Training Camp Update

Volume 2, Issue 4 – 8/23/06

Training Camps are in full swing and we want you to feel like you have attended every practice and seen every preseason game.

To keep all our Footballguys subscribers on top of everything, we've created our incredibly detailed Camp Updates. They're an exhaustive look each week covering every bit of news you need to know to stay completely on top of every team. Quite simply, they're the key to Dominating Your Draft.

This is the fourth of five training camp updates from us.  We'll break down every team's skill positions and position battles. It's the stuff you'd see if you were there at every camp.  This Camp Update was created by our own Bob Henry and reflects the most up-to-date info regarding each of these teams.

Happy reading and let's have a great 2006 season,

Joe Bryant and David Dodds

Owners, Footballguys.com

Arizona Cardinals

QB: On Saturday night, Matt Leinart made his pro debut against the New England Patriots with 1:09 remaining in the first half. Running a hurry-up offense, Leinart appeared comfortable and led the Cardinals to a field goal, the team’s only points of the game, but he did very little after that. “To go against this team on this field and get something in my first drive, that was pretty cool,” Leinart said, who completed 3-of-6 for 20 yards and scrambled for another 29 yards on the drive. That drive came against most of the Patriots first-team defense. Leinart finished 4-of-11 for 49 yards. “I don't think anyone could have expected any more,” said Kurt Warner. “I thought he did a great job in the two-minute drill. He handled the situation well.” Even Tom Brady was impressed. “I thought he did a great job,” said the two-time Super Bowl MVP. “He's a big strong kid. What impressed me was that he had such excellent scrambling ability. I remember when I was a rookie. There's so much to learn and he's coming in with just four days practice, which makes it doubly tough.” Ironically, perhaps, the Patriots won the game going away as Leinart’s former backup Matt Cassel played even better throwing 2 second-half touchdowns.

Kurt Warner started the game and finished 6-of-9 for 58 yards with an interception. Not surprising anyone, John Navarre was simply awful completing two passes in eight attempts with only one going to the right colored uniform. Leinart is the guy you want to handcuff Warner if you plan to incorporate the Cardinals QB into your draft strategy. He was the second QB into the game and, by all accounts, is a shoe-in to win the backup job at this point.

RB: Edgerrin James ran the ball twice for 5 yards in a brief appearance. He lost a fumble, but it was recovered by his own teammate. The Cardinals ground game still hasn’t shown anything in the preseason – a troubling sign indeed. J.J. Arrington ran four times for 12 yards while catching two passes for 15 yards. Marcel Shipp mustered five yards on three carries and Diamond Ferri managed 4 yards on two attempts. It’s still too early to press the panic button if you’re a Cardinals fan, but clearly, the team needs to generate more on the ground before the regular season starts, if only to build confidence in the locker room. Keep in mind, Edge is not a preseason player and he rarely plays much before the games count. “(The running game) is not going to be there until Edge plays the whole game,” HC Dennis Green said. “We should be doing better when he’s not in there. I’m concerned. But I am concerned about every phase of the game.”

WR: Larry Fitzgerald played briefly making one nice catch over the middle for a 26-yard gain. Troy Walters led the Cardinals wide outs with four catches for 28 yards. Bryant Johnson didn’t play because of a death in his family. At this point, the only thing noteworthy is the competition for the final roster spot or two, which is coming down to Troy Walters, Todd Watkins, Carlyle Holiday, Michael Spurlock (a converted QB that played well in mini-camps) and undrafted rookie Greg Lee, a former teammate of Fitzgerald at Pitt.

TE: Rookie Leonard Pope and veteran Eric Edwards each caught a pass. Pope’s went for 10 yards while Edwards produced a 25-yard play. The Cardinals continue to hope Pope will emerge as a difference maker at the position, something the Cards lacked a season ago.

Defense: The Cardinals defense played poorly against the Patriots. Second-year corner Antrel Rolle said it best, “The score speaks for itself. We didn’t play football tonight, simple as that.” Orlando Huff, competing for the weakside LB job, led the team with 12 combined tackles against the Patriots. The Cardinals safety tandem of Adrian Wilson and Robert Griffith had identical 5-2-0 lines in the box score, while second-yard safety Aaron Francisco contributed 4-2-0 as he positions himself to be the team’s top backup at both safety spots. The Cardinals defense recorded three sacks; one each from A.J. Schable, Gabe Watson and Bertrand Berry. Berry left the game after he was bent backward on a block by the Patriots Matt Light. Berry stayed down for a few minutes before leaving the field on his own power. “It looked worse than what it was,” Berry said. “It was a scary moment. But we are all right, and looking forward to getting back out there.” The team received good news on ailing LB Karlos Dansby, who will not require surgery on his sore toe and he will continue rehabilitating the injury after seeking a second opinion last week. Dansby was the team’s starting strongside backer last year, but there’s a chance he could be moved to the weakside as converted DE Calvin Pace is playing reasonably well while filling in for Dansby. Meanwhile, MLB Gerald Hayes began working with the first-team defense ahead of James Darling following a strong opening preseason game. “Every now and then they throw me in,” Hayes said. “I can’t say we are splitting time, because it’s not like that. I don’t want to say it is something when it might not be.”

Special Teams: The Cardinals’ offense didn’t keep Kicker Neil Rackers very busy in the game at New England. He connected on a field goal from 48 yards, and had two kickoffs of 69 yards each. Kicker Nick Novak and WR Bryant Johnson did not play in the game. Johnson is one of the three primary candidates for the return jobs. Another of the candidates, WR Troy Walters, discussed the fact that the last time the Cardinals took a punt return the distance was 1993, "We're definitely going to make some things happen in the punt-return game. I think we have capable guys to take one to the house, so hopefully that drought will end this year." He failed to score against the Patriots, fair catching the one punt he fielded. The third candidate, Rookie WR Micheal Spurlock, saw the most action. He returned a punt seven yards, and averaged 25.3 yards on three kickoff returns. Unfortunately he fumbled away one of those, which set up New England for an easy score from the nine yard line. For the second week in a row, RB J.J. Arrington returned kickoffs. He averaged 21.7 yards on three returns, and could now be a fourth candidate for the job.

Cardinals Depth Chart
QB Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, John Navarre
RB Edgerrin James, J.J. Arrington, Marcel Shipp, Damien Anderson, Diamond Ferry
FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo, James Hodgins, John Bronson
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson, LeRon McCoy, Troy Walters, Todd Watkins, Carlyle Holiday, Michael Spurlock (QB), Greg Lee
TE Leonard Pope, Adam Bergen, Eric Edwards, Alex Shor
K Neil Rackers, Nick Novak
DE Chike Okeafor, Bertrand Berry (inj), Anton Palepoi, Antonio Smith, A.J. Schable
DT Darnell Dockett, Kendrick Clancy, Tim Bulman, Langston Moore, Gabe Watson, Kenny King (inj), Jon Lewis
MLB Gerald Hayes, James Darling (W), Lance Mitchell
OLB Karlos Dansby (S) (inj), Orlando Huff (W), Calvin Pace (S), Darryl Blackstock (W), Mark Brown, Isaac Keys, Brandon Johnson, Lawrence Pinson
CB David Macklin, Antrel Rolle, Eric Green (inj), Robert Tate, Dyshod Carter, Lamont Reid, Darrell Hunter, Jay McCareins, Damarius Bilbo, Justin Wyatt
S Adrian Wilson (SS), Robert Griffith (FS), Aaron Francisco, Ernest Shazor, Jack Brewer, Chris Harrell

Atlanta Falcons

QB: The Falcons did not play well against the Packers on Saturday night, but HC Jim Mora tried to put a positive spin on it. “It's good to come to Lambeau Field and have Brett Favre on the other side of the field and have 69,000 people in the stands and see how those guys handle the pressure,” Mora said. “Tonight, a lot of guys didn't handle it well.” Michael Vick only played two series; he capped the first drive with a 22-yard TD to TE Dwayne Blakley, but he was intercepted on the second. Despite the pick, Vick looked comfortable and threw the ball downfield finding his receivers with accuracy. “I felt good. I think everybody did their job,” Vick said. “The first unit went out and played with a high level of intensity and we were able to make plays, move the ball, possessed great tempo. When we came out, it was up to the younger guys to pick it up.” Vick finished 5-of-7 for 59 yards with one run for 12 yards.

Matt Schaub entered the game in the second quarter and led the team to a 51-yard field goal by Michael Koenen that tied the game at 10-10. Schaub was then intercepted on the next drive by Jason Horton, who returned it 44 yards for a score making it 24-10 before halftime. Schaub finished 5-of-9 for 61 yards. D.J. Shockley played the third quarter completing just one pass in five attempts for 10 yards. He ran twice for 14 yards. Bryan Randall finished off the fourth quarter playing three series and completing 2-of-3 for 23 yards. He was intercepted once.

RB: Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire. Amid speculation that T.J. Duckett was being showcased to potential suitors for a trade, he performed well against the Packers on Saturday night; rushing for 37 yards on five carries. Then, this Tuesday, Duckett was traded to the Washington Redskins in a 3-team trade that also send WR Ashley Lelie to Atlanta. Needless to say, this is huge news for rookie Jerious Norwood, who has looked good in the preseason, particularly as a receiver out of the backfield. The team may look to get Norwood involved as a receiver – out in space. “That's one of my great assets, my hands,” Norwood said. “I still got a lot of work to do as far as my inside runs and outside zone plays, but other than that, I feel pretty good about everything.” If the Falcons don’t add another veteran to the mix, the prospects for 2^nd-year backs DeAndra Cobb and Marlion Jackson. Jackson ran seven times for 20 yards against Green Bay. DeAndra Cobb remains in a walking boot with an ankle injury. Warrick Dunn did not play in the game, but should be considered a very intriguing fantasy back as he’s now assured of more goal line touches in addition to his regular production between the 20s.

WR: Roddy White and Michael Jenkins played for the first half with Michael Vick. White produced 32 yards on two catches and Jenkins caught three balls for 24 yards. Jerome Pathon caught one pass for 27 yards. Rookies Adam Jennings, Brandon Jamison and Kevin Youngblood each caught a pass, too. Cole Magner was cut this week when the team signed LB Will Thompson. The big news, of course, was the addition of Ashley Lelie in a 3-team trade. For now, Lelie comes in as the team’s 3^rd receiver, but it would be foolish to think the Falcons don’t want and expect him to earn a starting role at some point this season. Whether that comes at the expense of Jenkins or White remains to be seen.

TE: Backup Dwayne Blakley caught a 22-yard TD pass from Vick on the team’s opening drive. Blakley finished with three receptions for 31 yards. Alge Crumpler did not play Saturday as a precaution but continues to practice regularly.

Defense: Falcons LB Edgerton Hartwell downplayed the team’s loss on Saturday. “They caught a lot of breaks,” he said. “A tipped pass for a touchdown, another tipped pass for a touchdown. A blown coverage for another touchdown. ... Thank God for the preseason, it doesn't count.” Hartwell combined for four tackles in the game while Demorrio Williams had eight tackles (5-3-0). DTs Antwaan Lake and Chad Lavalais each registered a sack. Corner DeAngelo Hall was injured in the second quarter against the Packers, but HC Mora said it was only minor. Hall intercepted a pass from Brett Favre on the Packers opening drive and returned it 32 yards. Unfortunately, DE John Abraham was whistled offside and the play was negated. LB Keith Brooking did not play.

Special Teams: Michael Koenen did well in double duty at Green Bay. He was good from 51 yards on his only field goal attempt, and added a PAT. He’s now 5-of-5 on field goals in the preseason, all of them from 40+ yards and two from 50+ yards. On punts he averaged 38.3 yards, and put one out of bounds in the coffin corner inside the five yard line. Kicker Tony Yelk handled kickoffs, which went for 65, 61, and 63 yards. He strained his quadriceps on the last one, although it is not considered serious. The younger returners have gotten the hype in camp, but veteran CB Allen Rossum showed he can still run on a 43-yard kickoff return against the Packers. He probably needs to win the return specialist role to stay employed with the Falcons. Rookie WR Adam Jennings continues to be the primary challenger. He returned a punt seven yards, and averaged 24.5 yards on two kickoff returns. Three rookies each had one kickoff return, RB Jerious Norwood for 25 yards, WR Robert Redd for 22 yards, and WR Troy Bergeron for 11 yards. Norwood may be out of the running now that he’s the Falcons primary backup to Warrick Dunn.

Falcons Depth Chart
QB Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, D.J. Shockley, Bryan Randall
RB Warrick Dunn (3RB), Jerious Norwood, Deandra Cobb (KR) (inj), Marlion Jackson, Butchie Wallace (inj)
FB Justin Griffith, John Pannozzo
WR Michael Jenkins, Roddy White, Ashley Lelie, Jerome Pathon, Adam Jennings, Troy Bergeron, Jamin Elliot, Javarus Dudley, Kevin Youngblood, Brian Finneran (inj)
TE Alge Crumpler, Dwayne Blakely, Eric Beverly, Daniel Fells. Jason Randall, Boone Stutz
K Michael Koenen, Tony Yelk (inj), Miro Kesic
DE Patrick Kerney, John Abraham, Chauncey Davis, Constantin Ritzmann, Paul Carrington
DT Rod Coleman, Grady Jackson, Darrell Shropshire (NT), Chad Lavalais (NT), Jonathan Babineaux, Antwan Lake (NT), T.J. Jackson
MLB Edgerton Hartwell, Jordan Beck
OLB Keith Brooking (W), Michael Boley (S), Demorrio Williams (W), Ike Reese (S/W), Will Thompson, Artie Ulmer, Travis Williams
CB DeAngelo Hall, Jimmy Williams, Jason Webster, Allen Rossum (KR), Leigh Torrence, Kevin Mathis
S Lawyer Milloy (SS), Chris Crocker (FS), Omare Lowe (FS), Chris Reis, Nick Turnbull

Baltimore Ravens

QB: Steve McNair looked sharp on Thursday night against the Eagles, despite not finding the end zone. He finished 14-of-18 for 148 yards, no interceptions and a lost fumble – courtesy of former teammate Jevon Kearse. McNair rekindled his chemistry with Derrick Mason as the two connected seven times in the first half. “We did a good job from the 20 to the 20, but we've got to finish now,” McNair said. “That's the main ingredient. There's no sense in going out there and taking six or seven minutes off the clock and not getting anything from it. We work so hard to get there; we've just got to continue to dig down deep and get the ball in the end zone.” Kyle Boller started the second half, but didn’t muster much offense until the Eagles began calling the dogs off and substituting. He was sacked five times before he connected with Devard Darling for a 27-yard touchdown pass with 13:34 left to put the Ravens up 20-10 to secure the win.

RB: The story of the game wasn’t Jamal Lewis or Mike Anderson for the Ravens, but third year reserve Musa Smith. The former Georgia Bulldog busted a 43-yard run for a touchdown shortly after halftime on the first play after the Ravens forced a turnover to tie the game at 10-10. Smith has been the best looking back in the Ravens training camp after missing most of his first two seasons with knee and leg injuries. “I'm just really trying to soak in every moment that I have since I've been given a second chance. The leg feels really good right now,” Smith said. “When I was on the operating table, and I was told there was a 50-50 chance I could come back, I knew I had to set my mind on coming back. It's been a long road, a lot of hard work.” Smith also caught a pass for 36 yards.

Backup RB Mike Anderson ran three times for 8 yards, but sprained his foot. Jamal Lewis started and ran for 27 yards on nine carries, but his longest run was just eight yards. Lewis, slowed by a nagging hip flexor injury, is expected to miss the next two weeks. With Anderson limited and Lewis sidelined, Smith has an opportunity to earn a bigger role in the Ravens backfield. Smith could be playing for a shot to be the team’s third-down back – and maybe more – according to HC Brian Billick. “He's practicing with such joy,” Billick said. “He's loving being out there, and he's playing the same way. It's great to see him having the success he deserves.” Rookies P.J. Daniels and Cory Ross shouldered the load in the later parts of the game. Daniels ran for 14 yards on seven carries while Ross managed 22 yards on seven attempts.

WR: Devard Darling moved closer to securing the team’s No. 3 job on Thursday night. He caught a 27-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter as he finished with five catches for 121 yards, including another catch that went for 42-yards. “Those are the kind of plays we've been waiting to see Devard make,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. Darling is competing with Clarence Moore and rookie Demetrius Williams for the third spot. Derrick Mason showed that he and Steve McNair are still on the same page with a strong first-half performance catching seven balls for 72 yards. Second-year starter Mark Clayton caught two balls for 12 yards.

TE: Todd Heap caught only one ball for 18 yards in Thursday’s game against the Eagles while fellow TE Daniel Wilcox caught two balls for four yards. Don’t read anything into the stats of this game. With McNair starting at QB, Heap’s outlook is as good as ever. Both he and Wilcox will be used frequently in two tight end formations with Wilcox working the shorter routes and Heap working the middle of the field.

Defense: In his first game-action since a season-ending leg injury last October, Ray Lewis played the entire first half finishing with two tackles and a forced fumble just before halftime. “I just felt really confident, and when I went back there and I grabbed the back of the jersey, I just said, 'Swipe, swipe,' so I just swiped my left hand,” Lewis said. “I got a pretty good swipe on the man. It felt so good, because my crowd got energized again. My defense was rejuvenated. It's just good to be back on the football field.” Rookie corner Jamaine Winborne had a solid game with a sack and two fumbles recovered. Fellow rookie CB Ronnie Prude forced a fumble and had three tackles as he caught Billick’s attention. “I really like him,” Billick said. “For an undrafted free agent, he's really opened some eyes.” DE Terrell Suggs had a sack and recovered a fumble. Rookie LB Ryan LaCasse and MLB Mike Smith also registered sacks for the Ravens defense. DT Dwan Edwards paced the team with six solo tackles.

Special Teams: Kicker Matt Stover made two field goals, each from 30 yards, against Philadelphia. He’s now 5-of-5 in the first two preseason games. Kicker Aaron Elling continued to try to retain his kickoff specialist role, with kickoffs of 68, 69, 63, and 65 yards. He feels confident about his kickoffs these days, "I'm still trying to find the groove with my field goals but the kickoffs feel really, really good. So right now, it's just staying healthy and just hitting the ball nice and smooth." Elling’s primary competitor, punter Sam Koch, reached the end zone on his only kickoff which went 72 yards. Return specialist RB B.J. Sams handled most of the returns against the Eagles. He averaged 22.7 yards on three kickoffs, and averaged 4.5 yards on two punts. Rookie RB Cory Ross should be the primary backup on returns, if (and it’s a big if) he makes the final roster. He had a 20-yard punt return in the game. Rookie DB Ronnie Prude also had a punt return, but it went for no gain.

Ravens Depth Chart
QB Steve McNair, Kyle Boller, Brian St. Pierre, Drew Olson
RB Jamal Lewis (inj), Mike Anderson (FB) (inj), Musa Smith, P.J. Daniels, B.J. Sams (KR/PR), Cory Ross
FB Justin Green, Ovie Mughelli
WR Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Clarence Moore, Devard Darling, Demetrius Williams, Travis LaTendresse, Brian Bratton, Ronald Bellamy, Romby Bryant, Rufus Skillern, Matt Cherry
TE Todd Heap, Daniel Wilcox, Quinn Sypniewski
K Matt Stover, Aaron Elling
DE Terrell Suggs, Trevor Pryce, Jarrett Johnson, Roderick Green, Gary Stills
DT Kelly Gregg, Haloti Ngata, Dwan Edwards, Aubrayo Franklin, Justin Bannan, Cedric Hilliard, Remi Ayodele
MLB Ray Lewis, Mike Smith
OLB Adalius Thomas (S), Bart Scott (W), Dan Cody (S/DE), Dennis Haley, Ryan LaCasse, Tim Johnson
CB Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, Corey Ivy, David Pittman, Evan Oglesby, Derrick Martin, Jamaine Winborne, Ronnie Prude
S Ed Reed (SS), Dawan Landry (FS), Gerome Sapp (FS), B.J. Ward (FS)

Buffalo Bills

QB: Head coach Dick Jauron named J.P. Losman the front-runner for the Bills starting QB job last week. Unfortunately, Losman did little to separate himself against the Bengals on Friday. Losman was up and down. He finished 7-of-11 with 134 yards passing. His worst pass came on a quick out intended for Josh Reed that was intercepted by Keiwan Ratliff, who jumped the route and returned it 26 yards for a Bengals touchdown. Losman responded on the next series, finding Lee Evans deep down the right sideline for a 46-yard, well-thrown TD pass. Losman also lost two fumbles. As for the competition, it remains open, but Losman is the leader at the moment.

“That's not my call,” Losman said. “I've never known what the coaches are thinking or what they want to do. Every week I go out and try not to think about it. I try to get better at the things I need to get better at. The rest is out of my control. I really can't dwell on it.” On his up and down play in the game, Losman said, “It was unacceptable. There was some good and some bad. I think the bad is very correctible.” HC Dick Jauron agreed. “He's got to protect the football,” Jauron said. “We've got to be forcibly patient. We've seen him perform. He's got a strong arm. ... Sometimes, he holds the ball too long. But we'll just keep working and moving forward.” Kelly Holcomb played the third quarter, Craig Nall the fourth. Holcomb went 3-of-5 for 28 yards. Nall completed 5-of-9 passes for 63 yards with a garbage-time 9-yard TD pass to FB Alan Ricard.

RB: Willis McGahee provided one of the highlights for the Bills with a 61-yard TD run on a sweep to the left. “It felt real good man, like the monkey off my back,” said McGahee, who was limited to five touchdowns rushing last season after scoring 13 in 2004. “I think we took a step forward.” McGahee finished with 88 yards on nine carries, but he also lost a fumble that was returned 72 yards in the first quarter for a touchdown. Interestingly, McGahee was not targeted in the passing game, so it remains to be seen how much he’ll be involved on third downs when the season starts. Anthony Thomas entered the game when McGahee left in the second quarter. Lionel Gates followed Thomas, also in the second quarter. Gates and Thomas alternated until the fourth quarter when Shaud Williams took the field with Craig Nall for the team’s last three series. Fred Jackson finished off the last drive with a 4-yard TD with 3:18 left in the game and the outcome well in hand. Thomas ran for 17 yards on six attempts. Gates had a 12-yard reception, but did little on the ground carrying five times for 6 yards. Williams ran for 39 yards on six carries against a soft second- and third-team defense.

WR: Lee Evans is settling into the team’s No.1 receiver role. Evans looked good on Friday. He was able to get behind the Bengals defense on a 46-yard TD pass from J.P. Losman and finished with 115 yards on three catches. He had a 47-yard reception on another play. “We're really counting on him,” said HC Dick Jauron. “Obviously, you need playmakers on both sides of the ball. He can change the field. He stepped up and made some plays [Friday], and that's what we're counting on.”

“We have a real solid group of receivers, and we need Lee to lead that group, to be better than solid, a lot better than solid,” Jauron said. “He showed that he can certainly do that. He's got speed to go do it, he's got the desire. He's working hard, and he's a tough guy. When he can get it on the run he's a problem. If he comes out that backside he can beat most people to the end zone.” Sam Aiken, Andre Davis, Roscoe Parrish and Jonathan Smith each caught a pass. Josh Reed played, but did not catch a pass nor did Peerless Price. Undrafted rookie Chris Denney caught two balls for 27 yards, both on the team’s last drive in garbage time.

TE: Robert Royal caught one ball for 8 yards against the Bengals. The Bills tight ends weren’t terribly productive last year and it remains to be seen if Royal, Brad Cieslak or Kevin Everett will be anything more than anecdotal in the new offense installed by Steve Fairchild.

Defense: The Bills defense didn’t have many highlights in their 44-31 lost to the Bengals on Friday. Jabari Greer led the team with 5 tackles. Mario Haggan added 4-1-0 and Angelo Crowell 3-3-0. DT Larry Tripplett registered the team’s lone sack and CB Eric King left the game because of back spasms. CB Troy Vincent was held out because of a strained hamstring.

