going to the Super Bowl.)

POSTED 9:23 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:54 a.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

VICK PREPPING FOR BANKRUPTCY?

Kudos to our own MDS for connecting the dots in the wake of news that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick has purchased a pricey condo in Miami.

MDS writes for his gig with AOL's FanHouse that the move could be a precursor to a bankruptcy filing, given the unlimited homestead exemption available under Florida law. In other words, if/when Vick seeks financial protection from the same federal government that will soon be providing his room and board, Vick will be able to insulate his rooms in Miami from any attack by the folks to whom he owes money.

In recent weeks, Vick has been sued by three banks for a total amount of more than $5 million, and he eventually will owe the Falcons nearly $20 million in previously paid bonus money.

Vick currently is trying to sell his home in Atlanta, and the status of his property in Surry County, Virginia remains unclear. There are rumors floating around as to the identity of the person who supposedly purchased the house and land on which the Bad Newz Kennels dog-fighting operation was based, and it's unknown whether the transaction was finalized.

UPDATE: We've already heard from several bankruptcy attorneys (shouldn't you people be working?) regarding a flaw in Vick's logic, if he's indeed trying to squirrel away assets by tying them up in Florida real estate. Under changes to the federal bankruptcy laws, he must live in Florida for at least two years in order to take advantage of the unlimited homestead exemption. Since he'll soon be living in prison for two years or longer, he'll likely be limited to a homestead exemption of $125,000.

SPRINT PUMPS UP LAPTOP SECURITY

Far more than a phone company, Sprint is at the cutting edge of wireless access for laptop computers. Earlier this week, Sprint unveiled a new device for portable computers that will provide sweeping security features.

It's called the SprintSecure Laptop Guardian, an insertable card that acts as an ignition key for a laptop. Without the card, the laptop simply won't work.

The other big benefit is that information can be downloaded by a corporate IT department to the card, even when the computer is off. There also is GPS capability for laptop location, and remote locking and data wipe.

The SprintSecure Laptop Guardian, made by Alcatel-Lucent and sold exclusively by Sprint, will be available in February.

It's just another reason for consumers and "enterprise users" (we love learning new computer jargon . . . okay we actually don't) to do business with the exclusive telecommunications partner of ProFootballTalk.com.

POSTED 9:00 a.m. EDT, October 26, 2007

COMMISH TO ADDRESS RICKY REINSTATEMENT AFTER LONDON TRIP

Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will review the request for reinstatement of Dolphins running back Ricky Williams shortly after Goodell returns from England, where the Fins will "host" the Giants in a Week Eight tilt (unfortunate typo narrowly averted).

Williams applied for reinstatement on October 1. By rule, the league has 60 days to gather the information and make a decision.

The 1999 first-round pick of the Saints, who later was traded to Miami, initially was banished for at least a year in May 2006. An initial attempt at reinstatement failed.

If Williams is reinstated before the end of the season, the Dolphins will have two weeks to decide whether to welcome him onto the roster or cut him loose. If he is released, he initially would have to clear waivers -- and it's likely that the 0-7 Rams (who would presumably in position for early dibs on Williams) would pick up his contract. St. Louis coach Scott Linehan was the offensive coordinator when Williams played for the Dolphins in 2005, and Linehan has previously expressed an interest in giving Ricky a chance (despite the plain terms of the rarely-enforced tampering rules).

The Dolphins would probably like to see a decision deferred until after the season, because at that point they could try to trade Williams for a low-round draft pick, if they decide that they don't want him. The only way that can happen is if the request is denied and Ricky re-applies in six months, and is reinstated during the 2008 offseason.

Regardless of where he ends up, we find it hard to believe that any team would put much responsibility on his shoulders. A player who returns after a one-year suspension is in "Stage 3" of the substance-abuse policy for the rest of his career, which means that any slip-up will result in an immediate -- and indefinite -- suspension.

Williams shocked the Dolphins when he abruptly retired prior to the start of the 2004 season. He returned in 2005 after sitting out four games for a prior violation of the substance-abuse policy. In 2006, he played in the CFL.

So it's been a precipitous fall from grace for a guy whose promise once prompted Mike Ditka to pose for pictures with "Da Coach" in a tux and . . . "Da Roach"? . . . in a wedding dress.

In hindsight, it was almost as embarrassing as scratching your package on national television.

POSTED 9:45 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

TEXANS-CHARGERS GAME MOVING TO MONDAY?

The Houston Chronicle reports that Houston coach Gary Kubiak said on Thursday that the Week Eight game between the Texans and the Chargers will be played in San Diego -- on Monday night.

With the Packers-Broncos game starting earlier than usual on Monday night due to a conflict with the World Series (if the Rockies can win at least one game by then), why not have another double-header on ESPN? The opener would be the previously-scheduled game, and the nightcap would be Texans-Chargers with Mike the Eater and Mike the Whiner and Mike the Crotch-Scratcher in the booth.

In 2005, a game between the Saints and Giants was moved from New Orleans to New York, with a 90-minute lag between that game and a renewal of the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry.

POSTED 8:49 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

STILL NO DECISION ON CHARGERS GAME

The San Diego Chargers have announced . . . that no announcement is ready to be made about the location of their Week Eight game against the Houston Texans.

"[T]he Chargers remain in regular communication with both the City of San Diego and the National Football League," the team said in a statement. "The Chargers are working with the Mayor's Office and the NFL to ensure that all aspects of the situation are carefully evaluated and that the best possible decision for the people of San Diego is ultimately reached. The Chargers will continue to do everything possible to provide Mayor Sanders with the flexibility he needs to determine what is in the public interest."

The status of the game is uncertain because of fires in the San Diego area. If the game is not played at Qualcomm Stadium, it's expected to be played at Texas Stadium in Dallas.

Meanwhile, the evacuees who had been housed at Qualcomm Stadium have been moved to the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It could be a precursor to giving the green light for the Chargers to play at home.

Presumably, a decision will be made before Sunday.

POSTED 8:02 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:41 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

NOTHING IMMINENT FOR MARION

As the media focuses on the question of when and if the Dallas Cowboys will extend the contract of quarterback Tony Romo, another guy to watch in this regard is running back Marion Barber.

Barber's rookie contract will expire after the season, and we're hearing that there is no effort toward any type of an extension.

Barber will be eligible for restricted free agency. But while G.M. Jerry Jones can protect Romo from being pilfered in exchange for two first-round draft picks by using the exclusive version of the franchise tag, no such device is available to keep Barber on the team.

The most the Cowboys can do is apply the highest possible tender offer, which will fix the compensation at a first-round pick and a third-round pick.

For a team that picks in the bottom half of the 32 teams, it might be very tempting to give up the picks and put on paper a poison pill offer sheet that guarantees every penny of a $50 million contract if he plays at least four games with a silver helmet bearing a blue star on his head.

The Packers, for example, would be an ideal destination. And the higher Green Bay climbs in the postseason, the more attractive it will be for the team to give up a couple of their picks.

As to the Cowboys, their other top-level running back (Julius Jones) will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. But it could be that Jones wants to see where that first-round pick he pilfered from the Browns for Brady Quinn lands on the board, since Jones might opt to let Jones walk and to take the extra picks for Barber if Jones thinks he can land Darren McFadden.

ROSENHAUS PICKS UP ANOTHER ONE

Agent Drew Rosenhaus, already with 76 negotiated contracts on his plate, has added 11 new clients since the start of training camp.

Most recently, Rosenhaus has signed Chargers receiver Kassim Osgood, a Pro Bowl special teams player in 2006.

Last week, Bears receiver Bernard Berrian joined the ever-growing stable of clients. Other recent additions include Chiefs linebacker Nate Harris, Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, Jaguars fullback Greg Jones, Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden, Dolphins cornerback Will Allen, Dolphins safety Renaldo Hill, Bucs tight end Anthony Becht, Bucs running back Earnest Graham, and Cowboys running back Marion Barber.

Many of the new Rosenhaus clients are scheduled to become free agents after the 2007 season.

POSTED 3:17 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 4:06 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

GRADY DOESN'T KNOW WHY HE WAS CUT

Former Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jackson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he doesn't know the reason for the team's decision to release him on Tuesday.

"I'm still trying to figure out why," he said.

"They told me I didn't fit their system. That's what they told me and that they wanted to go younger. . . . In other words, for me, I just feel like they are giving up on the season."

Jackson's abrupt release has sparked confusion and criticism in the locker room. Then again, maybe they're simply envious of the fact that Jackson has gotten a ticket out of a very bad situation.

NFL GOES INTERNATIONAL

While most of you are merely content to go Indian, the NFL will go international in Week Eight, playing its first-ever regular-season game on the other side of an ocean.

The PFTV guys, Brocato (who according to at least one reader looks like Ryan from The Office) and Florio, debate whether the NFL should play games on foreign soil.

It's all right here. And, for the benefit of Channing Crowder, it's in English.

BRITS FIRE BACK

We're now starting to get e-mails from folks in England in response to the meatheaded remarks of Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder.

Since we have essentially abandoned the "E-mails We Like" feature (hey, until the government acts on my request to add a 25th hour to the day that's just the way it has to be), we'll post it here.

"Channing didn't even realise we spoke English," said the reader. "Well I didn't even realise the Dolphins played football. Oh wait, they're 0-7, they don't."

Zing!

POSTED 3:05 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

DRUDGE PICKS UP CROWDER COMMENTS

Though we've spent much of the day sifting through e-mails pointing out to us that Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder must have been joking when he offered up some completely bone-headed observations about England, the fact is that most average people won't realize that he wasn't serious when he said, for example, that he didn't know that people in London speak English.

The situation has been compounded by the fact that the Drudge Report has linked to the Crowder comments, which means that even more people will become aware of Crowder's remarks -- and that plenty of them will regard the situation either as proof of stupidity, or of the perceived attitude of Americans that the rest of the world is irrelevant.

