NFL Capsules - League and Player News: Manning undergoing more tests, uncertain for game
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — A bloodied Eli Manning was in some discomfort a day after receiving 12 stitches for a head wound.
Manning's status for the New York Giants' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend is uncertain.
While the Giants said Tuesday that Manning showed no signs of a concussion after suffering a three-inch gash to his head in a 31-16 win over the Jets on Monday night, the 29-year-old quarterback was undergoing a battery of tests to make sure he did not suffer a more serious head injury. His helmet knocked off and he was hit in the head.
Coach Tom Coughlin was told Tuesday morning that Manning was experiencing the normal amount of discomfort a player goes through when he has stitches.
"He did not talk too much about pain, but I don't have a lot of information because any time you have an injury that is a head injury they are going to do all kinds of tests," Coughlin said. "They are in the process of doing that right now."
Coughlin refused to speculate whether Manning will play Saturday night in the Giants' preseason home opener at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
"We'll wait and hear what the doctors have to say after all their examinations are concluded," Coughlin said.
Manning was having the tests at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City on Tuesday. Coughlin did not know the exact nature of the tests.
"He is going to go through the battery of tests that any player has who experiences any kind of a head injury," Coughlin said. "They are not going to leave a stone unturned."
Manning was expected to rejoin the Giants at training camp in Albany, N.Y., on Tuesday night.
Even if Manning is cleared to play, there is some concern his helmet could rub against the stitches and create a problem with the wound healing.
"Our medical people will make all of those decisions and the health and well-being will be first and foremost in terms of the decision to be made," Coughlin said. "There is great deal of attention placed in this area (head injuries)."
Manning was hurt with 10:45 left in the second quarter when he opted to throw a pass on a run call without telling the rest of the offense.
Expecting a handoff, big Brandon Jacobs ran into Manning with his shoulder as the quarterback pulled the ball away. The collision knocked the ball loose and pushed Manning's chin strap off his jaw.
Then Jets linebacker Calvin Pace hit Manning in the middle of his back, knocking off his helmet and pushing Manning face first forward.
"You can imagine how that works when the chin strap comes off your chin," Coughlin said. "It (the helmet) was not unbuttoned. He had it buttoned the way it was supposed to be buttoned."
With the helmet off, Manning's head slammed into either Jets safety Jim Leonhard or Jacobs, who were standing next to each other.
The seven-year veteran immediately fell to the turf and put his hand to his head. He quickly motioned to the training staff for help once he saw his hand covered in blood.
Replays showed blood pouring from Manning's head shortly after he fell to the ground.
Jim Sorgi replaced Manning and had a good game, throwing two of the three touchdown passes that free agent Victor Cruz caught. Sorgi took a big hit after hitting Cruz on a 34-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter and complained of a sore shoulder.
"If it was a regular-season game, hopefully I'd just go out and do what I did tonight and we win the ballgame," said Sorgi, who backed up Peyton Manning for six years in Indianapolis before signing with the Giants in the offseason.
Sorgi said Eli is like Peyton — he does not miss games.
"It's just one of those things that his helmet came off, and when your helmet comes off, the play is supposed to stop," Sorgi said. "It didn't stop fast enough, and he caught another helmet in the head. Those things happen. It's just part of the game, and he'll bounce back and he'll be ready to go whenever he can."
Veteran linebacker Chase Blackburn sprained his right knee (MCL) in the game. Second-year receiver Ramses Barden was experiencing low back issues and doctors are trying to determine the cause, Coughlin said.
Redskins' Haynesworth sidelined after feeling ill
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Albert Haynesworth was sidelined after just a few snaps at practice Tuesday morning, apparently because he wasn't feeling well.
The Washington Redskins defensive tackle began the workout as usual, taking part in defensive drills, but he was out of his pads and standing on the sideline with a towel on his neck shortly after the 11-on-11 plays began.
Haynesworth remained with his teammates until the end of practice and referred questions to coach Mike Shanahan.
"I just think he wasn't feeling good," Shanahan said. "The doctors didn't feel like it was heat-related. He just was sick."
Haynesworth missed the first nine days of training camp practices because he had to pass a conditioning test. He has since been working mostly with the second-string defensive line.
Linebacker Curtis Gatewood, who suffered from heat exhaustion Monday, also didn't practice. Receivers Malcolm Kelly (hamstring) and Mike Furrey (concussion) remain sidelined. Veteran defensive players London Fletcher and Vonnie Holliday were given the day off.
The practice was a sloppy one, with players on both sides of the ball losing focus as the team worked on varying snap counts at the line of scrimmage. At one point, Shanahan called the entire team together and gave them a quick lecture on concentration.