Special Teams: Kicker Rian Lindell was good from 51 yards on his only field goal attempt, and added 2 PATs against Cincinnati. Camp leg Nicholas Setta also added two PATs. The Bills got plenty of opportunities to work on kickoff returns, since the Bengals kept scoring. WR Jonathan Smith average 21.2 yards on five returns, while WR Andre Davis averaged 24.0 yard on three returns. Both are vying for a roster spot and a backup role behind starting kickoff returner CB Terrance McGee. First string punt returner WR Roscoe Parrish had no gain on his only punt return. Fourth stringer RB Shaud Williams averaged 6.5 yards on two punt returns. Fifth stringer S Jim Leonhard had a two yard return and a fair catch. CB Nate Clements is currently listed as the second string punt returner, and Jonathan Smith the third string.

Bills Depth Chart
QB J.P. Losman, Kelly Holcomb, Craig Nall, Kliff Kingsbury
RB Willis McGahee (inj), Anthony Thomas, Lionel Gates, Shaud Williams, Fred Jackson
FB Damien Shelton, Alan Ricard, Joe Burns
WR Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Peerless Price, Andre Davis, Roscoe Parrish (PR), Sam Aiken, Jonathan Smith, George Wilson, Martin Nance, Chris Denney
TE Robert Royal, Brad Cieslak, Kevin Everett, Ryan Neufeld
K Rian Lindell
DT Larry Tripplett, Tim Anderson (NT), Lauvale Sape (inj), John McCargo, Jason Jefferson, Kyle Williams
DE Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney, Ryan Neill, Jason Hall, Joshua Cooper
MLB London Fletcher, Liam Ezekiel
OLB Takeo Spikes (S), Angelo Crowell (W), Josh Stamer (S/W), Mario Haggan (W), Keith Ellison, John Digiorgio
CB Nate Clements (PR), Terrence McGee (KR), Eric King, Jabari Greer, Ashton Youboty, Kiwaukee Thomas, Eric Bassey
S Troy Vincent (FS), Donte Whitner (SS), Matt Bowen (SS), Coy Wire (SS), Ko Simpson (FS), Rashad Baker (FS), Jim Leonhard (SS), James Bethea

Carolina Panthers

QB: Jake Delhomme played in his second game of the preseason without stud WR Steve Smith, who was held out despite returning to practice after missing 17 days with a hamstring strain. Delhomme led the Panthers to a score on the team’s opening drive for the second game in a row. He connected with Keary Colbert for a 40-yard completion on third-and-seven and the Panthers settled for a 22-yard FG. He played the entire first half and finished 10-for-18 for 129 yards, but he was nearly intercepted on two occasions. “Certainly there's a lot more work to be done. That was evident,” Delhomme said. “It wasn't our crispest game. But it's going against that defense. That's a pretty impressive defense. They did some good things and we were a little sloppy in some areas.” Chris Weinke and Stefan Lefors played in the second half. Weinke completed 2-of-5 passes for 20 yards while Lefors went 1-for-2 for 11 yards.

RB: Deshaun Foster started for the Panthers and played for two series before giving way to DeAngelo Williams, who also played for two series. Nick Goings entered the game in the second quarter and he capped the team’s drive with a 1-yard TD with just 26 seconds left in the half. Eric Shelton started the second half with Alex Haynes coming into the game in the fourth quarter followed by Jamal Robertson. Haynes led all rushers with 30 yards on four carries – but 29 yards came on one play against the Jaguars reserves. Foster ran four times for 10 yards and he caught one pass for 2 yards. DeAngelo Williams ran four times for 7 yards. Goings had 22 yards on 3 carries while Eric Shelton had six yards on 2 runs.

WR: As stated above, Steve Smith did not play against the Jaguars. HC John Fox said he’s not sure whether he’ll play August 24th against Miami either. Not to worry, receivers coach Richard Williamson seems confident when asked about Smith’s recent injury. “He rehabbed like nobody rehabbed with that hamstring,” Williamson said. “He's got his quickness and is doing the things he did before the injury.” Keary Colbert led the team with 45 yards on two catches while Keyshawn Johnson (38 yards) and Drew Carter (35 yards) each caught three balls. Rookie Taye Biddle made a couple plays rushing for 11 yards and catching a 16-yard pass. The Panthers have four solid receivers with Smith, Johnson, Colbert and Carter providing they all stay healthy. Colbert and Carter remain in a battle for the team’s No. 3 job and Colbert is having a fine camp showing the same big play ability that he had during his rookie season (that was not present last year).

TE: Kris Mangum remains sidelined with Michael Gaines working primarily with the first team in his stead.

Defense: The Panthers defense took advantage of three big plays against Jags QB David Garrard to help the team jump out to an early lead. In the first half, the Jags decided not to take the knee with 20 seconds left on the clock. Bad move. Julius Peppers beat RT Maurice Williams, sacked Garrard deep in the pocket and forced a fumble that was picked up by Mike Rucker and returned 31 yards for a TD and a 17-3 lead. Later, Richard Marshall picked off Garrard in the end zone to kill another drive. Chris Draft led the team with six tackles (5-1-0) while LBs Thomas Davis and Adam Seward finished with four solos each. Colin Branch had an interception and two tackles while rookie James Anderson recorded a sack amongst two solos. Elsewhere, LB Keith Adams, signed as a free agent from the Eagles, went from a starter in June OTAs to being on the proverbial roster bubble. Adams is running behind current starter Na’il Diggs and James Anderson is having a strong camp, as well. Safety Mike Minter returned to practice last Wednesday after missing a week following the death of his mother.

Special Teams: Kicker John Kasay was good on a 22-yard field goal and two PATs at Jacksonville. Camp leg kicker MacKenzie Hoambrecker did not play in the game. WR Efram Hill had a rough first preseason game on punt returns, "I took my eyes off of it to look downfield to see how close (defenders) were to me, which I knew I shouldn't do." He looked better in the second game with returns of 8 and 17 yards. The team is hoping he can handle the job, so that CB Chris Gamble or WR Steve Smith won’t have to do so. RB DeAngelo Williams was eagerly looking forward to the game against the Jaguars, "Yeah, I'm trying to get a kickoff return. I've been talking to special teams coach Danny Crossman. I'm lobbying for it, trying to get me at least one this weekend." Unfortunately, he averaged only 9.0 yards on his two returns. RB Jamal Robertson looked better on his 28-yard kickoff return. Rookie CB Richard Marshall is still waiting in the wings to get an opportunity.

Panthers Depth Chart
QB Jake Delhomme, Chris Weinke, Stefan Lefors, Brett Basanez
RB DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams, Eric Shelton, Jamal Robertson, Alex Haynes
FB Brad Hoover, Nick Goings, Casey Cramer
WR Steve Smith (PR), Keyshawn Johnson, Keary Colbert, Drew Carter, Karl Hankton, Jovon Bouknight, Taye Biddle, Daniel Smith, Justin McCullum, Lynzell Jackson, D.J. Smith
TE Kris Mangum (inj), Michael Gaines, Mike Seidman, Jeff King
K John Kasay
DE Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker, Al Wallace, Jovan Haye, Stanley McClover, Devan Long
DT Kris Jenkins (inj), Ma'ake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Jordan Carstens, Atiyyah Ellison, Tony Brown
MLB Dan Morgan, Adam Seward, Vinny Ciurciu
OLB Thomas Davis (S), Na'il Diggs (W), Keith Adams (W), James Anderson (W), Chris Draft (S)
CB Chris Gamble, Ken Lucas, Reggie Howard, Richard Marshall, Jermaine Hardy, Marcus Cassel, Jarrett Bush, DeShane Dennis
S Mike Minter (SS), Shaun Williams (FS), Colin Branch (FS/SS), Kevin McAdam, Nate Salley (FS)

Chicago Bears

QB: Rex Grossman shook off a poor performance a week ago going 7-of-14 for 83 yards with an interception. “It was better. Not great, but better,” Grossman said of his performance. “I don't know what happened last week.” He looked good in spots, but came up short when he tried to hit TE Gabe Reid in the corner of the end zone, where he was intercepted by the Chargers’ Marlon McCree. “I wish I had it back,” Grossman said. “I forced it.” Grossman played the first half and Brian Griese took over in the second half. Griese played two series and completed 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards and threw a touchdown pass before Kyle Orton entered the game. Orton completed 3-of-6 passes for 7 yards. Following the game, head coach Lovie Smith reiterated Rex Grossman is the team’s starter and that will not change between now and the season opener at Lambeau Field. That said; don’t be surprised to see Brian Griese in the lineup early in the season if Grossman struggles out of the gate.

RB: Adrian Peterson started and played the first half as Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones were held out for precautionary reasons. Jones returned to practice last week but the team held him out of the game. Benson is beginning to do light work on the sidelines, but he’s still not ready for pads – giving Jones an opportunity to seize the starting job back that he feels was wrongly taken from him for not participating in the team’s OTAs this summer. P.J. Pope started the second half and played until the last series when Andre Hall ran five times for 24 yards as the Bears killed the clock with a 24-3 lead. Peterson ran for 18 yards on seven carries and caught one pass for 8 yards. Pope ran 14 times for 56 yards and caught one pass for 2 yards. FB Jason McKie, starting for the injured Bryan Johnson, caught one pass for a 10-yard gain.

WR: Muhsin Muhammad didn’t play Saturday night to rest nagging injuries. Bernard Berrian caught two balls for a team-high 32 yards. Rashied Davis had two balls for 31 yards and Justin Gage caught a 9-yard TD pass in the third quarter from Brian Griese as he finished with three catches for 20 yards. Mark Bradley cracked the box score with a 2-yard catch.

TE: The Bears surprised a few pundits on draft day when they decided to pass on drafting a tight end, a position widely believed to be among the Bears biggest needs. Desmond Clark remains the starter and will be counted on to recapture his productive ways of a few seasons ago. Gabe Reid is the backup while John Gilmore is competing with a couple of undrafted rookies (Cooper Wallace and Tim Day) for the remaining roster spot.

Defense: Brian Urlacher set the tone of Saturday’s 24-3 win over San Diego by intercepting Philip Rivers on the third play of the game and returning it 64 yards for a touchdown. “He just threw it right to me,” Urlacher said of Philip Rivers' errant pass intended for Antonio Gates. “I caught it and went into the end zone.” Near the end of the first quarter, Rashied Davis took a kickoff 100 yards for another touchdown. “I just ran in the hole where I was supposed to hit and it clogged up. I bounced off, saw something to the right,” Davis said. “At that point you try to find something to make something happen. When I got around the corner or through the hole or whatever, I noticed it was just me and the kicker.” Also in the first quarter, rookie LB Jamar Williams recovered a fumble that led to a 49-yard Robbie Gould FG. Late in the game, Jason Harmon intercepted a pass to kill a Chargers drive. Safety Mike Brown remains sidelined with a strained Achilles tendon, but he’s expected to be ready for the season opener.

Special Teams: Kicker Robbie Gould discussed his 49-yard field goal against San Diego, "Obviously, they have confidence in me to kick field goals from that yardage. I'm going to continue to do that. If I don't I won't be here. But that felt good to get one under my belt and build some confidence. I hope to do it the next two games." He also added two PATs, and had kickoffs of 68, 65, 68, and 72 yards. Fading challenger rookie Josh Huston had a PAT and a 68-yard kickoff. The highlight of the game against the Chargers was WR Rashied Davis’ kickoff return. He fielded it at his goal line, escaped a pack of defenders at the 20, put a move on Nate Kaeding, and Terrence Kiel couldn’t catch him on the 100-yard touchdown return. Rookie DB Danieal Manning’s 22-yard kickoff return wasn’t quite as exciting. Rookie CB Devin Hester had punt returns of 2 and 42 yards, along with a fair catch. HC Lovie Smith dished out a compliment, "Devin Hester is a good player. I thought he made some good decisions catching the football, and that last punt return he got a chance to show some of what he has." WR Craig Bragg averaged 13.5 yard on two punt returns. Rashied Davis returned a punt three yards, and Rookie CB Carlos Hendricks had no gain on a return.

Bears Depth Chart
QB Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Kyle Orton
RB Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson (inj), Adrian Peterson, P.J. Pope, Andre Hall
FB Bryan Johnson (inj), Jason McKie, J.D. Runnels, Quadtrine Hill
WR Muhsin Muhammad, Bernard Berrian, Mark Bradley, Justin Gage, Airese Curry (inj), Alex Bannister, Devin Hester (KR/PR/CB), Rashied Davis (PR), Craig Bragg, Bryan McClendon
TE Desmond Clark, Gabe Reid, John Gilmore, Tim Day, Cooper Wallace
K Robbie Gould, Josh Huston
DE Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Israel Idonije, Michael Haynes (DT), Jamaal Green, Mark Anderson, Mike Mendenhall, Khari Long (IR)
DT Tommie Harris, Ian Scott (inj), Terry Johnson (inj), Alfonso Boone, Dusty Dvoracek (inj), Delbert Cowsette
MLB Brian Urlacher, Jeremy Cain
OLB Lance Briggs (W), Hunter Hillenmeyer (S/M),  Leon Joe (W), Brendon Ayanbadejo (S), Dwayne Slay, Brandon Marshall, Jamar Williams
CB Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Ricky Manning, Dante Wesley, Abraham Elimimian, Carlos Hendricks
S Mike Brown (SS) (inj), Chris Harris (FS), Danieal Manning (FS), Todd Johnson (SS), Cameron Worrell (SS), Brandon McGowan (SS) (inj), Dion Byrum, Donnie McCleskey

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Anthony Wright made his second preseason start for the Bengals. He played well completing 9-of-19 for 99 yards and a TD in the first half. Doug Johnson took over and went 8-of-14 for 133 yards and a TD. Johnson also scored with his legs on a 4-yard bootleg. If Palmer does miss any games at the beginning of the season, Wright is the guy you want to grab as his handcuff. “Anthony made some plays tonight.” HC Marvin Lewis said, “What we’re asking him to do, he has to continue to be successful in those areas. Don’t try to play outside your body. Just do the things you can do successfully. It’s your offense. Get us in and out of plays, take care of the football and be deliberate.” Rookie Erik Meyer was waived this week.

RB: Rudi Johnson played briefly against the Bills, running three times for three yards. Quincy Wilson handled the bulk of the rushing duties carrying 16 times for 44 yards with three receptions for another 18 yards. DeDe Dorsey turned in a solid performance with three catches for 80 yards – including a 59-yard play – along with 22 yards rushing on six attempts. FB Chris Manderino caught a 3-yard TD from Doug Johnson in the third quarter. Backup Chris Perry remains sidelined with ankle and knee problems. It’s unclear when he’ll return and the speculation is that he could be placed on the team’s PUP list assuring that he would miss the team’s first six regular season games. HC Marvin Lewis said Perry likely won’t play in the preseason and if he doesn’t play then, he won’t suit up in the season opener either. On Sunday, Perry criticized the team’s medical staff regarding the handling of his injuries and diagnoses. “I came in here and got an MRI, and they said everything was fine with the knee,” Perry said. “I kept on working out, and it kept on hurting. I had to get something done to it. The second opinion confirmed what I thought — that it was more than what they were saying. If they would have told me about (needing surgery) in February, it would have happened in February. I knew it was hurt, but to the extent that it was, I had no clue. So then I went and got a second opinion and found out how hurt I really was.” In a nutshell, that’s not good news for Perry. If Perry remains on the PUP list, then Kenny Watson deserves a look as the team’s likely third down back. The extra roster spot open the door for DeDe Dorsey or Quincy Wilson to make the final roster, too. Terrence Whitehead is out for the upcoming Green Bay game with a sprained toe.

WR: Chad Johnson tried his best to persuade the officials to allow him to celebrate on Friday after he scored on a 9-yard TD catch. He pleaded with the official, but it was not going to happen. “I was asking him to let me celebrate, that's what that was, I'm sure you guys knew that,” Johnson said. “But he told me not to. 'Get off the field.' Just like that.” Johnson, sporting his orange mohawk, finished with five catches for 73 yards before leaving midway in the second quarter. T.J. Houshmandzadeh also started and caught one ball for five yards. Kelley Washington, whose roster spot seems to be in danger, caught three balls for 46 yards. Troubled second-year WR Chris Henry is having a strong preseason, which is no surprise, but he faces a likely 4-game suspension once his DUI case is completed. Henry also faces judgments from other cases in two states.

TE: Reggie Kelly caught one pass for 7 yards on Friday. This is about what we expect during the regular season. The Bengals have an offense loaded with weapons, but tight end simply isn’t one of them.

Defense: The Bengals defense had a huge game against the Bills on Friday forcing four turnovers and returning two of them for touchdowns. Safety Dexter Jackson took a Willis McGahee fumble 72-yards to the house in the first quarter and Keiwan Ratliff stepped in front of a J.P. Losman pass for a 26-yard TD return. DE Justin Smith turned in a big game with two sacks, a forced fumble, five solo tackles and two assists. DT Domata Peko added four solo tackles, two assists, a half sack and a forced fumble. Anthony Mitchell, who led the Bengals special teams in tackles last season, suffered a Lisfranc sprain (an injury to a joint in the foot that can take as long as 2-to-3 months to heal). Another injury had the team’s spirit down after the game. Corner Rashad Bauman is headed for injured reserve after he ruptured his patella tendon. Bauman’s surgery was scheduled for Monday. “Our heart goes out to him,” Lewis said. “We all know what he means to everybody here. It's just so unfortunate.” DT Sam Adams is close to returning to the field after having missed all of the preseason thus far. “I think we'll be OK with Sam,” head coach Marvin Lewis said. “But we'll make that determination.” Rookie Frostee Rucker is out against Green Bay with a shoulder injury. The team waived LB Tony Bua.

Special Teams: Kicker Shayne Graham was very busy in the game at Buffalo. He connected on field goals from 19, 28, and 43 yards. He missed wide left from 48 yards. He added five PATs. He sent six of his eight kickoffs to at least the goal line. HC Marvin Lewis discussed Graham’s improved kickoffs, “Last year when Shane got hurt, we learned a lot. When he injured himself from whatever he did, overuse or overwork, and we backed off the kicking last year, he got stronger. This year we’ve taken that approach with both [also including the punter] of them all through camp. They’ve done less work. They do more training during practice than actual kicking, and it’s really been paying off for both guys.” Starting punt returner WR Antonio Chatman did not play in the game due to a bruised hip. Last year’s starter, CB Keiwan Ratliff averaged only 3.5 yard on two returns. Starting kickoff returner WR Tab Perry averaged 15.5 yards on two returns. Two rookies hoping to win a roster spot each had a kickoff return, WR Reggie McNeal for 24 yards and WR Glenn Holt for 16 yards.

Bengals Depth Chart
QB Carson Palmer (inj), Anthony Wright, Doug Johnson, Erik Meyer
RB Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry (3RB) (inj), Kenny Watson (3RB), Quincy Wilson, DeDe Dorsey
FB Jeremi Johnson, Naufahu Tahi, Chris Manderino
WR Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Antonio Chatman (KR), Tab Perry (KR), Kelley Washington, Reggie McNeal (QB), Benny Brazell, Ethan Kilmer
TE Reggie Kelly, Tony Stewart, Darnell Sanders, Ronnie Ghent, David Jones
K Shayne Graham
DE Justin Smith, Robert Geathers, Bryan Robinson (inj), Jonathan Fenene, Frostee Rucker, Eric Henderson
DT John Thornton, Sam Adams, Shaun Smith, Domata Peko, Marcus Lewis
MLB Odell Thurman (susp), Brian Simmons (M/W), Ahmad Brooks (S), A.J. Nicholson
OLB David Pollack (S/DE) (inj), Landon Johnson (W/M/S), Caleb Miller (W), Marcus Wilkins, Hannibal Navies, Wyatt Gayer, Kenny Kern
CB Tory James, Deltha O'Neal (WR/PR), Johnathan Joseph, Keiwan Ratliff (SS/PR), Greg Brooks, Patrick Body, Rashad Bauman (IR)
S Madieu Williams (FS/CB) (inj), Dexter Jackson (SS/FS), Kevin Kaesviharn (FS/SS), Ifeanyi Ohalete (SS), John Busing, Jereme Perry, Blake Ferris, Anthony Mitchell (IR)

Cleveland Browns

QB: Charlie Frye started and played four series finishing 8-of-11 for 41 yards with one touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble. Frye played with poise and showed good pocket presence on several occasions. After throwing an interception, Frye bounced right back and threw a 5-yard touchdown to Dennis Northcutt on a nice play that required Frye to move around in the pocket before he located Northcutt breaking free across the middle of the end zone. Backup quarterback Ken Dorsey, who hasn't looked sharp in camp, finished 11-of-16 for 75 yards and an interception. Derek Anderson got some action completing 7-of-9 passes for 83 yards and the game-winning 31-yard TD to Jerome Harrison.

RB: Friday’s night 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions was highlighted by a few big plays turned in from rookie fifth-round RB Jerome Harrison. “I just practice hard, line up where the coaches tell me to line up and make plays,” said the 5-foot-9 rookie from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Harrison caught a 31-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and he finished with 107 total yards. “The Harrison kid caught the ball and ran with it,” Crennel said. “He looked pretty good. He has quickness and change of pace. If he continues to improve, we'll all feel good.” Now we know why the Browns were willing to deal Lee Suggs to the Jets. Harrison is emerging as a multi-purpose scoring threat. He’s shown speed, agility and toughness despite being the shortest player on the roster. “He's looked great, I knew he would,” said QB Derek Anderson, who played against Harrison in college. Crennel had even more praise for his young back. “He's made a lot of improvement since training camp started,'' said the Browns HC. ``He has that element that we talked about, quickness and change of pace. I think he might be a good change-of-pace guy for us going down the road.'' It’s believed the Browns are still shopping Lee Suggs, who was defensive regarding his failed physical with the Jets, that squashed the trade and sent him back to Cleveland. “It's all over the league that I failed my physical, so now people probably think there's something's wrong,” said Suggs. “But there's not.”

WR: Braylon Edwards continues to make progress and is taking part in practice with pads as of last Tuesday. “So far, so good,” he said. “We're still on target with where we want to be.” He’s still not expected to play in the preseason, but his practice reps are growing each week and he’s now running between 3 to 5 plays in a row before requiring rest. “That's something that's been tossed back and forth,” he said about playing in the preseason. “We don't know if it's worth it or it's not worth it. I'm feeling a lot better now. We're still being cautious with it. We still haven't pushed it too far. We're on target where we want to be.” In his absence, Dennis Northcutt is emerging as Charlie Frye’s favorite receiver. The two connected for a TD in Friday’s game against Detroit and Northcutt finished with two catches for 10 yards. Travis Wilson, Brandon Rideau and Frisman Jackson each caught two passes for 21, 12 and 11 yards, respectively. Starter Joe Jurevicius missed a week of practice due to back spasms, but returned to the field on Thursday of last week (but didn’t play against Detroit on Friday).

TE: Kellen Winslow’s play has the team feeling better after missing his first two years due to various injuries. Winslow caught three balls for 37 yards – all in the first half. “I'm not nervous. I'm not pressing and I'm out there having fun,” said Winslow, who believes he'll have a big season. “Oh yeah. I'm looking to dominate.” Steve Heiden and John Owens caught one ball each against the Lions.

Defense: The Browns defense played reasonably well, but they didn’t make a lot of big plays and only forced one turnover – an interception by D’Qwell Jackson. Rookies Kamerion Wimbley and Baba Oshinowo each recorded a sack. Gary Baxter (strained chest muscle), Daylon McCutcheon (knee surgery) and LB Willie McGinest (elbow) did not play. Ralph Brown and Brodney Pool paced the Browns with three solo tackles each.

Special Teams: Kicker Phil Dawson made a 32-yard field goal and a PAT against Detroit. Backup kicker Jeff Chandler had a very similar stat line with a 33-yard field goal and a PAT. Rookie WR Travis Wilson had the majority of the kickoff returns, averaging 16.0 yards on three returns. He’s unlikely to be on the team when September arrives. Starting kickoff returner WR Joshua Cribbs averaged 24.5 on his two returns. His average and the scoreboard would have looked better if his 76-yard touchdown return had not been negated by penalty. He sat out much of the second quarter using an inhaler for asthma. Cribbs also fielded a punt, but it went for no gain. Starting punt returner WR Dennis Northcutt gained six yards on a return, but also had one that lost five yards. WR Kendrick Mosley had an even broader range on punt returns, with a 44-yarder and one for no gain.

