NFL Capsules: Roethlisberger to meet with Goodell
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger's first big gain of the season may occur weeks before he returns to the field.
His six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy likely will be shortened to four games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after the two meet in New York on Friday. The meeting will take place about 12 hours after the quarterback played two series in the Steelers' final preseason game, completing 4 of 6 passes for 39 yards against the Carolina Panthers in Pittsburgh.
The league plans to review Roethlisberger's behavior since he was accused of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student following a night of drinking in a Milledgeville, Ga., bar on March 5. Once it was determined six weeks later that Roethlisberger would not be charged by Georgia authorities, Goodell suspended Roethlisberger for the start of the season and ordered him to undergo an extensive evaluation.
If Roethlisberger followed the league's guidelines and stayed out of trouble, Goodell said he would consider cutting the suspension to four games. While Roethlisberger is likely to contend that his conduct has been exemplary and the penalty should be cut even further, perhaps to three games, NFL officials have emphasized that Goodell's initial ruling specified a punishment of at least four games.
Steelers president Art Rooney II is expected to accompany Roethlisberger to the meeting. Goodell's ruling was made in consultation with Rooney and the Steelers, who were angered by the two-time Super Bowl quarterback's behavior and would have punished him if the league hadn't.
Goodell's office has kept in frequent contact with the Steelers' ownership and is expected to announce shortly after the meeting whether the suspension will be shortened.
Roethlisberger was encouraged last month when Goodell said he was going "above and beyond" what the league asked him. The quarterback spent considerable time during training camp interacting with fans, working at charitable and youth functions and appearing at children's hospitals.
"I'm very encouraged by what he's doing," Goodell said at Steelers training camp Aug. 5. "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 through and what he's going to do differently going forward. I think that's a very positive thing."
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."
Steelers teammate Hines Ward said Goodell will quickly realize he's seeing a much different Roethlisberger from the one he did a few months ago. Roethlisberger has acknowledged getting caught up in the "Big Ben" persona of an entitled pro athlete who felt society owed him favors for being a sports celebrity.
"For many years, people didn't know what was really going on with Ben," Ward said. "He's opening up to guys, he's being more personal. I think he really understands the situation. He's definitely working on it. He knows you can't take football and all the things you've been blessed with for granted."
Steelers fans appear to have moved on, as illustrated during training camp when hundreds lined up to pose for pictures with him or get Roethlisberger's autograph.
There was no apparent reaction when Roethlisberger took the field for the first time on Thursday, his first game action in Pittsburgh since the March incident. The Steelers went three-and-out during his first series, and he led a field goal drive on the second before leaving.
Roethlisberger is the first player suspended by Goodell under the personal conduct policy who was not arrested, charged with or convicted of a crime. However, Goodell said in April the policy allows him to impose such a penalty when the NFL's integrity and reputation are at stake.
For now, the quarterback is not eligible to play again until Oct. 31 at New Orleans. But he could be back by the Oct. 17 home game against Cleveland if the punishment is cut to four games. The Steelers' bye occurs the previous week, so Roethlisberger would have two weeks of practice going into that game.
Roethlisberger cannot practice once his suspension begins Friday. He plans to work with a California-based quarterbacks coach, George Whitfield, and he'll throw to some free-agent receivers who are looking for work in the league.
Roethlisberger also is being sued in Nevada by a woman who says he sexually assaulted her there in 2008. No charges were brought in that case, and it did not figure in the NFL's suspension.
Last chance for last dance in NFL
Step in to the NFL's Last Chance Saloon and look around. There's an impressive array of talent on display this season.
LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson, making perhaps their last dashes in new locales: LT with the Jets, LJ with the Redskins.
Wideouts Terrell Owens, Joey Galloway and Antwaan Randle El doing their last dances at new addresses. Quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Matt Hasselbeck with visions of returning to Super Bowl quality, and QBs who barely have reached starting caliber, yet are at a career crossroads: Matt Leinart and Trent Edwards.
Dozens of players are on the spot: Show you can still do the job, or get out of the way for someone younger, stronger, faster, and possibly cheaper.
