Texans release RB Gado, sign Adimchinobe Echemandu
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans released running back Samkon Gado and signed Adimchinobe Echemandu from the practice squad to fill his roster spot on Tuesday.
The Texans running game has languished this season with Gado and Ron Dayne unable to carry the load while Ahman Green has been slowed by a knee injury. Houston is averaging less than 76 yards rushing a game, second lowest in the NFL.
Gado has appeared in three games this season with 18 carries for 46 yards. He was traded to Houston from Green Bay early last season for Vernand Morency. As a rookie in 2005, Gado was the feel-good story of the Packers' 4-12 season. Injuries to Green Bay's backfield pushed the undrafted free agent from the practice squad to a starting role. He started five games and ran for 582 yards and six touchdowns.
He wasn't able to regain that magic in Houston and had just 210 yards rushing and one touchdown in 2006.
Echemandu, a seventh round pick in 2004 by Cleveland, was signed to Houston's practice squad Oct. 10. The 5-foot-10, 225-pound player also spent time with Oakland and Minnesota, but hasn't had a carry since he had eight carries for 25 yards as a rookie for the Browns.
Browns sign defensive back to replace Baxter on roster
October 24, 2007
BEREA, Ohio (AP) -With cornerback Gary Baxter out for the season, the Cleveland Browns signed defensive back Nick Sorensen, a six-year veteran most recently with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Baxter was placed on injured reserve Monday, ending his comeback from two torn patellar tendons, freak injuries sustained on the same play against Denver last season. He had made progress but not enough to help the Browns this season.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Sorensen signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He has played in 75 career games, mostly on special teams, with St. Louis and Jacksonville.
Pennington remains Jets' starting quarterback
October 24, 2007
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -The New York Jets are sticking with Chad Pennington as their quarterback.
Two days after saying he would evaluate the entire team, including the starting quarterback, coach Eric Mangini announced Wednesday that Pennington will start against Buffalo on Sunday.
``I went back through the tape, looked at it and felt very good about the decision-making process,'' Mangini said, referring to Pennington's performance in the Jets' loss at Cincinnati. ``There were quite a few plays that I really liked.''
With the Jets struggling at 1-6, fans and members of the media have been calling for Kellen Clemens to start, mostly based on the second-year quarterback's stronger arm and solid performance in Week 2 in relief of an injured Pennington.
Mangini repeatedly endorsed Pennington as his starter early in the season, but declined to do so after the loss Sunday and Monday, helping fuel the speculation.
``It's something I wanted to look at as a group and I wanted to look at all different elements,'' Mangini said. ``I thought that was important. I did. I feel this is the decision. I'm very comfortable with that.''
So, Pennington will be behind center Sunday, when the Jets take on Buffalo (2-4), despite having to wait a few days for Mangini's decision.
``I was confident in how I played and I felt good about how I played,'' Pennington said. ``But coach's decision is totally out of my control.''
Pennington, who has taken a lot of the blame for the Jets' poor start, had one of his better games against the Bengals. He was 20-of-31 for 272 yards and three touchdowns, but threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the closing minute and sealed the 38-31 loss.
``The way I play the game, I don't hide anything,'' Pennington said. ``I don't play to save my job. I don't play to make sure that I don't get something negatively written about me. I don't play that way. I play to help us win.''
When asked if Pennington is the starter just for now, Mangini offered only: ``I'm saying he's the starter.''
Pennington has nine touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season and has thrown for 1,211 yards with a quarterback rating of 88.6.
``At 1-6, none of us are solidified in our jobs,'' Pennington said. ``That's how it is when you are facing a losing streak. When you're 1-6, I think everyone is being evaluated from the top down. We're all on a pressure cooker.''
Leftwich undergoes ankle surgery
October 24th, 2007
Flowery Branch, GA (Sports Network) - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Byron Leftwich underwent surgery on his right ankle Wednesday morning.