Browns Depth Chart
QB Charlie Frye, Ken Dorsey, Derek Anderson, Darrell Hackney, Lang Campbell
RB Reuben Droughns, William Green, Jerome Harrison (3RB), Lee Suggs (3RB), Jason Wright, Chris Barclay
FB Terrelle Smith, Corey McIntyre, Lawrence Vickers
WR Braylon Edwards (inj), Joe Jurevicius, Dennis Northcutt (PR), Frisman Jackson, Travis Wilson, Josh Cribbs (WR/RB), Brandon Rideau, Kendrick Mosley, Glenn Holt
TE Kellen Winslow Jr, Steve Heiden, Darnell Dinkins, Paul Irons, John Owens
K Phil Dawson, Jeff Chandler
DE Orpheus Roye, Alvin McKinley, Nick Eason, Simon Fraser, J'Vonne Parker
NT Ted Washington, Ethan Kelley, Babatunde Oshinowo, Ja'Waren Blair
ILB Andra Davis (L), DQwell Jackson (R), Chaun Thompson (R), Leon Williams (L), Mason Unck
OLB Willie McGinest (S/DE), Kamerion Wimbley (S/DE), Matt Stewart (S), David McMillan (W), Nick Speegle (S), Charlton Keith
CB Daylon McCutcheon (inj), Gary Baxter (inj), Leigh Bodden, Antonio Perkins (inj), Pete Hunter, DeMario Minter (inj), DeMarcus Rideaux, Ralph Brown
S Brian Russell (FS), Brodney Pool (FS), Sean Jones (SS), Antwaan Harris, Justin Hamilton (SS), Jeremy Lasueur (FS), Thierran Fontenot

Dallas Cowboys

QB: Drew Bledsoe started and played an excellent first half. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 156 yards with two TDs, as the Cowboys scored on three of their first four possessions. When Bledsoe didn’t play in the Cowboys preseason opener so Tony Romo could get more work, speculation arose that Bledsoe was being pushed for the starting job. That doesn’t appear to be quite the case, but Romo is playing well enough to secure a possible spot as the team’s future starter and a reliable backup for now. Bledsoe acknowledged that not playing, and presumably watching Romo light it up, "pushes you a little bit." Bledsoe said, "It gets you going, but I can't tell you I would have done anything different in camp had I been the only quarterback." Bledsoe was sharp, poised and had great timing with Terry Glenn and Sam Hurd, who started with Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton injured. "I don't think he made any bad reads," Parcells said. He even showed confidence on the sideline. "I was standing out there with him visiting and he said, 'Jerry, I'm your man,"' Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. Jones confirmed as much in Monday Night’s booth saying Bledsoe is essentially the guy their building the offense around this year.

Romo started the second half and played great once again, completing 6-of-8 passes for 138 yards. Romo led the team to a score on three of four drives. He hit Miles Austin with a well-thrown pass as he sailed into the endzone on a 48-yard TD. “I'm glad he got some more work," Parcells said. "That's six quarters. I want to get him nine or 10 this preseason.” Backup Drew Henson is on the verge of being waived, according to several reports.

RB: Julius Jones started and played the first three series. Marion Barber entered in the second quarter, played two series and turned it over to Tyson Thompson, who finished the game. Jones gained 29 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for 7 yards. Barber ran 13 times for 40 yards with a 10-yard catch. Thompson ripped off a 25-yard run as he gained 45 yards on 10 carries. Parcells noted last week that in the past he’s had well-defined roles; a starter, a change-of-pace back and even a third down guy. This year, he’s comfortable with Jones and Barber playing interchangeably. That’s not great for fantasy owners, but it’s important to know Parcells seems intent on getting both of these guys plenty of touches. Thompson could still get a few carries here and there as the third back.

WR: Terry Glenn was on fire against the Saints on Monday night. He made a diving, behind the defender’s back catch in the corner of the endzone that was an instant classic. "Terry made two or three outstanding plays," Parcells said. "It shows me he's on his way to getting ready to go.” Glenn was targeted six times on the Cowboys first two drives. Sam Hurd is making it tough for the Cowboys to not hand him a roster spot. He made a highlight-reel catch for a touchdown as he was targeted four times on the team’s first three drives. Glenn led the team with four catches for 71 yards. Hurd chipped in three catches for 30 yards. Terrence Copper caught two balls for 32 yards.

All this happened without Terrell Owens. Drew Rosenhaus was chirping at the media on Sunday for being critical of his client, because of the hoopla surrounding his status amidst a recover from injury. "The pressure being placed on him by the media is ridiculous," said Rosenhaus. “It's ludicrous to suspect that he's doing anything but his hardest to come back” Jerry Jones didn’t seem concerned at all when he was asked about Terrell’s injury. "Certainly it is sore and he is going to be working to improve that," Jones said. "We will be evaluating it more tomorrow."

TE: The Cowboys opened Monday night with a 2-TE formation with Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano in the starting lineup. Witten caught one pass for 16 yards. Backups Ryan Hannam and Tony Curtis had 25-yard and 23-yard receptions, respectively.

Defense: The Cowboys first-team defense shut down the Saints first-team offense. The Saints couldn’t muster a first down on the first three drives. Parcells quipped in his post-game press conference that his guys didn’t get enough work. Corner Anthony Henry, DBs Abram Elam and Lenny Williams and backup linebacker Ryan Fowler paced the defense with three tackles each. Al Singleton recovered a fumbled forced by Fowler on Saints RB Jamaal Branch. DB/S Marcus Coleman faces a 4-games suspension for an alleged violation of the NFL substance abuse policy.

Special Teams: Kicker Mike Vanderjagt and his sore groin and quadriceps did not practice last week, and he did not play at New Orleans. He noted, "I just wasn't comfortable enough. If it was a regular season game… at this point, there's no point in rushing back if you're not 100 percent. Hopefully it's ready by Saturday so I can kickoff and kick field goals." HC Bill Parcells was not pleased last week, “I don't know what's the matter with him. Don't get me going on these kickers." Shaun Suisham handled most of the kicking against the Saints, making field goals of 24 and 42 yards, and adding three PATs. His kickoffs looked mostly improved, going for 69, 69, 46, 72, 75 (touchback), and 70 yards. There’s a possibility he could retain a kickoff specialist role in the regular season. Tyler Fredrickson added a 49-yard field goal and a 66-yard kickoff late in the game. Rookie DB Abram Elam continues to get work on the kickoff returns team, including a 15-yarder Monday night. He noted, "I'm just trying to do whatever I can to make this team. That's all I can do. I want to come out, play safety, both spots, and play a little special teams, too. I just figured I've got to do everything they ask me, and more, to make it." The remainder of the returns were handled by rookie WR Skyler Green. He fumbled the opening kickoff, but did recover it and salvaged a 13-yard return. He looked better on punt returns, averaging 9.3 yards on four returns. Parcells discussed Green earlier last week, "The first punt return he had his high heels on, but after that one he did go north and south pretty good. That's where he's got to do it. He's got to be a factor in the return game." WR Patrick Crayton did not play in the game with a sprained ankle.

Cowboys Depth Chart
QB Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo, Matt Baker, Drew Henson
RB Julius Jones, Marion Barber III (3RB), Tyson Thompson (KR), Keylon Kincade, Demetrius Summers
FB Lousaka Polite (HB/TE)
WR Terrell Owens (inj), Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton (PR) (inj), Sam Hurd, Terrance Copper, Jamaica Rector, Skyler Green, Miles Austin, J.R. Tolver, LaShaun Ward
TE Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Ryan Hannam, Sean Ryan
K Mike Vanderjagt, Tyler Fredrickson
DE Kenyon Coleman, Marcus Spears, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Jason Hatcher, Junior Glymph
NT Jason Ferguson, Montavious Stanley, Samuel Taulealea
ILB Bradie James (M), Akinola Ayodele (S), Ryan Fowler
OLB Demarcus Ware (W), Al Singleton, Bobby Carpenter, Kevin Burnett (S), Greg Ellis (DE), Rocky Boiman (inj)
CB Terance Newman, Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn, Jacques Reeves
S Roy Williams (SS), Keith Davis (FS), Pat Watkins (FS), Willie Pile (FS), Marcus Coleman (FS/CB) (susp)

Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer started for the Broncos and played efficiently. He kept the Titans defense off balance with a succession of rollouts as he completed 7-of-9 for 97 yards before turning over the reins to rookie Jay Cutler. The Broncos first round pick led the Broncos on touchdown drives in each of his first two series. Cutler finished 6-of-12 for 99 yards and a 6-yard TD to Tony Scheffler in the third quarter. Bradlee Van Pelt didn’t see any action and he may have a difficult time making the roster because Mike Shanahan has shown in the past that he’s comfortable going with two quarterbacks.

RB: Mike Bell redeemed himself nicely in his second start of the preseason against the Titans on Saturday night. While he didn’t fumble in this game he still received an earful from WR Rod Smith after he ran out of bounds following a 34-yard run instead of lowering his helmet and putting a hit on Titans safety Lamont Thompson. “There is no one on our football team who has the right to run out of bounds on his own unless it's the quarterback,” Smith said. “You always fight for the extra yard. You never know. They might miss the tackle. They might slip. So, he didn't know that, so we let him slide on that one.” Smith held back a fuming RBs coach Bobby Turner after his own admonition. “The guy got like 30 yards. You can't be mad at him,” Smith said. “But at the same time, you're like, 'Look, man, don't ever run out of bounds again. That sideline is not for us; it's for the quarterbacks.” Bell added, “I didn't know about that, but as a running back, that's like the golden rule: you never go out of bounds. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm definitely never going to do it again. So, you live and you learn, right?”

If Mike Shanahan doesn’t shuffle the deck again, it will be the Bell and Bell show this season. Mike Bell ended up with 73 yards on 10 carries with a pair of 1-yard TDs and a 5-yard reception. Tatum Bell carried the rock seven times for 24 yards as the two Bells split the team’s carries in the first half of the game before giving way to Cedric Cobbs and Damien Nash. Cobbs ran for 65 yards on 10 carries while Nash ran for 72 yards on 14 carries including 1-yard TD run in the third quarter. Nash is closing in on Cobbs for the third spot, despite being signed by the team just over a week ago. He was cut by the Titans after failing his conditioning test at the beginning of training camp. Ron Dayne did not play and remains sidelined with a sore big toe.

WR: Before Saturday’s game, Shanahan talked about the depth and competition among the receivers in camp. “Watts isn't even going to play in this game unless there's an injury,” Shanahan said. “We know what he can do. He had a good first game. We want to take a look at guys who haven't had the reps. Don't read into who's first or second team.” Brandon Marshall injured his knee against the Lions and he may miss the rest of the preseason. The coaches know what they have in Watts so the race for the final roster spots is between David Kircus, Todd Devoe, David Terrell and Brian Clark. Charlie Adams was returned to the team after he failed a physical with the Cowboys. Returning won’t be easy either... “It makes you second-guess yourself and how Denver really feels about you. Now I've just got to try to grab a spot on this team. It's going to be tough. I have an uphill battle, but I'm prepared for it,” said Adams.

Rod Smith led the Broncos receivers with three catches for 38 yards and Javon Walker made his debut with the Broncos returning to live action for the first time since blowing out his knee in Green Bay’s season opener a year ago. Walker had no passes thrown in his direction during the game though. Todd Devoe and David Kircus passes for 21 and 16 yards, respectively. The Ashley Lelie saga is over, as the Broncos sent the disgruntled receiver to Atlanta as part of a 3-team trader. In return Denver received draft compensation from the Redskins (the third team involved in the deal).

TE: The Broncos believe they’ve found their new starter in Tony Scheffler. “The sky's the limit,” said Scheffler modestly. He knows this is a team that knows how to leverage the position and turn it into a star-making role. “With this (coaching) staff and these veterans, it's hard not to do well, with the position they put you in,” Scheffler said.

Scheffler and Nate Jackson appear to be just what the doctor ordered as the team looks to replace the departed Jeb Putzier with a pass-catching tight end who can stretch the field. Stephen Alexander may hold the job in spirit, and certainly, he’s a better blocker than Scheffler, but the rookie out of Western Michigan caught four balls for 73 yards including a 6-yard TD pass from Jay Cutler in the second quarter. Jackson, the unheralded receiver-turned-tight end caught a 35-yard touchdown from Jake Plummer in the first quarter.

Defense: The Broncos defense held the Titans to just 3 points before Vince Young’s 13-yard TD run with 11:34 left in the game. Despite missing starters DE Courtney Brown (knee) and DT Gerard Warren (toe), Denver sacked Billy Volek three times. Demetrin Veal, starting in place of Warren, had two of those sacks. Champ Bailey and Al Wilson were held out as missing curfew. “If you miss curfew, you don't play,” Shanahan said. “We've got rules, and they're good for everybody.” Veal also had five tackles (4-1-2) and D.J. Williams had four tackles and a sack. Safety Nick Ferguson intercepted Billy Volek for the team’s only forced turnover.

Special Teams: In hurry-up offense practice during the week, kicker Jason Elam was good on field goals of 45, 47, and 49 yards. Unfortunately that didn’t carry over into the game against Tennessee, when he missed a 51-yard attempt wide right at the end of the half. Punter/kicker Paul Ernster appears to be leading Micah Knorr in the competition to replace suspended Todd Sauerbrun during the first four regular season games. Ernster has punted well in practice. In the Titans’ game, he handled all the kickoffs. Five of six reached the endzone, including three for touchbacks. Once again, none of the incumbent returners, CB Darrent Williams, WR Charlie Adams, or CB Roc Alexander, had any returns in the game. Adams was almost not a Bronco this week. He was traded to Dallas, but failed the requisite physical. Rookie WR Brian Clark once again handled kickoff returns, averaging 23.5 yards on two returns. Surprising WR David Kircus continues to look like he might survive the final roster cuts. He returned a punt nine yards against Tennessee. WR David Terrell had an eight yard punt return. It was another week of missed practices for rookie WR Domenik Hixon, a return specialist candidate, and another week closer to possibly landing on injured reserve.

Broncos Depth Chart
QB Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Bradlee Van Pelt
RB Mike Bell, Tatum Bell, Ron Dayne (inj), Cedric Cobbs, Damien Nash
FB Cecil Sapp, Kyle Johnson, Rashon Powers-Neal
WR Rod Smith, Javon Walker (inj), Darius Watts, Brandon Marshall (inj), David Terrell, David Kircus, Charlie Adams, Todd Devoe, Brian Clark
TE Stephen Alexander, Tony Scheffler, Nate Jackson, Chad Mustard, Landon Trusty (IR)
K Jason Elam
DE Courtney Brown (inj), Ebenezer Ekuban, John Engelberger, Kenard Lang, Elvis Dumervil, Randy Garner
DT Gerard Warren, Michael Myers, Demetrin Veal, D.J. Renteria, Amon Gordon, Antwon Burton, Bryan Save
MLB Al Wilson, Nate Webster, Keith Burns
OLB Ian Gold (W), D.J. Williams (S), Raymond Wells, Louis Green (W), Patrick Chukwurah, Cameron Vaughn, Kevin Harrison, T.J. Hollowell (inj)
CB Champ Bailey, Darrent Williams (PR), Dominique Foxworth, Karl Paymah, Roc Alexander (KR), Willie Middlebrooks
S John Lynch (FS), Nick Ferguson (SS), Sam Brandon (FS), Curome Cox, Hamza Abdullah, Tyler Everett

Detroit Lions

QB: Starter Jon Kitna played the entire first half and completed 7-of-12 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. His play was one of the lone bright spots for the Lions, whose offense managed only 3 yards rushing on nine attempts against Cleveland's defensive starters. Dan Orlovsky started the second half and played the third quarter while Josh McCown played the fourth quarter. Currently, Orlovsky is running second ahead of Josh McCown, but that may yet change before the preseason is over.

RB: Kevin Jones played for much of the first half. Artose Pinner started and played most of the second half with Brian Calhoun also getting some work. The Lions couldn’t move the football on the ground against the Browns starters, but Jones did catch a 4-yard TD pass from Jon Kitna setup by a Browns turnover. Pinner ran for 40 yards on six carries and Brian Calhoun ran twice for one yard. Arlen Harris played briefly running twice for no yards, but he did catch a pass for 13 yards. Calhoun caught two balls for 6 yards. The team may be trying to give Pinner plenty of chances to strut his wares as they look to deal him. He’s running behind Brian Calhoun and Arlen Harris on the depth chart and likely won’t make the roster.

WR: Roy Williams looks to be in midseason form after catching two balls for 54 yards against Cleveland. Eddie Drummond, the team’s primary return man for the past couple of years, is quickly becoming a player to keep an eye on. Mike Martz has taken a liking to Drummond, who surprisingly has the inside track on the Lions No. 3 job. Drummond caught three balls for 36 yards on Friday. Glenn Martinez caught three balls for 38 yards and Mike Williams caught a 26-yard pass. Charles Rogers didn’t play because of a sore knee and, despite having a strong offseason and good start to camp, seems to be headed for free agency if he’s unable to pick up his play. It appears that he’ll need to play his way back onto the roster based on the team’s current rotation and depth chart. Mike Furrey caught two balls for 10 yards. In a continuing story, Mike Williams is still being fined by the team for being overweight. The Lions want him at 220 lbs, which Williams hasn’t seen since high school. Williams is hoping to avert the fines by hiring a personal nutritionist to help him change his diet and meet the team’s guidelines. Williams has already been fined somewhere between $16,000 and $24,000 in the past few weeks.

TE: Casey Fitzsimmons remains sidelined allowing Marcus Pollard to run with the first team. Pollard caught one ball for 9 yards in Friday’s game.

Defense: Donte Curry paced the Lions defense with six tackles (5-1-0) on Friday night followed by rookie safety Daniel Bullocks (4-1-0) and Harrison Smith (4-0-0). James Hall registered a sack, forced fumble and four tackles (3-1-0) while first round pick Ernie Sims recorded a sack along with six tackles (3-3-0). For the second straight game, Sims seemed to be everywhere on the field. He played well on defense and special teams and entered the game early to log some time with the first-string defense. Dre’ Bly and Jamar Fletcher each intercepted a pass while Kalimba Edwards and Levar Woods recovered fumbles. DT Shaun Rogers did not play on Friday. Last week, Daniel Bullocks moved into the starting spot at free safety displacing Terrence Holt.

Special Teams: Kicker Jason Hanson did not play in the game at Cleveland, as the coaches decided to give him a rest. Camp leg Matt Prater was good on all three of his field goal attempts, from 22, 44, and 48 yards. HC Rod Marinelli is helping to promote Prater, "He was a beast. He was impressive. He's got his resume out. Every one of the other 31 teams is watching him right now. Everybody's looking at him." Starting return specialist WR Eddie Drummond made a token appearance on special teams, averaging 3.5 yards on two punts returns. Rookie WR Devale Ellis got an opportunity to handle the return load. He averaged 27.0 yards on five kickoff returns and returned a punt seven yards. He is a very long shot to make the final roster.

Lions Depth Chart
QB Jon Kitna, Dan Orlovsky, Josh McCown, Joel Klatt
RB Kevin Jones, Arlen Harris, Brian Calhoun (3RB/KR), Artose Pinner
FB Shawn Bryson (3RB), Cory Schlesinger, Will Matthews
WR Roy Williams, Corey Bradford, Mike Williams, Eddie Drummond (KR/PR), Glenn Martinez, Mike Furrey, Shaun Bodiford, Charles Rogers (inj), Scottie Vines (PUP), DeVale Ellis, Brett Fischer
TE Casey Fitzsimmons (inj), Marcus Pollard, Dan Campbell, Sean McHugh, Cole Downer
K Jason Hanson, Matt Prater
DE James Hall, Kalimba Edwards, Cory Redding, Jared DeVries, Bill Swancutt, Claude Harriott
DT Shaun Rogers, Shaun Cody, Marcus Bell, Tyoka Jackson, Damian Gregory, Cleveland Pinckney, Lynn McGruder, Marcus Parker
MLB Boss Bailey, Levar Woods, Matt Grootegoed
OLB Ernie Sims (W), Ted Lehman (S) (inj), Alex Lewis (S/W), James Davis (W),  Paris Lenon (S), Donte' Curry (S), Anthony Cannon (S), James Hargrave
CB Dre' Bly, Fernando Bryant, Keith Smith, Stanley Wilson, Jamar Fletcher, Alton McCann, LaMarcus Hicks
S Kenoy Kennedy (SS), Terrence Holt (FS), Daniel Bullocks (FS), Jon McGraw (FS), Idrees Bashir (FS), Vernon Fox, Harrison Smith, Marcus Demps

Green Bay Packers

QB: A week after the Packers performed poorly against the Chargers, Brett Favre completed 16-of-22 passes for 134 yards, throwing two touchdown passes to finish off long drives and driving them to a field goal on another drive in the first half. “We drove the ball really well,” Favre said. “We had some good drives. That was a good feeling, compared to San Diego.” Aaron Rodgers didn’t throw many passes playing with a 24-10 halftime lead, but he did throw two touchdowns and finish 3-of-6 for 111 yards. Both of his touchdowns came in the fourth quarter.

RB: Najeh Davenport started the game and played into the third quarter while rotating with Noah Herron and Arliss Beach. Herron entered the game late in the first quarter; Beach in the second quarter. Ahman Green (groin) and Samkon Gado (groin) did not play. Davenport carried 10 times for 30 yards, but HC Mike McCarthy was pleased with his effort. “I thought he played physical,” said McCarthy. Noah Herron ran seven times for 23 yards and caught one pass for 4 yards. Arliss Beach gained 50 yards on nine carries. FB William Henderson injured his knee in Saturday’s game. The team hopes Green will be 100% before the regular season, but Davenport would start if Green can’t with Gado and Herron also in the mix right now. Gado’s injury isn’t serious and he could be back within the week.

WR: The key player from Saturday’s game, without question, was Donald Driver. “We had to come out and punch those guys in the mouth early, and we did,” said Driver. Indeed, they did. Favre and Driver hooked up frequently during the first half as Driver finished with seven catches for 91 yards plus a 19-yard run on a reverse. Rookie Greg Jennings made the biggest play of the game in the fourth quarter when he caught a tipped pass from Aaron Rodgers and ran 85 yards for a touchdown. Robert Ferguson caught two balls for 21 yards. Marc Boerigter was waived; as the team takes a harder look at rookies Cory Rogers, Will Blackmon and veteran Rod Gardner for what might be two roster spots. Chad Lucas and Ruvell Martin are also in that mix.

TE: It looks like the Packers new offense hasn’t lost its touch near the goal line. Veteran TE Bubba Franks has traditionally been a huge TD vulture when the Packers get near the goal-line, much to the detriment of Ahman Green (most of the time). Franks caught a 3-yard TD from Favre in the first quarter and Zac Alcorn caught a 1-yard TD from Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. If there is one thing the Packers tight ends are good for, it is red zone utilization. OC Jeff Jagodzinski is also a former tight end, so Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee could all have roles in the offense; especially near the goal line.

Defense: Rookie strong safety Tyrone Culver continued his strong preseason play on Saturday night intercepting Michael Vick in the second quarter and leading the team with five solo tackles. Rookie A.J Hawk made a pair of nice plays in the second quarter, tackling Justin Griffith for a 2-yard loss then breaking up a Matt Schaub pass a couple of plays later. “As a whole, we played a lot faster tonight than last week,” Hawk said. “It's good to get a win, even though it's just a preseason game.” Hawk also made some mistakes. He was penalized 15 yards on the first drive of the second half after he roughed up rookie quarterback D.J. Shockley. He then broke up a pass by Shockley a few plays later. About what one would expect from a rookie thrust into a starting role. “When he hits his comfort level, you're going to see what it's all about,” McCarthy said. Hawk still feels the heat from the massive expectations that Packers fans have for him. “It doesn't bother me,” Hawk said. “I love people to expect me to do well… All the players around me say, `Just do your job. The play is going to come to you.' So as long as I'm doing my job I feel comfortable.” The Packers had five sacks and intercepted the Falcons three times. Jason Horton picked off Matt Schaub and returned it 44 yards for a TD before halftime.

