NFL League and Player Capsules: Big Ben's day a quick one, what about suspension?
DENVER (AP) — A quick hook didn't sit well with Ben Roethlisberger.
A shortened suspension, well, that's another story.
Roethlisberger wanted to stay in the game longer than one quarter even though his backups needed the work Sunday night at Denver, where the Broncos rolled to a 34-17 win.
"I was shocked," Roethlisberger said of coach Mike Tomlin's decision to sit him at the start of the second quarter while the rest of the starters stayed in. "It was the end of the quarter and he said I was done. I still wanted to go in, but he wasn't going to have it."
Now, Roethlisberger hopes to cut short his backups' regular season workload by having his six-game suspension shortened to four games.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed Sunday night that commissioner Roger Goodell and the Steelers quarterback will meet soon, but he declined to say when or where the meeting would take place.
Roethlisberger was suspended for six games after being accused of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student in March. He was not criminally charged in the case.
If Goodell reduces the suspension to four games, Roethlisberger will be back for Pittsburgh's game against Cleveland on Oct. 17. Otherwise, he'll be out until the Steelers visit New Orleans on Halloween night.
"I would just assume that I'll sit and talk to him. We'll have good communication and talk and find out things he has to say," Roethlisberger said. "I'm sure he'll want to hear what I want to say and we'll go from there."
Roethlisberger was yanked in the middle of Pittsburgh's second series after the Steelers had gained 97 yards on 11 plays.
Tomlin had some evaluation to do.
Dennis Dixon has started only one NFL game, and he is expected to be Byron Leftwich's backup when the season starts and Roethlisberger's suspension begins. So, he got his first significant playing time with the starters.
Dixon finished 9 of 16 for 94 yards, two interceptions and a pair of sacks by Robert Ayers.
"He didn't play well," Tomlin said. "And a lot of guys didn't."
Rookie cornerback Perrish Cox picked off one of Dixon's passes in the end zone and Andre' Goodman returned Dixon's second interception 77 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the second quarter that gave Denver a 17-3 halftime lead.
Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton almost had his night shortened by a big hit from linebacker James Harrison.
After Harrison picked up a loose ball and rumbled toward the end zone in the second quarter, Orton tried to tackle him low but Harrison put his helmet down and hit Orton on the back of the head and his left shoulder.
"I don't know if I went after him or he went after me," Orton said. "You have to try to save a touchdown and took a pretty decent shot, yeah. Just got the wind knocked out of me. Felt pretty good afterward."
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels stopped just short of calling Harrison's hit a cheap shot.
"It kind of looked like Harrison knew he was going to go low and then he took the liberty to go ahead and go after the quarterback," McDaniels said. "Whether or not it was a cheap thing, I'm not sure. I'll have to see it on film, but it didn't look right."
Harrison said it was just a smart football move.
"I was being aggressive on the play," Harrison said. "I play aggressively. I was going to the ground and wanted to get as many yards as I could."
While Orton was down, the officials huddled and ruled the play was an incomplete pass. Brady Quinn replaced Orton and was sacked on the next snap. Orton returned to the game on the Broncos' next series.
Orton finished 9-for-14 for 80 yards with one interception, by William Gay.
Rookie Tim Tebow made his home debut for Denver after missing last week's game with bruised ribs. He had mixed results, throwing an interception that set up Jonathan Dwyer's 5-yard TD run and then driving Denver 74 yards in five plays, capped by a 3-yard scoring strike to Eric Decker.
Unlike in his pro debut at Cincinnati when he was hurt on a 7-yard dart into the end zone as time expired, Tebow was a pocket passer on this night with no designed runs or scrambles.
"I'm just trying to do what I'm asked," Tebow said.
Pittsburgh's fourth QB, Charlie Batch, threw a touchdown pass but also a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown by Syd'Quan Thompson.
Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior left the game after suffering a head laceration in the first quarter that required several stitches. Farrior's helmet went flying when he helped stuff running back LenDale White for no gain on second-and-goal at the 2.
White scored a touchdown on the next play, his first for his hometown team that brought him into camp after injuries to Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, neither of whom has played in the preseason.
League News
Roethlisberger to meet with Goodell soon
DENVER (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after the team's final preseason game to see if his suspension will be reduced from six games to four.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed a report by Fox Sports on Sunday night that the two will meet soon but he declined to say when or where the meeting would take place.
