NFL Capsules - League and Player News: Smith, Rice headline Hall inductions
Jerry Rice was the 16th name called in the 1985 NFL draft. Emmitt Smith saw 16 players selected before he was taken in 1990.
Their wait to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame was nowhere near as excruciating.
On Saturday night, Rice and Smith will be inducted together in the Canton, Ohio shrine as the top receiver and top rusher in league history. They were slam-dunk choices back in February, having proven through so many years how unwise so many teams were for bypassing them.
"There was no way I was going to be denied," Rice said. "I kept working hard and my dream came true. I tell kids do not let any obstacles stand in your way. If you want to achieve something, go for it. I’m living proof with my background and where I came from. I didn’t give up and I wanted to be the best football player I could possibly be in the NFL and I was able to accomplish that."
As was Smith.
"I was always taught to try not to focus on what people are saying about you," Smith said. "Obviously you hear it, and you can’t help but think about it to some degree. But it won’t affect how you approach the game. You will continue to work had, study hard and approach the game from a professional standpoint that will afford you the opportunity to go on the football field and do the best you can. That is all I ever asked of myself, and by the end of the day, wherever the chips fell is where they fell."
They fell like tacklers fruitlessly trying to stop Smith or defensive backs futilely trying to cover Rice. Each of them won three Super Bowls and one MVP trophy from the title game.
Joining them in the hall will be Detroit Lions defensive back Dick LeBeau, who has been even more successful as a defensive coordinator, particularly in Pittsburgh; Washington guard Russ Grimm — also a top NFL assistant coach; New Orleans linebacker Rickey Jackson; Minnesota defensive tackle John Randle; and Denver running back Floyd Little.
Rice had the good fortune to be drafted by the 49ers when coach Bill Walsh, the mastermind of the West Coast offense, traded three draft picks to New England to move up to the 16th spot in 1985. The Niners were coming off their second Super Bowl victory, and all Rice added was, well, the perfect receiver to that scheme.
"When I first stepped into that locker room I looked across and there was Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott, all of these Hall of Famers and I’m in the room with these guys," Rice said. "At first it was like a deer in the headlights."
Rice became an uncatchable deer. He had a record streak of 274 consecutive games with a catch; 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons; 22 touchdown catches in 12 games of the strike-shortened 1987 season; and final totals of 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns.
Like Rice, Smith put his record-setting numbers far beyond established standards. While Rice did it with explosive grace, Smith’s game was powerful and persistent.
He rushed for 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns, and also had the most carries (4,409) for a career. Playing a position with an average life span that can be measured on one hand, Smith was a force for all of his 13 seasons in Dallas and nearly reached 1,000 yards in his last of two seasons in Arizona.
"I knew if I could become the all-time leading rusher, that would position me to become a Hall of Famer," Smith said. "I think when you rush for 1,000 yards 11 consecutive years and lead the league in rushing four years, and win not only one or two but three Super Bowls — I think the Super Bowls help solidify a person’s chance to become a Hall of Famer.
"I was motivated by one thing and one thing only: winning games," Smith added. "I wanted to win. And I wanted to win very bad."
If Smith and Rice do a little, uh, Texas two-step on the stage at Fawcett Stadium, they could be excused, as well. Smith won "Dancing with the Stars" and Rice was a runner-up on the popular television show.
"I know for me, people did not get a chance to see my face or personality," Smith said, noting the common belief that football players are "barbaric, gladiators and soldiers and all these other analogies they associate us with. When it comes to ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ it’s about the personalities, who we are when we are not in uniform, and I think ‘Dancing with the Stars’ gave us an opportunity to reach out in another way."
Now they’ve reached the pinnacle of their profession.
For Saints, Jackson, wait for HOF finally over
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Rickey Jackson's fearsome pass rush rarely came from the blind side.
Quarterbacks usually saw the "City Champ" coming, and many still couldn't escape his grasp.
Election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame proved somewhat more elusive for the former Saints left outside linebacker, who was the cornerstone of New Orleans' famed "Dome Patrol" of the late 1980s and early 90s.
On Saturday, 15 years after his retirement, Jackson will at last join contemporaries like Lawrence Taylor and Andre Tippett, who have already been immortalized in Canton, Ohio.
"I felt for a long time that the best strongside linebacker wasn't in the Hall of Fame," Jackson said of himself — and in deference to Taylor, his longtime friend who played on the right side, which is also the blind side for right-handed quarterbacks.