Special Teams: The competition between Billy Cundiff and Dave Rayner for the kicking job figured to go down to the wire. However, the Packers feel Rayner has greater potential and they have concerns over Cundiff’s leg strength. Consequently they released Cundiff last week. GM Ted Thompson explained, "We had talked as a staff that probably over the course of the next couple games we want to give Rayner the vast majority of kicks to see how he did. We felt it was appropriate that with a veteran like Cundiff, we release him now so he can have a chance to latch on with somebody else. I like the way the ball comes off [Rayner's] foot. We're going to put him in a position where he gets a chance at a lot of kicks in different situations and we'll see how he does. He is competing against a whole army of kickers out there. We'll see how he does. He's still competing with every kicker that's ever put on a shoe." In the game against Atlanta, Rayner made a 30-yard field goal and added five PATs. He reached the endzone on six of his seven kickoffs. Rookie WR Cory Rodgers still has a ways to go to win the return specialist job. His one kickoff return went for 16 yards and his punt return went for five yards. He also fumbled a punt, although he did recover it. The whole play was then negated by a penalty. If he continues to struggle, CB Charles Woodson would handle punt returns while another year of kickoff-return-by-committee could loom. Against the Falcons, RB Najeh Davenport returned a kickoff 14 yards and RB Noah Herron had a 20 yarder.

Packers Depth Chart
QB Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Ingle Martin
RB Ahman Green (inj), Najeh Davenport, Samkon Gado (FB), Noah Herron (FB), Arliss Beach, Shermar Bracey
FB William Henderson (inj), Vonta Leach, A.J. Cooper (TE), Ben Brown
WR Donald Driver, Robert Ferguson, Greg Jennings, Rod Gardner, Cory Rogers, Will Blackmon (KR/PR) (inj), Chad Lucas, Ruvell Martin, Carlton Brewster, Vince Butler, Calvin Russell, Chris Francies
TE Bubba Franks, David Martin, Donald Lee, Zac Alcorn, Tory Humphrey
K Dave Rayner
DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Aaron Kampman, Mike Montgomery, Kenny Peterson, Corey Williams, Dave Tollefson, Jason Hunter, Montez Murphy
DT Ryan Pickett (NT), Cullen Jenkins, Kenderick Allen, Colin Cole (NT), Johnny Jolly, Jerome Nichols
MLB Nick Barnett, Abdul Hodge
OLB A.J. Hawk (W), Ben Taylor (S/W), Roy Manning (S/M), Brady Poppinga (S), Tracy White (S), Kurt Campbell, Tim Goodwell
CB Charles Woodson, Al Harris, Ahmad Carroll, Michael Hawkins, Jason Horton, Patrick Dendy, Jerron Wishom, Antonio Malone
S Nick Collins (FS), Marquand Manuel (SS), Tyrone Culver (FS), Jeremy Thornburg, Tra Boger, Atari Bigby, Jeremy Modkins, Marviel Underwood (SS) (IR)

Houston Texans

QB: David Carr was 10-for-17 for 99 yards. He started and played the first half. Sage Rosenfels started and played the entire second half. He threw a 44-yard TD to Derrick Lewis in the fourth quarter. Rosenfels finished 6-of-9 for 99 yards and a TD. Rosenfels is fitting right into HC Gary Kubiak’s offensive system and appears to have a firm grasp of the No. 2 job. "Like I've told you, Sage has starting ability," Kubiak said. "He's very composed, he's a great leader and he understands coverages."

RB: Last week it was Wali Lundy with the breakout performance. This week it was undoubtedly Vernand Morency in the spotlight. Morency didn’t play in the preseason opener because of a hip injury. Head coach Gary Kubiak talked to him during the offseason and into training camp about the need to run downhill, make one cut and go. Morency’s instincts held him back as he continued to dance behind the line. If Saturday night was a good indication of his improvement and heeding Kubiak’s coaching, then he could emerge as the starter if Domanick Davis’ balky knee doesn’t allow him to play. Morency had touchdown runs of 4 and 43 yards as he piled up 95 yards on 11 carries. “I'm fighting every single day,” Morency said after the game. “A performance like this makes me want to go back and work even harder. We had some awesome blocking.” When the Texans began scouting him before the 2005 draft, they got an candid assessment from an Oklahoma coach, who said “Best back in the Big 12. He was the toughest for us to defend.” Keep in mind, for a dose of reality, that both of his touchdowns came after the Rams defensive starters left the game.

Lundy started the game and played well. He ran for 40 yards on seven carries including a 21-yard run. Lundy also caught two balls for 26 yards exhibiting his versatility. Lundy is probably in the driver’s seat right now having impressed the coaching staff two games in row, but Morency is right in the hunt along with veteran Antowain Smith, who didn’t touch the ball. “We're committed to the running game,” Kubiak said. “(It’s) a mindset. We're determined to do it and do it well. You won't see us throwing 30 to 40 times a game. That's just not us.” With the prognosis on Davis unclear, the one thing that is clear is that Lundy and Morency, in particular, loom large. One of these two could be like Domanick Davis when he broke through as a rookie.

WR: Derrick Lewis continues to be the surprise of training camp. He caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Sage Rosenfels in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. Andre Johnson caught four balls for 38 yards on 10 targets during the first half. Eric Moulds started, he was targeted once, but had no catches. Kevin Walter was targeted once but he didn’t record a catch either.

TE: Benny Joppru continues to evade injury and produced a 26-yard play against the Rams. He had another 9-yard catch negated on a holding call. Joppru is the wild card for the Texans and could easily emerge as the team’s starter if he can stay on the field. Jeb Putzier caught a pass for 20 yards, as well. Mark Bruener’s strong blocking keeps him in the mix. Rookie Owen Daniels impressed in last week’s game, but he didn’t catch a ball against the Rams.

Defense: DE Mario Williams put together a solid performance against the Rams. He drew them into a pair of penalties, batted down a pass to force a punt and tackled RB Tony Fisher for a 3-yard loss. “I just came out and was really thinking about taking my time and not being too caught up in just being on the field,” Williams said. “I just took my time and let it happen, just had fun. I had a lot more fun today than I did last week.” HC Gary Kubiak said, “Without looking at the film, I could feel his pressure out there. That's what you have to have. You have to take steps each week.” CB Dexter McCleon paced the team with 7 solo tackles followed by corner Kevin Garrett (5-0-0), DB Kevin Curtis (4-0-0) and Robaire Smith (4-0-0). Antwaan Peek wrecked havoc with two sacks and a forced fumble. Phillip Buchanon also had a big game with punt returns of 32 and 33 yards, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery on the first play of the second half, and three tackles. Buchanan wasn’t perfect though. He was flagged for a pass-interference call in the end zone that led to a 1-yard TD that cut the Texans' lead to 20-17.

Special Teams: Kicker Kris Brown continues to be inconsistent. In the game at St. Louis he made field goals from 27 and 48 yards, but was wide left from 37 yards. He also added three PATs. CB Phillip Buchanon returned to practice after missing some time with a minor ankle injury. HC Gary Kubiak discussed Buchanon’s role as the primary punt returner, "I think he's explosive. There's no reason why he shouldn't be one of the top guys in this league. Coming out he was that way. He's done it in pro ball, and he has to do it for this team." Buchanon must have been listening. Against the Rams he had punt returns of 6, 32, and 33 yards. He won’t have to worry about losing his job to rookie WR Richie Ross, who had one fair catch. Kickoff returns were handled by two rookie running backs in the game. Chris Taylor averaged 20.3 yards on three returns, and Damien Rhodes averaged 25.0 yards on two returns. Taylor is currently listed as a second string kickoff returner along with rookie RB Wali Lundy. The starter, WR Jerome Mathis, is still recovering from foot surgery and is targeted to hopefully return in Week Six.

Texans Depth Chart
QB David Carr, Sage Rosenfels, Cody Pickett, Quinton Porter
RB Domanick Davis (inj), Wali Lundy, Vernand Morency, Antowain Smith, Chris Taylor, Damien Rhodes
FB Jameel Cook, Nick Luchey
WR Andre Johnson, Eric Moulds, Kevin Walter, Derick Armstrong, Jerome Mathis (PR/KR) (inj), David Anderson, Nick Narcisse, Jake Schifino, Richie Ross, Derrick Lewis
TE Mark Bruener, Jeb Putzier, Benny Joppru, Owen Daniels, Patrick Hape, Scott Weaver, Ben Steele (IR)
K Kris Brown
DT Anthony Weaver (DE), Robaire Smith, Travis Johnson, Seth Payne, Alfred Malone
DE Mario Williams, Jason Babin, Antwan Peek, Earl Cochrane, Jeff Charleston, Darrell Wright
MLB DeMeco Ryans, Sam Cowart, DaShon Polk, Dave Moretti
OLB Kailee Wong (inj), Morlon Greenwood, Shantee Orr,  Barrett Green, Charlie Anderson (inj), Kenneth Petway, Saleem Rasheed, Trent Bay, Wali Rainer (IR)
CB Dunta Robinson, Phillip Buchanon, DeMarcus Faggins (inj), Lewis Sanders, Dexter McCleon, Kevin Garrett, Tramon Williams, John Walker, Earthwind Moreland, Chris McKenzie (IR)
S Glenn Earl (SS), C.C. Brown (SS/FS), Jason Simmons (FS) (inj), Ramon Walker (SS), Michael Stone

Indianapolis Colts

QB: Peyton Manning played a nearly perfect first quarter throwing a 30-yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne while completing 6-of-9 for 140 yards. Jim Sorgi took the field next, but his appearance was brief after he went 0-for-2 with an interception and left with an injured shoulder. Veteran Shaun King is in line to replace Sorgi if he’s out for an extended period, but the team is also open to looking for outside help. "If it looks like [Sorgi] is going to miss some time and some practices, then it's something we might have to think about," Dungy said. "We'll probably know a little more tonight." King took over and played the rest of the game completing 14-of-22 passes for 146 yards.

RB: Dominic Rhodes started and rushed for just 15 yards on six carries. Joseph Addai carried the ball nine times for 17 yards and proved just as ineffective against the Seahawks run defense. Addai did manage a nice 16-yard catch on a delayed screen. Tony Hollings played in the second half gaining 30 yards on eight carries including a 1-yard TD run with 2:26 to play (down 20 points). James Mungro left Sunday night’s game with a leg injury and has been lost for the season. Rhodes appears set at the team’s starting running back heading into the final weeks of the preseason. Addai is showing flashes of his first round potential, but lacks Rhodes’ experience in the system. Both will see playing time, but if Rhodes stays healthy, he could hold onto the job longer than most people anticipated immediately following the draft.

WR: Reggie Wayne caught the aforementioned 30-yard TD from Manning in the first quarter as he finished with two catches for 55 yards in a quarter’s worth of work. Marvin Harrison caught a 35-yard pass and he was targeted on another deep play that fell incomplete. Montiese Culton caught three balls for 55 yards and Dan Sheldon caught four for 35 in the second half. Culton lost a fumble, too. Levon Thomas, John Standeford and Aaron Moorehead each caught a pass. No. 3 receiver Brandon Stokley suffered a high-ankle sprain in practice last week. HC Tony Dungy stated that Stokley would miss the rest of the preseason as a result. However, Stokley said he’d find any way possible to be back on the field before the season opener.

TE: Dallas Clark caught two balls for 23 yards, Ben Utecht added three catches for 39 yards and Bryant Fletcher caught one ball for 7 yards. Utecht also coughed up the ball after one of his catches; something he can’t do if he’s to lock down the #2 role in a spirited camp battle.

Defense: Rookie defensive back Antoine Bethea started at strong safety and paced the Colts with eight tackles against the Seahawks (7-1-0) while Tyjuan Hagler checked in with a healthy six solos. Bethea is a sixth round pick who was slowed earlier in camp by a minor knee injury. Healthy now, he is reacting well in practice and games, showing good instincts to the ball and slowly emerging as a potential sleeper. Marlin Jackson started at right corner and finished with seven tackles (5-2-0). Matt Giordano got the start at free safety and finished with a 3-1-0 line. Gilbert Gardner is getting comfortable in the starting lineup, he had a sack and three combined tackles. Dwight Freeney got to the quarterback once, as did LB Brandon Hoyte. Corey Simon’s knee remains a serious concern since he’s not practiced with the team since August 4th. Simon has cartilage damage and tendonitis in his left knee. Minor surgery is an option, but the team hopes rest and rehabilitation will prevail. Unfortunately, one has to wonder whether such an injury will linger for the rest of the season if it’s not properly attended to now. The team placed safety Jahmile Addae on the waived/non-football list on Sunday. The Colts played without defensive tackle Montae Reagor, cornerback Jason David, safeties Mike Doss and Bob Sanders and guard Ryan Lilja.

Special Teams: Camp leg Shane Andrus was released early last week. But then kicker Adam Vinatieri sprained his left ankle. Backup QB Shaun King tried out extra points one day in practice. Andrus was re-signed to handle the kicking against Seattle. He made a 37-yard field goal and added two PATs. Vinatieri was initially diagnosed as day-to-day with the injury to his plant foot, however the rumor mill is suggesting it might be a little worse than first thought. GM Bill Polian indicated they still expect Vinatieri will be ready for the start of regular season. Two contenders for the return specialist role only watched the Seahawks game: rookie CB T.J. Rushing (leg) was inactive and WR Terrence Wilkins did not play. Two other competitors had all the returns in the game. WR Dan Sheldon averaged 18.0 yards on four kickoffs and displayed his potential on a 36-yard punt return. Rookie WR Ashlan Davis had a 21-yard kickoff return and a 9-yard punt return. Unless he’s slow to recover, Rushing is currently the favorite for the job.

Colts Depth Chart
QB Peyton Manning, Jim Sorgi, Shaun King, Josh Betts, David Koral
RB Dominic Rhodes, Joseph Addai, Kory Chapman, Tony Hollings
FB James Mungro (IR)
WR Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley (inj), Aaron Moorehead, Terrence Wilkins (KR), Levon Thomas, Dan Sheldon, Ed Hinkel, John Standeford, Montiese Culton, Marc Boerigter
TE Dallas Clark, Bryan Fletcher, Ben Utecht, Ben Hartsock, Joey Hawkins, Corey Roberts (res)
K Adam Vinatieri (inj)
DT Corey Simon, Montae Reagor, Vincent Burns, Darrell Reid, Tom Johnson, Kader Drame, Jason Davis
DE Dwight Freeney, Raheem Brock (DT), Robert Mathis, Josh Thomas, Jonathan Welsh, Javor Mills, Marcus West, George Gause, Mark Word, Phillip Alexander, Gabe Nyenhuis (IR)
MLB Gary Brackett (W/M), Rob Morris
OLB Cato June (W), Gilbert Gardner (S/W), Freddie Keiaho, Keith O'Neil, Deryck Toles (W), Tyjuan Hagler (W), Brandon Hoyte, Kyle Killion (IR), Dale Robinson, Kendyll Pope (susp)
CB Nick Harper, Jason David, Marlin Jackson (CB/FS), Kelvin Hayden, Tim Jennings, Von Hutchins, T.J. Rushing, Shannon Fitzhugh
S Bob Sanders (FS), Mike Doss (SS), Matt Giordano (FS), Dexter Reid, Antoine Bethea (FS), Daryl Dixon (FS), Tanard Davis, Jammal Lord (FS), Jahmile Addae (FS), Waine Bacon

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB: Whatever controversy there was over the Jaguars starting QB ended quickly after Saturday’s loss to Carolina. David Garrard got playing time with the starters – on both sides – but fumbled three times, threw an interception and was sacked once. He was later intercepted a second time by the Panthers second-team defense in the third quarter. “A real tough night,” Garrard said. “I haven't had one of those in quite a while. I guess it happens to the best of us. It does hurt a little bit more when you're trying to get these valuable reps because you don't get many of them, and when you do, you've got to seize the moment.” Garrard’s lackluster performance also galvanized Byron Leftwich’s hold on the starting job. Leftwich started the game and played for two series. He went 4-of-4 for 52 yards despite being sacked twice. Garrard finished 7-of-11 for 86 yards. Quinn Gray finished off the game completing 10-of-19 for 82 yards and a fourth quarter 10-yard TD pass to Greg Estandia. Gray also ran twice for 16 yards.

RB: Fred Taylor ran five times for 15 yards against Carolina and caught one pass for 11 yards. He played into the second quarter before giving way to Greg Jones. LaBrandon Toefield started the second half as Maurice Drew worked his way into the mix late in the third quarter and into the fourth. Alvin Pearman was on the field for the team’s last drive, mostly from the shotgun. Taylor continues to hear rumors about Greg Jones pushing him for the starting job, but HC Jack Del Rio was talking more about Taylor’s health and his good conditioning entering camp. “This is the first year he entered the offseason healthy,” Del Rio said, “He had a great offseason and entered camp healthy and has stayed healthy. It's been very positive.” Greg Jones ran three times for 12 yards. Toefield gained 21 yards on six attempts. Drew ran just twice for two yards and caught one ball for another 6 yards. Pearman gained three yards on two carries, but caught two balls for 21 yards out of the shotgun with Quinn Gray.

WR: Reggie Williams took advantage of Matt Jones’ absence due to a sore ankle. Williams performed well catching three balls for 54 yards. He started the game alongside Ernest Wilford, who caught two balls for 31 yards. Fred Stamps caught two for 37 yards and Cortez Hankton had two for 16 yards. Chad Owens continues to push for a roster spot catching three balls for 20 yards. HC Del Rio wanted to let Owens know that he’s in the team’s plans as a receiver, not just a return specialist. “It was just reassuring,” Owens said. “It made me feel really good that they care about me, and I took that to heart. It boosted my confidence.”

TE: Marcedes Lewis did not play and he is not expected to play possibly until the regular season due to a high-ankle sprain suffered a week ago. Lewis is expected to be a big part of the Jags offense this year, but first he needs to get healthy and back onto the field so he can continue developing chemistry with Leftwich. In his stead, George Wrighster caught one pass and Greg Estandia had a 10-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

Defense: The Jaguars recorded four sacks against Carolina and only allowed 10 points in the game. Safety Deon Grant paced the team with four solo tackles and Nick Greisen, pushing for a starting job at WLB, finished with five tackles (3-2-0). Brent Hawkins, Bobby McCray, Marcellus Wiley and Anthony Maddox each had a sack. DT Marcus Stroud bruised his left heel and he was wearing a walking boot after the game.

Special Teams: Kicker Josh Scobee was held out again as he recovers from a leg strain. Seth Marler handled the kicking against Carolina. He connected from 50 yards on his only field goal attempt, and added a PAT. HC Jack Del Rio discussed the emergence of second year WR Chad Owens, "He's working hard. He's displaying more confidence right now. The success he enjoyed Saturday night [first preseason game], fielding the ball cleanly, making plays in the passing game, those are the kind of things we envisioned for him." In this week’s game he had a seven yard punt return. RB Alvin Pearman was the leading punt returner for the team last year. He reminded the coaches of that fact with a 34-yard return. He actually returned it 77 yards for an apparent score, but a penalty negated it. Rookie RB Maurice Drew multitasked, averaging 7.0 yards on two punt returns and returning a kickoff 23 yards. Starting kickoff returner, RB Derrick Wimbush, did not have any returns in the game. Rookie LB Brent Hawkins averaged 12.5 yards on two kickoff returns. He is not a threat to Wimbush or Drew’s role.

Jaguars Depth Chart
QB Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, Quinn Gray
RB Fred Taylor (inj), Maurice Drew (KR/3RB), Alvin Pearman (3RB/PR), LaBrandon Toefield, Rich Alexis, Montell Owens
FB Greg Jones (SD), Derrick Wimbush (KR)
WR Matt Jones, Ernest Wilford, Reggie Williams, Cortez Hankton, Randy Hymes, Troy Edwards, Fred Stamps, Kyle Brown
TE Kyle Brady, Marcedes Lewis (inj), George Wrighster, Brian Jones, Greg Estandia, Todd Yoder
K Josh Scobee, Seth Marler
DE Reggie Hayward, Paul Spicer, Bobby McCray, Marcellus Wiley, Brent Hawkins, James Wyche
DT Marcus Stroud, John Henderson, Anthony Maddox, Martin Chase
MLB Mike Peterson, Tony Gilbert
OLB Daryl Smith (S/W), Nick Greisen (W), Pat Thomas (W), Jorge Cordova (W/S), Clint Engram (W), Brian Iwuh
CB Rashean Mathis, Brian Williams, Terry Cousin, David Richardson, Scott Starks, Demetrice Webb, Trestin George
S Donovan Darius (SS) (inj), Deon Grant (FS), Gerald Sensabaugh (SS), Jamaal Fudge, Chris Roberson (FS/CB), Nick Sorenson (FS) (inj)

Kansas City Chiefs

QB: The Chiefs were shutout by the NY Giants last Thursday as they were outplayed by the Giants starters and backups in a 17-0 loss. “We've done this two weeks in a row,” said head coach Herman Edwards rather matter of factly. “I flat out told the guys it wasn't a good job coaching, and you just can't play like that against a team that went to the playoffs last year. We have to hurry up and rally now.” Trent Green finished 4-of-6 for 32 yards with no TDs or interceptions, but clearly the team was hoping to move the ball better against the Giants. “Is it time to panic?” Green asked. “No, but I definitely think there has to be much more of a sense of urgency on the starters part.” Green played just two series before Damon Huard took over to start the second quarter. Huard completed 2-of-4 passes for 10 yards playing for two drives as well. Casey Printers took over with just under 4 minutes to play in the first half. Printers played four series (into the fourth quarter) before giving way to newly signed Jeff Smoker, played the last two series. Smoker also went 2-of-4 throwing for 15 yards while Printers completed 5-of-10 for 33 yards and he ran for 10 yards on two runs.

RB: Dee Brown led the Chiefs with 15 rushing yards on four attempts. Larry Johnson started the game, but finished with only 8 yards on four carries. Quentin Griffin and McKenzie Smith also played, but neither generated a run longer than three yards. Johnson was on the field for the first three series before Brown took the field for the next two series followed by Smith. The Chiefs primary backup is Michael Bennett, but he didn’t play in Saturday’s game. Brown, Smith and Griffin are the main competition for the team’s No. 3 job with Derrick Ross and De’Arrius Howard also looking for a roster spot.

WR: None of the Chiefs receivers caught more than one pass each as Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, Jeff Webb and Craphonso Thorpe all cracked the box score, but otherwise, they did very little. Kennison and Parker remain the starters with Dante Hall clearly the team’s No. 3. That leaves Thorpe, Webb, Jeris McIntye and a handful of other relatively unknown players competing for the last roster spot or two. Thorpe spent all of last season on the practice squad and he would appear to have the inside track on one of those spots with Webb right behind him.

TE: Tony Gonzalez caught one ball for 8 yards and Kris Wilson led the team with 16 yards on two catches.

Defense: The defense continues to be a work in progress. Second year LB Derrick Johnson set the tone with nine tackles (7-2-0) in Saturday’s game. MLB Kawika Mitchell had seven tackles (5-2-0) and safety Greg Wesley finished with five solo tackles. Kendrell Bell checked in with four tackles. DE Clint Mitchell had four tackles and a sack. Benny Sapp also recorded a sack and three tackles. DT James Reed also had a sack.

Other: With Willie Roaf “retired”, the Chiefs can’t afford too many more hits on their offensive line, but All Pro guard Will Shields missed practice on Saturday with a high ankle sprain suffered in Thursday’s game. He was wearing a protective boot on his left foot. HC Herm Edwards doesn’t know when, exactly, Shields will return, but it could be a couple weeks. “I don’t know if he’s going to play this week or not,” Edwards said. “We’ll see.” As for Roaf, he reiterated on ESPN’s Cold Pizza that he is not just sitting out the preseason under the guise of retirement. “I’m not one of those guys who’s going to miss all the camp and then come back and play football,” Roaf said. “I don’t think that’s fair to my teammates and to the fans and everybody to do it like that. If I’m going to be there, I’m going to be there and be committed to the team.” The Chiefs offensive line is the key to their offense, and particularly Larry Johnson’s effectiveness. With Roaf gone and Shields slowed with a high ankle sprain, fantasy owners may want to consider taking Tomlinson or Alexander over Larry Johnson with that #1 overall pick. No reason to panic here, but this is clearly something to keep your eyes on over the next couple of weeks.

Special Teams: Kicker Lawrence Tynes didn’t have any scoring opportunities, as the Chiefs were shutout in their game at the NY Giants. He did get to kickoff once for 69 yards. Free agent kicker Rhys Lloyd was in for a tryout, and connected on 19-of-20 field goals. Nonetheless, Tynes’ job is not in jeopardy. WR/KR/PR Dante Hall had no gain on one punt return. Meanwhile, the backup roles appear to be taking shape. On kickoff returns, RB Quentin Griffin looked decent for the second week in a row, averaging 23.0 yards on two returns. Rookie WR Jeff Webb returned one 23 yards, and WR Chris Hannon returned one 22 yards. WR Nate Curry is emerging on punt returns. He averaged 11.0 yards on two returns against the Giants, and had a fair catch. He’s on the bubble to make the team.