"The commissioner has stated that he would make his decision prior to the start of the regular season and that he would meet with Ben again as part of the process," Aiello told The Associated Press.
Roethlisberger was suspended for six games after being accused of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student in March. He was not criminally charged in the case.
If Roethlisberger's suspension is reduced to four games, he'll be back for their game against Cleveland on Oct. 17.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be back until the Steelers play at New Orleans on Halloween night.
Either way, the Steelers will know before their opener against Atlanta on Sept. 12 how long they'll be without their two-time Super Bowl winning QB.
Roethlisberger didn't play very long in the Steelers' game at Denver on Sunday night, giving way to Dennis Dixon after taking 11 snaps in the first quarter.
Roethlisberger was 4 for 6 for 67 yards, including a 47-yarder to Mike Wallace.
After he was pulled, Dixon got his first significant playing time with the starters. Dixon has started only one NFL game, and he is expected to be Byron Leftwich's backup when the season starts and Roethlisberger's suspension begins.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Injuries
Shanahan unsure on McNabb for Redskins opener
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — It could be a smoke screen or just a cautious assessment of his quarterback's health, but Mike Shanahan says he's not certain Donovan McNabb will be available for the Washington Redskins' season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
"I really don't know for sure," Shanahan said Sunday. "That's why it's day by day. We'll see how it goes."
McNabb hasn't practiced since spraining his left ankle in the second preseason game against Baltimore. He sat out Friday's game against the New York Jets and watched Sunday's practice with a black sleeve on his left leg.
Shanahan said the leg is too sore for McNabb to play Thursday against the Arizona Cardinals, but McNabb likely wouldn't have played in that game anyway because the coach prefers to rest his starters and some of his top backups in the final exhibition to avoid injuries. No. 2 quarterback Rex Grossman said he won't play this week either, leaving John Beck and Richard Bartel to take the snaps against the Cardinals.
The news from Shanahan was more positive concerning running back Clinton Portis, who sprained his right ankle against the Jets.
"I don't think it's too serious. It's not a big setback," Shanahan said. "I would anticipate him being able to practice in a couple of days."
Fullback Mike Sellers, who missed the Jets game, remains day to day with a sprained left knee. Backup linebacker Perry Riley sprained his right ankle against New York and was wearing a walking boot Sunday.
-- Joseph White
Harvin hopes he has handle on headaches
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Percy Harvin's migraine headaches have been a riddle that no one has been able to solve.
After another battery of tests last week, and a promising 2010 preseason debut, Harvin hopes he is getting closer to figuring out a debilitating medical condition that has plagued him for most of his life.
The Minnesota Vikings receiver had two catches for 30 yards and took two big shots to the head Saturday night in a preseason victory over Seattle, the first time he's played this year after being stricken by migraines for most of training camp.
"I felt great," Harvin said after the game. "Just glad to get back out there with my teammates and work some of the rust off. I've got a lot of work to do, conditioning-wise, but it felt good to get out there."
Harvin has barely practiced this month while dealing with the death of his grandmother and a string of headaches that have been maddeningly random and devastatingly severe. No one knows exactly when they're going to occur or what triggers them. Even more frustrating, doctors and trainers have been unable to come up with a treatment to neutralize them.
The Vikings have gone to great lengths to try to identify the causes and understand the problem.
"It's kind of a tenuous thing," coach Brad Childress told The Associated Press last month. "What can exacerbate migraines? Stress? Check. Fatigue? Check. Head or neck trauma? Hmmm."
Despite playing a sport that doesn't exactly help his condition, Harvin said he has no plans on making a career change.
"It's been rough, but it's life," Harvin said. "I don't want the easy way out sometimes. It's life, I'm dealing with it. I finally got back and it's good to be back out here with my teammates."
He missed one game last year because of the headaches and missed several practices in the playoffs. But teammates and coaches got their first real glimpse of how serious they can be on Aug. 19, when Harvin vomited and collapsed on the practice field.
He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and spent the night. More tests ensued and Harvin surprisingly suited up for the game Saturday night despite not practicing all week.
"I did a test (Friday) night and they found some things that we think was the main cause of it," Harvin said. "We're feeling really confident. I know we said that a couple times, but I think this time we found what the main cause was. I'm not saying I'll never get a headache again, but hopefully we can slow it down a little bit."