Even if Crowder was kidding, it was stoopid for him to say what he said. The NFL is trying to embrace England and Europe and China and Mexico and Canada and the rest of the world. Though Crowder's comments were far more ignorant than offensive, the league would be wise to make sure that the teams who will be playing regular-season games on foreign soil in the future realize that the overriding purpose of this endeavor to is attract more pro football fans, not alienate them.

POSTED 2:11 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:52 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

ROMO WILL GET PAID, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported on Wednesday that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has protected his future financial fortune against a serious injury by purchasing a $30 million insurance policy.

Under the policy, Romo will be paid if any injury causes a reduction in his market value. He isn't required to suffer a career-ending injury to qualify for a payment.

So if, for example, Romo tears an ACL in the last game of the year (which Romo and his team hope will occur roughly a month before free agency), he'll likely cash in on the policy since, under those circumstances, he won't be cashing in with a huge football contract.

Per Schefter, the cost of the policy was $150,000.

But it makes sense to buy it. With no new deal from the Cowboys, Romo carries the risk that injury or ineffectiveness will hurt his value come early 2008. So he now can play football and not worry about getting hurt, because he doesn't have to worry about what getting hurt might do to his ability to get paid.

It's ironic that the policy is worth $30 million, given that Romo last month denied reports that his agent is looking for a deal with a guaranteed value in excess of $30 million.

Then again, Romo will definitely command that kind of cash, either from the Cowboys or on the open market. If the Cowboys apply the exclusive franchise tag to him for two seasons, he'll pocket more than $30 million by the end of 2009.

ROOKIES EARNING "LOG" BONUSES

By the time that six regular-season games are played each year, plenty of first-round rookies have begun to satisfy the trigger for the so-called "falling off of the log" bonus.

The "log" bonus is a reference to a payment based on the player achieving the minimum playing time set forth in the CBA for such devices. For rookies, the threshold is 35 percent of the snaps. For second-year players and beyond, it's 45 percent.

We're reminded of this because: (1) a league source mentioned it earlier this week (and I forgot to write something about it); and (2) Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News uses the fact that Jets rookie Darrelle Revis has met the minimum to take a gratuitous shot (in our opinion) at the organization.

Cimini regurgitates old news by saying that "the Daily News has learned" that the Revis contract has shrunk from six years to four. It was widely reported that the Revis deal would reduce from six seasons to four upon the achievement of the 35-percent minimum playing time, and that the Jets can eventually buy back years five and six.

Though Cimini claims that "it will be a major setback, financially and otherwise, if the Jets are wrong about Revis," the truth is that the Jets actually have greater protection against Revis being a washout. The problem arises if they think he's good enough to keep, but not good enough to merit the money that will be required to buy back years five and six.

The other problem with the deal is that every other team that picks between No. 16 and, say, No. 5 in round one will now have to deal with agents who want to do six-year deals that void to four based on the "log" limit, with steep buy-back provisions for years five and six.

Regardless, the Revis deal was destined to shrink to four years, and the information to that effect has been available ever since he signed the contract. The fact that Revis has met the requirement for doing so is the only new development, and any criticism of the team based on this event is either late, or premature.

POSTED 11:38 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 1:51 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2007

POINDEXTER REPRESENTED VICK'S FATHER

The Virginian-Pilot reports that Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter once represented the father of Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, whom Poindexter currently is prosecuting.

Specifically, Poindexter represented Michael Boddie in 2003 in an effort to get Boddie's driving privileges reinstated.

Though the obvious concern in such a circumstance would be that Poindexter would go easy on the son of a former client, the only persons raising questions about the situation are the lawyers of Michael Vick.

"I expressed those concerns to Mr. Poindexter both orally and in writing," Larry Woodward, one of Vick's lawyers, told the Virginian-Pilot on Wednesday. "I still have those concerns, as do Michael's other attorneys."

Poindexter told the V-P that he disclosed to Woodward on Tuesday the past attorney-client relationship with Vick's father, and that Woodward said he had no problem with it. Woodward disputes Poindexter's recollection.

Okay, maybe we've freaking lost our minds on this one, but shouldn't the concerns be coming not from the lawyers for the son of the man whom the prosecutor once represented, but from the citizens of Surry County?

Shouldn't Poindexter have disclosed the relationship from the outset of the investigation, and simultaneously requested the appointment of a special prosecutor to handle the case? At a minimum, shouldn't Poindexter have asked the Virginia Bar for an advisory opinion as to whether the representation of Boddie create a conflict of interest or, more importantly, the appearance of impropriety?

Since no one knew about the potential conflict of interest (or the appearance of impropriety) in April, no one was in a position to scrutinize Poindexter's erratic (in our opinion) handling of the investigation through the proper lens. Some PFT readers have speculated that Poindexter might have at one point attended dog fights on the Vick property. We speculated that Poindexter simply didn't want to have the next year of his life consumed by an O.J.-style spectacle against a "dream team" of East Coast lawyers.

And how about Poindexter's inexplicable failure to get an indictment against Vick for animal cruelty charges after Vick admitted that he participated in the killing of six dogs? As it now stands, Vick could avoid the current charges in Virginia under a law that prevents multiple punishments for the same conduct. A prosecution for animal cruelty based on killing dogs that didn't test well for fighting would be more likely to escape the application of the law in question.

So Vick's lawyers shouldn't be sending Poindexter letters asking him to quit -- they should be sending him baskets of ham and booze. Poindexter screwed up what was, in hindsight, a slam-dunk prosecution, and which would have entailed sentences of up to 40 years for killing dogs. The motivation, if any, is irrelevant. The fact that Vick's lawyers would want Mr. Magoo, Esquire to step aside now makes absolutely no sense.

Then again, maybe the genius of this tactic is that, by making it look like Vick should be the one who is troubled by the fact that Poindexter represented his father, perhaps no one will realize that, in reality, it's the people of Virginia who have potentially gotten screwed.

THURSDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith

Cowboys CB Anthony Henry returned to practice Wednesday.

Giants CB Sam Madison is getting annoyed with all the people asking him for tickets to Sunday's game.

Says Redskins RB Clinton Portis, "I think we [are] the most talented team in the NFL."

Eagles TE L.J. Smith says his groin injury is finally healing.

Packers WR Koren Robinson told the media Wednesday, "I'm giving my word that it will never happen again, that I'm a changed person."

Lions RB Tatum Bell is likely to sit Sunday.

The Bears are the only team in the league without a run of at least 20 yards, but coach Lovie Smith says the running game is improving.

Vikings coach Brad Childress says his usage of RB Adrian Peterson "will increase as we go through the rest of the football season."

Panthers coach John Fox still isn't saying whether David Carr or Vinny Testaverde is his starting quarterback.

Buccaneers TE Alex Smith (ankle), WR Michael Clayton (ankle), and CB Brian Kelly (groin) all missed practice Wednesday.

Falcons rookie Trey Lewis says of the team cutting DT Grady Jackson, "You really see the business side of everything with the cuts. It goes to show you this is a business and you've got to treat it as such. We've been taught a lot of lessons real fast."

Saints C Jeff Faine and DT Brian Young both missed Wednesday's practice.

Says Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander, "I dissect everything, and I probably put entirely too much pressure on myself and my line."

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner says as long as his elbow is healthy enough to play, wife Brenda will make him do the dishes at home.

The Rams have signed T Rob Petitti to replace G Claude Terrell.

QB Alex Smith says he'll play Sunday for the 49ers unless his shoulder suffers a setback in the next two days.

Says Patriots coach Bill Belichick of Randy Moss, "He is probably the smartest receiver I have coached."

Jets coach Eric Mangini cited QB Chad Pennington's understanding of the Jets' offense in explaining why Pennington is still the starter.

Bills DT John McCargo is showing improvement in his second season.

S Lance Schulters said he was "very surprised" that the Dolphins cut him last year, and surprised again when they signed him Wednesday.

Steelers assistant coach Ken Anderson is making a difference with QB Ben Roethlisberger.

Says one Baltimore writer of departed LB Adalius Thomas, "There wasn't a bigger ego inside the Ravens' locker room last season than Thomas."

Bengals RT Willie Anderson will miss Sunday's game with a knee injury.

The day he was placed on injured reserve because of injuries to both knees, Browns DB Gary Baxter said his career isn't over.

Texans WR Andre Johnson is getting better, but he won't be active for at least another week.

Says Colts DE Dwight Freeney, "It's about consistency. Last year, we had great games and we had horrible games. Now we're playing together."

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio says of QB Quinn Gray, "We're not asking him to carry our team. . . . We want him to play his role and do a good job and be a distributor of the ball."

The ball Titans K Rob Bironas kicked for his eighth field goal Sunday is heading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said of WR Brandon Marshall's drunk-driving arrest, "There's probably not a person in this room that couldn't have been arrested [at] some time for that." [Editor's note: So that makes it okay?] [Editor's note to editor's note: Shanahan's next comment was, "It doesn't make it right." So we apologize for creating the impression that Shanahan was making excuses for drunk driving. Instead, he was merely making excuses while adding some words that would make it look like he wasn't making excuses. Even though he was. Making excuses.]

Kansas City Star columnist Jason Whitlock isn't impressed with the comeback of RB Priest Holmes.

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson said Wednesday, "Thank God it burned all the way around my house, but it didn't get my house. My house stayed intact."

Al Davis still controls the Raiders, but a group of East Coast businessmen just bought 20 percent of the team.

POSTED 11:02 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

TALK SPREADS OF INCREASING ROSTER SIZES

Due to a spike in player injuries, a league source tells us that there is growing talk in league circles of increasing team rosters by as many as five players.

Per the source, the numbers being thrown around are 57 and 58. The current roster size is 53.