Chiefs Depth Chart
QB Trent Green, Damon Huard, Brody Croyle, Casey Printers, Jeff Smoker
RB Larry Johnson, Michael Bennett, Dee Brown, McKenzi Smith, Quentin Griffin, De'Arrius Howard, Derrick Ross, Priest Holmes (PUP)
FB Ronnie Cruz, J.R. Niklos, Travis Wilson
WR Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, Dante Hall (KR/PR), Craphonso Thorpe, Jeris McIntyre, Jeff Webb, Nate Curry, Chris Hannon, Terrance Metcalf, Scott McCready, Darrell Hill
TE Tony Gonzalez, Kris Wilson (HB), Jason Dunn, Aaron Golliday, Bob Docherty
K Lawrence Tynes
DE Jared Allen, Eric Hicks (inj), Tamba Hali, Carlos Hall, Jimmy Wilkerson (DT), Clint Mitchell
DT Ryan Sims (NT), Lional Dalton, Ron Edwards, Junior Siavii, John Browning (inj), James Reed, Alex Guerrero, Shane Burton, Steve Williams
MLB Kawika Mitchell, Rich Scanlon, Boomer Grigsby
OLB Derrick Johnson (R), Kendrell Bell (L), Keyaron Fox (S/W), Kris Griffin, Nick Reid, William Kershaw, Brandon Guillory
CB Patrick Surtain, Ty Law, Lenny Walls, Benny Sapp, Chris Johnson, Alphonso Hodge, Marcus Maxey, Justin Perkins, Jerald Brown
S Sammy Knight (SS), Greg Wesley (FS), Bernard Pollard (SS), Jarrad Page (FS), Gabriel Helms

Miami Dolphins

QB: Daunte Culpepper cleared a huge hurdle in his improbable comeback this preseason as he took his first live hit in game action followed by a second and third against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. “It was beautiful to finally get a hit because everybody was kind of waiting to see what would happen, what would be my reaction,” Culpepper said. “I think I handled it pretty well.” Culpepper played into the second quarter going 7-of-9 for 86 yards. He led a nine-minute drive that culminated in a 1-yard TD run by Sammy Morris. Culpepper wasn’t able to avoid the Bucs defense completely. He was sacked on back-to-back plays in the first quarter, fumbling on the first hit but Ronnie Brown pounced on the ball to maintain possession for the Dolphins. Joey Harrington entered the game after Culpepper and completed 8-of-15 for 81 yards. He led the Dolphins to a pair of field goals before Cleo Lemon took over to start the fourth quarter. Lemon finished 3-of-7 for 29 yards.

RB: Ronnie Brown started and led the Dolphins with 32 yards rushing on seven carries. He also caught two balls for another 27 yards as he played until midway through the second quarter as the Dolphins drove deep into Bucs territory. Brown left the field after a five yard run on 1st-and-10 that put them at the Bucs 13-yard line. Sammy Morris took the field and he ran four times finishing off the drive with a 1-yard TD with just over 5 minutes on the clock before halftime. Morris finished out the half with 22 yards on five carries. Travis Minor started the second half playing two series (five carries for 18 yards) with Kay-Jay Harris taking over in the fourth quarter for a series. Gerald Riggs and Harris alternated series to finish the game. Harris finished with five yards on four carries while Riggs gained 8 yards on three carries.

WR: Second year WR Fred Gibson caught two balls for 33 yards and rookie Derek Hagan had three receptions for 30 yards. Starters Chris Chambers (two catches for 10 yards) and Marty Booker (1 for 20 yards) played into the early second quarter. Chambers was targeted three times, Booker twice. The main competition among the receivers is for the No. 3 and No. 4 jobs. Wesley Welker is locked in as the team’s No. 3 at the moment with rookie Derek Hagan looking to move into that spot at some point this year. Marcus Vick has provided several nice plays throughout camp, but he faces competition from Kelly Campbell, Kendall Newson, Jamal Broussard and Fred Gibson for a roster spot.

TE: Jason Rader led the team with three catches for 37 yards while starter Randy McMichael caught one ball for 15 yards and Keith Heinrich had one reception for 14 yards.

Defense: The Dolphins added veteran DT Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson last week to bolster the defensive line. Wilkinson paid immediate dividends in Saturday’s game sacking Bucs QB Chris Simms. “I've been healthy, and I have been in good shape pretty much my entire career,” Wilkinson said. “I knew coming out here I was ready to roll.” DE Jason Taylor returned to action starting for the Dolphins after he sat out last week’s game with an ailing back. In Saturday’s game, Jack Hunt led the team with five tackles and an interception. Mike Labinjo had four tackles and Keith Newman had a sack and 2 tackles. DT Jeff Zgonina also had a sack. Derrick Pope forced a fumble and Deke Cooper had an interception as well. Rookie Jason Allen played (1-1-0) but was beat deep for a touchdown in the fourth quarter by the Bucs Edell Shepherd. David Bowens is pushing Matt Roth for playing time at defensive end. Last week, Roth gave way to Bowens on passing-downs, but the move may not be permanent.

Special Teams: Camp leg Ola Kimrin did not play in the game at Tampa Bay. Starting kicker Olindo Mare made field goals of 41 and 52 yards, and added a PAT. He also connected on a 54-yarder with plenty to spare in practice during the week. Other than the occasional kick off the baseball infield, he’s having a solid training camp. Return specialist Wes Welker averaged 20.0 yards on two kickoff returns, and fair caught a punt. WR Frank Murphy had a 22-yard kickoff return. He’s currently listed third on the KR depth chart, and second for PRs. RB Travis Minor is the backup on kickoff returns. Another potential backup on kickoff returns, WR Kelly Campbell, did not play in the game. WR Jamall Broussard is a potential backup on punt returns, however he had no gain on his one return and he’s a long shot to make the final roster. WR Marcus Vick averaged 6.0 yards on his two punt returns. He probably has a better shot of surviving the roster cuts than Broussard.

Dolphins Depth Chart
QB Daunte Culpepper (inj), Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, Brock Berlin
RB Ronnie Brown, Sammy Morris, Travis Minor, Kay Jay Harris, Gerald Riggs Jr., Ricky Williams (susp)
FB Fred Beasley, Darian Barnes
WR Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Wesley Welker (KR/PR), Derek Hagan, Devin Aromashodu, Kelly Campbell, Marcus Vick (QB), Kendall Newson, Fred Gibson, Jamal Broussard (KR), Eric Kimble, Frank Murphy (KR)
TE Randy McMichael, Justin Peelle, Keith Heinrich, Jason Rader
K Olindo Mare
DE Jason Taylor (OLB) (inj), Kevin Carter (DT), Matt Roth, David Bowens, Ben Ishola
DT Keith Traylor (NT), Dan Wilkinson, Vonnie Holiday, Jeff Zgonina, Fred Evans, Josh Shaw, Kevin Vickerson, Steve Fifita, Manuel Wright (NT), Rodrique Wright (inj)
MLB Zack Thomas, Lester Towns, Mike Labinjo
OLB Channing Crowder (W/M), Donnie Spragan (S), Sedrick Hodge (S), Derrick Pope (W), Keith Newman, Sam McGrew, Travis Harris
CB Travis Daniels (inj), Will Allen, Jason Allen (FS), Renaldo Hill, Andre Goodman, Eddie Jackson, Shirdonya Mitchell, Chris Thompson
S Travares Tillman (SS), Yeremiah Bell (SS), Deke Cooper (FS), Michael Lehan (FS), Jack Hunt, Norman LeJeune

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Brad Johnson started the game and had no problems driving the field against the Steelers defense. He went 9-of-11 for 71 yards while throwing a 12-yard TD to tight end Jermaine Wiggins to finish the Vikings drive successfully. While Johnson played well, for the second game in a row, rookie Tarvaris Jackson was the star of the game. In limited playing time, Jackson moved the Vikings offense. He tossed a 6-yard TD to Jason Carter early in the third quarter to give the Vikings a 17-7 lead. He was 5-for-5 on that drive for 54 yards looking sharper than he did a week ago against Oakland. “This is what we have to do as a team every week,” wide receiver Troy Williamson said. “We've got two good quarterbacks and one who's still learning what to do.” The biggest play was a 26-yard completion on second-and-17 to Ryan Hoag after Jackson was sacked on first down. For the second game in a row, Jackson outplayed Mike McMahon, who was expected to be Johnson’s backup this season. McMahon didn’t fare well completing only one pass in seven attempts for 42 yards with an interception. At this point, it would be a miracle if McMahon sticks as the No. 2, much less makes the roster as J.T. O’Sullivan could put the squeeze on him for the No. 3 job.

RB: As expected, Chester Taylor started the game. Taylor ran well gaining 36 yards on 10 carries while catching three balls for another 15 yards. He played until midway in the second quarter before Ciatrick Fason entered the game. Fason was recently promoted ahead of Mewelde Moore on the team’s depth chart; and he got a full workload playing well into the fourth quarter. He gained 31 yards on nine carries before giving way to Wendell Mathis late in the game. Mathis gained 36 yards against the 2s and 3s on eight carries. Joe Echemandu played briefly at the tail end of the game running three times for 8 yards.

WR: The story of last week, of course, was Koren Robinson’s DUI and incarceration following an attempt to flee police. Robinson is already in the league’s substance abuse program and this latest incident likely put the nail in Robinson’s coffin for this year, but also for the potentially lucrative free agent contract that he signed during the offseason. The Vikings HC Brad Childress hinted they might release Robinson as he’s trying to build a team based on accountability and this certainly wouldn’t set a good example. “I have no tolerance (for irresponsible players),” said Childress. “I am trying to create a culture of accountability. It doesn't matter who it is. ... You can't drive when you've been drinking.” Obviously, Robinson was not in uniform Saturday night against the Steelers.

Travis Taylor took his place in the starting lineup opposite Troy Williamson – who was targeted twice catching both balls for 13 yards. Unfortunately, he was also flagged for an offensive holding that negated a 17-yard run by Chester Taylor in the first quarter. Travis Taylor was targeted three times catching two for 40 yards. The team’s pecking order now looks like this: Marcus Robinson is the No. 3 and Billy McMullen is No. 4. Jason Carter had a 42-yard catch and a 6-yard TD while Ryan Hoag caught one ball for 26 yards. Kevin Kasper did not play in the game and was wearing a walking boot to help his sprained ankle heal.

TE: Jermaine Wiggins caught three balls for 21 yards including a 12-yard TD catch on the team’s opening drive. He was targeted five times. Richard Owens caught two balls for 15 yards. Jim Kleinsasser continues to rehab from a broken bone suffered in early August.

Defense: LB Heath Farwell continues to make a good showing in the preseason. This time around, he led the team with 4 solo tackles and a sack. Will Hunter (4-0-0) and Ronyell Whittaker (4-1-1) got into the mix, too. Darrion Scott had a sack and Darren Sharper intercepted a Charlie Batch pass. Following last week’s devastating injury, rookie LB Chad Greenway was placed on the team’s injured reserve with a torn ACL.

Special Teams: Kicker Ryan Longwell kicked a 38-yard field goal and added 2 PATs in the game at Pittsburgh. The big special teams question of whether the Vikings would continue to use WR Koren Robinson as the primary kickoff returner this year is now moot, given his legal problems. RB Mewelde Moore entered the preseason as one of the primary returner candidates, and WR Kevin Kasper has emerged during camp to join him. Both missed the Steelers game due to injuries, Moore with a knee and Kasper with a high ankle sprain. Kasper’s absence hurts his chances of sticking with the team. Two rookies got an opportunity to handle returns and improve their chances of making the final roster. RB Wendell Mathis averaged 27.7 yards on three kickoff returns. WR Jason Carter averaged 8.0 yards on three punt returns. Two other players have been practicing on returns for the first time in quite awhile. WR Travis Taylor had not handled returns since his second year in college, "It's a learning process. It's something different. I saw Jermaine Lewis do it for four years in Baltimore. The guy was one of the best I've ever seen. I learned a lot from him. But at the same time, I never thought I would do it much myself." RB Ciatrick Fason had not handled returns regularly since high school, “It kind of feels like this is my first time doing it, "But I just want to help out any way I can."

Vikings Depth Chart
QB Brad Johnson, Tarvaris Jackson, Mike McMahon, J.T. O'Sullivan
RB Chester Taylor, Mewelde Moore (PR/KR), Ciatrick Fason, Joe Echemandu, Wendell Mathis
FB Tony Richardson, Richard Owens, Steven Jackson, Brandon Jones, Joey Goodspeed (inj)
WR Koren Robinson, Troy Williamson, Travis Taylor, Marcus Robinson, Billy McMullen, Aaron Hosack, Ryan Hoag, Kevin Kasper (inj), Josh Davis, Jason Carter
TE Jermaine Wiggins, Jim Kleinsasser (FB), Richard Angulo, Jeff Dugan
K Ryan Longwell
DE Erasmus James, Kenechi Udeze, Darrion Scott, DeQuincy Scott, Ray Edwards, Jayme Mitchell, Khreem Smith
DT Pat Williams (NT), Kevin Williams (DE), Spencer Johnson (DT), C.J. Mosley, Eric Taylor, Manase Hopoi, Ross Kolodziej
MLB Napoleon Harris (M/S), Dontarrious Thomas (W/M), Rod Davis, Kyle McKenzie
OLB Ben Leber (S), E.J. Henderson (M/W), Heath Farwell (S), Marcus Lawrence, Jason Glenn, Chad Greenway (IR)
CB Antoine Winfield, Fred Smoot, Devonte Edwards (KR), Cedric Griffin, Dustin Fox (FS), Will Hunter, Ronyell Whittaker, Tony Beckham, Ahmad Treaudo, Charles Gordon (inj)
S Darren Sharper (FS), Dwight Smith (SS/FS), Willie Offord (SS), Greg Blue (FS/SS), Tank Williams (IR)

New England Patriots

QB: Matt Cassel was the story on Saturday night as the Patriots steamrolled the Arizona Cardinals 30-3 in preseason action. Cassel completed 14-of-20 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 31 yards on five runs. Cassel appeared calm in the pocket as he outplayed his former teammate Matt Leinart in the Patriots win. When Bill Belichick was asked about Leinart’s performance, he quipped, “I thought our USC quarterback did a pretty good job out there tonight.” Matt Leinart even commented on Cassel following the game. “I was happy for him,” said Leinart. “We're good friends and we talked a couple of times last week. He showed he can be an NFL player.” Tom Brady played the entire first half helping the Patriots to a 13-3 lead. Brady finished 15-of-20 for 149 yards. A story broke last week that Tom Brady’s name has surfaced peripherally in the BALCO investigation, but it’s unclear at this point, whether there is anything of substance other than anecdotal evidence. For his part, Brady denied any affiliation with the Barry Bonds’ trainer other than initially having some interest to work with him, but he said that he never followed through and actually met him.

RB: With Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney leading the way, the Patriots running game should be markedly improved this season. Dillon is running with purpose again, but it’s still unclear whether he’ll be the team’s bell cow – and carry 20+ times per game – or if Maroney will emerge as the team’s primary runner sooner rather than later. There’s no question that Maroney is an explosive runner. For the second straight game, Maroney played very well running for 28 yards on six carries. Dillon ran ten times for 26 yards, scoring on a 4-yard run in the second quarter. Patrick Cobbs ran for 26 yards on eight carries and caught one ball for 19 yards. Cobbs is competing with Heath Evans for a roster spot. Evans caught a 9-yard TD in the third quarter and ran for 28 yards on five carries. Kevin Faulk showed his explosiveness gaining 21 yards on just two attempts, while catching three balls for another 34 yards.

WR: Deion Branch remains a holdout and there’s no end in sight. If Branch sticks to his guns, he may only report to the team in time to play the minimum number of games to remain eligible for free agency next spring. Troy Brown caught two balls for 31 yards and Reche Caldwell had two catches for 11 yards. They are expected to start for the Patriots pending Branch’s return. Bam Childress had a strong game with 75 yards on three catches as he continues to push for a role after surprising the team with a solid camp a year ago. Rookie first-rounder Chad Jackson continues to struggle with a hamstring injury. Rich Musinski caught a 5-yard TD from Matt Cassel in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals reserves. Eddie Berlin, signed last week, caught one ball for 13 yards.

TE: Ben Watson looks more and more like he could be the team’s most frequently targeted receiver in 2006. Watson caught four balls for 40 yards on Saturday night against Arizona to lead the team in receptions. Daniel Graham caught one ball for 10 yards and rookies David Thomas and Garrett Mills made some plays. Thomas made a 32-yard reception finishing with 40 yards on two catches. Mills, who was a standout in the previous game, caught two balls for 13 yards. The Patriots waived veteran Walter Rasby last week and signed Chris Luzar.

Defense: Tully Banta-Cain continues to push for a starting job at OLB. He recorded a sack and three tackles against the Cardinals. Dan Klecko had two sacks and a forced fumble while Asante Samuel and Eric Warfield each intercepted a pass as the Patriots held the Cardinals offense in check all night long. LB Tedy Bruschi will miss the rest of the preseason with a broken left wrist, which prompted the Patriots to sign Junior Seau, who held a press conference earlier last week announcing his retirement, or “graduation” as he eloquently put it. The Patriots VP Scott Pioli recently attended a Cowboys practice prompting rumors the Patriots could be targeting the Cowboys depth at LB, perhaps Scott Shanle. The Patriots waived CB Gemara Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Buffalo, after re-signing him last week.

Special Teams: Last week rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski was given the chance to shine in the spotlight. He handled most of the work in practice, and all the kicking against Arizona. In his first practice not shared with Martin Gramatica, he went 6-of-8 on field goals, missing wide right from 37 and 42. In the game, he was good on all three of his field goal attempts (33, 37, and 37 yards), and he added 3 PATs. His kickoffs varied quite a bit (72, 64, 53, 69, 73, 69, and 61 yards). Rookie CB Willie Andrews continues to look like he’ll make the team and serve as the return specialist. He believes so, “After the game, I felt like this is my opportunity, this is the place for me. Arena, NFL Europe, those are not things for me. The NFL is for me. I feel like I can compete on this level. I feel like I need to be here, and I’m going to be here.’’ HC Bill Belichick would never reveal anything, but he did give Andrews a compliment, “A lot of players have skills as returners. Other players have skills as coverage guys, and he is a little bit unique in that he has skills in both areas. He brings that to the table. He did that in college.” If he doesn’t make the final roster, returns would be handled by some combination of anyone and everyone, such as CB Ellis Hobbs, RB Kevin Faulk, RB Laurence Maroney, WR Reche Caldwell, WR John Stone, WR Chad Jackson, WR Bam Childress, WR Matt Shelton, WR Kelvin Kight, CB Vernell Brown, WR Reche Caldwell, WR Eddie Berlin, and/or WR Troy Brown.

Patriots Depth Chart
QB Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Corey Bramlet
RB Corey Dillon, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk (3RB), Patrick Cobbs
FB Patrick Pass (3RB), Heath Evans
WR Deion Branch, Reche Caldwell, Chad Jackson, Troy Brown, Bam Childress, Rich Musinski, Erik Davis, Michael McGrew, Zuriel Smith, John Stone, Keron Henry, Eddie Berlin, Matt Shelton (IR)
TE Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, David Thomas, Garrett Mills (HB/FB), Matt Brandt, Chris Luzar
K Martin Gramatica, Stephen Gostkowski
DE Richard Seymour (DT), Ty Warren (DT), Jarvis Green, Marquise Hill, Ifo Pili
NT Vince Wilfork, Mario Monds, Dan Klecko, Johnathan Sullivan, Le Kevin Smith
MLB Tedy Bruschi (inj), Monty Beisel (inj), Chad Brown, Junior Seau, Barry Gardner, Larry Izzo, Don Davis, Fred Roach
OLB Rosevelt Colvin (W/DE), Mike Vrabel (S/I), Tully Banta-Cain (S), Pierre Woods, Jeremy Mincey
CB Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs (KR), Randall Gay, Chad Scott, Eric Warfield, Hank Poteat, Willie Andrews, Antwain Spann, Vernell Brown
S Eugene Wilson (FS/CB), Rodney Harrison (SS), Tebucky Jones (SS/FS), James Sanders (SS), Artrell Hawkins (SS), Guss Scott, Mel Mitchell (IR)

New Orleans Saints

QB: The Saints offense couldn’t get anything going against the Cowboys first-team defense. Brees played in the first half completing 7-of-12 passes for 67 yards. Backup Todd Bouman played the second half, going 13-of-16 for 117 yards. Adrian McPherson did not play against Dallas. He remains out with a bruised knee after being hit by the Titans cart-driving mascot.

RB: Monday night’s game marked the return of Saints RB Deuce McAllister to the field. McAllister ran twice for eight yards in his first appearance since his season-ending knee injury last season. “The knee felt fine... no apprehension about anything," McAllister said. "There are a few mental hurdles I have to get over, but I'm ready to work.” McAllister also caught one ball for four yards. Reggie Bush didn’t produce much in the box score. He ran four times for 7 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards. He had two plays in particular where his burst and quickness were on display – a nine-yard run and an 11-yard catch on a third-and-2. "This isn't the old Saints any more," he said. "We need to take three-and-outs personal. We need to change our way of thinking. We need to keep our defense off the field. We didn't do our job as an offense." Jamaal Branch had the lone score for New Orleans, a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Branch led the Saints with 40 yards on 11 carries, but he also coughed up the football once; something he can’t do if he expects to make the regular season roster.

WR: Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth started against Dallas on Monday night. Horn caught two balls for 34 yards and Stallworth produced 15 yards on two catches. Devery Henderson caught two balls for 10 yards and Marques Colston had two for 20 yards. None of the Saints receivers stood out as six different wide outs caught one or two balls. Stallworth was back in the starting lineup after sitting last week. HC Sean Payton said before the game. “We’ll get a look at Donte that we didn’t get a week ago. He was coming off a tight hamstring, so we didn’t play him in the game last week. He’s going to get to play a bunch.” Henderson continues to compete with Chris Horn, Bethel Johnson, Mike Hass and Chase Lyman for the No. 3, 4 and 5 spots. Michael Lewis did not play against Dallas.

TE: Ernie Conwell started on Monday night, but he didn’t catch a pass. Conwell continues to start with Mark Campbell running second. Zach Hilton continues to run third and his spot on the roster isn’t secure as Tim Euhus and Nate Lawrie want the job, too.

Defense: Former Purdue Boilermaker DE Rob Ninkovich had a big game with eight tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. S Roman Harper recovered one of those fumbles and returned it 19 yards. LB Jay Foreman produced seven solo tackles. Scott Fujita, the team’s new strongside backer, had four tackles. E.J. Kuale, Terrence Melton and Fred Thomas had three tackles each. Omar Stoutmire is making a run at the starting strong safety job after he ran with the 1s during June mini-camp. “Just because you're with the ones doesn't mean that you are a starter. It's training camp and everyone is battling for positions. I have been in this system before, so schematically I know pretty much what to do."

Special Teams: The kickers didn’t get a chance to do much against Dallas. John Carney sent the opening kickoff 65 yards. Connor Hughes kicked a PAT and a 58-yard kickoff. The kickoff returners saw plenty of work, since the Cowboys scored often. WR Bethel Johnson again saw the majority of the work, averaging 20.3 yards on three kickoff returns. Three other players each had one kickoff return, WR Donte Stallworth for 23 yards, WR Devery Henderson for 22 yards, and RB Mike Karney for seven yards. The primary competition is probably between Johnson and RB Aaron Stecker, who missed the game with a sprained ankle. That also hinges on whether return specialist WR Michael Lewis is healthy enough to play. HC Sean Payton discussed that situation, “I know he's feeling better, but I didn't watch him work with the trainers. He's progressing. I think he's feeling better. The key is when he comes off of a day of rehab, how does the knee handle the swelling. He's heading in the right direction. Obviously all these guys want to be out there and playing, so we can evaluate them. If we can't evaluate them, it's difficult. We got some options." QB Adrian McPherson will not be an option for awhile, as he deals with a knee bruise after getting run over by a mascot’s golf cart. The final big question is how much will rookie RB Reggie Bush be used on returns. He lined up deep on one punt return against the Cowboys, but let the ball bounce. He discussed the topic last week, "This is preseason. This is a chance for learning. I'm pretty sure they don't want to overwhelm me right now. Just kind of break me in slowly but surely. I'm going to get a chance to return some punts, so it's just a process. We're taking it step by step. It'll be up to [Payton] and we'll see what happens."