"But I look back at it," Jackson continued, "and say if I would have gone in (earlier), there would have been probably other stuff overshadowing me going in."
Rather than echoing Saints fans' bitterness about how long it took him to be elected to the Hall, Jackson said he's thankful to be celebrating his induction at a time when his personal life is straightened out and his adopted hometown is basking in the glow of his old team's first Super Bowl title.
As recently as August 2007, Jackson was listed by the Louisiana Office of Family Support as the state's No. 1 delinquent dad, owing nearly $160,000 in child support. Now, he no longer appears on the agency's list. He talks of being more committed to his family and his faith, and of being in a better place personally than he has been in years.
"You have to look at everything as God's timing," Jackson said. "With the stuff I had to go through, He took care of moving all that out of the way, gave the Saints the world championship and gave me" election to the Hall of Fame.
Still, his old teammates say Jackson's recognition in Canton is long overdue.
"We always knew he deserved to be in," said former Saints right outside linebacker Pat Swilling, a member of the Dome Patrol along with linebackers Vaughn Johnson and the late Sam Mills. "When the Saints made this (Super Bowl) run, it put pressure on voters around the country to give us our due. Ricky should have been in the Hall five years ago. The timing is finally right for him and I'm excited. All the Saints who played with him are excited about this as much as he is."
Jackson played 15 seasons in the NFL, his first 13 with the Saints, making him the first Hall of Fame inductee to have spent the majority of his career in New Orleans.
When he retired, he'd been chosen first-team All Pro four times (second team twice) and his 128 sacks ranked third all-time. His sack total did not include the eight sacks Saints officials say he had his rookie season, a year before the NFL began recording sacks as statistics. After each sack, Jackson would tuck his elbow next to his No. 57 jersey and pump his fist.
While he was known for sacks, Jackson was an all-around, every-down defender, as former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert recalled.
"People don't realize how good his coverage skills were," Hebert said. "He'd cover a running back coming out of the backfield or come up and blow up a screen.
"Normally, when you look at his numbers, you look at sacks, but I don't know if you had anyone better as far as run defense," Hebert continued. "I was most impressed with his overall toughness and how he could handle double teams from tight ends and tackles and keep his lane and keep containment."
Jackson's reputation for toughness was cemented both on and off the field. After a game in 1989, Jackson was driving home in a Corvette when he smashed into the back of a flatbed truck. His car was demolished and he was hospitalized with a broken cheek bone.
Jackson's jaw was wired shut and he was supposed to miss four to six weeks, but instead missed only two games.
"He almost got decapitated," Swilling recalled. "He's tough as nails, but I couldn't believe he showed up and played in that game — and played well. And I still can't believe it."
Jackson played without thigh or knee pads, which he believed slowed him down. Hebert remembered Jackson sometimes stuffing small kitchen sponges in his pants where the pads would normally go.
Jackson said he wore small shoulder pads, too. Yet he missed only two of 229 regular season games in his career.
The Saints were coming off a 1-15 season when they selected Jackson in the second round of the 1981 draft out of Pittsburgh, where Jackson played end along with Hugh Green.
Rather than lamenting the fact that he'd start his pro career with an NFL laughingstock that had never had a winning season when he arrived, Jackson said, "I thought I was going to be the best defensive player in the league and turn everything around. That's the only attitude you can have."
That approach was in character for someone who gave himself the City Champ nickname when he was a three-sport standout — football, basketball (power forward) and baseball (first base) — in his native Pahokee, Fla.
Sure enough, the Saints went to the playoffs for the first time — and three more times — while Jackson was their top defensive star.
Jackson never won a playoff game with New Orleans, but spent the last two years of his career with San Francisco, where he won a Super Bowl.
Even while he was with the 49ers, Jackson maintained his affection for New Orleans. In his first game back in the Louisiana Superdome as a visiting player, he knelt at midfield and kissed the black-and-gold fleur-de-lis.
"I came and kissed it, man, because I bleed black-and-gold," said Jackson, who now has a business supplying commercial customers in south Louisiana with oil and gas and who still joins Swilling and Johnson for Dome Patrol autograph sessions. "It wasn't business with me. ... I was more old school. This is my team, this is where my heart's at, and the only thing I want is for the Saints to win."
