NFL Capsules - AFC: Fisher says rookie RB could be out 8-12 weeks
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rookie Stafon Johnson has a game ball from his NFL debut. He also has had his dislocated right ankle repaired, and Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher isn't ready to call the running back's season over just yet.
Johnson tweeted Sunday he was fresh out of surgery. This is the running back whose senior season at Southern California was ended in September when a barbell crushed his neck and larynx, leaving him to learn how to talk again and trying to play his way into the NFL as an undrafted free agent. He promised before surgery he'll be back better than before.
Fisher said a couple hours later that the doctors "got it all put back together."
The coach was hesitant to share the extent of Johnson's injury but said the rookie also broke his fibula. Asked if the injury means Johnson's season will be ended by the Titans placing him on injured reserve, Fisher said that was hard to say.
"This could be eight to 12 weeks. We just don't know," Fisher said.
That seems optimistic.
Johnson's injury in Saturday night's 20-18 loss at Seattle was so gruesome Fisher said he just thought the rookie's shoe had come off and was being held on by some loose tape. Johnson had just made a catch on the final play of the third quarter when Kam Chancellor hit him high and spun him around, landing on his right leg.
Johnson stood up, then started pointing down at his foot before being surrounded by trainers and doctors.
"That kind of gives you a sense of how intense the game is and how the emotions are going and the contact you get caught up, and you don't know," Fisher said.
Johnson was carted off the field while his teammates knelt and prayed for him. He returned with the Titans who arrived back in Nashville around 6:30 a.m. CDT and tweeted Sunday afternoon that he was out of surgery. Johnson called it a "bump in the round."
Fisher said the rookie showed with three carries for 23 yards and two catches for 12 yards that he can play in the NFL.
"(He) has an amazing pain tolerance and wants to get back on the field as fast as he can," Fisher said.
That was the lone injury for a team trying to keep the same good spirits after having to fly to Seattle and back for a preseason game. Vince Young was sharp in completing his first five passes for 78 yards before being intercepted on a ball he admitted later he should have run for a first down.
The first-team offense with Young and All-Pro Chris Johnson moved right down the field, going 79 yards in 10 plays before Johnson scored and went to the bench with a 7-0 lead. Young followed a series later still leading 7-0.
The defense looked too much like last season's unit that ranked next to last in the NFL in yards passing allowed, giving up 233 yards with cornerback Cortland Finnegan, safety Vincent Fuller, defensive tackle Tony Brown and rookie end Derrick Morgan all still recovering from injuries.
New addition Jason Babin did have one of Tennessee's two sacks, and Ryan Mouton and Alterraun Verner — competing with Jason McCourty to start opposite Finnegan — did intercept a pass each. But Mouton also missed the tackle on former Titans receiver Mike Williams, who went 51 yards for a touchdown catch.
Fisher was happy that Mouton bounced back from that play with the interception on the next series.
"It's good to see him respond like that," Fisher said.
Backup quarterback Kerry Collins didn't play, letting the Titans look at Chris Simms and rookie Rusty Smith. Simms was sacked twice and lost a bobbled snap out of the shotgun. Smith was intercepted with 25 seconds left. Fisher didn't sound worried, saying they didn't game-plan for Seattle's defense that put some unique pressure on the quarterback.
And about that long trip just for a preseason game? Fisher said they tried to approach the trip as preparation for the regular season when the Titans visit San Diego on Oct. 31. He did note that kicking off at 10 p.m. EDT creates problems for teams coming from the east.
Fisher said he would like to think there's a better way to schedule preseason games.
"I know Miami's having a rough go because they play Tampa and Jacksonville back to back," Fisher said.
Notes: Fisher said rookie RB LeGarrette Blount has been excused for personal reasons. Blount left the team Sunday, and Fisher said he will return Wednesday.
Roethlisberger sits out return to Heinz Field
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger might not take another snap at Heinz Field until his suspension for off-the-field behavior ends in October.
The NFL told the Pittsburgh Steelers that the quarterback could play in all of their preseason games before his suspension begins, but that doesn't mean the team plans to let him.
Roethlisberger never warmed up, put his helmet on or stepped into the huddle on a rainy Saturday night as the Steelers beat the Detroit Lions 23-7 in a preseason game.