Saints Depth Chart
QB Drew Brees, Jamie Martin, Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson (inj), Jason Fife
RB Deuce McAllister (inj), Reggie Bush (KR/PR), Aaron Stecker (3RB/KR) (inj), Jamal Branch, Ray Hudson
FB Mike Karney, Fred McAfee
WR Joe Horn, Donte Stallworth, Devery Henderson, Bethel Johnson, Chris Horn, Mike Hass, Michael Lewis (KR/PR), Chase Lyman, Lance Moore, Jamal Jones
TE Ernie Conwell, Mark Campbell, Zach Hilton, Tim Euhus, Nate Lawrie, Marcus Colston, Billy Miller, Wesley Dukes
K John Carney, Connor Hughes
DE Charles Grant, Will Smith, Tony Bryant, Rob Ninkovich, Javon Nanton, Tommy Davis (IR)
DT Brian Young, Willie Whitehead, Hollis Thomas, Rodney Leisle, Brandon Villareal, Joe Minucci
MLB Alfred Fincher, Tommy Polley (W) (inj)
OLB Scott Fujita (S), Colby Bockwoldt (W), Jay Foreman, Terrence Melton (W), Scott Shanle (S), Nate Wayne, E.J. Kuale, James Allen (S) (inj)
CB Mike McKenzie, Jason Craft, Fred Thomas, Joey Thomas, Josh Lay, Grant Mason, Anwar Phillips, Ray Williams
S Josh Bullocks (FS), Bryan Scott (SS/FS), Jay Bellamy (SS), Roman Harper (FS), Steve Gleason (FS)

New York Giants

QB: For the first time this preseason the Giants offense played with all 11 starters on the field together. Eli Manning shredded the Chiefs defense for touchdowns on two of their first three drives. The first drive resulted in a 5-yard TD pass to Amani Toomer and the second drive was capped by a 1-yard TD run by Brandon Jacobs. The other drive probably would’ve resulted in points, but it was foiled by holding penalties on back-to-back plays by Jeremy Shockey and Tim Carter in Chiefs territory. Manning finished the evening 11-of-14 for 80 yards as he spread the ball around completing two passes each to Toomer, Plaxico Burress and Tim Carter. “We came out here and played very well,” Manning said. “The defense did a great job of getting us good field possession on the first series and we were able to run the ball, throw the ball and convert third downs.” On the team’s second drive, Manning operated a no-huddle offense that covered 52 yards on eight plays without all of the team’s starters in the game. The Giants had only one third-down play on the drive; Jacobs’ 1-yard TD plunge.

The game also marked the return of 33-year old Rob Johnson, who hasn’t played since 2003 after having Tommy John surgery to repair his injured elbow. Johnson replaced Manning in the second quarter and played five series. He completed 7-of-14 passes for 62 yards. The veteran put up points on his last drive, taking New York 65 yards for a 31-yard field goal by Jay Feely on the final play of the third quarter. “I'm not satisfied,” Johnson said. “I have a lot to improve on.” Jared Lorenzen finished the game completing 3-of-4 for 24 yards.

RB: Tiki Barber made his first appearance of the preseason running five times for 22 yards. He caught one pass for nine yards. Brandon Jacobs carried 9 times for 40 yards with the aforementioned 1-yard TD run. Mike Jemison carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards and James Sims ran five times for 22 yards. Jemison also caught one pass for 13 yards. Sims took the field for the Giants last drive before halftime and played two series in the third quarter before Jemison took over. He played for two series and Little John Flowers played on the team’s last two series.

WR: Starters Plaxico Burress (2-22-0) and Amani Toomer (2-14-1) played well in their brief stints; each player was targeted three times by Manning. Michael Jennings led the team with three catches and 24 yards. He played with Johnson and Lorenzen, but also returned punts for the team. Jennings is having a solid camp, but he’s competing for a roster spot with Anthony Mix, Triandos Luke and Harry Williams. Tim Carter has the inside track on the team’s No. 3 job with a strong camp; he caught two balls for 14 yards. He had one catch nullified by a holding penalty and was targeted five times in all. He also played with the 2s as Rob Johnson took snaps at QB. Carter added a 20-yard run on a reverse. Willie Ponder and Triandos Luke each caught one pass, as well.

Rookie Sinorice Moss, expected to compete with Carter for the team’s No. 3 job, has been incognito through most of camp because of a strained quad. Moss was no stranger to injury in college either. He says he’s feeling much better of late, but the team is taking a cautious approach because of the setbacks he suffered already this summer trying to get back on the field.

TE: Jeremy Shockey caught one ball for 10 yards against the Chiefs, but he also was a key player on the Toomer TD catch as he cleared out the middle of the field on his pattern helping Toomer come free for the TD. Vishante Shiancoe caught three balls for 18 yards, while Wade Fletcher and Tony Jackson each caught a ball, as well.

Defense: The Giants defense held the Chiefs in check throughout the game as witnessed by the scoreboard (Giants 17 – Chiefs 0). They held the Chiefs to just two first downs in their first two series before the backups entered the game. Trent Green (4-of-6 for 32 yards) and Larry Johnson (4 carries for 8 yards) had little success against the Giants starters. The Chiefs got into Giants’ territory only once the entire game; to the New York 40 on their second drive. “Last week we didn't come out the way we wanted,” Giants safety Gibril Wilson said. “This week we came out flying.” LB Chase Blackburn led the Giants effort with seven solo tackles. Jason Tuck, rookie Mathias Kiwanuka and Nick McNeil recorded sacks. Kiwanuka also forced a fumble. LB Carlos Emmons didn’t play and has missed several practices in the last week because of a pinched nerve in his neck. He expects to be ready or the season opener though. “There's not a chance I won't be ready,” Emmons said. “I'll be ready. That's not ever in the picture.” The Giants hosted two visitors last week looking for potential depth along their defensive line. DTs Grady Jackson and Brentson Buckner visited with the team, but each player left without a contract offer. Lavar Arrington continues to downplay his balky knee, and promises to be ready for the season opener.

Special Teams: Jay Feely kicked a 31-yard field goal and added two PATs against Kansas City. Return specialist RB Chad Morton averaged 13.0 yards on his two punt returns. Most of the return work in the game was handled by WR Michael Jennings, perhaps to see if he was just a one hit wonder after his punt return TD the previous week. He looked solid against the Chiefs, averaging 8.7 yards on three punt returns and taking a kickoff return for 27 yards. He came close to breaking one of the punt returns. He has quickly become legitimate competition to Morton. A player who hasn’t had a chance to perform on returns as anticipated is rookie WR Sinorice Moss and his injured quadriceps. Although he could be getting close according to HC Tom Coughlin, "He's feeling much better and I'm encouraged by that. He's had setbacks whenever we've got to the point when we think were close to putting him back on the field so I would just say this, he's had a couple of good days, he feels really good, he's anxious and the prognosis is positive, so I'm hoping that in the not too distant future we get him back to practice. I say that conservatively because I know I've said that before."

Giants Depth Chart
QB Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck, Rob Johnson, Jared Lorenzen
RB Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs (SD), Derrick Ward (inj), Chad Morton (PR), Little John Flowers, James Sims, Mike Jemison
FB Jim Finn
WR Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Tim Carter, Sinorice Moss (inj), David Tyree, Willie Ponder (KR), Michael Jennings, Anthony Mix, Triandos Luke, Harry Williams
TE Jeremy Shockey, Vishante Shiancoe, Tony Jackson, Boo Williams, Wade Fletcher, Darcy Johnson
K Jay Feely
DE Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Eric Moore, Willie Evans, Thomas Carroll
DT William Joseph, Fred Robbins, Damane Duckett, Barry Cofield, Jonas Seawright, Ahmad Childress, Junior Ioane, Marcus Green
MLB Antonio Pierce (W/M), Gerris Wilkerson, Kevin Lewis, Chase Blackburn
OLB Lavar Arrington (S) (inj), Carlos Emmons (W), Reggie Torbor (S), Brandon Short (S), Nick McNeil
CB Sam Madison, Corey Webster, R.W. McQuarters (FS/PR), Frank Walker, Curtis Deloatch, Jason Bell, Brandon Williams, Gerrick McPhearson, E.J. Underwood, Kevin Dockery
S Gibril Wilson (SS), Will Demps (FS), Quentin Harris, Charlie Peprah (SS), James Butler (inj)

New York Jets

QB: The Jets entered Saturday’s game against Washington seeking clarity at two key positions – QB and RB. Chad Pennington is clearly the leader at this point, but the team has to make up its mind regarding Kellen Clemens, Patrick Ramsey and Brooks Bollinger. It’s doubtful the team will keep all four quarterbacks, so head coach Eric Mangini needs to get all of these guys some snaps to evaluate their performances in game situations. Fortunately for them, Chad Pennington missed the game due to a family illness giving the three quarterbacks more playing time. Patrick Ramsey drew the start returning to his former home field as he went 6-for-9 for 33 yards. He was sacked twice and he didn’t complete a pass longer than nine yards. “I do feel like we took a step,” Ramsey said. “But there are plenty of things that we can clean up.” Brooks Bollinger entered the game midway into the second quarter. He did as much running as he did passing. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 69 yards with five runs for 35 yards. He did lead the team on a 23-play, 76-yard drive that ate up 12 minutes of the clock, but yielded only a field goal. Second-round pick Kellen Clemens played the fourth quarter and threw the Jets only TD pass of the game, a 5-yarder caught by Reggie Newhouse.

RB: Derrick Blaylock played Saturday’s game as if he was auditioning for the team’s starting gig. With Curtis Martin on the shelf and no timetable for his return (not to mention IF he will return), Blaylock hit the ground running against Washington with 46 yards on 10 carries. The Redskins defense is regarded as one of the toughest in the league against the run, too. Blaylock took four straight handoffs on the Jets opening drive for a combined 27 yards. “I feel real good. I felt good about getting the holes, hitting the holes, and seeing the way everybody performed,” Blaylock said. “It felt good tonight.” Of course, the Jets also made a move to acquire Kevan Barlow from the 49ers on Saturday for an undisclosed 2007 draft choice. The Jets traded for Lee Suggs last week, but that deal fell through when Suggs failed the Jets team physical and he was returned to the Browns. Barlow will obviously be given every opportunity to win a major role on the team; but given his recent history it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be the starter either.

Cedric Houston and rookie Leon Washington are also competing for roles in the Jets backfield. There’s no guarantee that Barlow will step into the competition and assert himself as the team’s feature back, so the remainder of the Jets preseason holds the keys for at least one potentially strong sleeper at the RB position. Houston ran for 53 yards on 14 carries in the fourth quarter with the starters long gone and the stands half-filled, but he also fumbled the football (he recovered it as well). Washington’s biggest play came on special teams when he raced 87 yards for a touchdown on a kickoff return. Washington played part of the second quarter and all of the third; taking over after Blaylock left the game. He ran for 17 yards on six carries.

WR: Jerricho Cotchery seems poised to break into the team’s lineup this year. He started this game opposite Laveranues Coles as Justin McCariens came into the game later working with Brooks Bollinger. Cotchery caught three balls for 15 yards on Saturday on four targets. Laveranues Coles caught two balls for 13 yards on three targets while McCareins had 2 receptions for 10 yards on four targets. The play of the game came when rookie Brad Smith took a double reverse 61-yards for a touchdown catching the Redskins completely off guard. Smith is competing with Reggie Newhouse for the No. 5 spot.

TE: The Jets didn’t complete a pass to any of their tight ends in Saturday’s game. Chris Baker started the game and he was targeted once. Doug Jolley was targeted once and he was whistled for a false start on another play.

Defense: Justin Miller (4-0-0) and Rashad Washington (4-1-0) led the Jets in tackles on Saturday while Bryan Thomas collected a sack and Kerry Rhodes and Dave Ball split a sack. Ball also recovered a fumble. DB Wally Dada and David Barrett each had an interception. Safety Erik Coleman returned to practice last week after being sidelined since July 29th with an appendectomy.

Special Teams: Kicker Mike Nugent passed his first test last week, by kicking a 50-yard field goal at the end of practice, thereby canceling the evening team meetings. He didn’t get a chance to duplicate that in the game at Washington. He lined up for a 50-yard attempt, but after a delay-of-game penalty the team opted to punt. Nugent was successful from 22 and 32 yards, and added 3 PATs. His kickoffs ranged from 63 to 71 yards, along with a 41-yard squib kick and an unsuccessful onside kick attempt. Lead kickoff returner candidate, CB Justin Miller looked very good on a 47-yard kickoff return. Rookie RB Leon Washington looked even better on his 87-yard kickoff return for a score. Lead punt returner candidate, WR Tim Dwight averaged 10.5 yards on two punt returns. WR Jerricho Cotchery fair caught the punt he fielded.

Jets Depth Chart
QB Chad Pennington, Patrick Ramsey, Kellen Clemens, Brooks Bollinger
RB Kevan Barlow (inj), Cedric Houston, Derrick Blaylock, Leon Washington, Stacy Tutt (QB/WR), Curtis Martin (inj)
FB B.J. Askew, Jamar Martin
WR Laveranues Coles, Justin McCareins, Jerricho Cotchery, Tim Dwight (PR), Brad Smith, Reggie Newhouse, Dante Ridgeway, Maurice Avery, Phil Silva, Chris Baker, Mario Hill
TE Chris Baker, Doug Jolley, Joel Dreessen, Walter Rasby, Jason Pociask (IR)
K Mike Nugent
DE Shaun Ellis, Kimo Van Oelhoffen, Trevor Johnson, Dave Ball, Darrell Adams
NT Dewayne Robertson, Monsanto Pope, Matt McChesney, Titus Adams, Brennan Schmidt, Sione Pouha (IR)
ILB Jonathan Vilma, Brad Kassell, Anthony Schlegel
OLB Eric Barton (W) (inj), Victor Hobson (S), Bryan Thomas (DE), Matt Chatham (S), Darrell McClover, Craig Bailey, Blake Costanzo, Alonzo Jackson
CB David Barrett, Andre Dyson, Justin Miller (KR), Ray Mickens, Derrick Straight (FS), Andrew Davison, Roosevelt Williams, Lamont Reid, D.J. Johnson, Drew Coleman (inj), Rayshun Reed
S Erik Coleman (SS), Kerry Rhodes (FS), Rashad Washington, Eric Smith (SS), James Taylor, Andre Maddox, Jamie Thompson, Jovon Johnson, Wally Dada

Oakland Raiders

QB: After completing only one pass in each of Oakland's first two exhibition games, Aaron Brooks came out looking sharp, completing an 11-yard pass to WR Doug Gabriel on his first play. He was 4-for-5 for 42 yards on the 75-yard drive and had a 25-yard scramble. Brooks was aided by a drop from 49ers safety Mike Adams on what would have been a sure interception at the goal line only three plays before he connected with Gabriel for an 8-yard TD pass. Later in the game, he threw a TD pass to TE Courtney Anderson, but that was called back as Anderson was whistled for offensive pass interference. Brooks failed to take advantage of that drive as he came right back and threw an interception in the end zone. While he looked much better in this game compared to his previous two games, Brooks continues to make mistakes. His blunders included a botched handoff to LaMont Jordan that nearly caused another turnover. He used two timeouts in the first quarter, and then he missed Alvis Whitted on a deep pass when he was wide open. Brooks finished 10-of-17 for 125 yards and he added 31 yards on four runs.

Second year QB Andrew Walter took over for Brooks in the second half, as he looked markedly improved from his last game. Walter completed 8-of-10 passes for 99 yards as he led the Raiders on scoring drives in both of his series. Justin Fargas scored on a 3-yard run to cap the first drive and David Kimball kicked a 23-yard field goal to end the second drive. Marques Tuiasosopo finished off the game completing 2-of-3 passed for 24 yards.

RB: The Raiders were able to make something happen in the running game against the 49ers. LaMont Jordan got in some work Sunday night rushing for 45 yards on 12 carries. Fargas took the ball after Jordan and he ran 12 times for 32 yards and caught two balls for 10 yards. Fargas scored on a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter. Reshard Lee took over after Fargas running 12 times for 49 yards.

WR: Randy Moss and Doug Gabriel started for the Raiders. Gabriel caught two balls (on two targets) for 19 yards including the 8-yard TD from Brooks in the first quarter to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead. Moss finished with one catch for 14 yards, but he was targeted five times. Jerry Porter’s situation remains unchanged. He and HC Art Shell are not speaking to each other, but the Raiders are in no hurry to trade the disgruntled receiver unless another team ponies up a high draft choice and Porter returns the designated portion of his signing bonus. Neither is likely to happen, so Porter remains a Raider, albeit an unhappy one.

TE: Courtney Anderson was targeted three times, including a 1-yard TD catch that was nullified by his own offensive pass interference. He finished with two catches for 20 yards. Randal Williams was the leading receiver for the Raiders on Sunday night catching three balls for 53 yards. He was targeted four times. It’s noteworthy that Brooks relied heavily on his tight ends. Anderson is the team’s starter, but keep an eye on Williams as a deep, deep sleeper. He’s a converted receiver whose 39-yard catch right before halftime helped set up Sebastian Janikowski for a 23-yard FG. John Madsen is another receiver being given a chance to play tight end. He caught two balls for 52 yards. O.J. Santiago had three for 33 yards; and continues to make a case for a roster spot.

Defense: Both Michael Huff and Tyrone Poole intercepted Alex Smith during the first half of Sunday’s game to help the Raiders get off to a 3-0 start in the preseason under new HC Art Shell. Huff injured his left ankle and left the game early; he remains doubtful for this week’s game. Rookie Thomas Howard led the Raiders in tackles with four (3-1-0).

Special Teams: Kicker Sebastian Janikowski spent the offseason getting his weight down from last year’s 265 pounds, "I eat healthy now. I don't go to McDonald's at 1 o'clock in the morning. I played basketball twice a week with friends in a league. That helps." HC Art Shell has been happy with what he’s seen from Janikowski, “I told him in the offseason when I first met him, `I'm going to count on you. I expect you to be a Pro Bowl kicker this year. You have the talent to do that, and I expect that that will happen.' He's been responding.'' Against San Francisco, Janikowski made a 23-yard field goal and added two PATs. The two camp legs also each made a field goal in the game, Tim Duncan from 45 yards and David Kimball from 23 yards. Return specialist CB Chris Carr saw the majority of the returns in the game once again. He returned a kickoff 29 yards, and averaged 5.0 yards on two punt returns, plus had a fair catch. WR Doug Gabriel had a four yard punt return.

Raiders Depth Chart
QB Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter, Marques Tuiasosopo, Kent Smith
RB LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Rod Smart (KR), ReShard Lee, DeJuan Green
FB Zack Crockett (SD/3RB), John Paul Foschi (HB), Joe Hall
WR Randy Moss, Jerry Porter (inj), Doug Gabriel, Ron Curry (PR), Alvis Whitted, Johnnie Morant, Carlos Francis (KR), Kevin McMahan, Rick Gatewood
TE Courtney Anderson, Randal Williams, Marcellus Rivers, O.J. Santiago, James Adkisson, John Madsen, Derek Miller
K Sebastian Janikowski
DE Derrick Burgess, Tyler Brayton, Bobby Hamilton, Grant Irons, Lance Johnstone, Bryant McNeal, Ryan Riddle
DT Warren Sapp (inj), Tommy Kelly, Ed Jasper, Terdell Sands (NT), Anttaj Hawthorne, Kenny Smith, Donnell Washington
MLB Kirk Morrison (I/W), Danny Clark (I)
OLB Sam Williams (S) (inj), Thomas Howard (S), Robert Thomas (S/W), Darnell Bing (S/W), Isaiah Ekejiuba, Henri Crockett
CB Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Tyrone Poole, Duane Starks
S Stuart Schweigert (FS), Derrick Gibson (SS), Michael Huff (S/CB), Chris Carr (PR), Calvin Branch, Keyon Nash

Philadelphia Eagles

QB: Donovan McNabb played the first half on Thursday completing 6-of-10 passes for 97 yards with a 1-yard TD pass to Reno Mahe and a six-yard run to his credit. About half of his yards came on one play (a shovel pass to Correll Buckhalter), but McNabb was efficient and left with a 10-3 lead. Koy Detmer (5-of-10 for 21 yards, 1 INT) started the second half for the Eagles. Detmer’s first two drives ended with turnovers. The first drive ended on the first play when he completed a pass to Ryan Moats, who fumbled and turned over the football. The second drive ended when Detmer was intercepted on the Baltimore 37-yard line. The next three drives ended in punts.

With 5:39 remaining in the game, Timmy Chang took the field and drove the Eagles to the Baltimore 35-yard line where the drive was killed on a 4th and 15 when Chang was sacked for a four-yard loss. With 2:26 left, Chang had one more chance to drive the team, but this time they simply ran out of time. Chang finished 7-of-17 for 91 yards. Neither Chang nor Detmer looked particularly good, but Chang is reportedly close to securing the No. 3 job and jeopardizing Detmer’s spot on the roster. Jeff Garcia is the No. 2 quarterback, and he didn’t dress against the Ravens.

RB: Finally, Correll Buckhalter is back. He performed admirably in Thursday’s preseason action against Baltimore. Buckhalter took a shovel pass from Donovan McNabb 48 yards to set up the Eagles only touchdown in a 20-10 loss to the Ravens. On the play, Buckhalter showed that he’s regained most of his speed and footwork. It was his first game action since 2003. “It feels great to be back. I feel very blessed,” Buckhalter said. “I put a lot of hard work into this, and practice makes perfect. I stayed calm throughout the process before getting on the field, and that helped me. I made no mental errors and followed my assignments.” Buckhalter didn’t do much as a runner gaining just eight yards on five carries. “I thought he did some good things,” Eagles HC Andy Reid said. “It was good to get him in there, and he had the long screen play. I thought after that he was a little bit tired. We'll do a little more with him next week.”

Brian Westbrook, resting a sprained foot, did not play and he may not see any action for the rest of the preseason. Ryan Moats returned to action, but did little. He ran for 7 yards on as many carries. More importantly, Moats lost two fumbles and made no impact as a receiver catching two balls for a one-yard loss. Marty Johnson, who was signed during training camp after being released by the Broncos, ran for 24 yards on three carries. Reno Mahe scored the team’s only TD and ran twice for 14 yards. The Eagles brought Stephen Davis in for a workout. Davis is attempting a comeback after a season-ending injury in Carolina last season. FB Jason Davis injured his knee in the game.

WR: The Eagles receivers continue to mystify. Reggie Brown continues to be the No. 1 receiver, but caught only one pass for 5 yards Thursday night. Beyond Brown, the depth chart gets murky. Undrafted rookie free agent Hank Baskett continues to run with the 1s, which says a lot. Jabar Gaffney is making a move and he could still emerge as a starter opposite Brown. Gaffney led the group on Thursday night with four catches for 37 yards. The only other WRs to record a catch were Bill Sampy (2-31), Carl Ford (1-23) and Justin Jenkins (2-18). Rookie Jeremy Bloom left with a hamstring injury, and was later place on injured reserve, ending his season. At this point, Brown is worth a flyer as he is the most talented of the group and best positioned to “break out”. Otherwise, Gaffney has the most experience while Baskett remains a wild card. Todd Pinkston tried to practice last week, but he isn’t progressing as the team hoped; casting doubt on his future with the Eagles.

TE: The way things are heading, L.J. Smith might end up the team’s leading receiver next to Brian Westbrook. Smith played well during the first half on Thursday catching two balls for 32 yards.

Defense: DT Brodrick Bunkley, the team’s first round pick, gave fans a show on Thursday as he recorded 1.5 sacks and combined for 3 tackles. Juqua Thomas had 2.5 sacks while Sam Rayburn, Jevon Kearse and Mark Simoneau also got to the opposing QB once a piece. Kearse also forced a fumble on former teammate Steve McNair. Brian Dawkins appears to be in midseason form as he was flying all over the field making plays as he combined for seven tackles and recovered a fumble. The Eagles first-team defense held the Ravens to just 3 points in the first half and recorded seven sacks. LB Greg Richmond underwent surgery late last week and could wind up on the team’s season-ending injured reserve. DL Jerome McDougle and Darwin Walker remain sidelined with broken ribs.