-- Brett Martel
League News
Goodell: No Roethlisberger suspension cut yet
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger got a thumb's up from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and praise for the way he's reshaping his life. What's missing for now is a reduction of his six-game suspension.
Goodell met with Roethlisberger while visiting the Steelers' training camp on Thursday but, while saying the quarterback is going beyond what the league is mandating, didn't cut his suspension for bad behavior to four games.
The NFL will continue to monitor Roethlisberger's progress before he and Goodell meet in New York later this month and the commissioner makes a final decision on how long the Steelers star will be out. A reduction would allow Roethlisberger to play Oct. 17 at home against Cleveland rather than Oct. 31 at New Orleans.
"I'm very encouraged by what he's doing," Goodell said. "I'll take the period of time that I have before making the decision and make it probably right before the regular season."
Asked what the league still needs to see, Goodell said, "He's got to work through the program that's designed for him to help him. A lot of that is confidential, but he's done it and he's done it with enthusiasm. I think that's a good thing."
Goodell was vague when asked several times if Roethlisberger's suspension could be reduced even further. Later, league officials clarified that the commissioner's April 21 ruling specified a minimum of four games for his alleged sexual assault on a college student early March 5 in Milledgeville, Ga.
"We created a framework of four to six weeks and I don't see any reason to change that," Goodell said later Thursday during a visit to the Browns camp in Berea, Ohio.
Roethlisberger wasn't charged, but was disciplined by Goodell for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.
Goodell praised Roethlisberger's efforts following the image-damaging incident that left some of the quarterback's biggest fans angry and disgusted.
"I think he's doing great," Goodell said. "I had a chance to chat with him ... and I'm very encouraged by what I'm seeing. I think he's understanding the seriousness of the issue and is working to improve and to make better decisions. I think that's a very positive development."
Goodell again said Roethlisberger is going "above and beyond" what the league was asking.
"He hasn't just done what he's been told to do, I think he's worked hard to really try to improve and focus on himself and understand what he's been though and what he's going to do differently going forward," Goodell said. "I think that's a very positive thing."
Besides trying to be more fan friendly at camp — he signs autographs for a half-hour almost daily — Roethlisberger has made several unpublicized appearances to serve dinners for the Salvation Army and to visit with the families of seriously ill children.
Still, Roethlisberger apparently didn't use Thursday's visit to try to lobby Goodell to cut his suspension.
"He's the commissioner of the league," Roethlisberger said. "He's the boss of the bosses, and he has the right to do what he feels right to make his league run the way that he wants it to be run. It's a tough job. I can't say it's easy because he's got a lot of responsibilities and a lot of people to look over. So he's doing what he feels is right."
It was another quarterback — Rams rookie Sam Bradford, who recently signed a six-year contract that guarantees him $50 million — who may have been on Goodell's mind at the Browns' camp. There, Goodell said the NFL's rookie compensation system "is broken," though he didn't specifically cite giving an unproven quarterback one of the richest contracts in NFL history as evidence.
"I think our compensation system should reward the players for their performance on an NFL field and this is something I've heard from veteran players," Goodell said. "I think it's something we have to address in the collective bargaining system."
Numerous NFL players have expressed pessimism this summer that a new labor agreement can be done soon. The 2010 season is the last covered by the current agreement.
"We need to find solutions to our issues," Goodell said. "That's what people want. That's what our fans want and that should be everyone's intent, not focusing on the negative down the road."
The players union wants Goodell to open the financial books of league clubs, but, Goodell said, "They know our revenue to a penny. They know our player costs ... They have a tremendous amount of information."
Some Steelers fans believe Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl winner, received overly harsh punishment from Goodell because other well-known players recently escaped punishment for their off-field actions.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson was not disciplined for his role in a bar fight. Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young also wasn't punished after getting into a fight at a strip club.
"The circumstances are different," Goodell said. "You have to look at the facts of each one ... and make a decision you believe is in the best interests of the individual."
Since the Steelers opened camp a week ago, Roethlisberger has split time with Byron Leftwich as the team prepares two starting quarterbacks, one to begin the season and the other to play most of it. Roethlisberger can play in preseason games, but can have no contact with the team, unless he is injured, once his suspension begins.
Roethlisberger expects to find out exactly what he can and can't do when he meets with Goodell again later this month.
"I've got some ideas up my sleeve that will help me stay in shape, stay around football without breaking any rules," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously you can't do anything with the Steelers organization. Hopefully we've just got to talk with him (Goodell) and make sure that he's OK with it. But we've got some good ideas that I'm sure you guys will hear about pretty soon."