There's also talk about pumping up the game-day roster from 45. This would reduce situations in which, for example, a backup offensive lineman who is activated because a starting offensive lineman is out with an injury has to take a position on the kickoff team because there wasn't an active roster spot for one of the guys who usually performs those duties.

The presence of additional players, however, would create issues with the salary cap. Teams would either have to find a way to pay all of them with the currently available allotment, or the per-team limit would have to be increased.

But increasing the salary cap would mean increasing the percentage of "Total Football Revenue" that the players of all teams share. Working with the cap as currently formulated would result in less available cash for the players to share.

The bottom line, then, is that it's unlikely that any changes in roster sizes would be made beyond the confines of formal renegotiation of the entire Collective Bargaining Agreement, which currently is due to expire after the 2011 season.

POSTED 9:38 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:01 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

NO NEW CONCUSSION FOR THOMAS

A league source tells us that Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas did not suffer a new concussion in a car accident on Sunday, and that he also is showing no signs of post-concussion syndrome.

Thomas was evaluated on Wednesday by Dr. Mickey Collins of Pittsburgh. Dr. Collins also has been involved in the evaluation and treatment of linebacker Dan Morgan of the Panthers.

Despite the absence of a new concussion or any other problems with his skull or the fairly important organ that resides inside of it, Thomas will not play this weekend when the Fins face the Giants in London. Per the source, Thomas suffered neck whiplash in the accident (we didn't know tree trunks were flexible), and he will skip the lengthy plane trip to and from England.

The Dolphins have a bye on November 4. Thomas will be able to play on November 11.

CROWDER IS PLAYIN' DUMB . . . OR PLAIN DUMB

Maybe Dr. Mickey Collins should also check the noggin of Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder. Because Crowder is talking like a guy who has had a couple of dozen concussions. Or who never went to school. Or who never paid attention while he was in school. Or who never pays attention to anything.

For starter, Crowder said on Wednesday that he didn't realize that people in London, England speak English.

And that was just the opening act. Here's some of the rest of it.

"I couldn't find London on a map if they didn't have the names of the countries," Crowder said. "I swear to God. I don't know what nothing is. I know Italy looks like a boot. I learned that.

"I know London Fletcher. We did a football camp together. So I know him. That's the closest thing I know to London. He's black, so I'm sure he’s not from London. I'm sure that’s a coincidental name."

There's a chance that Crowder was just trying to be funny, and that he isn't so ignorant that he doesn't realize how ignorant he really is. But even if he was simply playing around, then at a minimum he's too ignorant to realize that his attempt at humor makes him look like the stereotypical dumb jock -- and the stereotypical backward-ass American who thinks that the only country that matters is ours.

And that's not quite the tone that his employer is trying to set as the NFL attempts to expand its fan base beyond the borders of the United States.

POSTED 11:17 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

RAIDERS THINKING ABOUT DUMPING RHODES

A league source tells us that the Oakland Raiders are contemplating the possibility of releasing running back Dominic Rhodes.

Over the weekend, Jay Glazer of FOX reported that Rhodes had been available via trade.

If Rhodes is released, he will be required to first pass through waivers. If he clears waivers, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Rhodes arguably should have been named the MVP of Super Bowl XLI. He left the Colts via unrestricted free agency, and he prepped for his foray into free agency by peeing all over himself in the back of a police cruiser. Allegedly. He later was suspended for the first four games of the 2007 season for violation of the substance-abuse policy.

POSTED 10:06 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

HALL TEES OFF ON FALCONS

Several weeks ago, Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall was fined $100,000 for mouthing off to coach Bobby Petrino.

Hall might be in line for another donation to the favorite charity of his team's choice after going off on Petrino for cutting defensive tackle Grady Jackson.

Hall called the move "asinine" and "ridiculous" -- the full comments are right here.

Among other things, Hall says that Petrino didn't address the move at all during a team meeting, practice, or defensive meetings on Wednesday.

POSTED 9:24 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:44 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

VILMA OUT FOR THE YEAR?

Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reports that Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma has sustained a "significant" knee injury, and that he might be out for the year.

But the injury apparently isn't anything that happened in practice this week. If coach Eric Mangini is to be believed, the injury might be the result of an undisclosed condition that kept Vilma out for several plays during Sunday's loss to the Bengals. Specifically, Mangini said that Vilma's performance on Sunday was "dramatically affected" by an injury that Mangini declined to disclose.

So when did Vilma suffer the injury? And why wasn't there any pre-game or in-game disclosure of it? We have a feeling that the league office might want to know the answers to those questions.

If Vilma is indeed done for the year, he'll be replaced in the lineup by rookie David Harris.

PFTV LOOKS AT CHARGERS SITUATION

We've got a new crop of PFTV segments -- they're all right here.

And we'll post each of them into the Rumor Mill over the next few days in lieu of, you know, making up some more rumors.

For starters, we look at the current situation involving the San Diego Chargers, and we ask whether a move of the team to L.A. might make sense, given that the Chargers might end up moving their second game in only four years due to fires fueled by the Santa Ana winds.

POSTED 9:05 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:17 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

VICK STARTS SNITCHING?

The plea agreement signed by Falcons quarterback Mike Vick requires him to cooperate with authorities regarding other dog-fighting investigations.

Coincidentally (or otherwise), a man accused of selling a pit bull to Vick and sponsoring a pit bull in dog fights was due in federal court in Richmond on Wednesday to enter a plea on federal charges relating to dog fighting.

The man, Oscar Allen, faces the same conspiracy charges to which Vick and three others pleaded guilty.

DAILY NEWS CALLS FOR REID TO QUIT

On the same day that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was quoted as saying that he fully supports coach Andy Reid, the Philadelphia Daily News openly called for Reid to step down.

"It's too easy to draw a straight line from Reid's off-field issues to his team's on-field struggles," the Daily News writes. "The fact is that the Eagles have been in decline since losing the Super Bowl in February 2005. . . . Reid's era as coach and executive vice president of football operations appears to have run its course after nine years, a lifetime for a pro football coach. But other teams have caught onto his system and improved. Reid's been slow to adjust. . . .

"The Eagles are stagnant. Reid should step aside -- not because of his family problems, but because of his coaching problems. That the time might help him heal his family is just a side benefit."

Wow. Our connections in Philly tell us that the editorial caused a major ruckus, and we assume that the radio host who hates me was doing his best to lead the cheers for the coach..

And to all 100 or so of who sent in e-mails asking if the radio host whom you believe to be residing in Reid's anal cleft is the guy to whom I was referring earlier today (scroll down), you are correct.

Amazingly, every single e-mail guessing the name of the unnamed host mentioned the same guy.

POSTED 6:01 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

LEWIS-THOMAS FEUD ESCALATES

Okay, so now Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas and Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis are trading verbal barbs. And they don't even play each other this week.

Thomas used to play next to Lewis in Baltimore. Recently, Thomas had this to say to Sports Illustrated about his new team, and his old one: "You've got to remember, I'm coming in from Baltimore. People there wanted the limelight, people sought out the limelight, starting with the head coach. It was a star-studded system. Here it's about as different as you can get. Everybody here shies away from being the star guy. Nobody on this team beats his chest. They just all go about their business. And win."

On his Monday night radio show, Lewis responded. "When you take a shot at men that you claim to love to go to war with, I call those cowards," Lewis said. "If you got something to say privately, you don't have to go to a newspaper. If you got something to say to a man, speak it."

Okay, I need to call a time out right here. Lewis made those comments on the same show during which he openly criticized head coach Brian Billick's play calling in Sunday's loss to the Bills. Do the words Lewis uttered as to Thomas not apply to what Lewis had to say about Billick?

Apparently, in Ray's world, they don't.

Lewis also said that the Ravens had to fit Thomas "into our schemes," and Lewis pointed out that the Ravens won a Super Bowl without Thomas -- and that the Pats have won three without him, too.

Thomas responded on Wednesday: "As far as calling me a coward I think that goes to something personal. I don't like it. I will address that with him personally myself. To attack my integrity and say you had to make a scheme up for me. . . . I didn't know they made up outside linebacker for me. I know he was crying about a big guy in the middle so you can keep blockers off of you. I mean, I don't know if that's a scheme made for you or not."

Rrrowwwwww.

Well, if Thomas wants to talk to Lewis, he'll get his chance to do it when the Patriots go to Baltimore for a Monday nighter on December 3.

THOMAS TRIES TO BACKTRACK, TOO

In addition to speaking his mind about the recent remarks of Ray Lewis, Pats linebacker Adalius Thomas claims that his words were taken out of context, backpedaling form his initial remarks faster than a point guard on diet pills.

"I don't think I recall any of the conversation I had, I don't think what I said came out that way," Thomas said. "I could be totally wrong. Like I said, it was a compliment of the Patriots. I never downed the Ravens. Anybody that has seen me do an interview in seven years knows my integrity isn't that. If I have something to say to somebody then I'll say it.

"Nothing that I said was a comment or shot at the Ravens, or none of the players. Actually, I said I had a chance to play with Hall of Fame players that was not in that quote. I went on to name names. Ray Lewis was one of the names I named.

"The only thing I tried to say was that it's different here than it was there. I said I played with Hall of Fame guys on both sides of the ball and I named players on both sides, and that's what I said. I said the superstars that were there were everyday household names, from Randall Cunningham to Deion Sanders.

"That's what I said, but that got cut out [of the article]. That's how it went. As far as that goes, I said [coach Bill] Belichick is the same way. Everybody here shies away from the media. I said the head coach there [Brian Billick], he stayed in the media when I was there. That's not a shot, that's a fact."

Possible translation? "Oh crap, I don't wanna get stabbed."

POSTED 5:36 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

BRADY BAGS ANOTHER POW AWARD

The NFL has announced the winners of the player of the week prizes for Week Seven.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won his third AFC offensive player of the week award in seven weeks of action, courtesy of a career-high six touchdown passes against the Dolphins on Sunday.