Special Teams: David Akers kicked a 43-yard field goal and added a PAT in the game at Baltimore. Although camp leg E.J. Cochrane was inactive for the game, he has impressed Akers in camp, "He's the best by far that I've ever had in camp. He's learning and he's starting to put pieces together that we've talked about. I really think he has an opportunity to play in this league. He reminds me a lot of myself." After missing the summer due to injury, rookie WR Jeremy Bloom finally strung together several consecutive practices last week and averaged 22.5 yards on two kickoff returns against the Ravens. Unfortunately he aggravated his hamstring injury on the second one, and Bloom is now lost for the season. RB Bruce Perry had a 28-yard kickoff return, although he’s on the bubble to make the final roster. The J.R. Reed comeback continued, as he averaged 21.0 yards on two kickoff returns. The punt returners didn’t fare too well in the game. Rookie WR J.J. Outlaw gained only three yards on his one return, and CB Dexter Wynn lost a yard on his. RB Reno Mahe should once again be the primary punt returner in the regular season.

Eagles Depth Chart
QB Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Koy Detmer, Timmy Chang
RB Brian Westbrook (inj), Ryan Moats (inj), Bruce Perry (KR) (inj), Reno Mahe (PR), Correll Buckhalter, Marty Johnson
FB Josh Parry, Thomas Tapeh, Jason Davis (inj)
WR Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, Jabar Gaffney, Greg Lewis, Todd Pinkston (inj), Jason Avant, Darnerien McCants, Jeremy Bloom (KR/PR) (inj), Carl Ford, Justin Jenkins, Bill Sampy, J.J. Outlaw, Jermaine Jamison
TE L.J. Smith, Matt Schobel, Steven Spach, Andy Thorn, Jonas Crafts
K David Akers
DE Jevon Kearse, Darren Howard, Trent Cole, Jerome McDougle (inj), Juqua Thomas
DT Mike Patterson, Darwin Walker (inj), Brodrick Bunkley, Sam Rayburn, Ed Jasper, Keyonta Marshall, LaJuan Ramsey
MLB Jeremiah Trotter, Mark Simoneau (W/M), Omar Gaither (W/M)
OLB Dhani Jones (S), Shawn Barber (W), Matt McCoy (W), Chris Gocong (S), Jason Short (S), Dedrick Roper (S), Greg Richmond (inj), Torrence Daniels
CB Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard (inj), Roderick Hood (KR), Donald Strickland, Matt Ware, Dexter Wynn, Joselio Hanson, Mark Clark
S Brian Dawkins (FS), Michael Lewis (SS), Quintin Mikell (FS), Sean Considine (SS), J.R. Reed (FS/KR) (inj), Scott Ware (SS)

Pittsburgh Steelers

QB: Ben Roethlisberger was somewhat of a surprise starter on Saturday. He was listed as questionable after spraining his right thumb in Wednesday’s practice. But Big Ben played and threw a 16-yard touchdown to WR Cedrick Wilson on the opening drive operating out of the no-huddle. After that the Steelers mustered very little offense against the Vikings. Pittsburgh’s drives were short-circuited by mistakes – incorrect pass routes and turnovers as their last two drives ended with a lost fumble and an interception before halftime. “The thumb feels pretty good,” Roethlisberger said. “It was one of those things where we said let's go out there and warm up and see how we feel. It felt good out there.” Through two games, Big Ben is 6-of-8 for 59 yards showing no ill effects from his near-fatal motorcycle accident on June 12.

Charlie Batch took the field on the Steelers second drive and finished off the first half. Batch completed 8-of-14 passes for 103 yards with an interception. Rookie fourth round pick Omar Jacobs started the second half and played the entire third quarter with Shane Boyd playing in the fourth quarter. Jacobs was 3-of-7 for 28 yards while Boyd went 6-of-17 for 83 yards, adding a 17-yard run.

RB: Willie Parker, like Roethlisberger, played only one series before Duce Staley took the field and finished off the first half. Verron Haynes took the reins in the second half. Cedric Humes and John Kuhn also took some snaps in the third and fourth quarters playing with Omar Jacobs and Shane Boyd. Parker carried the ball just once for five yards, while Staley ran five times for 11 yards and caught one pass for three yards. Haynes fared a little better with three catches for 31 yards and 9 yards on 2 carries. Humes gained 11 yards on two carries and Kuhn led the team with 30 yards, all late in the game, on eight carries. Staley and Haynes are locked in a battle – along with starter Willie Parker – for the short-yardage role vacated by the retired Jerome Bettis.

WR: Nate Washington started at flanker with Hines Ward resting his sore hamstring. He took a reverse from Willie Parker on the team’s first play of their opening drive for 20 yards. Washington was targeted three times; he caught all three and led the team with 53 yards receiving. Cedrick Wilson was targeted four times catching two balls for 23 yards – including the 16-yard TD on the team’s opening drive. Rookie first round pick Santonio Holmes stood out in Saturday’s game, but mostly for his gaffes, as opposed to making big plays. Most notably, Holmes ran the wrong route on one play that led to a Charlie Batch interception deep in Vikings territory. “We weren't on the same page and you saw the end result,” Batch said. “We played in spurts on offense and defense and we've got to put it all together.” All in all, Holmes was targeted four times, but he caught only one pass for 11 yards. Lee Mays had one reception for 27 yards and Walter Young caught two balls for 25 yards. Quincy Morgan contributed 15 yards on two receptions and rookie Willie Reid had three receptions for 18 yards. Isaac West did not play as he rested his injured knee.

Meanwhile, Hines Ward continues to rehab and work hard to get himself back onto the field and ready for the season opener. “I’m frustrated,” Ward said. “I’m doing treatment, working out, rehabbing three times a day. I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do, but I’m flying in my people today from Atlanta to come up and see if they can work with it and just go from there. It is frustrating. It’s different because it ain’t got right. I still feel something in it. I came out here the other day to try to do something on it because I thought I was healed, but I felt something and didn’t want to risk anything. I don’t want this ongoing during the regular season.”

TE: Heath Miller started the game but finished with no catches, as he wasn’t targeted on any passing plays. Jonathan Dekker caught two balls for 38 yards with each reception going for 19 yards.

Defense: Richard Seigler led the team with 6 tackles (5-1-0) as Joey Porter (4-1-0), Ike Taylor (4-1-0) and Andre Frazier (3-2-0) all chipped in with five tackles apiece. Defensive back Mike Lorello had the team’s only sack and Rian Wallace forced the Steelers only turnover – intercepting a Mike McMahon pass. Safety Ryan Clark, battling with Tyrone Carter for the starting FS job opposite Troy Polamalu, earned his first start with the team this preseason. He finished with three combined tackles (2-1-0).

Special Teams: Kicker Jeff Reed was good from 32 yards on his only field goal attempt and added a PAT against Minnesota. The returns were handled primarily by the two rookies. WR Willie Reid returned a kickoff 22 yards, and averaged 9.0 yards on four punt returns. One looked like a questionable decision to bring it out of the end zone, but HC Bill Cowher had instructed Reid to do so, “At that point it was the best offensive play that we had. I told him to return the punt no matter where he's at because I thought that was the best chance we had to get yardage.” WR Santonio Holmes returned a punt 12 yards, and averaged 19.5 yards on two kickoff returns against the Vikings. The Steelers continued to experiment with lining up both of them deep on punt returns at the same time. CB Ricardo Colclough also added a 16-yard kickoff return. WR Quincy Morgan remains a possibility on kickoff returns. Cowher indicated they don’t anticipate using WR Nate Washington in that capacity, “We'll look at all those things, but I feel pretty good about the guys that we have. It's not just the returner. It takes a lot of people to be in-sync with these returns. It's not just Santonio, Willie or Ricardo (Colclough). We have to get everybody in-sync right now.”

Steelers Depth Chart
QB Ben Roethlisberger (inj), Charlie Batch, Omar Jacobs, Shane Boyd
RB Willie Parker, Verron Haynes (FB), Duce Staley, Cedric Humes
FB Dan Kreider, John Kuhn, Doug Easlick
WR Hines Ward (inj), Cedrick Wilson, Santonio Holmes, Quincy Morgan, Nate Washington, Willie Reid (KR/PR), Sean Morey, Lee Mays, Isaac West (inj), Walter Young, Marvin Allen
TE Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman, Charles Davis, Jonathan Dekker, Isaac Smolko
K Jeff Reed, Mark Brubaker
DE Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, Travis Kirschke, Rodney Bailey, Shaun Nua, Orien Harris
NT Casey Hampton, Chris Hoke, Scott Paxson
ILB James Farrior, Larry Foote, Rian Wallace, Richard Seigler, Clint Kriewaldt
OLB Joey Porter, Clark Haggans, James Harrison, Andre Frazier, Arnold Harrison, Lee Vickers
CB Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Ricardo Colclough (PR/KR), Chidi Iwuoma, Anthony Madison
S Troy Polamalu (SS), Ryan Clark (FS), Tyrone Carter (FS), Mike Logan (SS), Anthony Smith (FS), Zack Baker, Mike Lorello

St. Louis Rams

QB: The Rams No. 1 offense has not scored a touchdown in five preseason possessions. Marc Bulger started the game and completed 7-for-13 passes for 86 yards – all in the first quarter. Gus Frerotte took over in the second quarter and played midway into the third quarter. He completed a 4-yard TD to Shaun McDonald on his last drive to bring the Rams within three at 13-10. Frerotte finished 7-of-11 for 93 yards. Dave Ragone led the Rams for the next two drives followed by Ryan Fitzpatrick who had two drives in the fourth quarter. Ragone was 9-of-11 for 76 yards and Fitzpatrick was 5-of-10 for 59 yards. Ragone also scrambled twice for 13 yards.

RB: The Rams were held to 61 yards on 27 carries after totaling 202 rushing yards against the Colts a week ago. It didn’t help not having LT Orlando Pace (knee/ankle) and guard Steve McKinney (knee), not to mention they were fresh out of healthy fullbacks. Steven Jackson started and played the first quarter. Tony Fisher took over for two drives followed by Moe Williams for the last drive of the first half. Williams fumbled on the first play of the Rams first drive in the second half. Fred Russell took over in the fourth quarter and Antoine Bagwell was on the field for the team’s last drive of the game. Russell led the team with 23 yards on seven carries – including a 1-yard TD in the third quarter. Moe Williams ran for 13 yards on five carries and Steven Jackson was held to 10 yards on four attempts. Williams is competing with Fisher for the backup job. At worst, he’s likely to be the team’s goal line back if Jackson goes down while Fisher would likely retain third down duties. John David Washington, Fred Russell and Antoine Bagwell are just trying to make the roster. “Fred Russell actually made a couple of plays running the ball,” head coach Scott Linehan said. “He was the one guy I noticed making some things happen getting out there and running.” FB Madison Hedgecock missed the last 10 days of practice with a high-ankle sprain that is more serious than originally thought. He is now expected to be out for two to six weeks.

WR: Torry Holt had four catches for 48 yards before leaving the game with a bruised sternum on Saturday night. Luckily, X-rays revealed no broken bones for Holt, who is expected to miss practice for a few days. “He won’t practice Monday or Tuesday just to get him back to 100 percent,” HC Scott Linehan said. “He should be ready to go next couple of days.” Shaun McDonald led the team with 50 yards on four catches including his 4-yard TD from Frerotte in the third quarter. Kevin Curtis caught two balls for 38 yards. The Rams backups all got plenty of playing time in the second half, too. Taylor Stubblefield, Marques Hagans, Dominique Thompson, Dane Looker and Brandon Middleton caught passes.

TE: Joel Klopfenstein started for the Rams, but didn’t catch a pass. He did, however, recover a Torry Holt fumble. Dominique Byrd caught three balls for 24 yards and Aaron Walker caught two balls for 32 yards. Walker is putting up a good fight for the No. 2 job trying to fend off Byrd.

Defense: The Texans ran for 143 yards against the Rams defense on Saturday night led by Vernand Morency’s 95 yards and two touchdowns. “We knew they were going to try and run the ball,” said strongside linebacker Brandon Chillar. “What it came down to was not executing, people getting out of their gaps, and that leads to big plays.” WLB Pisa Tinoisamoa registered a sack along with three solo tackles. Tye Hill, Dexter Coakley, Jeremy Calahan and Jamal Brooks also had three tackles apiece. Rookie DT Claude Wroten had one tackle, but he’s a kid that HC Scott Linehan says has taken major strides in practice since the team’s first preseason game. “He's had his best four or five days,” Linehan said. “His improvement from the (Colts) game to where he's playing now has been a highlight.”

Special Teams: Camp leg Remy Hamilton again handled all the kicking in the game against Houston. He hit 32- and 33-yard field goals, but was short from 51 yards. HC Scott Linehan discussed the pending use of starter Jeff Wilkins, “It should be this week.  I don’t know if he’ll go through the whole game.  Usually the last preseason game is his tune-up.  I’m okay with that.  We’ve made that decision and it has worked well for him.  We changed the routine a little bit here years ago into the gradual (kicking process).  He’s managed his leg so well to this point and the proof’s in how he’s done in the last three or four seasons that it’s worked well.  I’m okay with that.” Linehan also gave a good run down of the returner situation, “I think we have a pretty good feel of Kevin [Curtis] doing that. Full time returner?   I don’t know if that’s going to be what we do with Kevin because his value as a third receiver is pretty high with our team.  He’s going to help us in there.  He’s going to be able to go back there in an as needed role.  We’d like to establish a returner that can do both punt and kickoff.  It’s kind of and old stand by and that’s what we’re trying to do with Marques [Hagans] and Brad [Pyatt]. If we were to say that they were our returners, whether it is a punt and a kick returner, the only way to do that is to give them more and more chances.  I think that’s probably the way we’ll continue to go at least during this next game for sure and probably the next two. We’ll finish it out that way.” Rookie WR Marques Hagans looked better against the Texans, averaging 28.3 yards on three kickoff returns, and returning a punt 11 yards. WR Brad Pyatt averaged 15.5 yards on two kickoff returns, and had four fair catches on punts.

Rams Depth Chart
QB Marc Bulger, Gus Frerotte, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dave Ragone
RB Steven Jackson, Tony Fisher, Moe Williams, John David Washington, Fred Russell, Antoine Bagwell, Marshall Faulk (IR)
FB Madison Hedgecock (inj), Paul Smith
WR Torry Holt (inj), Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis, Shaun McDonald (PR), Dane Looker, Brad Pyatt, Marques Hagans, Taylor Stubblefield, Dominique Thompson, Brandon Middleton, Clinton Solomon
TE Joel Klopfenstein, Aaron Walker, Dominique Byrd, Jerome Collins, Alex Holmes, Landon Trusty (IR)
K Jeff Wilkins, Remy Hamilton
DE Leonard Little, Tony Hargrove, Brandon Green, Clifford Dukes, Victor Adeyanju, Matthew Rice
DT Jimmy Kennedy (NT), La'Roi Glover, Claude Wroten, Brian Howard, Jason Fisk, Jeremy Calahan, Tim Sandidge
MLB Will Witherspoon (W/M), Tim McGarigle
OLB Pisa Tinoisamoa (W), Brandon Chillar (S), Dexter Coakley (S) (inj), Jamal Brooks, Raonall Smith, Jon Alston, Drew Wahlroos (S) (inj)
CB Tye Hill, Jerametrius Butler, Travis Fisher, Fakhir Brown, DeJuan Groce, Kevin Timothee, Kevin Curtis
S Corey Chavous (SS), Oshiomogho Atogwe (FS), Ronald Bartell (FS), Jerome Carter (SS), Dwaine Carpenter (FS)

San Diego Chargers

QB: Philip Rivers started the game and played midway into second quarter before giving way to Charlie Whitehurst, who played through the end of the game for the Chargers. Rivers completed 9-of-14 passes for 75 yards, but one play in particular was a beauty. He shook two would-be tacklers, and then he rolled to his left and hit Malcom Floyd for a 21-yard completion. He also had one play that he’d like back – an interception on a pass intended for Antonio Gates that Brian Urlacher returned for a 64-yard TD. “Obviously there was one particular play that was really poor,” Rivers said. “But at the same time, I'm not going to dwell on it. It's easy to correct. I threw it right to the guy. It's going to happen. You'd rather have it happen tonight than down the road,” he added. Whitehurst went 11-of-19 for 97 yards with an interception. It looks like Whitehurst may have overtaken A.J. Feeley for the No. 2 job, but that remains to be seen.

RB: LaDainian Tomlinson did not suit up on Saturday night, which is not unusual at all for the Chargers star running back. Tomlinson isn’t expected to play in the team’s last two preseason games either – and it’s not due to injury, just by design as the team wants to rest him for the regular season. Michael Turner started and played most of the first quarter rushing six times for 55 yards – including a 45-yard run where he broke three tackles. Ray Perkins took over for Turner late in the first quarter and played until midway into the third quarter. Perkins ran 12 times for 40 yards and caught four passes for 28 yards. Larry Croom entered the game in the third quarter and finished with 36 yards on six carries.

WR: Eric Parker is close to returning from his thumb injury and Keenan McCardell played Saturday, but only caught one pass for 8 yards. Kassim Osgood caught a pass for 14 yards, Greg Camarillo made two catches for 40 yards and Ricky Bryant had a 20-yard reception. Second year receiver Vincent Jackson may miss the rest of the preseason with a “scratched lung”. Jackson returned to the Chargers facility last week and said it’s not that serious, but the team may hold him out as a precaution. “It's possible we're looking at (playing) the last preseason game,” he said. “If the coaches think I don't have anything to gain or too much to lose, I'll just be ready for (the season opener at) Oakland.”

TE: Antonio Gates and Ryan Krause each caught one pass in Saturday’s game. Gates was recently asked about being the best “pass-catching tight end in the game” which drew this response. “When I hear people talk about guys in my similar category I kind of get offended because I actually try to get out there and block. I consider those tight ends specialists. I don't think they're tight ends. You can call somebody a tight end and put them in that spot. He doesn't play like a true tight end. I want to be known as a tight end,” Gates said. The Chargers hope to throw to their other tight ends this year, too. HC Marty Schottenheimer said, “With the talent that we have at the tight end position, we’re going to throw it to them a lot. That's something that has been a part of this offense since we've been running it here. Now that we have the quality that we have as well as the depth at the position, they’ll continue to be utilized.”

Defense: LB Marques Harris put together a strong game with five tackles and a sack. S Marlon McCree intercepted Rex Grossman in the end zone to kill a Bears scoring opportunity. Otherwise, the Chargers defense was quiet in terms of big plays against Chicago. Rookie CB Antonio Cromartie is getting HC Marty Schottenheimer’s attention this preseason. “I look back at the athletes I have had the good fortune to be around and Dale Carter always comes to mind for me.,” said Schottenheimer. “I would say Cromartie is in that class as an athlete. He's actually bigger and stronger. Dale probably weighed 190 pounds soaking wet and this young man is probably 205 and he has shown a willingness to [come up and hit].”

Special Teams: Kicker Nate Kaeding hit a 43-yard field goal and a 70-yard kickoff in the game at Chicago. Kickoff specialist hopeful Kurt Smith went 72 yards on his only kickoff. The “multiple weeks” expected to be missed by RB Darren Sproles turned out to be 20+ weeks as he was placed on injured reserve. It’s still anticipated that WR Eric Parker will handle punt returns while RB Michael Turner will handle kickoff returns in the regular season. Against the Bears, two rookies got a chance to improve their chances of making the team. Rookie CB Cletis Gordon has the better shot at doing so. He averaged 28.8 yards on four kickoff returns, including a long of 52 yards. He averaged only 2.3 yards on four punt returns, although one of those was a 20 yarder negated by a questionable penalty call. HC Marty Schottenheimer noted, “I think he did a nice job for us, particularly on the kickoff returns. But he's still got a ways to go.” WR Gerran Walker returned a kickoff 30 yards and had no gain on his one punt return.

Chargers Depth Chart
QB Philip Rivers, A.J. Feeley, Charlie Whitehurst, Brett Elliott
RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Larry Croom, Ray Perkins, Tyrone Gross, Bryson Sumlin, Darren Sproles (IR)
FB Lorenzo Neal, Andrew Pinnock, Jonathan Evans, Shawn Willis
WR Keenan McCardell, Eric Parker (inj), Vincent Jackson, Kassim Osgood, Malcom Floyd, Mark Simmons, Gerran Walker, Greg Camarillo, Sean Coffey (inj), Robert Ortiz
TE Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Aaron Shea, Ryan Krause
K Nate Kaeding, Kurt Smith
DE Igor Olshansky, Luis Castillo (NT), Jacques Cesaire, Derrick Robinson, Chase Page (inj), Patrick Massey
NT Jamal Williams, Ryon Bingham, Brandon McKinney, Alvin Smith
ILB Donnie Edwards (inj), Randall Godfrey, Matt Wilhelm, Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, Carlos Polk
OLB Steve Foley (W), Shawne Merriman (S), Shaun Phillips (S), Marques Harris (W), Jonathan Pollard
CB Quentin Jammer, Drayton Florence, Antonio Cromartie, Markus Curry, Cletis Gordon, Steve Gregory, Anthony Mims
S Marlon McCree (FS), Terrence Kiel (SS), Bhawoh Jue (SS/FS), Clinton Hart (FS/SS), Hanik Milligan (FS), Andre Lott (FS), Richard Yancy

San Francisco 49ers

QB: Alex Smith fell back to Earth in his second preseason game. He started badly targeting Bryan Gilmore on a lateral that ended up being a 12-yard loss. He ended the first half throwing an interception to Tyrone Poole, but Smith was earlier intercepted on another pass by Raiders first round pick Michael Huff. He finished the first half 6-for-12 for 81 yards and two interceptions. Trent Dilfer played the second half, completing 6-of-8 passes for 71 yards with the team’s only score coming on a 6-yard TD to Michael Robinson in the fourth quarter.

RB: Before the game, the 49ers dealt Kevan Barlow to the New York Jets for an undisclosed 2007 draft pick. What that means is Frank Gore immediately becomes the team’ starting running back – something that has been widely assumed, projected and expected since last season. Barlow’s departure now makes it official. Gore led the team with 42 yards on seven carries against Oakland. Bump Gore up your cheat sheets accordingly. The trade also provides a better opportunity for a guy that is flying way low on the sleeper radar right now – Michael Robinson. The former Penn State quarterback turned wide receiver turned running back is having a solid camp and preseason. Robinson ran three times for 9 yards and caught 3 balls for 29 yards, including a 6-yard TD from Trent Dilfer. Maurice Hicks ran three times for 1 yard, but is considered the lead candidate to backup Gore.

WR: Antonio Bryant was targeted three times catching one deep ball for 46 yards. Bryan Gilmore caught two balls for 24 yards and was targeted three times as was Arnaz Battle, who didn’t register a catch, but played throughout the game. Bryant could be in for a productive season as he’s arguably the most talented receiver the 49ers have rostered since Terrell Owens. He has immersed himself in Norv Turner’s offense and he appears committed to turning his career around after stops in Dallas and Cleveland. “I've learned that when you want the ball, you can't keep just telling the quarterback you want the ball,” Bryant said after practice Friday. “You have to show him you want it. You've got to make that dive. You've got to show them there are no bounds going after that ball.''

TE: Rookie Vernon Davis caught one ball for 5 yards as he was targeted three times. Billy Bajema produced a 25-yard play. Eric Johnson was slowed last week by a hip injury allowing Davis to work a lot more with the first team offense and QB Alex Smith. “He's a guy that is not one-dimensional,” Smith said of Davis. “He can get in there in block and help us in the run game and help us in protection. His time is going to come in the passing game. There's going to be games when we're playing a defense that's really going to allow him to take off. And he can have some big games.” Johnson was healthy enough to start for the 49ers on Sunday. He was targeted once, but he did not catch a pass.

Defense: T.J. Slaughter led the 49ers with six solo tackles while safety Chad Williams had five. Sammy Davis Ronald Fields each chipped in four tackles. Lance Legree recorded a sack, the teams only one of the game and safety Tony Parrish intercepted Aaron Brooks.