The team confirmed the procedure to the Atlanta Journal Constitution and expects that the quarterback could be back playing in the next few weeks.
Leftwich injured the ankle in Sunday's 22-16 loss to New Orleans. The former Marshall star was making his first start for the Falcons and was 15-of-23 for 145 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game.
Bengals' Henry cleared to practice
October 24th, 2007
Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was cleared to return to on-field practice by the NFL on Wednesday.
Henry had been suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first eight games of the 2007 regular season back in April, for a host of off-field run-ins with law enforcement and additional violations of league policy.
The eight-game ban is set to end following Cincinnati's game against the Buffalo Bills on November 4.
Henry, the third-round pick of the Bengals in 2005 out of West Virginia, has 67 receptions for 1,027 yards and 15 touchdowns in 27 games over two seasons. He was also suspended two games last season for violating the NFL's personal conduct and substance abuse policies.
Jags' Garrard could miss four games
October 24, 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Jaguars quarterback David Garrard could be sidelined up to a month with a badly sprained left ankle.
Coach Jack Del Rio said Wednesday that Garrard has a high ankle sprain, meaning he has ligament damage, and will sit out road games against Tampa Bay and New Orleans.
``It's more likely to be three or four (games), somewhere in that window,'' Del Rio said. ``I don't think it's likely to think he'll be back any sooner than that.''
Del Rio said Quinn Gray will make his first career start against the Buccaneers on Sunday. The Jaguars also planned to work out Doug Johnson, Drew Henson and Todd Bouman later Wednesday.
Drew Bledsoe was approached about a tryout but declined to come out of retirement.
Garrard injured his ankle in Monday night's 29-7 loss to Indianapolis. He tried to play through the injury, but his ankle swelled up considerably at halftime.
Gray struggled in his second extensive playing stint in the last two seasons. He finished 9-of-24 for 56 yards, with two interceptions and a fumble.
``We've got to rally around Quinn,'' Del Rio said.
Thomas is unlikely to play Sunday in London
The Dolphins might not be taking the Wembley Stadium pitch Sunday with Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas after he spent Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center being examined by Dr. Mickey Collins.
Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said Thomas, who missed two games earlier this season because of a concussion, missed practice and was being looked at for concerns about whiplash after an auto accident after last Sunday's game. Cameron said he would have to wait for the test results to know whether Thomas would be going to London with the team.
But on Wednesday night, a source close to Thomas said the whiplash effects from the accident have caused neck problems that will keep Thomas out Sunday, but that Thomas should be back after the Dolphins' bye week. Also, the source said, there were no problems as far as concussions.
So, in total, the Dolphins would face the Giants without their best offensive player this season (running back Ronnie Brown); their No. 1 quarterback (Trent Green); their key run defender (Thomas); and, among the safeties, who make the coverage calls in the secondary, their best safety (Yeremiah Bell); and their acknowledged leader in the secondary (Renaldo Hill); and, without a victory in seven games.
Meanwhile, the Giants are on a five-game winning streak.
Thomas was in an automobile accident after the Dolphins' loss to New England. According to police reports and the Dolphins, there was minor damage to Thomas' car, but none to either he or his wife, Maritza.
But whiplash sometimes doesn't reveal itself until the following day.
''I don't know when [whiplash symptoms] first started,'' Cameron said, ``but [head athletic trainer] Kevin [O'Neill] made me aware yesterday that Zach and he had talked, and they came to the conclusion we need to go get this thing checked out.''
Some of the most extensive research on concussions and other sports injuries involving the neck and head have been done by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
It's also the home base of Dr. Joseph Maroon, a professor who has been the Pittsburgh Steelers' neurosurgeon for 26 years and has become a leading specialist in brain and spinal problems.
Thomas, a starter from his first NFL game in 1996, practically has to be ordered to not play or practice. But he has played in all 16 games just five times in 12 seasons. A neck and shoulder strain caused Thomas' only missed game in 2001.