Roethlisberger has been greeted warmly by spectators during training camp, a possible sign that the hostility previously directed toward him might be easing as the season nears and fans focus on football rather than off-field issues.
-- Alan Robinson
Goodell undecided on possible Browns suspensions
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell still hasn't decided on the fate of two Cleveland Browns players facing suspensions.
Shaun Rogers and Robaire Smith were arrested three months apart when stopped by airport security for carrying weapons.
"Both cases are still under review by our staff," Goodell said Thursday during his visit with Browns players, coaches and fans. "I don't have any plans to specifically sit down with either one of them."
Goodell is certain that some penalty will be enforced.
"I'm not going to make any judgments about it other than it's a clear mistake," he said. "It is a violation of law. It's the kind of judgments that we have to make sure we do a better job of avoiding."
Goodell praised Rogers for recently helping police stop a motorist driving under the influence through a Cleveland suburb near the Browns' camp, but stopped short of saying it would influence his decision.
"It's a great example of a young man making a mistake on one hand and then doing something positive on the other," he said.
K.C. Star questions Chiefs' closed practice
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Star viewed tape of an indoor walkthrough practice the Kansas City Chiefs held, verifying the team hadn't violated league policy in granting media access.
The Chiefs notified the media they were going to hold a walkthrough practice on Wednesday in their indoor facility and that media wouldn't be allowed.
On Thursday, a Kansas City Star reporter pressed Chiefs coach Todd Haley after players said it was a regular practice. Haley responded that it was, indeed, a walkthrough and that players didn't wear helmets.
Teams are allowed to bar media from walkthrough practices during training camp. The Star's Adam Teicher was granted permission to view tape of the practice. He said he verified that it was a walkthrough.
Injuries
Dumervil injures chest muscle, return unknown
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver Broncos pass rusher Elvis Dumervil's season might be sacked by a torn chest muscle.
A person familiar with the injury to Dumervil told The Associated Press on Thursday that the reigning NFL sacks king could be sidelined for up to five months, making it difficult for Dumervil to return this season. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Coach Josh McDaniels said the team is evaluating courses of treatment for the pass rusher and there is no timetable for his return. Surgery hasn't been ruled out, either.
Dumervil was hurt at practice Wednesday night in a 1-on-1 passing drill, and walked off the field clutching his right arm. The Broncos described the injury as to the "pectoral area of his chest."
The 26-year-old Dumervil led the league with 17 sacks in 2009 and parlayed his breakout season into a five-year, $58.332 million extension last month that included $43.168 million in guarantees against injury, a record for a player at his position.
"Nobody is going to replace him as an individual. We know that," McDaniels said. "We're not going to try to do that."
Without Dumervil, the Broncos lack a bona fide pass rusher. Defensive lineman Darrell Reid had four sacks last year, the most of any other returning Broncos player. But he's sidelined with a knee ailment and hasn't participated in training camp.
The other outside linebackers, former first-round picks Robert Ayers and Jarvis Moss, didn't have a sack last year. Mario Haggan played on the other side of Dumervil in '09, but was moved into the middle during training camp. He may just be moved back to the outside in light of Dumervil's injury.
"Elvis wouldn't want us to bow our heads and think it's the end of the world," Ayers said. "That's not what we're going to do. ... We've got to keep the show going."
The Broncos will stick to their 3-4 scheme but are considering sprinkling in some of their old 4-3 alignments.
McDaniels beefed up his defensive line through free agency in the offseason and the centerpiece of that project, nose tackle Jamal Williams, practiced Thursday for the first time since camp started.
The 348-pound Williams, who spent his first 12 seasons with division rival San Diego, was brought in to be a run-stuffer and help push the pocket, allowing players such as Dumervil to apply more pressure to the quarterback.
"We're not going to change the style of defense that we have. They're might be a bigger body out on the edge sometimes," McDaniels said. "It may take a few people, may take some creativity for us."
Training camp has certainly gotten off to a bad start for the Broncos.
On Thursday, the team placed receiver Kenny McKinley (knee) and safety Josh Barrett (shoulder) on injured reserve, ending their seasons.
The Broncos lost their top two tailbacks, Correll Buckhalter (back) and Knowshon Moreno (hamstring), on the first day of camp. Moreno is expected to miss the rest of camp, and Buckhalter may be back next week.