In seven prior NFL seasons, Brady won the award a total of seven times.

Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney was named the defensive player of the week in the AFC, via four tackles, two forced fumbles, and 2.0 sacks -- one of which was good for 2.0 points.

And Titans kicker Rob Bironas was a no-brainer for the AFC special teams POW award, given that he set an NFL single-game record with eight field goals, including a game winner against the Texans in Houston.

In the NFC, Bears quarterback Brian Griese helped to validate the decision to bench Rex Grossman by winning the offensive POW award. Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora won the defensive player of the week award for the second time this season, via a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown on a fumble return. Nate Burleson of the Seahawks was the special teams player of the week in the NFC for returning the opening kickoff of the second half of Seattle's win over the Rams 91 yards for a touchdown.

POSTED 5:22 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

DECISION ON TEXANS-CHARGERS GAME COMING THURSDAY

A decision will be made on Thursday as to whether the Chargers will play their Week Eight home game in San Diego or in Dallas, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The call as to whether the game will stay at Qualcomm Stadium will be made by San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders. The venue currently is being used as a shelter for persons displaced by the fires in the area.

Other issues that could work against keeping the game in San Diego include air quality and the availability of police and firefighters.

Texas Stadium is regarded as a viable alternative because Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson is a native of Waco, and because the Dallas residents don't like the Houston Texans. Though the Union-Tribune suggests that financial losses would be lower if the game is played in Dallas than if it is played in Arizona, admission to the last Chargers game forced to Arizona by fire was free, with patrons solicited to make donations for the relief efforts. It's unknown whether there would be a charge imposed to see the Texans-Chargers game on Sunday.

The Union-Tribune points out that the Chargers have insurance to protect against the losses from moving the game, but that the deductible is high.

The Chargers don't want to play the game in Houston, because it would give the Texans a home-field advantage. In 2005, the NFL moved a game between the Giants and the Saints to the Meadowlands after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans.

Tomlinson's San Diego home avoided damage, but the fires crept to his property line. "I could see the fire when I left Monday morning – when we evacuated around 5," he said. "I thought it was gone. . . . Those firemen are amazing."

POSTED 5:06 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

SEYMOUR RETURNS, TOO

On the same day that Broncos receiver Rod Smith came back to practice after spending the first seven weeks on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour is back, too. Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe reports that Seymour joined the team at practice on Wednesday, for the first time this year.

The Patriots now have 21 days to activate Seymour or place him on injured reserve, which will prevent him from playing at all this season.

Under the PUP rules (which we erred in describing last week), a team has three weeks after Week Six to bring the player back to practice. If he does not come back to practice within three weeks, he stays on the PUP list for the rest of the season. Once the player is back to practice, the team has three weeks to add him to the active roster or place him on IR.

Seymour had arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason. It is believed that there was some type of complication, because the healing process took far too long. At one point, there were rumors that he would not play at all in 2007.

POSTED 3:39 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

ROD SMITH RETURNS TO PRACTICE by Michael David Smith

Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting that Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith is back to practice today for the first time since 2006.

The 37-year-old Smith is recovering from off-season hip surgery, and given his age and the severity of the injury, there was a great deal of doubt that he would ever play again. But Schefter reports that Denver expects to activate Smith at some point in the next three weeks.

The return of Smith could lessen the blow of losing wide receiver Javon Walker, who underwent knee surgery that is expected to sideline him for at least six weeks.

Schefter also reports that cornerback Champ Bailey, who has missed time with a quadriceps injury, returned to practice for the Broncos today and is expected to play Monday night.

POSTED 2:49 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

NFL ADDS $10 MILLION TO FUND FOR DISABLED PLAYERS by Michael David Smith

The big news out of the second day of the NFL's two-day owners meeting in Philadelphia is that the league has added $10 million to its medical fund for retired players. The money will go toward joint replacement surgery, cardiovascular screening and assisted living.

"We're continuing to work on the other needs of retired players," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, per the Associated Press.

The $10 million is in addition to the $7 million for the fund previously agreed upon by the league and the NFL Players Association. It's the latest sign that Goodell understands that taking care of players who leave the league is both the right thing to do and, from a public relations perspective, the smart thing to do.

The owners meeting also included a discussion about potential new stadiums for the Vikings, 49ers and Chargers. League officials plan to visit Minneapolis to continue discussions about a new Vikings stadium.

THIRD TIME A CHARM FOR QUENTIN MOSES? by Michael David Smith

Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins have signed rookie defensive lineman Quentin Moses, putting Moses on his third team in the last three months.

Moses was once considered a top draft prospect at Georgia, but a shaky senior season led him to slip to the third round, where the Raiders chose him with the 65th overall pick.

An even shakier training camp and preseason led to Moses getting cut by the Raiders. He then signed with the Cardinals, but Arizona cut him, too.

Moses is the fifth defensive lineman the Dolphins have added in the past two weeks.

Darlington also reports that the Dolphins have signed safety Lance Schulters and added two practice squad players, quarterback Casey Bramlet and tight end Buck Ortega.

POSTED 1:39 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

ZACH MIGHT NOT CROSS THE POND

Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas might be parlaying a fender-bender into a vehicle for avoiding a transatlantic flight.

Per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Thomas won't practice on Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday due to complications from a post-game car accident after the team's Week Seven loss to the Patriots.

As it turns out, Thomas might have another concussion. He was scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh on Wednesday for evaluation by a specialist.

Thomas missed two games after sustaining a concussion against the Cowboys on September 16.

We're not suggesting that Zach is jaking it in order to avoid a trip to the land of the Union Jack. But, at a minimum, the situation is, shall we say, convenient for a guy on an 0-7 team who might not feel like taking part in the NFL's European experiment.

POSTED 11:45 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

ANKLE SURGERY COULD SPEED LEFTWICH'S RETURN

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that Falcons quarterback Byron Leftwich has undergone surgery on a severely sprained ankle, and that the procedure could allow him to return to action within two weeks.

The ankle reportedly has been secured by two screws. While Leftwich recuperates, the starter will be Joey Harrington.

Leftwich obtained a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday before undergoing surgery, which was performed by Falcons team doctor Scott Gillogly (who presumably did not whack the ankle with a metal baton at any point during the procedure).

POSTED 11:12 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:20 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

CHRIS HENRY IS BACK AT PRACTICE

Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who was suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell in April for eight games, has been cleared to return to practice, according to Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Henry will not be permitted to return to game action until Week Ten, during which the Bengals will play their ninth game of the season.

Henry received the eight-game suspension as a result of various problems with the law, including multiple guilty pleas to charges relating to guns and drugs.

Per Curnutte, Henry was scheduled to practice with the team on Wednesday morning.

Last week, Commissioner Goodell allowed Cowboys defensive tackle Tank Johnson to return to practice after serving six games of his eight-game suspension. Bengals fans have been complaining loudly to us for weeks regarding perceived inequities in the treatment of Cincinnati players who are on suspension. The decision to reinstate Packers receiver Koren Robinson after a one-year suspension for violation of the substance-abuse policy caused an outcry regarding the refusal to allow Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman to return, and the decision last week to let Tank come back a week before Henry resulted in more cries that the league has a bias against the Bengals.

In our view, the perception of bias is the result of the inherent confidentiality of the process. Since details as to the reasons for these decisions aren't shared publicly, the public isn't in a position to even attempt to comprehend the reason for the superficial disparity.

UPDATE: In the interests of clarity, both Henry and Johnson returned after missing six games, even though Henry missed seven weeks. The Bengals already have had their bye week; the Cowboys' bye is in Week Eight.

WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones likes the NFL's plans to play overseas, but he doesn't want the Cowboys to travel abroad.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin is doing his best not to give the Dolphins any bulletin-board material.

The strained quad of Redskins RB Rock Cartwright (Cartwright!) kept him from carrying the ball Sunday, but he still did some blocking on the punt team.

Eagles S Brian Dawkins is unlikely to play Sunday against the Vikings.

Packers QB Brett Favre underthrew a receiver Sunday, but he says, "I still feel like I can throw it as well as I've always done."

After Lions WR Mike Furrey told the media, "You can kiss my ass"; his teammates said no one should take it seriously. (Or literally.)

If any team in the NFL has shown that it needs the full 15 minutes between picks in the first round, it's the Vikings, but an executive said Tuesday that the team is fine with having only 10 minutes next year.

Bears QB Brian Griese says he always had faith in his old college teammate, Tom Brady.

The Panthers brought in return man and former Olympic skier Jeremy Bloom for a workout.

Tampa Bay released RB Zack Crockett.

Things are looking up for the Saints, who are getting ready to play a team going in the opposite direction.

The Falcons have lost another offensive tackle to a season-ending knee injury.

The Cardinals have a practice scheduled for this morning and then will vacate their facilities to let the Chargers move in.

The Seahawks have had two players chosen as NFC special teams player of the week.

Rams returner Dante Hall will miss at least one game with a high ankle sprain.

QB Alex Smith will resume practicing with the 49ers today.

The Patriots are the only team in the league that averages fewer than seven yards to go on second down.

Bills owner Ralph Wilson got a good reception from his fellow owners after presenting plans to play in Toronto.

Members of the 1972 Dolphins can't believe how bad this year's Dolphins are.

Jets LB Jonathan Vilma is wondering why he was taken out of Sunday's game.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is defending his game plan.

The Ravens honored Art Modell Tuesday night.

Two Bengals ticket-takers are facing criminal charges after being accused of taking cash to let in fans who didn't have tickets. [Editor's note: Hey, Chris Henry had to do something for a living while he was on suspension.]

The Browns have put CB Gary Baxter on injured reserve, ending his attempt to become the first NFL player to return from surgeries to repair torn patellar tendons on both knees.

The emergence of RB Kenton Keith has allowed the Colts to keep Joseph Addai fresh.