It wasn't Thomas' powerful neck, but his head that took him out of two games this season.
He sustained a concussion early in the season's second game, a loss to Dallas, yet still played the entire game.
Without Thomas in the lineup, the Jets tromped through the Dolphins for 141 yards and held the ball for 21:16 of the second half.
The following week, the Raiders totaled 299 rushing yards and their running backs averaged 6.5 yards per carry against the Dolphins.
www.miamiherald.com
Jackson guarded about his return
For the first time in a month, running back Steven Jackson's teammates got a look Wednesday at his blue No. 39 jersey — without a red "no contact" singlet covering it. It was a welcome sight to the Rams.
"Without him, it's been a difference," tight end Randy McMichael said. "Brian (Leonard) did a great job filling in for him, but there's nothing like having No. 39 back with you."
Barring a setback, Jackson will return to the lineup Sunday against the visiting Cleveland Browns. He missed four games with a torn groin muscle.
"We'll be guarded somewhat as we go," coach Scott Linehan said, "but if we get through this week of practice, there's no reason he shouldn't be starting this week."
Leonard, a second-round draft pick in April, ran for 222 yards on 58 carries, a respectable 3.8-yard average, and caught nine passes for 57 yards. But replacing last year's NFL leader in yards from scrimmage would be a tall task for anybody, let alone a rookie.
"It's fun to go out there and practice full-go and not be limited like the last couple of weeks," Jackson said. "Everything's going well."
He added a word of caution, though. "A groin is something that, it feels good and the next day it may have a little tweak here or there," he explained. "We're waiting on Thursday and see how it reacts."
Jackson also stressed that he wouldn't know whether he's completely healed until he's in a game.
"You can't simulate game speed," he said. "I have to get to the point where I'm getting tackled and I'm comfortable breaking arm tackles, things like that."
With center Brett Romberg (ankle) out and guard Claude Terrell released, the Rams will start their sixth different combination on the offensive line.
"I can't dwell on that," Jackson said. "Once the ball is in my hands, I can't tell the defense to slow down, these guys don't know what they're doing. I'm just going to go out there with confidence. I'm going to ... let them know that I'm expecting them to get the job done."
The goals, Jackson said, are to "try to change the momentum of what's going on" with the Rams' punchless offense and, most important, to get a win before the bye week.
"We're 0-7, and we realize that," he said. "But it's life, and life comes with problems. You have to find the solution. That's what I'm here for. ... Hopefully, now we can get this thing turned around."
www.post-dispatch.com
Dolphins sign Schulters, place Brown on IR
October 24, 2007
Associated Press
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- The Miami Dolphins signed safety Lance Schulters on Wednesday to help their depleted secondary, and officially placed running back Ronnie Brown on injured reserve with a torn knee ligament.
The Dolphins also signed defensive end Quentin Moses and activated tight end Aaron Halterman off the practice squad. Safety Renaldo Hill (torn knee ligament) was put on injured reserve, and newly signed defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona was waived to make roster room.
Brown and Hill were hurt in Miami's 49-28 loss to New England last weekend. The Dolphins play the New York Giants in London on Sunday.
Schulters started every game for Miami in 2005, finishing with two sacks and four interceptions.
"I didn't care how I got back," Schulters said. "I just wanted a chance to play."
He could become the sixth starting safety for the Dolphins, who had Yeremiah Bell tear his Achilles' tendon in Week 1 and had a litany of other injuries at the position since.
"We're looking at every player in the league that's on a practice squad," Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said. "You can imagine what we've been doing. When has anyone been around a team recently that has lost four safeties? But the bottom line is someone is going to line up there, and we know we've got a couple to start with."
Moses is on his third team this season. He was Oakland's third-round draft pick, then was released by the Raiders, and signed and released again by the Arizona Cardinals.
Panthers place Goings on IR, sign Curry
October 24, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Panthers placed reserve running back and kick returner Nick Goings on injured reserve Wednesday, nearly a month after he sustained at least the third concussion of his career.