Inside linebacker D.J. Williams and safety Brian Dawkins have been missing practice time, too. No reasons have been given for their absences.
Denver was already without All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady as he recovers from a torn left patellar tendon he suffered playing hoops in the offseason.
All these standouts going down reminds McDaniels of the 2008 season when he was the offensive coordinator in New England and Tom Brady was lost for the season with a knee injury in the opener.
"Anytime you lose a player for a period of time that has that kind of impact on your team, nobody looks forward to that," McDaniels said. "But they're not going to write at the end of the season, 'Our record was such and such and Elvis Dumervil had an injury in training camp.' They're just going to tell you what our record was.
"We're not going to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves."
Just when the Broncos received backfield reinforcement with the signing of free agent and Denver native LenDale White on Wednesday, their All-Pro outside linebacker got hurt.
Dumervil prospered last season in the Broncos' new defensive look that converted him from a classic 4-3 defensive end into a stand-up outside linebacker in the 3-4, which employs three down linemen and four linebackers.
Despite his diminutive stature — 5-foot-11 and 248 pounds — Dumervil's extraordinarily long arms and low center of gravity make him difficult to defend as he has built-in leverage against almost anybody he faces.
He has 43 sacks since being drafted in the fourth round out of the University of Louisville in 2006.
Dumervil was anticipating another big season, too, joking around before camp began about the pressures of trying to defend his sacks crown.
"We all feel bad, obviously, for Elvis," McDaniels said. "I know how badly he wanted to start the season."
-- Pat Graham
WR Nicks returns to practice, C O'Hara still out
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Second-year receiver Hakeem Nicks is back at practice for the New York Giants.
Last year's first-round draft pick returned Thursday night, just two days after hyperextending his right knee late in practice.
While Nicks returned for the first full pads practice, starting center Shaun O'Hara is still out with swelling in his left ankle.
O'Hara has not practiced since Sunday, when he ran conditioning drills and took part in a light workout. He has missed six practices.
An MRI showed only swelling around the joint. Coach Tom Coughlin hopes to have the 33-year-old back at practice on Monday.
Nicks was hurt when he came down the wrong way on a pass in the end zone on Tuesday. He had two MRIs that showed no serious injury.
"I didn't think that there was anything wrong with it, but it was something I wanted to get checked out because for that split-second I felt a little something," Nicks said. "But I felt like I was fine and I was relieved when the results came back."
Nicks had 47 receptions for 790 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. He finished third on the team in receptions behind Steve Smith and Mario Manningham.
Nicks is practicing once a day as he comes back from offseason toe surgery.
O'Hara has started all but five regular-season games at center since joining the Giants as a free agent in 2004. Four of the games he missed came in that first season with the other coming in 2006. He has made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons.
"The toughest part was just not knowing what was going on and why there was swelling," O'Hara said. "Certainly, the MRI was comforting to know there wasn't anything new or super-serious. We're just kind of taking it day by day to see how it responds now."
O'Hara said the joint problem was not arthritis.
"There is obviously wear and tear on any joint when you're in your 12th year in the NFL," the former Rutgers star said. "For whatever reason, it just picked that time to flare up."
Manningham (groin) and backup tight end Travis Beckum (hamstring) missed both practices on Thursday. Safety Deon Grant missed the team portion of the evening practice after tweaking his groin in the morning.
EXTRA POINTS: S Antrel Rolle capped the evening practice by intercepting an Eli Manning pass in the 2-minute drill. He intercepted Jim Sorgi earlier in the workout. ... Veteran receiver Derek Hagan has been outstanding in camp. He caught two more deep balls Thursday. ... Second-year OT Will Beatty was ripped by O-Line coach Pat Flaherty after missing blocks on two consecutive plays. ... PK Lawrence Tynes has not missed a FG attempt in camp other than the one on which Zak DeOssie airmailed a snap over the head of holder Matt Dodge. ... Giants ran a nice flea-flicker with Manning handing off to Brandon Jacobs, taking a return pitch and finding Sinorice Moss 25 yards downfield.
-- Tom Canavan
Bills DT Williams hurts right hand in practice
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Add Kyle Williams to growing list of injured Buffalo Bills players.
The starting defensive tackle hurt his right hand in practice Thursday, and coach Chan Gailey said Williams went to be examined by team doctors for precautionary reasons. Gailey added that he doesn't believe the injury is serious.