Because coach Mike Tomlin planned to play his starters only eight to 12 snaps, or about as long as the defensive regulars were in the game, he started Byron Leftwich and gave Roethlisberger the night off.
Roethlisberger lobbied to get in the game, but Tomlin had already made up his mind.
"Ben is going to have opportunities to play in the preseason," Tomlin said. "But with the number of snaps that we anticipated the first offense running, it just wasn't appropriate to play him."
The only time Roethlisberger was on the field, except during warmups, was for the pregame coin toss. The Steelers don't choose captains until the end of the preseason, so Tomlin retained the same captains who ended last season, including Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger is expected to play Saturday at the New York Giants — where he likely will receive a far less receptive response than he did in Heinz Field — and Aug. 29 at Denver. But, since the starters normally play only a few snaps in the final preseason game, Roethlisberger also might sit out Sept. 2 against Carolina in Pittsburgh.
When training camp began, Tomlin said the emphasis was on getting ready to start the season while making sure Roethlisberger got enough time with the starters to stay sharp. Roethlisberger cannot practice once the season starts and his suspension begins. He was suspended in April for six games, but it appears likely commissioner Roger Goodell will reduce the punishment to four games.
"He's had an awesome training camp so far," Tomlin said of Roethlisberger. "We're going to continue what we set out to do, in that this guy is going to have a productive camp and preseason."
Even if it means the Steelers fans who want to watch him throw a football must drive to training camp in Latrobe, Pa., to see him.
If Tomlin's decision to sit Roethlisberger was made out of worry the quarterback might be booed loudly in his own stadium, it probably wasn't justified.
After Roethlisberger was accused of but not charged with the sexual assault of a 20-year-old Georgia college student in March, any sighting of him in uniform might have set off a torrent of boos in a city that was distressed, hurt and angered by the two-time Super Bowl winner's attitude and conduct.
Now, with the focus of the team and the fans shifting to the start of the season, and Roethlisberger conducting himself well at a training camp in which he spends time daily mingling with fans and signing autographs, much of the resentment appears to be vanishing.
If there was any jeering when Roethlisberger took the field with his teammates, it wasn't audible. The only apparent crowd reaction came when a few fans chanted, "We want Ben, we want Ben," as Leftwich struggled early in the game.
Leftwich wasn't sharp, going 6 of 10 for 43 yards as the Steelers trailed 7-6 before No. 3 quarterback Dennis Dixon took over. Later, Leftwich said, "It's a good thing we've got three more (exhibition games)."
Dixon showed off his speed and more-than-adequate throwing arm while going 6 of 7 for 128 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown throw to rookie Antonio Brown and a 51-yard completion to Arnaz Battle, while opposing backups.
"He moved the offense and I liked his composure," Tomlin said.
-- Alan Robinson
Burgess practices with Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots' once-muddled linebacking situation is starting to clear.
Linebacker Derrick Burgess was reinstated Friday to the active roster from the reserve-did not report list after being missing since the start of training camp. After passing a physical and conditioning test, he practiced for the first time with the team Sunday.
Burgess a veteran of nine NFL seasons, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract in May, attributed his absence to personal reasons. There had been speculation he might retire, but Burgess didn't mention that.
"I had to take care of my family business before I could report," he said.
Burgess said he had kept Patriots officials updated about what he was doing and that his absence had nothing to do with any issue with the team itself.
"I'm happy to be here," Burgess said after reiterating the reason for his absence was family related.
Burgess said he was "a little rusty" in his first practice back, but that he felt good.
He said he wasn't sure how long it would take him to get back and see game action. "I'll work hard at it and take it day by day."
Burgess is being counted on heavily to provide a pass rush from the outside along with fellow outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, but said his overall influence on the Patriots' fortunes is limited.
"It's a team sport," he said. "All I can do is help the team."
Burgess said his absence had nothing to do with the grind of the two-a-day practices of an NFL training camp.
"It wasn't like I was just missing camp," he said. "I had too much on my mind and things to take care of. It was a relief when I was done with it and was able to come to camp."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Friday the circumstances behind Burgess' decision to report were "personal conversations" between him and the player and that things changed when he reported Friday morning and passed his physical and conditioning test.
Belichick, when asked if he was convinced Burgess is committed to playing football for the entire season, said "Well, I'm glad he's here."