The Panthers signed linebacker Donte Curry to replace him on the 53-man roster.
Goings was injured on a kickoff return against Tampa Bay on Sept. 30. He did not play in Carolina's past two games, and coach John Fox said Goings had not been cleared by doctors to return to practice.
Curry, a seven-year veteran, was released by Detroit last week. He'll provide depth at linebacker with Dan Morgan out indefinitely with a partially torn Achilles tendon.
Bucs release Crockett, put Jones on IR
October 24, 2007
Associated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released running back Zack Crockett and placed punt and kick returner Mark Jones on injured reserve Wednesday, clearing room on the roster for help at receiver.
Crockett was signed on Oct. 10 to bolster the tailback position following injuries to Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Michael Pittman. He appeared in two games and carried once for no gain during last Sunday's 23-16 loss at Detroit.
Jones, a reserve receiver, tore the patellar tendon in his left knee returning a kickoff against the Lions.
The loss of Jones, as well as a right ankle sprain that could sideline Michael Clayton beyond this week, created a need for a receiver, which the Bucs filled by promoting Chad Lucas from the practice squad.
The team also signed fullback Byron Storer to replace Crockett. Receiver Derrick Hamilton and tackle Dennis Roland were signed to the practice squad.
Smith returns to Niners' starting lineup
Associated Press
Quarterback Alex Smith will start for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday against New Orleans, coach Mike Nolan said.
Smith, out since Sept. 30 with a separated shoulder, went through his second full day of practice Thursday, leading the 49ers' first-team offense with no apparent discomfort.
He hasn't played since injuring his right shoulder on the third play of San Francisco's 23-3 loss to Seattle. Nolan nearly used Smith last week against the New York Giants, but elected to hold out the former No. 1 overall draft pick.
"It's not so much my confidence in him, it's his confidence in taking reps (in practice)," Nolan said. "I expect him to play well, and he looked good. He looked healthy today."
San Francisco is 0-3 since Smith's injury, with Sunday's visit from the Saints looming as a key moment in the season.
Smith was 43-of-84 for 461 yards and just one touchdown this season, but the 49ers won twice in their first three games while he was healthy. Trent Dilfer had similar statistics after replacing Smith, but the 14-year veteran had a hand in four turnovers in last week's loss to the Giants.
Running back Frank Gore also expects to play Sunday despite a sprained ankle. Gore was limited in practice for the second straight day, mostly confining his workouts to individual drills.
"It was all right, and it'll get better day by day," said Gore, who has just 394 yards rushing after leading the NFC last year. "We'll just wrap it up, and I'll try to go out there and play on it."
Left tackle Jonas Jennings is unlikely to play after injuring his ankle last week, with Adam Snyder expected to replace him. Receiver Darrell Jackson also missed his second day of practice Thursday with a quadriceps injury.
Toe injury could require surgery, sideline Little for season
ESPN.com
St. Louis Rams left defensive end Leonard Little will miss Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns, and the effectiveness of the Rams' top pass rusher could be affected for the rest of the season by a toe problem that has plagued him for weeks.
Little, 33, has not missed a regular-season game because of injury since 2003. He will be replaced in the lineup by second-year veteran Victor Adeyanju, who had five tackles while playing in relief of Little last week.
Doctors originally diagnosed Little's injury, to the big toe on his left foot, as a sprain. But a later examination revealed a torn ligament, and Little will consult with a foot specialist next week, when the Rams have their bye.
It is possible that the injury could require surgery, and it that is the case, Little would likely miss the rest of the season.
Coach Scott Linehan termed the injury "rare," but such toe problems often are serious and, if surgery is mandated, require months of rehabilitation.
One of the NFL's top pass-rushers, Little has only 19 tackles and one sack in seven games this season, and the toe injury clearly has affected his ability to push off and gain the kind of leverage needed to burst to the quarterback. Little has had several pressures on which he got close to sacks but did not have the closing speed to finish off the play.