Special Teams: Kicker Joe Nedney scored only a PAT in the game at Oakland. He came up short on a 54-yard field goal attempt. Mexican kicking sensation Luis Berlanga finally got his work visa and joined the team last week. HC Mike Nolan is interested to see him kick, “I'm anxious to see what he can do. If he has a good leg, maybe he can be a practice-squad guy.'' Berlanga did not play in the game. Rookie WR Brandon Williams still looks like a strong candidate for the return specialist role. He averaged 28.0 yards on two kickoff returns, and averaged 6.0 yards on two punt returns against the Raiders. On kickoffs, WR Rasheed Marshall had an 18-yard return and rookie TE Delanie Walker had one for 23 yards. Brandon Williams will still be challenged by RB Maurice Hicks on kickoff returns and by WRs Arnaz Battle and Otis Amey on punt returns.

49ers Depth Chart
QB Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer, Jesse Palmer, Shaun Hill
RB Frank Gore, Maurice Hicks, Michael Robinson (QB/WR), Zak Keasey
FB Chris Hetherington, Moran Norris
WR Antonio Bryant, Arnaz Battle (inj), Bryan Gilmore, Brandon Williams, Delanie Walker, Taylor Jacobs, Rasheed Marshall, Jason McAddley, Otis Amey (PR), Marcus Maxwell, C.J. Brewer
TE Vernon Davis, Eric Johnson, Billy Bajema, Terry Jones, Onye Ibekwe
K Joe Nedney, Andrew Jacas, Luis Berlanga
DE Bryant Young, Marques Douglas, Jerry DeLoach, Melvin Oliver, Lance Legree
NT Anthony Adams, Isaac Sapoaga, Ronald Fields, Bobby Payne
ILB Derek Smith, Jeff Ulbrich, Brandon Moore (inj), Renauld Williams, Zak Keasey
OLB Manny Lawson, Corey Smith (S), Parys Haralson (DE) (inj), T.J. Slaughter, James Maxwell, Bobby Iwuchukwu, Andre Torrey (IR)
CB Shawntae Spencer (inj), Walt Harris, Derrick Johnson, Sammy Davis, B.J. Tucker, Gabe Franklin
S Tony Parrish (SS) (inj), Mike Adams (FS), Mark Roman (FS), Keith Lewis (FS), Chad Williams (FS), Marcus Hudson (FS), Vickiel Vaughn (FS)

Seattle Seahawks

QB: Matt Hasselbeck started Sunday night and played the first quarter completing 8-of-9 passes for 88 yards. Seneca Wallace took over and completed 10-of-15 passes for 99 yards before giving way to Gibran Hamdan, who completed both of his pass attempts for 20 yards.

RB: Shaun Alexander started on Sunday night against the Colts, but he played only a quarter and ran five times for 20 yards. Fullback Leonard Weaver took the reins from Alexander in the second quarter and gave the Seahawks the lead on a 1-yard TD. Weaver ran 15 times for 51 yards and he caught a pass for 5 yards. Ran Carthon handled the ball four times for 19 yards and veteran FB Mack Strong carried once for 11 yards. Backup Maurice Morris sat this game out with an ankle injury.

WR: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Bobby Engram continues to be the most consistent and trustworthy of the Seahawks receivers and that proved to be true on Sunday. Engram caught five balls for 64 yards. “The quarterbacks were talking at dinner (Wednesday) night and it was 20 minutes of, ‘How awesome is Bobby Engram?’” said Matt Hasselbeck. “You see so many guys standing on the sidelines and being hurt, and he’s the older guy; he’s supposed to be the one whose body is breaking down, but he seems like he’s getting better as camp goes on.” Nate Burleson caught two balls for 17 yards on three targets. Peter Warrick had a 16-yard catch and Tony Brown had two catches for 30 yards. Darrell Jackson and D.J. Hackett did not play. Jackson’s lack of practice time has to cause one to second guess his current fantasy ADP. Ben Obamanu, Keenan Howry and Taco Wallace all had one catch each as they compete for the final spots in the WR corps.

TE: Jerramy Stevens did not play and will miss up to 6 weeks (into October) following a recent setback with his knee, which was operated on following the Super Bowl. Itula Mili returns to his old starting role in Stevens’ absence. Mili caught one ball for 7 yards against the Colts. Matt Murphy is competing for a roster spot and he caught three passes for 44 yards.

Defense: The Seahawks defense played well once Manning left the field. Safety Michael Green broke the game open with an 18-yard interception return for a TD, all part of a 13-point second quarter for the Seahawks, who were playing without DT Rocky Bernard, DE Grant Wistrom and Pro Bowl LB Lofa Tatupu. Kevin Bentley led the team with five combined tackles (3-2-0) while Chris Cooper continued his solid preseason play with three solo tackles, an assist and a sack. Julian Peterson made an impact with three tackles and a forced fumble. In the secondary, Kelly Herndon is having a solid camp and holding down the starting job opposite Marcus Trufant with Jordan Babineaux filling the nickel back role. Rookie Kelly Jennings is working with the second team.

Special Teams: Kicker Josh Brown has been the only kicker in camp the last two weeks. He indicated that the team has avoided overworking him during that time, "We're kicking as much as we need to and we're getting the work done that we need to, but we're not doing anything extra right now unless we absolutely have to do it." He did get lots of work in the game at Indianapolis. He was good on field goals from 29, 35, and 39 yards and added three PATs. The starting returners both solidified their status. WR Peter Warrick’s punt return went for 25 yards. HC Mike Holmgren noted, “We’ve been working hard on it this year. I think hard work pays off. I think concentration pays off. And they blocked it pretty well. We are making it a point of emphasis.” RB Josh Scobey’s kickoff return went for 55 yards. He discussed bringing the ball out from the end zone, “When (the ball) came down it was all just like a slow process. I kind of felt I was back there for so long. Me and the referee kind of looked at each other like, ‘Are you going to do it?’ I was like, ‘I’m going to do it.’ My back is against the wall and I like that pressure. That’s when I rise to the occasion.” Rookie WR Ben Obomanu, who averaged 19.5 yards on two kickoff returns in the game, is a potential backup.

Seahawks Depth Chart
QB Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, David Greene, Gibran Hamdan, Travis Lulay
RB Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, Marquis Weeks, Josh Scobey
FB Mack Strong, Leonard Weaver, David Kirtman
WR Darrell Jackson (inj), Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Peter Warrick, D.J. Hackett (inj), Ben Obomanu, Keenan Howry, Tony Brown, Maurice Mann, C.J. Jones
TE Jerramy Stevens (inj), Itula Mili, Will Heller, Matt Murphy, Caleen Powell
K Josh Brown
DE Grant Wistrom, Bryce Fisher, Darryl Tapp, Joe Tafoya, Ronald Flemons, Kemp Rasmussen, Chris Cooper, John Syptak
DT Marcus Tubbs, Chartric Darby, Rocky Bernard, Craig Terrill, Russell Davis, Ron Smith
MLB Lofa Tatupu, Niko Koutouvides
OLB Leroy Hill (W), Julian Peterson (S), Kevin Bentley (W), D.D. Lewis (S/W), Isaiah Kacyvenski (S), Cornelius Wortham, Lance Laury, Evan Benjamin
CB Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon, Kelly Jennings, Jordan Babineaux, Jimmy Williams, Kevin Hobbs, Gerard Ross
S Michael Boulware (SS), Ken Hamlin (FS), Oliver Celestin, Mike Green (FS)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB: Chris Simms started at quarterback and led them to a field goal followed by a pair of three-and-outs. In three series, Simms was just 2-of-7 for 27 yards and was sacked twice. Tim Rattay took the field on the Bucs first drive of the second quarter. His first drive ended in a punt and his other series, in the second half, ended when he was intercepted by Deke Cooper at the Miami 35-yard line. The Bucs made it a close game when rookie Bruce Gradkowski, already a Gruden favorite, threw a 48-yard TD pass to Edell Shepherd to make it 13-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Gradkowski had the Dolphins on the move again on the team’s next drive, but it ended prematurely when he was intercepted by safety Jack Hunt with less than two minutes to go to preserve the Dolphins’ win. “It went pretty well, but we didn't get the 'W,' and that's the most important thing,” Gradkowski said. “It's hard to swallow not winning. We have to learn from it, build for next time and see what happens.” Gradkowski finished 11-of-14 for 193 yards. He has three TDs in two games during the preseason.

RB: Earnest Graham got the starting nod on Saturday as Cadillac Williams sat this one out. Graham alternated with Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott as he played the first half. Graham finished with 28 yards on six carries. He also caught two balls for 14 yards. Mike Alstott had 14 yards on two carries. Pittman ran once for two yards. Carey Davis played throughout the second half running eight times for 13 yards. He also had one catch for 10 yards, but lost a fumble. Derek Watson did not play as he continues to be limited with an ankle injury.

WR: Edell Shepherd led the Bucs receivers with three receptions for 93 yards including a 48-yard TD late in the game. Rookie Maurice Stovall continues to make plays in the preseason, this time catching a ball for 36 yards. Chas Gessner caught one for 18 yards and Michael Clayton and Parris Warren each hauled in a 14-yard reception. J.R. Russell caught two balls for 13 yards and Ike Hilliard one for 13 yards. Russell drew praise from Gruden earlier in the week for his downfield blocking during practice, but he was also slowed by turf toe forcing him to miss a couple of practices. Joey Galloway rested on Saturday and did not play.

Heading into the last two weeks of the preseason, David Boston may find himself on the outside looking in when the team makes its final cuts. Boston started Saturday’s game opposite Michael Clayton, but did not catch a pass. Michael Clayton, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard and rookie Maurice Stovall are essentially locks to make the roster. Those competing for the last two or three spots are Boston, Edell Shepherd, Paris Warren and J.R. Russell. Mark Jones is a good bet to make the roster because of his special teams’ prowess, something Boston does not offer the club.

TE: Alex Smith did not catch a pass in Saturday’s game nor was he targeted, but he did play. Anthony Becht remains the team’s starter, but Smith is expected to emerge this year in a more prominent role, especially in the team’s red zone packages. Rookie TE Tim Massaqoui caught one ball for 7 yards and Mark Anelli caught one ball for 9 yards.

Defense: Blue Adams paced the Bucs with 6 solo tackles and Steve Cargile added five solo tackles. Barrett Ruud, starting at MLB, had eight combined tackles (5-3-1) with a sack and a forced fumble on Daunte Culpepper. Jamie Winborn had a sack and four tackles. Anthony McFarland also had a sack. Several of the Bucs starters did not play against Miami including DE Simeon Rice and LBs Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles.

Special Teams: Kicker Matt Bryant was successful from 33 yards on his only field goal attempt in the game against Miami. His two kickoffs went for 67 and 63 yards. Camp leg Xavier Beitia bounced back from his missed PAT in the first preseason game and made one this week. Starting kickoff returner RB Michael Pittman did not have any returns in the game. CB James Patrick returned a kickoff 24 yards. Starting punt returner WR Mark Jones averaged 3.5 yards on two returns. Several other players, with varying chances of actually making the final roster, all had one punt return: RB Jacque Lewis for eight yards, Rookie RB Robert Douglas for four yards, rookie CB Justin Phinisee for two yards, and WR Paris Warren had a fair catch.

Buccaneers Depth Chart
QB Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski, Jay Fiedler (inj), Tim Rattay, Luke McCown (inj), Jared Allen
RB Cadillac Williams, Michael Pittman (3RB), Earnest Graham, Derek Watson (inj), Carey Davis
FB Mike Alstott, Jerald Sowell, Rick Razzano, Robert Douglas
WR Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton, Ike Hilliard, Maurice Stovall, Mark Jones (KR), Edell Shepherd, David Boston, Paris Warren, J.R. Russell, Chas Gessner, Ben Nelson
TE Anthony Becht, Alex Smith, Dave Moore, Tim Massaqoui, T.J. Williams (IR)
K Matt Bryant
DE Simeon Rice, Greg Spires, Dewayne White (DT), Julian Jenkins
DT Anthony McFarland, Chris Hovan (NT), Ellis Wyms, Jon Bradley, Anthony Bryant, Kevin Lewis
MLB Shelton Quarles, Barrett Ruud
OLB Derrick Brooks (W), Ryan Nece (S), Jamie Winborn (S), Marquis Cooper (S), Wesly Mallard (W), Jermaine Taylor (W), Charles Bennett, Anthony Trucks
CB Ronde Barber, Brian Kelly, Juran Bolden, Torrie Cox, Alan Zemaitas, Justin Phinisee, Dwight Ellick
S Jermaine Phillips (SS), Will Allen (FS) (inj), Donte Nicholson (SS), Kalvin Pearson (SS), Steve Cargile (SS), Eli Ward (FS), Blue Adams

Tennessee Titans

QB: Billy Volek started against the Broncos on Saturday night playing the first quarter and one drive in the second quarter. He completed 6-of-9 passes for 70 yards with an interception. He led the team on its only scoring drive – a Rob Bironas 41-yard field goal. Volek completed four passes including: 18 yards to Chris Brown on a third and 14, 15 yards to Bo Scaife, 12 yards to Bobby Wade and 7 yards to Drew Bennett. His two incompletions were targeting Roydell Williams. Volek gave way to rookie Vince Young with the score 14-3. The next times the Titans scored it was 35-3 with 11:34 to play in the game. Even the scoring play was an adventure.

Young recovered his own fumble at the goal line after Broncos safety Hamza Abdullah poked the ball loose following an 11-yard scramble. “It's been a while since I've been hit like that,” said Young, who completed 11-of-19 passes for 125 yards and ran for 19 yards against the Broncos second- and third-string defenses. Young had an interception negated by a penalty, too. He fumbled twice, but recovered them both. “All I could say about tonight's performance is I'm glad it was preseason,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “We've got a lot of work to do. We played a really good team tonight and didn't do a good job of matching up.”

RB: Chris Brown started Saturday against Denver running for 20 yards on six carries during the first quarter. Backup Travis Henry ran four times for 12 yards in the second quarter. After halftime, Denver native LenDale White made his preseason and NFL debut with a team-high 28 yards on seven carries. “He ran hard, ran strong,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “When I started (playing) at 7 years old I was thinking about (the Broncos' stadium),” said White. “For my first game to be on the field I've been watching all my life, it felt really good, and having family and friends there made it even better.” Quinton Ganther ran four times for one yard and caught a pass for 6 yards. Troy Fleming (knee) did not play Saturday. Rookie fullback Ahmard Hall, Young’s former teammate at Texas, caught a pass for 19 yards.

WR: Courtney Roby and Drew Bennett started against the Broncos Saturday night. Roby caught two balls for 39 yards; a 23-yard catch and a 16-yard catch while Bennett caught one ball for seven yards. Roby was targeted seven times to Bennett’s one. Bobby Wade caught two balls in the first half for 23 yards and was targeted three times. Brandon Jones (knee) didn’t play, but he did return to practice last week. He worked extensively in red zone drills last Thursday and HC Jeff Fisher said he’s optimistic that Jones will play at some point in the preseason. David Givens scheduled an MRI for his ailing hamstring. O.J. Small caught one ball for 22 yards and rookie Jonathan Orr caught two balls for 7 yards. Orr has been impressive recently. “He's making a lot of plays,” HC Jeff Fisher said. “He's getting his legs back underneath him now and the speed is coming back, so he's running by people and making plays.” Orr may be on the verge of passing Tyrone Calico on the depth chart. Calico has been sidelined by injuries – no surprise there.

TE: Bo Scaife started against the Broncos and caught two passes for 25 yards. Ben Troupe caught two balls for 12 yards. Erron Kinney did not play and he remains out for the immediate future following arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago. Kinney should return before the season opener. Greg Guenther has been slowed by a hip flexor problem.

Defense: The Titans defense failed to record a sack or force a turnover against the Broncos Saturday night. Keith Bulluck paced the team with six tackles (5-1-0) and Stephen Tulloch added seven (4-3-0) in a losing cause. Free agent pickup Chris Hope had three solos. DE Antwan Odom sprained his right knee making a tackle in the first quarter and was carted off the field. The Titans are seeking multiple opinions on the status of his right knee before taking further action. "We're going to have to do some studies," HC Jeff Fisher said. "He's quite sore, and in all likelihood we'll send him out for a second, maybe third, opinion, maybe even a specialist." Former QB Marcus Randall is making a move up the depth charts. He’s running with the second team at LOLB and the coaches are impressed. “I try not to think about that,” Randall said. “Right now I am running with the twos (second team) and I am trying to just keep working and keep learning, keep pressing on.”

Special Teams: Kicker Rob Bironas was good from 41 yards on his only field goal attempt and added a PAT in the game at Denver. His three kickoffs went for 70 (touchback), 66, and 71 yards. Bironas is still the only kicker on the Titans’ roster. Only one of the returner triumvirate handled kickoffs against the Broncos. WR Bobby Wade averaged 23.7 yards on three kickoff returns. CB Adam Pacman Jones and WR Courtney Roby did not have any returns. Rookie DB Cortland Finnegan was the only other player with a return in the game, as he went for no gain on a punt return.

Titans Depth Chart
QB Billy Volek, Vince Young, Matt Mauck, Cody Hodges
RB Chris Brown, LenDale White (inj), Travis Henry, Jarrett Payton
FB Troy Fleming (inj), Ahmard Hall, Quinton Ganther
WR Drew Bennett, David Givens (inj), Bobby Wade, Tyrone Calico (inj), Courtney Roby, Brandon Jones (inj), Roydell Williams, Jonathan Orr, Sloan Thomas, Jason Anderson, O.J. Small, Tramain Hall
TE Ben Troupe, Erron Kinney (inj), Bo Scaife, Greg Guenther (inj), Jamie Petrowski, Ben Hall
K Rob Bironas
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, Travis LaBoy, Bo Schobel, Copeland Bryan, Sean Conover, Tim Thompson, Garrett McIntyre, Antwan Odom (inj)
DT Albert Haynesworth, Randy Starks, Jesse Mahelona, Jared Clauss, Daleroy Stewart, Marcus White, Wayne Dickens, Jeff Littlejohn, Chris Herring, Rien Long (inj)
MLB Peter Sirmon (M/S), Stephen Tulloch
OLB Keith Bulluck (W), David Thornton (S), Cody Spencer (W), Marcus Randall, Robert Reynolds (S/M), Jared Newberry (S), Terna Nande, Spencer Toone
CB Pacman Jones, Reynaldo Hill, Andre Woolfolk, Rich Gardner, Michael Waddell (inj), Cedric Holt
S Chris Hope (SS), Lamont Thompson (FS), Vincent Fuller (FS), Donnie Nickey (SS), Calvin Lowry (SS), Cortland Finnegan (FS)

Washington Redskins

QB: Mark Brunell started and played three series before leaving the game to Jason Campbell in the second quarter. Campbell played up through the fourth quarter when Todd Collins took the reins. The Redskins wanted to see some sparks on the field from their new offensive scheme implemented by Al Saunders, but they generated only three first downs in those first three series with Mark Brunell (3-of-6, 45 yards) on the field. “I'm concerned all the way across the board,” Head coach Joe Gibbs said in a post-game news conference. “I think it's not playing, and me not coaching. When we show up and do stuff like that at home, I take it real serious. I think our players do, too. We're going to do something about it. It's hard for me to find something where I thought we played well.” Jason Campbell, competing for the No. 2 job with Todd Collins, was intercepted on his first series, but he bounced back with a nice 20-yard pass on the next drive to help set up the Redskins first score (a 1-yard TD by Rock Cartwright). Collins completed 12-of-18 passes for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception as he fared a little better than he did a week ago.

RB: Clinton Portis is sidelined for the remainder of the preseason with a shoulder injury. His absence meant Ladell Betts got the starting nod. Betts ran three times for 9 yards in the first quarter before he left and turned it over to Rock Cartwright. Cartwright scored a 1-yard TD on his third drive. The team then gave the ball to Mike Sellers and Nehemiah Broughton. Jesse Lumsden took the field for the team’s final series. Sellers ran three times for 26 yards, Cartwright six times for 20 yards and Broughton six times for 16 yards with another 12 yards on four receptions.

All thought that Ladell Betts would be the primary ball carrier if Portis remains sidelined went out the door this week when Washington acquired T.J. Duckett from Atlanta as part of a 3-team trade (that also involved the Broncos). Duckett, one of the league’s better goal-line rushers, clearly factors into the Redskins plans particularly if Portis can’t go to start the season.

WR: Antwaan Randle El made a couple of nice plays catching two balls; one for 28 yards and the other for 14 yards. Santana Moss started, was targeted twice, but failed to catch a pass. Reserve Jimmy Farris led the team with five receptions and 65 yards. Steven Harris and Mike Espy each caught one ball as did veterans James Thrash and David Patten. Brandon Lloyd was limited to a game-time decision, as he’s been battling through a hamstring sprain. “I listen to my body and catch it before it gets bad,” Lloyd said. “I don't want any pulls, so I think sitting out a day is worth more than sitting out three weeks with a pulled muscle.”

TE: The Redskins started the game with a two-TE formation with Chris Cooley and Christian Fauria in the lineup. Neither caught passes nor was targeted. Backup tight end Robert Johnson left the game in the third quarter after he injured his left ankle; X-rays were negative. Buck Ortega caught a 30-yard TD in the fourth quarter from Todd Collins, as he finished with two receptions for 35 yards.

Defense: The first-team defense was left holding their jockstraps when the Jets’ Brad Smith ran right through them on a reverse for a 61-yard TD. Overall, the Redskins defense allowed 145 yards rushing in the first half. LB Khary Campbell led the way with six solo tackles as Andre Carter collected four tackles and Kenny Wright four tackles and a sack. Safeties Adam Archuleta (2 tackles, 1 sack) and Sean Taylor (4 combined tackles, 1 forced fumble) also contributed some big plays. Defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin left the game in the first quarter with a sprained right knee. He was able to jog off the field. HC Gibbs called it “just a bump -- nothing serious.” The team was without corner Shawn Springs (out 4-to-6 weeks following abdominal surgery) and DE Philip Daniels (back).

Special Teams: Kicker John Hall made two PATs in the game against the NY Jets. The team is planning to use him only for placekicking this year and let someone else handle kickoffs. HC Joe Gibbs noted, "I think John has had real good work. As a matter of fact, he's healthy. I think our thing with John is to keep him from overworking. I feel real comfortable with a veteran guy like that around." Kicker Tyler Jones had a successful onside kick in the game, but will probably not get the kickoff job. The more likely candidate appears to be punter Derrick Frost. The primary returners, WR Antwaan Randle El and RB Ladell Betts did not have any returns in the game. Rookie WR Mike Espy saw the most work, averaging 22.7 yards on three kickoff returns, and returning a punt for no gain. DB Christian Morton had a 23-yard kickoff return, and DT Cedric Killings returned one for nine yards.

Redskins Depth Chart
QB Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins
RB Clinton Portis (inj), Ladell Betts (3RB), T.J. Duckett (SD), Rock Cartwright, Nehemiah Broughton (FB), Jesse Lumsden, Joe Rubin, A.J. Harris
FB Mike Sellers, Manuel White
WR Santana Moss (PR), Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle El (KR/PR), David Patten, Jimmy Farris, Andrae Thurman, Mike Espy, Richard Smith, Steven Harris
TE Chris Cooley, Christian Fauria, Robert Johnson, Jared Hicks, Buck Ortega, Dustin Denning, Brandon Sebald
K John Hall, Tyler Jones
DE Philip Daniels (inj), Andre Carter, Renaldo Wynn, Demetric Evans, Manaia Brown
DT Cornelius Griffin, Joe Salave'a, Cedric Killings, Ryan Boschetti, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Chris Mineo
MLB Lemar Marshall (S/W), Robert McCune (S/M)
OLB Marcus Washington (S), Warrick Holdman (W), Rocky McIntosh (W) (inj), Jeff Posey (S), Khary Campbell (S/M), Kevin Simon, Spencer Havner (S)
CB Shawn Springs (inj), Carlos Rogers, Kenny Wright, Mike Rumph (inj), Ade Jimoh, Dmitri Patterson, Christian Morton, Julian Battle
S Sean Taylor (FS), Adam Archuleta (SS), Pierson Prioleau (SS), Antuan Edwards (SS), Curry Burns (FS), Reed Doughty (SS), Bobby Godinez