"I feel confident about myself and what I can still do on the football field even at the age of 36," says Owens, who joined his third team in three years — and fifth overall — when he signed with the Bengals. "There's no turning back or going back or redoing anything."
Ah, but that's sort of what these players must do to avoid becoming endangered species — rekindle the talents that made them stars. With the exception of the unproven quarterbacks, nearly all of them have Pro Bowl appearances on their resumes.
Alongside those impressive achievements now stand hefty question marks. Has Tomlinson lost a step? Or several steps? Can Washington's Galloway still go deep? Can Jamal Williams handle double teams in the trenches, allowing Broncos linebackers an easy path to the ball? Are Alan Faneca and Jon Jansen effective and versatile blockers any more? Is the Colts' Adam Vinatieri, perhaps the best clutch kicker in NFL history, still reliable?
So many doubts. So many critics.
"People can write down whatever they want," says linebacker/DE Jason Taylor, who somehow has landed in Jets green despite being among the most despised players that team's fans have ever rooted against. "I've always kind of had that chip on my shoulder throughout my career. People have always said I couldn't do things. ... It's dependent on me now to go out and help this team any way I can."
And there are plenty of believers among the likes of LT and Taylor.
"The thing, honestly, about Tomlinson is if he's coming down, he's coming down from the very top of the mountain," Jets coach Rex Ryan says of the 31-year-old running back, who was setting records and winning MVP awards as recently as 2006. "It's not like he was three-quarters of the way coming down."
But Tomlinson no longer is a dominant back and will share time with second-year tailback Shonn Greene. LT might wind up with more action in the passing game than as a runner.
Johnson was among the few rivals for Tomlinson among NFL backs when LJ was in Kansas City. He's now part of a crowded backfield in Washington, which might be a good thing considering the wear on his body from carrying the Chiefs' offense for years.
Johnson has not been an elite player for four seasons, in part because of injuries, in part because of attitude. Yet he's still around. Why?
"Because I'm not finished doing what I was supposed to do yet," he says. "My body's still fresh and young. When you hit 30, that's when people who sit on the couch ... give up on the things that they can do, they used to do when they were 21.
"Being an athlete, you're year-round working out and doing the things you need to do to keep yourself that way, and so being 30 doesn't really change anything. ... So it's all about how you keep your body in shape and where your mind is at that point. To me, I don't feel like stopping no time soon."
None of these players feels like giving it up yet, yet football is no sport for just hanging on. The potential for embarrassment is high. The potential for injury is higher. They all know they have to do more than the minimum.
"I have had people write me off the past six or seven months," says Keith Bulluck, the outstanding linebacker with the Titans who joined the Giants this year after his 2009 season was shortened by surgery on his left knee. "If you look at my career, I have been nothing but at the top of my position. I wouldn't come back if I didn't plan on playing that way."
Like Bulluck, Keith Brooking was a mainstay on his former team, the Falcons. A change in defensive philosophy in Atlanta led him to Dallas after 11 years. He had a strong season a year ago, allowing him to chuckle at claims he was washed up.
"That's a compliment. It means I've been in this league a long time," says the 34-year-old linebacker. "I don't worry about what people say. The old cliche is, 'The eye in the sky doesn't lie.' Turn on the film and watch it.
"They're not paying me because I'm too old and can't play. Who cares what other people say? All that matters is having the respect of my teammates, coaches and peers. That's all that matters."
Not quite. Sometimes, redemption matters so much it drives players to prove themselves after years of adversity. Pacman Jones and Michael Vick fall in that category, even though their problems were self-inflicted.
Both have served lengthy suspensions after well-documented run-ins with the law. Both have gotten reprieves. Jones is trying to make it back with the Bengals, and Vick, 30, is Kevin Kolb's understudy in Philadelphia.
Each knows this is his last dance, his last chance for glory. Or, more simply, the last chance to make a living playing the game they love.
"Of course you change as you grow ... it ain't overnight," Jones says. "I'm 26 years old now, so I can't do the same things I was doing at 21, or I'm going to be dead or in jail. I know what my passion is, and my passion is football. I know what I've got to do to keep playing football, and that's what I'm working on doing.