The Vikings know they have to be cautious in their optimism, but they were treating that development as good news for the reigning offensive rookie of the year.
With Sidney Rice out for possibly the entire first half of the season with a hip injury, Harvin's importance to the offense has grown exponentially. He is Brett Favre's favorite target and a valued weapon for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who can line him up at receiver or running back.
"It was a good start," Favre said of Harvin's first game. "Percy's a football player. I'm not surprised at anything he does."
Harvin absorbed two big hits in the game, one from Lofa Tatupu that knocked his helmet off in the first half and another from safety Earl Thomas on a slant over the middle.
"He didn't seem any worse for the wear," Childress said. "He took a couple of pretty good licks."
Harvin knows that's going to come with the territory and prepared himself for it.
"Everybody looks for that first contact to get hit, to feel part of the game," he said. "I was looking forward to getting hit."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Jets LB Pace to miss a few weeks with broken foot
NEW YORK (AP) — Calvin Pace will be sidelined for at least the first game of the season — again.
The Jets' outside linebacker will have surgery Monday in North Carolina to repair his broken right foot, and will miss New York's season opener against Baltimore on Sept. 13.
"Hopefully, it'll be a somewhat speedy recovery," Pace said Sunday. "I probably definitely will miss the first game, that's safe to say, but beyond that, I don't really have an idea."
The Jets' top pass rusher had to sit out the first four games of last season after being suspended by the league for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances. He still led New York's top-ranked defense with a career-high eight sacks.
"I'm still upbeat, I really am," Pace said. "Stuff happens in football. I'll say this: It's better to get injured playing rather than have to sit out four games because of a silly mistake as far as a supplement. It happens and I'm going to stay upbeat and cheer the guys on."
The procedure will be performed in Charlotte, N.C., by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, who has treated several NFL players including Plaxico Burress, Brady Quinn, Felix Jones, Leonard Little, Ahmad Bradshaw and Aaron Ross.
"We'll know more about the extent of the injury, obviously, after the surgery," said coach Rex Ryan, declining to put a timetable on Pace's return.
Pace was injured in the third quarter — during the starters' last series — of New York's preseason loss to Washington on Friday night. He said Redskins tackle Stephon Heyer tried to cut block him.
"I tried to block him away," Pace said, "but I guess his helmet hit the side of my foot."
X-rays in the locker room revealed a fracture, and Pace refused to call it a dirty play.
"Nah, that's football," he said. "It happens. I guess I should've gotten my foot out of the way a little quicker."
Jason Taylor, the NFL's active career sacks leader, and Vernon Gholston are expected to handle the bulk of plays at Pace's spot in his absence. But Ryan also acknowledged having spoken to former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas, a favorite of his when he was an assistant there.
"I would say it would be a possibility," Ryan said. "I'm not going to rule that out."
Ryan said there were no plans to bring Thomas in for a physical as of Sunday afternoon, but said if the team were to make the move to sign him, he'd prefer it to be soon.
"There's still some other things involved, other factors involved," Ryan said. "Sometimes what really makes sense might not make sense to the organization, so we'll see."
The team needs to evaluate where Thomas would fit on the roster, and who would have to be let go before it signed him. Thomas, who was mostly disappointing the last three seasons with New England, was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Ravens.
"I don't want to bring A.D. up here not to have a roster spot for him if he plays the way we expect him to play," Ryan said. "Right now, I can't say specifically that he would be on our team, so I don't want to bring him in until I know that if he plays to expectations that there would be room for him. That's something we're looking into."
Ryan is also unfazed by the prospect of not having his top pass rusher and shutdown cornerback in Darrelle Revis, whose holdout reached 29 days, in Week 1.
"We've got enough depth here, enough good football players that offenses need to be worried about our defense," Ryan said. "We're definitely not worried about it."
NOTES: Ryan said the established starters on offense and defense will not play at all in the Jets' preseason finale at Philadelphia on Thursday so he can "keep them fresh." ... QB Mark Sanchez fell hard on his right shoulder against Washington, but Ryan said he was fine and had "no limitations whatsoever" Sunday.
-- Dennis Waszak Jr.