Burgess, who played in 16 games last season with six starts and had 35 total tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, was viewed as a bit of a disappointment in his first year with the Pats.
He earned Pro Bowl honors in his first two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, with 16 sacks in 2005 and 11 sacks in 2006.
Rookie inside linebacker Brandon Spikes, a second-round pick out of Florida, impressed in his first NFL game, a 27-24 win over New Orleans on Thursday. He had three solo tackles and five assists, and said he is making the adjustment to the Patriots' 3-4 alignment.
"It's a change in the blocking schemes and how I take my reads, but it's the same game," he said.
He said he is already starting to work well together on the inside with Jerod Mayo.
"It's fun to play next to him," Spikes said. "I know he's going to be there and make plays and I feel like I can do the same thing."
Notes: The Patriots announced several roster moves Sunday. Veteran receiver Torry Holt, signed as a free agent in April, was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, while free agent rookie defensive back Ross Ventrone of Villanova was waived. The Patriots filled the roster spots by re-signing receiver Buddy Farnham, a rookie free agent from Brown who was cut on Aug. 9, and signing Brian Simmons, a rookie free agent offensive lineman from Oklahoma.
Young defensive ends shine for Raiders
NAPA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders hope what they lost in experience at defensive end can be made up for in energetic performance.
The Raiders have gone from a pair of grizzled veterans at end a year ago in Richard Seymour and Greg Ellis to rookie Lamarr Houston and second-year player Matt Shaughnessy.
The two young bucks were among the stars in last week's exhibition opener against Dallas. They each recorded two sacks against the Cowboys as Oakland's defensive line generated heavy pressure on the Dallas quarterbacks all game long.
That's the kind of play the Raiders are hoping from their front four as they hope to improve a defense that struggled for much of last season.
"They're doing what they're coached to do, and they're getting some opportunity in that game to make plays," coach Tom Cable said. "That's the best part: When the opportunity was there, they seized it."
The Raiders played most of last year with Seymour and Ellis as their starters on the defensive line. The two stalwarts have combined for 290 career starts in the NFL and 127 sacks.
But with Ellis let go in the offseason and Seymour shifted inside to defensive tackle, the two youngsters are making the most of their chance with the first-team defense.
Shaughnessy was one of the bright spots from last year's draft class that was widely criticized because of the poor performance by first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey.
But Shaughnessy showed signs of his potential with four sacks as he got more playing time late in the season because Ellis' was slowed by knee trouble.
"It helped out a lot because it gave me experience so it wasn't like I was coming into something brand new," he said. "I sort of knew what to expect."
Shaughnessy spent most of the offseason at first-team end while Seymour was waiting to sign his franchise tag tender and remained there when training camp started as Seymour moved inside to help bolster the run defense.
Cable said despite the sacks, Shaughnessy and Houston had things they needed to improve on from the opener against the run. The Raiders ranked 29th against the run last season and have allowed the most yards rushing and most touchdowns on the ground in the NFL the past seven seasons.
"The run defense is always an emphasis because you have to stop the run to pass rush," Shaughnessy said. "If you can't stop the run you won't have a chance to get sacks."
The Raiders spent their first two draft picks on front-seven players they hope can be strong against the run in middle linebacker Rolando McClain and Houston.
Houston stepped right into a starting role and has impressed his coaches with his feistiness and nonstop energy. What he may be lacking in experience he tries to make up for by relying on the veterans on the line.
"I ask Richard Seymour everything I can ask," Houston said. "He's been in the league for a long time and he has so many Super Bowl rings. Anything I can ask, I ask him during meetings and after meetings and sometimes just sit down with him and ask him about techniques and stuff."
Notes: McClain and K Sebastian Janikowski missed practice again for personal issues and are expected to rejoin the team Sunday night. ... Rookie WR Jacoby Ford (quadriceps) and RB Luke Lawton (concussion) returned to practice Sunday. ... RB Darren McFadden (hamstring), DE Jay Richardson (knee), LB Sam Williams (concussion), QB Charlie Frye (wrist), WR Paul Hubbard (hamstring), K Swayze Waters (bruised calf), and TE Tony Stewart did not practice. Hubbard and Frye are questionable for this week, while McFadden is making progress and Cable hopes to have him back soon.
-- Josh Dubow