When your kicker makes eight field goals, that probably means you need to work on your red zone offense.

The Texans have waived RB Samkon Gado.

With QB David Garrard hurt, the Jaguars might take a look at Aaron Brooks.

The Chiefs are getting a good season from P Dustin Colquitt.

Chargers GM A.J. Smith says the team needs to get ready to play football, no matter where they'll be playing.

Says Broncos coach Mike Shanahan of the special teams on Sunday, "We've got work to do, but we were better in all phases."

Coach Lane Kiffin says of the Raiders' losses after having a fourth-quarter lead, "We obviously haven't mastered how to finish teams off when we have them there."

POSTED 10:55 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

WHAT ABOUT McNABB?

With the Philadelphia Eagles acting quickly to squelch any and all rumors regarding the future of their head coach, astute league observers are asking themselves (and others) why the Eagles haven't moved with similar speed and determination to kill any talk of quarterback Donovan McNabb getting the McBoot after the season.

Two weeks ago, rumors posted here and elsewhere about Reid possibly resigning prompted a P.R. blitz from the organization. And it appears that a Tuesday piece from John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News resulted in owner Jeffrey Lurie's same-day declaration that Reid is safe.

So why has there been no effort by the front office to throw arms (or legs) around McNabb?

Some believe that McNabb will finish the 2007 season as the starting quarterback, and that the powers-that-be will then hope for Vikings coach Brad Childress, Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo, or someone else to ring the phone and spark trade talks.

The thinking in some circles is that, if the Eagles place the first call, they'll lose their leverage.

Still, it's unclear how much leverage they'll have, even if the calls come to them. McNabb has a contract that no team is going to want to touch, with a $6.3 million base salary in 2008, $9.2 million in 2009, $10 million in 2010, and three more eight-figure seasons. So McNabb will have to agree to a new deal, which means that a new team will have to be willing to pay McNabb what he thinks he's worth -- which could be a lot more than the market says he's worth.

Either way, the likelihood of McNabb returning to the Eagles in 2008 is dropping. An industry source tells us that the fan support for McNabb is non-existent, and the followers of the team are ready for McNabb to move on.

If this story doesn't prompt a stream of comments from the Nova Care Complex proclaiming that McNabb will be with the team in 2008 (or, at a minimum, if it doesn't provoke another 10-minute diatribe from a certain Philly radio host about how big of a piece of trash this site is), McNabb might as well start shopping for realtors.

POSTED 9:17 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:27 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2007

BILLICK BLINKS

Called out publicly by linebacker Ray Lewis, Ravens coach Brian Billick sent a horrible message (in our view) to the locker room by shrugging his shoulders and saying that he's okay with the criticism.

"There's frustrations, and I don't know that he's not right," Billick said on his WBAL radio show, where yours truly appears on Friday night. "I don't know if I agree [with Lewis about running the ball] on the second-and-one and third-and-one. I definitely agree on the fourth-and-one call. I certainly don't find any fault with Ray being honest and straightforward."

You want honest and straightforward, Bri? How about this -- if you don't take a stand against this kind of behavior, you will be an assistant coach next year at this time.

Some of the coaches turned sock puppets like to say that players play and coaches coach. They're right. There's a hierarchy that needs to be respected. So either the rule is that any player can publicly gripe about a coaching decision, or only certain players (you know, the ones with knives) can get away with it.

The only teams that can win under such a void of leadership are, in our view, teams that are so supremely talented that they can ignore the pangs of doubt and uncertainty that will invade the minds of every young player who isn't sure who in the hell is in charge when it's unclear whether authority should be respected.

And the 2007 Ravens aren't sufficiently talented to overcome a situation like this.

LURIE SUPPORTS REID

The hot topic in Philly a couple of weeks ago was whether Eagles coach Andy Reid would quit. The team mobilized to shoot down such rumors (thanks in part to ad hominem attacks by certain radio hosts on those who were mongering the rumor of a resignation).

Now, the question is whether the Eagles will fire Reid. Owner Jeffrey Lurie says that it's not happening.

"I think we have a great coach, great coaching staff, excellent leadership," Lurie said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We were 5-6 last year, we lost our starting quarterback, and almost made it to the championship game. He's one of the truly best coaches, and if you interviewed the 31 other owners and Andy was on the market, many would be lining up."

Lurie added: "Either you support your football people or you don't. And I do."

Frankly, we've never heard any recent talk that the Eagles would cut the cord on Reid. Before the 2006 season, there were rumblings that a bad year could put him on the hot seat in 2007, and it's possible that a bad 2007 could make the situation a little (or a lot) warmer in 2008.

Even then, we don't think it would ever get to the point that the Eagles would fire Reid. Instead, they would politely tell him that it's time, and he would walk away, seemingly on his own terms.

POSTED 11:32 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

TA-TA, TERRELL

On the same day that offensive lineman Claude Terrell was busted for allegedly assaulting his wife, the Rams have cut him loose.

Terrell was a fourth-round draft pick in 2005. He was signed through the end of the year, and would have been eligible for restricted free agency.

He's now eliglble for unrestricted free agency, assuming he clears waivers.

Last week, Terrell apologized to the team after reportedly "mouthing off" to coach Scott Linehan, which resulted in a team-wide rebuke from the embattled coach.

"I apologize to the coach and the team," Terrell said at the time. "I don't want to be a distraction. I want to help and contribute as much as I can."

Terrell could, in theory, file a grievance against the team, alleging that the CBA does not permit any discipline more than a four-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. But the Standard Player Contract seems to permit termination for behavior that reflects poorly on the team. More importantly, the NFL Players Association has not attempted to fight any of the recent terminations of players who have gotten in trouble.

Our pal Howard Balzer of The Sports Xchange points out that the departure of Terrell means that Milford Brown will start at left guard, and that Brandon Gorin will become the No. 1 right tackle. Balzer say that Gorin, who was signed on September 12, will be the tenth different player to start on the Rams' offensive line in 2007.

In all, the Rams have used two left tackles, four left guards, two centers, three right guards, and four right tackles for the season. They currently have only one backup offensive lineman on the roster, and no backup at tackle.

POSTED 11:11 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

FALCONS WHACK JACKSON

The Atlanta Falcons unexpectedly cut veteran defensive tackle Grady Jackson on Tuesday. The move came without comment from coach Bobby Petrino or G.M. Rich McKay, and it was announced in a one-sentence item on the team's web site.

The decision was made in the same year that Jackson filed -- and that the team settled -- an invasion of privacy and defamation lawsuit, which alleged that team officials shared in 2006 information with other franchises about his medical condition in an effort to drive down the market for his services.

The settlement included an extension of Jackson's contract, and Jackson possibly will pursue a grievance that seeks recovery of the full remaining value of the deal, arguing that the decision was influenced by a desire to retaliate against him for the fact that he filed suit. He also could pursue a new lawsuit claiming retaliation, but his individual rights in this regard likely will be overcome by the grievance procedures found in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Jackson meanwhile is free to shop himself elsewhere, if/when he clears waivers. And despite any rumors (accurate or incorrect) regarding his health or his weight or his desire to play, the fact remains that big men with big butts and big bellies who can clog the line as well as they clog commodes will be able to find a job.

POSTED 10:55 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

EDWARDS HOLDING THE BILLS' JOB

The J.P. Losman era apparently is ending in Buffalo.

With Losman recovered from an elbow to the knee courtesy of Pats defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, rookie Trent Edwards is still the starter -- and apparently will continue to be.

Though it might not ultimately be as significant as the injury to Drew Bledsoe that opened the door for Tom Brady, it's a critical moment in the history of a franchise that has been struggling to establish consistency since four straight Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.

"We are naming Trent Edwards as our starting quarterback," coach Dick Jauron said on Tuesday. A week ago, Jauron named Edwards the starter for the upcoming game only. Leading the Bills to a win over the Ravens apparently was enough to cement the job.

We (and others) reported that Bills owner Ralph Wilson likely had a hand in (if not outright made) the decision to go with Edwards, and that financial considerations (such as Losman's ability to achieve contract incentives) were a factor in the final analysis.

Losman is signed through 2008, and it's likely that he'll be traded after the season.

POSTED 8:02 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

DID EMMITT JINX PATS, COLTS?

Though the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots have demonstrated an ability to overcome injuries, it's generally accepted that either team would have a tough time maintaining a high level of performance if their starting quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, were injured.

And because both players have been incredibly durable during the NFL careers (due in large part to the fact that they rarely are touched), the notion of Manning or Brady going down seems incomprehensible to most NFL fans.

After Monday night's game between the Colts and the Jagwires, ESPN's Emmitt Smith declared that neither quarterback will be injured.

"You don't have to worry about those guys getting hurt," E. Smith said.

Emmitt, how can you say that? Even without contact, guys can suffer injuries. Just ask Vinny Testaverde, whose 1999 season evaporated in Week One when his Achilles' tendon popped. Or Dan Marino, who had the same thing happen when his foot planted on a grass field in 1993.

If something like that would happen to Brady and to Manning, the entire 2007 NFL season would be turned upside down, opening the door for other teams to chase a prize that seems to be destined to go to the winner of the seemingly inevitable showdown in the AFC title game between these two teams.

Though we prefer to see both stay healthy, the only guarantee for any NFL team is that there are none.

POSTED 7:46 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

CHARGERS "HOME" GAME UP IN THE AIR

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that it's still not known where Sunday's game between the San Diego Chargers and the Houston Texans will be played.

The possibilities include Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the Los Angeles Coliseum, and Texas Stadium.

The situation, per Schefter, is fluid, there are no firm answers, and no one knows when decisions will be made.

For now, the Chargers are practicing in Arizona, due to the fires in the San Diego area.

Regardless of the final destination of the game, it will be difficult to sell tickets. When the Chargers-Dolphins game was moved to Arizona under similar circumstances in 2003, admission was free and donations for the relief efforts were taken.