"I've got all my Ts crossed and my Is dotted. I know what it takes. I know what I have to do. Period, point blank. I know what my job is here, and I know what the coaches expect out of me and I know what the team expects out of me. It's straight to the cut: 'Hey, do your job, don't get in trouble, you'll be all right.'"
Ditto, says Vick, who did little as a third-string quarterback in Philly last year, his first season back after serving a federal prison sentence for dogfighting that cost him two years of football.
"If you look at my life over the last year, I've been trying to do all of the right things, whether it's in the community or on the field, or with my family," Vick says. "And I think that's what it's all about. I'm having fun, I had the most fun in the last year than I've had in the last eight years I've been playing football. I'm just happy to be in the situation I'm in. I'm blessed, and I just have to keep moving forward."
-- Barry Wilner
Davis defends his decision to criticize Crabtree
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Vernon Davis' frustrations with Michael Crabtree finally came to a boiling point, and the San Francisco 49ers' Pro Bowl tight end let his teammate have it — and for everyone to see.
Davis angrily confronted Crabtree during Wednesday's practice and coach Mike Singletary had to step between them.
"It was a matter of being a team captain. All I was doing was taking care of my responsibilities and doing my job," Davis said after Thursday night's 17-14 preseason win over the San Diego Chargers.
"I was just expressing the way I felt at the moment. I just pretty much said whatever was on my mind at the time. Just pretty much giving him a check, getting his head leveled and just getting on him about some things he did in the past."
Singletary and the two players headed to the locker room to chat for about 10 minutes. Each returned to practice, but separately. Neither Crabtree nor Davis played at all this preseason for the Niners (4-0) because of injuries.
Davis said his issue with Crabtree was football related but not about the second-year wideout not playing during the exhibition schedule. Crabtree left without facing reporters after the game and hasn't spoken formally since the start of training camp Aug. 1. He has long had the reputation of being a diva.
"I hope he got the message. I think he did, I strongly believe, but if anything I see that I feel is wrong or that needs to be addressed then I'm going to say something," Davis said. "I don't really have any frustrations with Michael. He just did some things during that time that I didn't like. That's all. ... It was basically taking ownership."
Crabtree, the Niners' 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft out of Texas Tech, finally ended a 71-day contract stalemate last October. By Oct. 25 at Houston, he had cracked the starting lineup.
Davis said he no longer has a problem with Crabtree. The 49ers are counting on both men to be two of their biggest offensive stars.
"We're great. I love him like a brother. I'll take him to Smoothie King tomorrow," Davis said. "I feel like everybody's on the same page. We still have some growing to do. We have Week 1 coming up and that's all we can concentrate on at the moment. We don't need any distractions."
The 49ers went 8-8 last season and are trying to end a seven-year postseason drought. Davis is coming off a career year in which he made his first Pro Bowl after tying Antonio Gates' NFL record for touchdowns by a tight end with 13.
While Crabtree had been nursing a neck injury, he hasn't been limited in practice. Singletary said he opted not to play Crabtree in Thursday's exhibition finale on a night when many of the offensive starters were held out.
"I just feel when you take a step back and look at it our whole offense wasn't going to be in there anyway," Singletary said. "Let's start on the same page next week."
-- Janie McCauley
Jones-Drew expects to return to practice next week
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew expects to be back at practice next week.
Jones-Drew has missed five consecutive practices, didn't travel to Tampa Bay last week and didn't dress for Thursday night's preseason finale against Atlanta.
He denied an Internet report he had arthroscopic knee surgery, but acknowledged that he has been "taking care of all the nicks and bruises."
"I wanted to be out there with my teammates, but we felt the best thing for me was rest and rehab and getting my body back right ..." Jones-Drew said. "I feel great. I can't wait to get out there and play Denver. They are the first hurdle in our road to success and I can't wait to get out there."
He called the false report "a big mess over nothing."
"There have been some false reports out there about what happened, which is fine," Jones-Drew said. "People are going to speculate, but that is not going to hurt anything that happens with this team. More than anything else guys understand. They want me back, I want to be back, and I will be back on Monday doing everything I need to do to get ready to beat Denver."
Jones-Drew started every game last season and finished with a career-high 1,391 yards and 15 touchdowns. He carried 312 times and ranked third in the NFL with 365 touches, trailing only Tennessee's Chris Johnson and St. Louis' Steven Jackson.