He acknowledged last week that the toe injury has been frustrating for him.
A 10th-year veteran, Little has four seasons of double-digit sacks in his career, including 13 in 2006. In 120 games, the former University of Tennessee star, a third-round pick in 1998 who has spent his entire career with the Rams, has 317 tackles and 74 sacks, and has forced 30 fumbles.
Jets LB Vilma sidelined with knee injury; rookie Harris indicates he'll start
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma missed practice for the second straight day Thursday with a knee injury that could sideline him for New York's game against Buffalo - or longer.
Coach Eric Mangini remained typically tightlipped when discussing the injury, which caused the one-time Pro Bowl linebacker to be removed from the game for a stretch last Sunday at Cincinnati.
''We're still looking at that,'' Mangini said. ''With any injury, we go through the process and evaluate throughout the week.''
Rookie David Harris, the Jets' second-round draft pick in April, indicated he will take Vilma's spot in the starting lineup Sunday against the Bills.
''It's a big task for me to fill his shoes,'' Harris said. ''It's been a dream of mine to start an NFL game and the opportunity has arised so I've got to step up to the plate.''
Published reports have speculated the injury could be serious and potentially require season-ending surgery. Mangini wouldn't budge when asked if that was a possible scenario.
''It's really just going to matter what the results are and talk to the doctors and put together the best plan,'' Mangini said.
When pressed on whether that means Vilma could miss the rest of the season, Mangini said simply: ''No, it just means that we're looking at the tests and talking to doctors and following the normal procedure that we do with everybody.''
Vilma has not been available to the media since Sunday. Messages and e-mails left for Tony Fleming, one of Vilma's representatives, were not immediately answered.
Mangini said he wasn't sure when the injury occurred, but shot down the theory that it might have been a preexisting condition.
''The injury was really based on the game,'' he said.
Mangini also wouldn't specify whether the injury was to Vilma's right or left knee.
''It's one of those two,'' he said.
The Jets coach then explained why he doesn't want to say which knee it is.
''Just historically, whenever you have an awareness of an injury and opponents have an awareness of an injury that's something that you can take into account when you're running routes, when you're running plays, the directions that you run plays, how a guy can cut or not cut, where they're going to be quicker,'' he said. ''What may be affected, that does come into the decision-making. What kind of routes you're going to run against them. What the likelihood of being able to take advantage of a slowed-down player might be.''
The hard-hitting Harris, who has 24 tackles in limited time this season, could get the chance to call signals at middle linebacker Sunday.
''Playing linebacker at Michigan for four or five years, you get used to calling the defensive huddle and I get here and Vilma and (Eric) Barton were calling the huddles,'' Harris said. ''Now that Vilma's down, I can pick up more responsibility.''
Testaverde will start for Panthers vs. Colts
October 26th, 2007
Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Quarterback Vinny Testaverde will start for the Carolina Panthers in Sunday's game against Indianapolis.
Head coach John Fox announced the news at Friday's practice, clearing up whether the team's starter would be Testaverde or David Carr, who is recovering from a back injury.
"It is not an indictment on David Carr by any stretch," Fox said. "He's healthy enough to play, but I don't think he's 100 percent."
Carr did go through the team's full practice Friday. But Testaverde, 43, will get his second consecutive start, after leading the Panthers to a 25-10 win over Arizona on October 14. He completed 20-for-33 passes for 206 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
He became the oldest starting quarterback to win a start in NFL history, and the Panthers' acquisition of Testaverde proved to be a smart, if necessary, move.
Carr - who replaced Carolina's original starting quarterback, Jake Delhomme, in Week 3 - left in the first half of the Panthers' 16-13 win over New Orleans on October 7.
The team signed Testaverde three days later, and will go with him at quarterback for another week, attempting to go for its third win in a row. Fox said the Panthers' offense won't change with Testaverde in.