Raiders RB Bush to undergo surgery on broken thumb
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush will undergo surgery on his broken left thumb Monday and could be back in time for the season opener.
Bush broke the thumb when he was hit on the hand by a helmet on his final carry Saturday night against San Francisco. Coach Tom Cable said Sunday there was a "good chance" Bush would be ready to play Sept. 12 in Tennessee and that he would likely not need a cast on the finger.
Bush led the team with 589 yards rushing last season and was expected to do even more this season now that Justin Fargas has been released. Bush and Darren McFadden will share the bulk of the running load this season, although both have now been hampered by injuries in the preseason.
Quarterback Jason Campbell's stinger that knocked him out of the exhibition loss to the 49ers does not appear to be serious, Cable said. Campbell was taken off the field in a cart after being hurt on a sack by Travis LaBoy in the second quarter. He was down for about 5 minutes, causing worry among Raiders fans counting on big things from Campbell this season.
Campbell hurt his right wrist on the previous series in the game, which is more of an immediate concern. He underwent an MRI on Sunday and will be evaluated again later this week.
"Usually I recover pretty fast," Campbell said after the game. "Right now there's no timetable. The thing is just to improve and continue to keep getting better. We don't know the timetable or anything, but at the same time, I haven't really missed any time before."
Campbell led Oakland to a touchdown on the opening drive for the second straight week, completing all four of his passes for 67 yards. But the Raiders did not get another first down with Campbell in the game.
In other injury news, center Samson Satele will return to practice Monday after missing the past week with a sprained ankle. Rookie Jared Veldheer got mixed reviews from Cable for his performance against the Niners.
"I saw a guy playing center for the first time in this league," Cable said. "You got to learn where to put his helmet a little bit more consistently. When he did, it was pretty good stuff. So, there's a lot to grow on. It was actually a pretty good effort by him."
Veldheer will work at both left tackle and center this week, where he is expected to be the backup at both positions.
Cornerback Chris Johnson is also expected to practice after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury. Johnson, who was limited in practice last week, is competing with Stanford Routt for the starting spot across from Pro Bowler Nnamdi Asomugha.
Cable also gave a timeframe for receiver Chaz Schilens to return from last week's arthroscopic knee surgery, calling it a 3-to-6 week injury. That makes Schilens questionable for the season opener, which will be played 19 days after his procedure.
Defensive tackle Desmond Bryant (hyperextended elbow) and cornerback Joey Thomas (concussion) are day to day with injuries sustained Saturday. Defensive linemen Jason Richardson (knee) and Alex Daniels (hamstring) will likely not play in the exhibition finale Thursday against Seattle.
-- Josh Dubow
Farrior leaves game with head laceration
DENVER (AP) — Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior has left the Steelers' game at Denver after suffering a head laceration.
Farrior's helmet went flying when he helped stuff running back LenDale White for no gain on second-and-goal at the 2 early in the first quarter.
After a timeout, Farrior was led off the field with a towel pressed against the right side of his head, although he wasn't gushing blood like New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning did after losing his helmet on a hard hit earlier in the preseason.
Farrior was taken to the locker room and the Steelers said his return was doubtful. White scored a touchdown on the next play.
Player Moves
Jets release WR Laveranues Coles, waive 3 others
NEW YORK (AP) — Laveranues Coles' third tour with the Jets ended before it really got started. Now, the popular wide receiver's career could be over.
Unless, of course, New York brings him back a fourth time.
Coles was released Sunday, a month after the Jets signed him to add depth at the wide receiver spot. The 32-year-old Coles had four catches for 19 yards in three preseason games.
Jets coach Rex Ryan said it's "a real possibility" the team could re-sign Coles after the first week of the season.
"He did an outstanding job for us," Ryan said. "He's a leader. He came in here and I know he knows the system. He's tougher than nails. He's a great teammate."
After signing him to a one-year, $855,000 deal in July, that money would've been guaranteed if he made the opening-day roster. It would not be guaranteed if he's re-signed after Week 1.
"There's a lot of players in the league that you're going to see be released and won't play that first game and will be on active rosters in Week 2," Ryan said.
That means Coles is now free to sign with any team, but he insisted throughout training camp that this would be the last stop of his playing career. He told The Star-Ledger for a story on its website Sunday that he was contemplating retirement.