POSTED 3:24 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

RANDY McMICHAEL IS PLAYING THE LAW OF AVERAGES

Rams tight end Randy McMichael is one of the only new members of the team in 2007 who truly has no regrets about coming to town, since the 0-7 record of his new team matches the 0-7 record of his old team, the Dolphins.

But McMichael hopes to change that on Sunday at home against the Browns. And McMichael is guaranteeing a victory for the Rams.

"We have nothing else to say -- we are going to win the football game," McMichael recently said.

Um, Randy? No one cares if you win the game. Not even your own fans, who'll be doing things other than attending the game or watching it on television.

Of course, they won't be watching it on television because not enough of them will be attending the game to lift the local blackout.

That said, we tend to think that this is one of the best chances that the Rams have to get a win. As Matt Pitzer points out in his Week Seven Fantasy Ten-Pack, the Cleveland defense might be just what the St. Louis offense needs.

Still, McMichael doesn't need to be popping off. It cheapens the concept of guaranteeing victories, and it dilutes the greatest guaranteed win of all time.

POSTED 2:16 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 3:13 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

DRAFT OFFICIALLY REDUCED, SHIFTED

NFL owners agreed on Tuesday to reduce the allotted time in round one of the annual draft from 15 minutes to ten minutes. In the second round, the time will be reduced from ten minutes to seven.

Also, while the league has opted not to move all or part of the first round to Friday, the starting time of the draft has been nudged from noon in New York to 3:00 p.m.

The reason is obvious -- the change makes the draft more relevant on the West Coast, where it now will start at noon instead of 9:00 a.m.

The result? More viewers. More ad value. More money.

The second day of the draft, if it still starts at 11:00 a.m. in the East, will now stretch even deeper into the day, since there will be five rounds instead of four.

It also narrows the application of the term "first-day draft pick" to only 64 players.

We've generally got no problem with this. Anything that increases the popularity of the draft will only be good for PFT.

More readers. More ad value. More money.

Yeah, we can live with that.

UPDATE: The Sunday rounds will now begin at 10:00 a.m. EDT.

SECOND UPDATE: Because the Pats have been stripped of one of their first-round picks, there will be only 63 first-day picks in 2008.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE NFLN, YOU SHOULD

With NFL Network soon to be four years old, how can any "real" football fan out there who doesn't have it call himself (or herself) a "real" football fan?

It's the ultimate reality show -- it's football. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

And NFLN is so much more than the must-see nightly dose of Total Access. NFLN offers condensed replays of the best games of the week, a Sunday night highlight show, and ever-expanding coverage of college football.

So even though some of the major cable companies aren't run by folks who "get it" when it comes to keeping "real" football fans happy, anyone can get NFLN through various satellite providers.

(It's also available on SprintTV.)

So get off your duff and get your NFLN. We know you've been putting it off for a while now. But there isn't much more time to wait. The first of eight regular-season games will air next month, beginning with a renewal of the Packers-Cowboys rivalry.

And if that alone isn't enough to get you hooked up to NFLN, then you must not be a "real" football fan.

[Editor's note: Yeah, NFLN is now a sponsor of ProFootballTalk.com. And the fact that NFLN supports the best pro football web site not owned by the NFL is another reason to get NFLN.]

FINS TO TRAIN AT RUGBY FACILITY

After the Miami Dolphins arrive in London on Friday, they'll train at the facility used by the London Wasps, one of the top rugby clubs in Europe.

A full practice will be held on Friday at 2:00 p.m. local time, and the Dolphins will host the Giants on Sunday night in England -- which equates to 1:00 p.m. EDT.

The game will be broadcast on FOX from sold-out Wembley Stadium. More than 500,000 ticket requests were made within 72 hours after the game was announced.

POSTED 1:46 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 2:05 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

GIANTS LOOKING FORWARD TO LONDON VISIT

How much has the Soup Nazi changed?

Well, he's changed so much that Giants players are actually looking forward to this weekend's game in London.

Per a league source, some players believe that in past years the game in England would have been treated like a "military operation." Now, with a kinder, gentler Tom Coughlin emerging, the players think that they might actually have a good time.

There's no denying that Coughlin is a different man. And he changed out of necessity. The status quo was going to get him fired.

He also changed without declaring to the world that he is changing.

None of this means that Coughlin will be the coach of the team in 2008. But, at 5-2 and preparing to face a decimated Dolphins team at Wembley Stadium, things are looking much better for everyone who wears blue and gray.

Finally, we eventually expect Tiki Barber to claim credit for the transformation by explaining that his public criticism of Coughlin was the catalyst for change.

DORSEY READY TO PLAY AGAINST THE BRONCOS?

We don't usually pay much attention to the next year's draft class while a current football season is unfolding, but we can't ignore the news that LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who is projected to be one of the first picks in the 2008 draft, was injured during Saturday's win over Auburn.

Dorsey suffered a knee injury when he was blocked low, and LSU head coach Les Miles didn't like it one bit.

"I reviewed the film," Miles said on Monday. "I watched the play before I wanted to react. I don't think there's any question that it was a penalty. I don't think there's any question that it was not ethical. I think it's important that officials do a great job protecting our players, both at quarterback and defensive line."

Dorsey is expected to be ready for the Tigers' next game on November 3.

POSTED 12:55 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

RAMS' TERRELL ARRESTED by Michael David Smith

Rams guard Claude Terrell was arrested this morning and charged with assaulting his wife at a suburban Houston hotel, the Associated Press is reporting.

According to the AP, police responded to a disturbance at a hotel and found a woman with "obvious signs of physical injury." The woman said she was Terrell's wife and told police he had assaulted her.

Police then found Terrell at a different hotel, where they arrested him. Terrell has been charged with assault-family violence, a class A misdemeanor.

Per the AP, Terrell was already on probation from a 2006 charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, according to court records. He was given a $1,000 fine and two years' probation for that charge in February.

Terrell has played three games as a starter and three games as a backup this season on the Rams' injury-plagued offensive line. He missed all of last year with a wrist injury. He was the Rams' 2005 fourth-round draft pick out of New Mexico.

POSTED 11:13 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:27 a.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

LEWIS WON'T COMMENT ON OCHO STINKO TRADE-O RUMORS

On Sunday, Chris Mortensen of ESPN suggested that the Bengals might eventually trade receiver Chad Johnson.

Asked about the report on Monday, Lewis said, "Did that come from anyone here?"

When he was told that the report cited a source in the organization, Lewis said: "Is there a source inside this organization? Not the last time I checked. I don't think there [are] any sources inside this organization."

Sure, Marvin. No one with any NFL organization ever talks to reporters on an off-the-record basis about their own teams.

Johnson had a different response. Per the Cincinnati Equirer, he said that "[t]here is always truth to something."

It's funny, Chad, but we don't remember you applying that viewpoint when we reported in January 2006 that you had your position coach, Hue Jackson, in a headlock and took a swing at Lewis during halftime of a playoff game that your team was winning. Instead, you insisted that nothing happened -- even though subsequent reports confirmed that something did happen.

Bottom line? Chad knows that his days in Cincinnati are coming to an end, and he's probably not all that unhappy about it.

Especially if the Patriots are looking for any more receivers come 2008.

TUESDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith

Said Colts CB Kelvin Hayden after the Monday night victory over the Jaguars, "We have been hearing all week how they dominated us last year. This is a new season."

Jaguars WR Matt Jones was inactive and listed as the third quarterback Monday night; he didn't even put on his uniform until QB David Garrard got hurt.

Despite a long list of injuries, the Bills are getting better on defense.

Dolphins coach Cam Cameron came upon an accident on Florida's Turnpike Sunday and saw that LB Zach Thomas was involved. (He wasn't hurt.)

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has nice things to say about Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.

Asked whether QB Chad Pennington's job is in jeopardy, Jets coach Eric Mangini replied that everyone's job is in jeopardy.

TE Daniel Wilcox is the only player on the Ravens who isn't expected to be healthy enough to play November 5 against the Steelers.

Bengals WR Glenn Holt is taking advantage of the opportunity afforded to him by Chris Henry's suspension.

Browns coach Romeo Crennel is optimistic that RB Jamal Lewis can play Sunday at St. Louis.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger explains why he struggled against the Broncos: "They came out and tried to load up the line of scrimmage. There were a couple of times it looked like they had nine, 10 guys on the line. That's something we have to adjust to."

Texans coach Gary Kubiak says he wants to see more from DE Mario Williams.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher defended DT Albert Haynesworth, saying his roughing the passer penalty came on "a clean hit."

With the Colorado Rockies possibly playing a home World Series game Monday night, the Broncos asked whether their own Monday night game could be moved to Sunday. The league said no.

The sportscaster in Kansas City who reported two years ago that Chiefs RB Priest Holmes would retire has admitted he was wrong but said, "I don't think I need to make an apology. . . . Sometimes you make predictions and they're wrong."

Raiders QB Josh McCown says he expects to start when he's healthy enough.

Says Chargers coach Norv Turner of the possibility of having to move Sunday's game because of wildfires, "We'll just see what happens. The air quality is only getting worse."

Former Cowboys CB Everson Walls will discuss the failing health of his old teammate and kidney recipient, Ron Springs, on tonight's Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.

The mother of Giants DE Osi Umenyiora will make the six-hour flight from Nigeria to London to watch him play Sunday.

The Eagles dispute reports that the quality of the playing surface on their home field is poor. (Um, it was 80 degrees and the turf looked like it does in January.)

Redskins C Casey Rabach expects to play Sunday despite a strained groin.

The Bears have a lot of injuries at safety.

Lions QB Jon Kitna is 35 years old, but the coaches say he has a long-term future in Detroit.

Rookie FB Korey Hall is having an impact in Green Bay.