Williams was hurt an hour into practice while the defensive linemen were taking part in individual drills. Taking off the wrap he already had on his hand, Williams pointed to his palm as he was examined by trainers.
He eventually had his hand wrapped extensively before being escorted to the locker room.
The Bills are already banged up eight days into camp in suburban Rochester.
The team began Thursday's session with 14 players not practicing because they were either injured or given the day off.
Gailey updated the status of Ed Wang, saying the rookie left tackle will miss between four and eight weeks after having surgery on his left thumb this week. The coach also revealed that rookie receiver David Nelson is out indefinitely with what Gailey believed was a pulled hamstring.
Then there was tight end Derek Schouman who missed practice Thursday to rest what Gailey would only refer to as an injury that's been bothering the player since the start of camp.
Also in the group of injured players was starting linebacker Chris Kelsay, who has been out since hurting his right shoulder on the first day of practice. Defensive end Spencer Johnson has been out since hurting his leg on Friday.
Linebacker Paul Posluszny has yet to practice since having groin surgery last month. Liinebacker Keith Ellison (undisclosed injury) has been out since the start of camp.
Posluszny said he expects to miss at least another week or two.
"I feel really good, but we're taking it slow," he said. "No reason to rush it yet."
Gailey wasn't too concerned about the amount of injured players, saying that's what happens at training camp.
"You deal with it and you go on," he said. "You can't control all of that. I mean, you could. You could come out and walkthrough every day, but you wouldn't get anything done. It's a tough game for tough people."
Bills camp has been far more physical under Gailey, who took over in January after Dick Jauron was fired. Unlike Jauron, who preferred walkthroughs and little hitting, Gailey has had his players practicing in pads throughout camp and even allowed tackling during team goal-line sessions.
-- John Wawrow
Packers S Bigby to have ankle surgery
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers safety Atari Bigby will have surgery on his troublesome left ankle on Friday and hopes to heal within a month.
Bigby said Thursday that the procedure is a scope to clean up scar tissue, not a do-over of a previous surgery. He said it shouldn't keep him out of action more than four weeks.
"I'm hoping not longer than that," Bigby said. "I'm hoping I can probably come back faster because it's supposed to be just a scope. Barring that they find anything else that's more serious, then it should be pretty quick."
If Bigby is on the physically unable to perform list to start the regular season, he would miss the first six games. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he didn't have a timeline for Bigby's return.
"I have no idea," McCarthy said. "The surgery will answer those questions."
Bigby played a key role in the Packers' NFC title game run after the 2007 season. But he has been nagged by the ankle injury two straight seasons after hurting it in the 2008 preseason.
Bigby said the ankle had been OK during the offseason but aggravated it during a conditioning test last week. He was on the sidelines for the first few days of training camp and went to see a specialist this week.
And while he's sure to lose his starting spot for the moment, he remains optimistic he can win it back.
"Hopefully I can get this thing right," Bigby said. "I feel like once I'm healthy, the ball is in my court, I can control my destiny."
With Bigby out, rookie Morgan Burnett has been working with the first-team defense in practice. Burnett, a third-rounder out of Georgia Tech, said he is more concerned about earning respect than he is about where he currently sits on the depth chart.
"You probably have to go through a whole entire training camp, and right now it's still the first week so you're still trying to build your identity, find your identity," Burnett said. "So I've still got a long way to go. But that's my goal, by the end of training camp to be able to earn the trust and respect of our teammates and coaches."
Earlier this week, Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said he was pleased with Burnett's play.
"I like his approach," Capers said. "He's a mature guy coming in as a rookie. And he's getting a lot of repetitions. He doesn't say anything, he just comes to work, does a good day's work and he has athletic ability. What I'm hoping is we see him (use) the opportunities he has in these preseason games to go out and assert himself."
Bigby, a restricted free agent, wasn't in Green Bay for the Packers' offseason program and didn't sign his tender offer from the team until last week.
If he had been around in the offseason, could his ankle issues have been identified and fixed earlier?
"I can't really answer those questions because we did not see Atari through his business situation throughout the spring," McCarthy said. "Atari came in here in relatively good shape from his communication with us prior to that point, and he didn't pass the physical. It's a setback for him, and we feel like we're going to address it tomorrow and get all the answers."
Bigby's injury leaves the Packers somewhat thin at safety beyond starter Nick Collins, a Pro Bowl-caliber performer.