Coach Jack Del Rio wants to limit his touches this season, with backup Rashad Jennings sharing more of the workload.
Browns' Hardesty hurts knee
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns rookie running back Montario Hardesty left his exhibition debut because of an injured left knee.
Hardesty, who missed all of training camp with a bone bruise in his right knee, was hurt on a 2-yard carry in the second quarter Thursday night against the Chicago Bears.
Hardesty stayed on the ground for several minutes before walking to the sideline. The team's medical staff examined him on a trainer's table before taking him to the locker room.
The team said his return was questionable.
Hardesty ran seven times for 25 yards and a 1-yard touchdown before leaving. He showed nice power on several inside runs, and powered his way into the end zone to tie it 7-7 in the first quarter.
The Browns are counting on Hardesty to have an impact in his first season. The team traded three draft picks to move up and take him in the second round. He ran for 1,345 yards last season at Tennessee, but his college career was slowed by knee injuries.
He had a major operation on his right knee in 2005.
Appeals court rules against Ravens in logo dispute
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled against the Baltimore Ravens and the National Football league in a copyright dispute over the team's original logo.
A divided three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled Thursday that the commercial use of the "Flying B" logo in old game films infringes on amateur artist Frederick Bouchat's copyright.
The panel sent the case back to federal court in Baltimore to determine whether an injunction should be issued.
However, the court says the Ravens can use the logo in a team history display at their headquarters.
A jury ruled in 1998 that the Ravens stole the logo idea from Bouchat, but refused to award damages. The logo was used from 1996 through 1998.
Broncos lose RB LenDale White to ankle injury
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Denver Broncos running back LenDale White has left the team's final preseason game with an injured ankle.
White was down for a while and walked off the field gingerly in the second quarter at Minnesota on Thursday after getting hurt on a 9-yard run. The Broncos said his return was doubtful.
White was signed to back up Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter after his sudden release by Seattle this spring. He must sit out the first four games of the regular season, his punishment for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
Starting right tackle Ryan Harris also left in the first quarter with an ankle injury, and didn't return.
McCoy starting for Browns
CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy is starting Cleveland's final exhibition game.
McCoy, who slid to the third round in April's draft before the Browns selected him at No. 85 overall, is expected to play at least one half against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
McCoy has had a shaky preseason. The former Texas star has completed 15 of 26 passes for 101 yards and two interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 57.7.
McCoy is not in danger of being cut. The Browns will devote this season to him learning behind Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace.
Langford doesn't find missing earring
ARLINGTON (AP) — The search for the 2.5-carat diamond earring lost by Miami's Kendall Langford came up empty.
"I never found it," Langford said following the Dolphins' 27-25 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday night.
Langford, a defensive end, said he forgot to take his earrings off before practice and lost one during drills Tuesday.
Several teammates helped him comb the practice fields that day in search of the missing jewelry. They were out there an hour after practice, crawling on the grass and using rakes in hopes of recovering the gem.
Steelers' Leftwich hurts left knee
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich, expected to start during Ben Roethlisberger's suspension, has injured his left knee during the first half of an exhibition game against Carolina.
Leftwich completed an 18-yard pass to rookie Emmanuel Sanders before being knocked off his feet as running back Mewelde Moore attempted to block safety Marcus Hudson. The play occurred with 10:25 left in the second quarter Thursday night.
Leftwich was examined by team doctors on a stretcher behind the Steelers' bench, then limped into a nearby tunnel that leads to the locker room. Team officials said he would not return to the game.
Jackson sits out Rams' preseason finale
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Steven Jackson sat out St. Louis' preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, giving the Rams more time to find a backup running back.
Backup quarterback A.J. Feeley also was out for the second straight game because of a sprained right thumb.
Jackson, who participated in pregame warmups, finished the preseason with nine carries for 42 yards. Earlier in the week, coach Steve Spagnuolo said it was 50-50 whether Jackson would play, perhaps to develop chemistry with No. 1 pick Sam Bradford.
Kenneth Darby, Chris Ogbonnaya and Keith Toston were vying for the backup job.