The Vikings are optimistic that there won't be a local TV blackout Sunday.

Falcons TE Alge Crumpler won't need surgery on his injured left knee.

Panthers QB Vinny Testaverde says he's prepared to step aside if David Carr is healthy enough to play Sunday.

Playing in a weak division means the Saints still have hope.

Buccaneers return man Mark Jones will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury similar to the one suffered by teammate Cadillac Williams.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has spoken to DT Darnell Dockett and S Adrian Wilson about the 15-yard penalties they got Sunday.

Rams DE Leonard Little has a torn ligament in his big toe.

After hearing RB Frank Gore's criticisms, 49ers head coach Mike Nolan is defending offensive coordinator Jim Hostler.

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has given the team the whole bye week off.

POSTED 9:49 a.m. EDT, October 23, 2007

LEWIS TAKES SHOTS AT BILLICK

Maybe the statute of limitations on the memory of Ray Lewis is six years. Because Lewis apparently is forgetting about how his head coach, Brian Billick, stood up and defended Lewis for the conduct that resulted in murder charges being filed against him, followed by an eventual guilty plea to obstruction of justice.

On Monday, Lewis showed his gratitude for Billick's past support by shoving a verbal knife into his stomach.

"It was as frustrating for you as it was for me," Lewis said during a weekly radio show in Baltimore, in response to comments from a caller who was complaining about the play-calling in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Bills. The caller specifically was griping about the decision of Billick, who calls the offensive plays, to call three straight passes after facing second down and one from the Buffalo 49 with less than two minutes to play.

"As far as those decisions, you have to let [running back] Willis McGahee touch the ball on one of those plays," Lewis said.

"We knew he should have touched the ball when you have a fourth-and-one," Lewis said. "Old-school football is old-school football. If there is a yard I need to get, there is a running back, a fullback and an offense that is meant to get that.

"You can't make oranges be peaches. It doesn't change. It will never change. That's what Billick has to ask himself, why we keep putting ourselves in those situations. In the Cincinnati game, that cost us with those same decisions."

Ray, do you want to know why you won't get another Super Bowl ring before you retire? Because you're playing for a franchise that fears you to the point that it will allow you to say these kinds of things without repercussion.

When was the last time a member of the Colts or the Patriots popped off like that? The only one we can remember is kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who didn't get a chance to miss a key kick in Super Bowl XLI.

In our view, the Ravens should fine Lewis for conduct detrimental to the team. Because his conduct is detrimental to the team.

Then again, maybe that's what Lewis wants to provoke. Because maybe he thinks he can push this thing until he gets an outright release, which would allow him to then knock on the door of a team that's in position to win it all. Lewis is under contract through 2008, and he previously had been politicking for a new deal. So maybe he has decided that the only way to get more money is to pull a T.O.

If that happens, Ray, we suggest that you not waste your time trying to land with the Pats or the Colts, or with any other franchise that understands the importance of the concept of "team".

POSTED 7:33 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 7:48 a.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

WILL JACKSON PLAY WITH BUSTED FINGER?

Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has a broken finger on his throwing hand, but he still might play against the Eagles on Sunday.

"The doctor said I can play with it," Jackson said. "It's just about me and if I can throw the football with it."

Surprised? We were initially. But then we realized something. It's not as if Jackson will be any worse.

Jackson completed only six passes against the Cowboys on Sunday. For the season, his passer rating is 48.7.

Then again, Kelly Holcomb might have a chance to not take advantage of all the attention that is given to rookie running back Adrian Peterson. Especially since Holcomb spent several months with the Eagles before being traded to Minnesota shortly before the start of the season.

Some Internet hack made the point last week on SportingNews.com that Peterson could be destined to become the next great running back stuck on a bad team. Unless the other guys on the team step up -- or unless the Vikings find other guys who will -- that's where Peterson's career could be heading.

As we reported on Sunday night, there is already rampant talk that the Vikes will be moving on after the season. And if Holcomb can come in and ignite the passing game against teams looking to corral Adrian, Jackson's broken finger could linger deep into December.

DID PATS PLAY ON MONDAY NIGHT?

Though the schedule said "Indy at Jax" and the teams were wearing the colors and logos of the Colts and the Jagwires (we assume that's their name now since so many of the sock puppets call them that), we could have sworn that the Patriots were on the field last night.

We thought that the Pats were in the house because the Cecil B. DeMille production (who knew the "B" stood for "Bristol"?) that covered the game for ESPN was endlessly talking about the team from New England.

CBS, as was pointed out in our Live Blog of the game, was surely thrilled with all of the hype for the looming showdown between the last two undefeated teams in the league.

Still, it was at times a pathetic display. A league source contacted PFT headquarters during the game and complained loudly about the fixation on a team that wasn't in the building, and suggested that more NFL types should follow Peyton Manning's lead and hit the mute button during MNF broadcasts.

One guy who's not buying the hype is Steve Young, who debated Stu Scott and E. Smith during the postgame show about the significance of the Week Nine contest between the Pats and the Colts. Young frequently derided the ESPN hype machine, and made the astute point that the game will not define the season for either team, because both franchises have the maturity to overcome a loss and to realize that the "real" game between them is looming in January.

With that said, it's only 12 days until the biggest . . . game . . . ever.

Until January.

POSTED 7:35 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

PRO BOWL MOVING?

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that, as soon as February 2010, the Pro Bowl could move to the Sunday before the Super Bowl -- and that it will be played in or near the location of the Super Bowl.

This would mean that the NFL would be bidding "arrivederci" to Hawaii ("aloha" was too freaking obvious).

The move could be announced in the wake of upcoming league meetings in Philadelphia.

POSTED 7:24 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

DRAFT WILL STAY ON SATURDAY

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the NFL will reduce round one of the draft from 15 minutes per team to ten minutes, but that the move will not result in a shift (unfortunate typo narrowly averted) of round one to Friday night.

Per Mort, the draft will start a bit later on Saturday than noon in the East.

Mort also says that round two will drop from ten minutes to seven, and that all other rounds will entail only five minutes, as the practice has been.

POSTED 6:50 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 6:59 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

CHARGERS MOVING PRACTICE

The San Diego Chargers have announced that they are moving practice this week to Arizona.

"Due to poor air quality created by local wildfires, the San Diego Chargers will fly to Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday and practice at the Arizona Cardinals’ practice facility on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in preparation for their game against the Houston Texans on Sunday, Oct. 28," the team said in a release.

Per ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the University of Phoenix stadium is not available for Sunday's game. This might force the Chargers to play at Sun Devil Stadium.

Per Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the organization regards the present situation as more serious than the fires that forced the team to play a home game in Arizona four years ago, and that multiple players are concerned about whether their homes are in real danger. Forty members of the team, including 20 players, have been forced to evacuate.

POSTED 6:43 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

GRIESE FLEW SOLO

Our buddy MDS, who watched Sunday's games while recovering from a moonshine hangover obtained during his trip to PFT headquarters over the weekend, points out that Bears quarterback Brian Griese led the team on an Elway-esque game-winning drive against the Eagles despite not having the ability to hear the plays that the coaching staff wanted him to call.

Which, of course, is a ringing endorsement as to the effectiveness of Chicago offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

But the failure of the connection between sideline and signal-caller raises deeper issues. As Jay Glazer of FOX reported on Sunday, Commissioner Roger Goodell is hearing complaints from owners regarding ongoing shenanigans with the audio connection, and Goodell plans to address the situation during upcoming league meetings.

Some Internet hack addressed this and nine other issues for SportingNews.com on Sunday.

POSTED 6:34 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

HARRISON WILL START TONIGHT

Ed Werder of ESPN reports that Colts receiver Marvin Harrison will start and play extensively on Monday night against the Jaguars.

Harrison injured a knee three weeks ago and missed Indy's last game against the Bucs. Harrison was able to heal up over the bye week.

POSTED 6:26 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

BRONCOS' BRANDON GETS BUSTED

Just as the "days without an arrest" counter crept back to double digits, it's time to re-set the damn thing to "00."

Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall has been arrested on suspicion of DUI.

The arrest came in the wee hours of Monday morning, after the Broncos beat the Steelers, 31-28, in Sunday night football.

The Broncos said that they were aware of the arrest. It's not yet known whether Marshall has been strapped to the Shanahan polygraph machine.

POSTED 3:48 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

CHARGERS TO ARIZONA, AGAIN?

Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the San Diego Chargers are considering the possibility of moving their practices this week to Arizona -- as well as their October 28 home game against the Texans.

Qualcomm Stadium, where the Chargers usually play their home games, is being used as an evacuation center.

The Cardinals are off this week, which means that their two-year-old venue in Glendale would be available.

Among the 250,000 San Diego residents who have been evacuated due to wildfires fueled by the Santa Ana winds are multiple Chargers players, including running back LaDainian Tomlinson and quarterback Philip Rivers.

In 2003, a Monday night game to be played in San Diego was moved to Phoenix due to wildfires.

POSTED 3:33 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

SHAW SAYS LINEHAN IS SAFE, FOR NOW

Disputing a report from ESPN's Chris Mortensen that coach Scott Linehan could be dumped as soon as the bye week, Rams president John Shaw says that no decisions will be made until the end of the season.

"That's a ridiculous report," Shaw said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "There will be no coaching changes during the bye week."

Shaw previously told the Post-Dispatch that any evaluations of Linehan would be deferred until the end of the regular season.

The Rams are 0-7, one of two winless teams through seven weeks of action.

POSTED 1:37 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

RONNIE BROWN OUT FOR SEASON by Michael David Smith

It keeps getting worse for the Dolphins. Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald is reporting that running back Ronnie Brown is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in Sunday's loss to the Patriots.

The extent of Brown's injury is not known, but Darlington cites two sources saying an MRI revealed enough damage to confirm that Brown won't be back this year.