"I think I'm done," Coles told the newspaper. "I don't want to become one of those journeyman football players. I don't need the money."
However, he did say last week that he was encouraged that he could still play.
"I've still got a little gas in the tank, I can tell you that much," Coles said Tuesday.
The Jets also waived wide receivers Aundrae Allison and Marcus Henry, and defensive lineman Rodrique Wright, putting the team at 75 players ahead of Tuesday's mandatory cutdown.
Coles was looking forward to playing in the team's fourth preseason game at Philadelphia on Thursday, where he expected to get significant playing time.
"That last game, if things shake loose and I'm able to get down the field and run some routes," Coles said, "I think being able to turn on the film and look at myself will speak volumes."
The Jets brought him back after one season with Cincinnati to help fill in while Santonio Holmes sits out a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Both he and Ryan acknowledged that he could be cut after Holmes returned. Turns out, Coles was released a lot sooner.
"This is it," Coles said after the Jets' first training camp practice earlier this month. "This is the last hurrah. The boat stops here, trust me."
Coles, who was entering his 11th season, signed a one-year contract with the team he began his career with in 2000. He signed with Washington after three seasons with New York, but was traded back to the Jets for Santana Moss two years later. Coles was allowed to become an unrestricted free agent last offseason, and signed with Cincinnati.
He struggled in his one season with the Bengals, who released him in March.
Coles has 674 catches for 8,609 yards and 49 touchdowns, and ranks fourth in Jets history — behind Don Maynard (627), Wayne Chrebet (580) and Al Toon (517) — with 459 catches.
Henry was a sixth-round pick out of Kansas in 2008, and spent most of the last two seasons on the Jets' practice squad.
Allison was claimed off waivers from Minnesota last summer, but missed the entire season after injuring his right knee in the preseason finale.
Wright was signed as a free agent in March after sitting out last year following three seasons with Miami.
-- Dennis Waszak Jr.
Bengals release WR Antonio Bryant
CINCINNATI (AP) — Wide receiver Antonio Bryant was released on Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals, who signed him to a four-year, $28 million deal last March thinking he would be their long-term complement to Chad Ochocinco.
It's the second time in two years that the Bengals went after a high-profile free agent receiver, then changed their minds soon after signing him. They got Laveranues Coles to replace T.J. Houshmandzadeh last year, then released him after only one season.
Bryant and Terrell Owens worked out for the Bengals in March. Cincinnati chose Bryant, who was coming off an injury-marred season. He had surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee last year, and caught only 39 passes for Tampa Bay.
The Bengals gave him the big contract, including roughly $7 million in first-year bonuses, convinced that the knee was fine. It began bothering him over the summer, and he wasn't able to practice with the team during training camp. The Bengals signed Owens to a one-year deal at the start of camp, giving them another option.
Owens quickly developed into the Bengals' top receiver in preseason. Bryant missed all four preseason games because of the knee problem. Bryant said the muscles around the knee weren't strong enough to let him cut at full speed.
The move came shortly after Coles was released by the Jets, who signed him after Cincinnati let him go.
Also on Sunday, the Bengals put safety Gibril Wilson on injured reserve with damaged ligaments in his left knee and waived rookie long snapper Mike Windt.
Colts make roster moves to reach 75-man limit
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts have waived four players as they trim the roster to 75 players.
Indy has waived receiver Dudley Guice, tackle Andrew Tyshovnytsky, linebacker Trevor Anderson and kicker Garrett Lindholm and placed defensive back Marcus McCauley on injured reserve.
It also has claimed defensive back Danny Gorrer of waivers from New Orleans.
The Colts roster will have to be trimmed to 53 by next weekend, after Thursday night's preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chiefs release 4 players
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs released four players Sunday, including quarterback Bill Stull of the University of Pittsburgh.
Stull was signed during training camp when regular backup Brodie Croyle went out with an undisclosed injury.
Also released were offensive lineman Tyler Eastman, running back Kestahn Moore and tight end Cody Slate.
49ers trim 3 to get to 75-man roster limit
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have waived wide receiver Bakari Grant, cornerback Patrick Stoudamire and waived/injured linebacker Brandon Long.
The 49ers let them go Sunday. All three joined the team as undrafted rookie free agents.
The moves leave the San Francisco roster at 75 players, the limit that all NFL teams must reach by Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT.