Beyond Collins and Burnett, the Packers have Derrick Martin, Charlie Peprah, converted cornerback Will Blackmon and undrafted rookie free agent Anthony Levine.
"Those things have a way of always sorting themselves out," McCarthy said. "It's a group of depth, so it will answer itself really. This is important to go through this installation and training camp process for all of our positions, and the safety position is no different."
Bengals WR Bryant won't play vs Cowboys
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — Receiver Antonio Bryant won't play in the Cincinnati Bengals' preseason opener because of his bad knee.
Bryant has been limited at training camp because his left knee isn't completely healthy. Bryant had surgery on it a year ago. The Bengals signed him to a four-year, $28 million deal in the offseason, but aren't sure when he will be able to play.
Coach Marvin Lewis said on Thursday that Bryant will sit out the annual Hall of Fame game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Several other players are questionable with minor injuries.
Receiver Terrell Owens and cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones are expected to make their Bengals debuts against their former team. They played together on the Cowboys in 2008.
Cardinals TE Patrick out with displaced kneecap
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Cardinals tight end Ben Patrick displaced his left kneecap in a Wednesday night practice, an injury that coaches initially thought would be much worse.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt says the kneecap is back in place but Patrick will be sidelined for "a few weeks." The coach says he expects Patrick to be ready to play when the regular season begins on Sept. 12.
Patrick was hurt when he caught a short pass over the middle and was knocked down from behind by cornerback Greg Toler in an often-intense workout under the lights at a local high school. He was helped off the field and later was seen limping along the sidelines, able to put some weight on the injured knee.
Whisenhunt says he does not expect to add a tight end to the roster during Patrick's absence.
No timetable for Harvin's return
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress says there is no timetable for Percy Harvin's return from mourning the death of his grandmother.
Harvin got the news last weekend and left training camp to attend the funeral and be with his family. The reigning offensive rookie of the year remains away from the team, and Childress said he still is not sure when he will return.
Harvin is one of several offensive stars who haven't practiced recently. Running back Adrian Peterson has missed five straight practices with tightness in his left leg and receiver Sidney Rice is on the physically unable to perform list with a hip injury.
Peterson says his injury is minor but Childress says Rice is "still a ways away" from getting on the field.
Elsewhere
Receiver cited for driving without license
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Titans receiver Kenny Britt said Thursday confusion over a misplaced driver's license led to his being ticketed for driving without a license and being late for curfew during training camp.
Britt said he lost his license and went to the Department of Safety in Tennessee for a new one when he was told New Jersey had placed a hold on his license. Needing identification to board a plane, Britt was issued a photo I.D.
"I asked the lady if I found my license would it be OK to drive. She said OK. I found my old license. I also had a paper from New Jersey to release my license, but I never went back to motor vehicles. The lady said I was OK with the license in my hand," Britt said after practice.
He was arrested in January when police found three outstanding traffic warrants from two different New Jersey towns. Britt paid the $865 due and was released. Britt had been driving around both New Jersey and Tennessee the past few months, and he said he actually had been stopped a couple times without the issue coming up.
But he was with his fiancee on his way back to the team hotel 30 minutes before curfew when an officer pulled him over because the windows in his Camaro Britt has been driving around town for more than a year were tinted too dark. The officer found Britt listed in the computer as "unlicensed" with the license for "ID only."
Britt was ticketed for driving without a license, and the officer then checked his fiancee's license to make sure she was cleared to drive.
"Well, the organization has been very much involved in trying to monitor things that need to be cleaned up early in the offseason, and we were led to believe that they were taken care of," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "You know we do have the capabilities and we probably should do a little bit more than we have, but when someone says everything is fine we assume that everything is fine."
The Titans' top draft pick in 2009, Britt had a team-high 701 yards receiving. He was late for curfew but had a strong practice Thursday, including catching a long ball in perfect stride for a would-be touchdown.
His problem now? Finding time to deliver the paperwork from New Jersey clearing the hold on his license. The Titans' lone day off is Sunday when state government offices are closed. Britt said he will have to talk to Fisher because he doesn't trust anyone to handle this task.
"I have to handle things myself," Britt said.
NOTES: The Titans waived-injured fullback Willie Rose. He had been on the physically unable to perform list with a low back issue. Fisher said they will be looking to bring in another player and that the roster limit of 80 makes it difficult in camp.
-- Teresa M. Walker