Brown sustained the injury during an interception return by Patriots cornerback Randall Gay. Brown had 17 carries for 76 yards before leaving Sunday's game. He entered the day on a streak of four straight 100-yard games.

With Brown out, the Dolphins will start Jesse Chatman at running back Sunday against the Giants in London. Patrick Cobbs will back up Chatman, and rookie third-round pick Lorenzo Booker could see action for the first time.

Brown has been the Dolphins' best player -- some would say their only good player -- this season, and losing him will lead to a renewed round of questions about whether this team really could go 0-16.

POSTED 1:19 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

PEYTON MUTES KORNHEISER WHEN HE WATCHES MNF by Michael David Smith

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will play tonight on Monday Night Football.

If he weren't playing, he'd be watching. But he would turn the sound off, because he's not a fan of ESPN's Tony Kornheiser.

Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star reports that Manning, who's usually one of the NFL's most media-friendly players, has taken a few swipes at Kornheiser over the last week, apparently motivated by shots Kornheiser took at Manning and his brother, Eli, last week during a Pardon the Interruption segment known as "Heads on Sticks."

"I enjoyed watching [Eli] play on Monday night because I got a chance to see him play live on TV, and being able to watch the game in mute,'' Peyton said. "Because it's an easier way to watch the game than hear some of those broadcasters.''

Manning also said last week that Monday Night Football "isn't what it used to be.'' Is that because of Kornheiser?

"Yeah, it's probably me,'' Kornheiser told Kravitz. "I'm sure it was the heads-on-sticks segment I did before the game. You think that upset him? Really? I thought it was very funny. I think most people thought it was hysterical. That wasn't me saying those funny, mean things about Peyton. That was Eli. That's the whole idea behind heads-on-sticks. I was just saying what Eli wanted to say. Like, 'What a raving egomaniac; he sent me a DVD of his 'Saturday Night Live' appearance.' It was the perfect marriage of PTI and Monday Night Football."

Kornheiser's right: It was funny. At least, if your last name isn't Manning.

POSTED 11:11 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:59 a.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

SOME 49ERS QUESTION PLAY CALLING by Michael David Smith

Sunday's game against the Giants was the 49ers' fourth straight loss. Afterward, running back Frank Gore suggested that one of the biggest problems facing the team is the players' lack of confidence in the coaching staff.

Specifically, Gore says, the offensive players aren't buying into the play-calling.

"We've gotta stop talking and do it on the field. We ain't doing it,'' said Gore, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. "I feel we're not trusting each other, not trusting the offensive coordinator. We're the people that have to make plays, and we're not doing it.

"If you don't trust, you ain't going to win. We had Norv Turner [last year]; he's been doing this for awhile. Whenever he said something, we wanted to do it. Now I feel a lot of people when [offensive coordinator Jim Hostler] calls something, it's in the back of their head, did he call the right play? That's all it is.''

When Gore emphasizes that Turner has "been doing this for a while," he indicates that some players think Hostler lacks the necessary experience to be an offensive coordinator. And it's easy to see why the players would think that. Before 49ers coach Mike Nolan gave Hostler the job, the only place Hostler had been a coordinator was at Indiana University -- and not the one in Indiana, but the one in Pennsylvania. A Division II school.

This is Nolan's third season with the 49ers, and they were expected to take a step forward this year. Instead, they've taken a step backward. Nolan doesn't appear to be on the hot seat, but if the 49ers don't have a mid-season turnaround, he may have to make changes on his staff to save his own skin.

MONDAY MORNING ONE-PER-CLUB ONE-LINERS by Michael David Smith

With a win tonight, Colts coach Tony Dungy can move into a three-way tie with Don Shula and Ted Marchibroda for the most wins by a head coach in Colts history.

ESPN's Ron Jaworski thinks highly of Jaguars QB David Garrard.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan says K Jason Elam is "[l]ike a great golfer, the same swing every time."

Steelers DE Aaron Smith has a left knee injury.

After carrying 19 times for 47 yards, Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander complained about his lack of playing time.

Rookie 49ers tackle Joe Staley was abused by Giants DE Michael Strahan on Sunday.

Rams C Brett Romberg took a painkiller to get through Sunday's game with a left ankle injury, only to be knocked out of the game when he injured his right ankle, too.

QB Kurt Warner says of his timing with the Cardinals' receivers Sunday, "I thought they were going to be in a different place. We didn't mesh very well."

The Chargers' Qualcomm Stadium will be used as a shelter for people who have been evacuated because of wildfires in the area.

Chiefs RB Priest Holmes got on the field for the first time in 721 days.

RB Dominic Rhodes finally got involved in the Raiders' offense Sunday.

They lost to the Lions, but Buccaneers RB Earnest Graham showed he's capable of carrying the load.

Saints WR Marques Colston has struggled this season, but he came up big against the Falcons.

Falcons WR Joe Horn and K Morten Andersen were booed at the Superdome by fans who once cheered them.

The Panthers moved into first place without playing.

Asked if he wished he had played against the Texans, Titans QB Vince Young gave the obvious answer: "Who wouldn't want to be in the game?"

Writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle of Texans coach Gary Kubiak's post-game comments: "Kubiak blamed himself, and that was perhaps the most accurate call he made all day."

Vikings K Ryan Longwell says the blocked field goal that turned the game around Sunday wasn't kicked too low.

Three journalists who covered the Packers' first game at Lambeau Field are still covering the Packers now.

Lions coach Rod Marinelli got the first Gatorade shower of his career.

The Bears say they'll wait until the end of the season to discuss a new contract for WR Bernard Berrian.

Says Browns WR Braylon Edwards, "We definitely feel we can make the playoffs. That's ultimately our goal."

Bengals RB Kenny Watson had the best game of his career Sunday.

Ravens coach Brian Billick yelled louder than anyone can remember him yelling in the locker room after Sunday's loss.

Redskins CB Shawn Springs played well with a heavy heart Sunday.

Says Eagles QB Donovan McNabb of his last-place team, "The division still has to come through us. We're still the defending champions and that's the way it goes."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin says special teams miscues "disturbed me greatly."

Cowboys WR Terrell Owens almost sounded humble Sunday: "When my number is called, I'm trying to make plays for the team. That's what the coaches are asking of me, and I know my role."

Bills WR Lee Evans had his best game of the year.

Dolphins S Renaldo Hill is done for the season with a torn ACL.

Patriots S Willie Andrews had a big day on special teams.

CB Andre Dyson didn't play Sunday after having costly missed tackles in the Jets' previous two games.

POSTED 9:27 a.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

NEW REGRETS FOR TEXANS?

In the days leading up to the annual return of Vince Young to Houston, the Texans were trumpeting quarterback Matt Schaub, who was acquired this year to replace the guy who supposedly made Young unnecessary.

Though Young couldn't play in Sunday's come-from-behind-and-then-blow-it-late thriller between Houston and Tennessee, the pass-thrower who was supposed to make the locals forget about the decision to pass on Young suffered various injuries of his own, which possibly has opened the door to a real quarterback controversy.

Matt Schaub was sluggish in the first half as the Texans stumbled into a deep hole, and then was knocked out of the game by Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Enter Sage Rosenfels, and the rest was almost history.

Trailing 32-7 in the fourth quarter, Rosenfels led the Texans to 29 points via four touchdown passes, and gave Houston the lead with less than a minute to play. But for the ability of Titans quarterback Kerry Collins to put Rob Bironas in position to nail his single-game record eighth field goal of the day, Houston would have completed a comeback for the ages.

So now with Schaub suffering from hip, ankle, and back injuries, the question becomes whether Rosenfels holds the job. Even the Houston Chronicle, which typically chooses pom-poms over poison pens when it comes to the local NFL franchise, acknowledges that Rosenfels' performance might have ushered in a controversy.

But leave it to Haynesworth, who has come a long way (not really) since trying to turn Andre Gurode's face into shredded gouda, to put this one in its proper perspective: "Well, heck, I mean we probably would have won this game 35-7 if [Schaub] stayed in," Haynesworth said. "It was good to knock him out I guess, but he's going to come back and I don't think there'll be any kind of quarterback controversy because they pay that guy a lot of money."

And the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. A significant investment was made in Schaub, and thus it's difficult if not impossible to yank Schaub seven games into his first season with the team.

But this is a decision that doesn't need to be made in the short term. Rosenfels is under contract with the Texans through 2009. So if Schaub ultimately can't get it done, the dude named for a spice could be the guy to ultimately get the job.

POSTED 8:32 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:42 a.m. EDT, October 22, 2007

BROWN DOWN FOR THE SEASON?

As if the Miami Dolphins didn't already have enough problems, one of the few "bright spots" on the roster could be going dim for the rest of the year.

Running back Ronnie Brown, the No. 2 overall pick in 2005, suffered a sprained knee on Sunday against the Patriots. Though there is no firm evidence to indicate that he's down for the year, the media reports are sufficiently ominous to suggest that the team is bracing for the worst.

X-rays were inconclusive, and an MRI will be performed on Monday.

"I guess we'll just have to take it from there, and see what the case is," Brown said. "I can put pressure on it and walk around some, but you never know."

Said linebacker Zach Thomas: "It's tough enough right now, and it would be all that much tougher if we lost him. He's been one of our bright spots. In fact, he's maybe been the only bright spot for us."

EMMITT WAS UNINTENTIONALLY RIGHT

Several readers have pointed out to us that the latest malapropism of ESPN's Emmitt Smith was, actually, not an error.

On Sunday, E. Smith tried to say that Bengals receiver Chad Johnson is the scapegoat for the team's current struggles.

Instead, Emmitt said that Johnson is an "escape goat."

As it turns out, the term "scapegoat" has its roots in the Bible, and is a shortened version of the original phrase, "escape goat."

We prefer the Urban Dictionary definition: "A slang used by idiots who do not realize that the term is scapegoat."

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