"What you do, if you're making a few mistakes, you stop practice and you emphasize the point you're trying to get across," Shanahan said. "I did that a couple of times today. This is usually the week where everybody's a little bit sore and everybody's looking for camp to get over with."
Browns lose P Zastudil for season to knee injury
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Dave Zastudil was determined to make this season better than his last.
The pain won't let him.
Zastudil was placed on injured reserve Tuesday by the Cleveland Browns after his surgically repaired right plant leg did not respond enough to rehab and rest for him to kick this season. Zastudil missed half of 2009 with a torn patellar tendon, which was surgically repaired during the offseason.
"It's very disappointing," said Zastudil, who grew up in suburban Bay Village and played at Ohio University. "I'd give anything to be out there with the guys and play for the Browns. That's why I'm here."
Zastudil kicked on the first day of training camp but said his knee, which has been bothering him for two years, "flared up." He was on the field for a few more days in uniform before he went to Colorado to have his knee examined by noted orthopedist Dr. Richard Steadman, who performed surgery on him in early December.
However, Zastudil's knee didn't get better, and after consulting with the team and his doctor, it was decided that he would be best served not to kick this season.
"I did everything I could, the trainers did everything they could to get me back in time and I really thought I'd be ready to go," he said. "Obviously, the healing process just isn't quite finished yet. There's still some rehab I'm going to have to be doing to get this tendon right.
"It's just not quite ready to go."
Zastudil is the third player from the Cleveland area signed by the Browns as a free agent in 2006 to have a major knee injury. Center LeCharles Bentley and wide receiver Joe Jurevicius both had their careers cut short by knee injuries that worsened because of staph infections.
Browns coach Eric Mangini had held out hope Zastudil would be ready for the start of the season.
"He's worked hard," Mangini said following Tuesday's morning practice. "He's worked with his doctor and our doctor and tried a lot of different things and was not making any progress. I thought we had turned the corner and we hadn't, so this was the next step."
The loss of Zastudil is a significant blow to the rebuilding Browns, whose special teams units are among the NFL's best.
At the time he was sidelined last season, Zastudil was ranked No. 1 in the league in punts inside the 20-yard-line. He angled 25 of his 49 kicks out of bounds inside the opponents' 20, and finished sixth in the AFC in that department despite kicking in just eight games.
Zastudil was in the final year of his contract with the Browns. He hopes to punt again, but doesn't know if he'll ever strap on a plain orange helmet again.
"I'll always be a Cleveland Brown," he said. "When my career is over, I'll still be going to Cleveland Browns games. That's one of the hardest things for me, knowing that there's a chance I may not be here and how much I love the city and how much I love the fans. I'm going to do everything I can to come back and do the best I can and try to help a team somewhere."
With Zastudil done for 2010, the Browns' punting and place-holding duties will be handled by Reggie Hodges, who filled in adequately last season. Hodges averaged 39.7 yards on 67 punts for Tennessee (four games) and Cleveland. He set a career-high with 15 punts inside the 20, but can't match Zastudil's length or ability to pin the other team deep in its own territory.
Still, Mangini believes Hodges can get the job done.
"I'm comfortable with Reggie," he said. "He did a good job last year. Not only did he do a good job punting, but he did a good job as a holder, another critical job for the punter to take care of. We had him in New York as well. We've seen his development professionally. He had an extended chance to punt last year and he took advantage of it."
Notes: Rookie QB Colt McCoy returned to practice after missing one day with a sprained thumb sustained in the exhibition opener. ... Cleveland's entire right offensive line was missing — starters and backups — for the morning session. Mangini said rookie guard Shawn Lauvao has been excused for the rest of the week for personal reasons. ... LB Titus Brown and RB Chris Jennings got into a minor scuffle following a pileup. Brown swung wildly during the fracas and had to run a lap around the practice field.
-- Tom Withers
Dolphins guards Garner, Jerry hurt
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins guards Nate Garner and rookie John Jerry are the latest players to succumb to injury in training camp, but Jerry is proving to be a quick healer.
Head coach Tony Sparano confirmed Garner had surgery last week on his left foot, the same one he had operated on in the offseason, and has no idea how long he will be out. A source told the Miami Herald that Garner will miss at least eight weeks.
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound lineman started eight games last season at both left and right guard and had been working on the left side with the first team when he reinjured the foot. Garner also was slated to be the backup to right tackle Vernon Carey.
Jerry was Miami's third-round pick out of Mississippi and at 6-5 and 328 pounds is making a strong push to become the starting right guard. Near the end of Monday's practice he pulled up with a sore right knee and did not finish the team drills, and then Tuesday morning he tried to push his way through again but had to cut things short.
In the afternoon session held inside the team's practice bubble, Jerry battled through the pain and did not miss any drills.
"I'm a pretty confident guy," Jerry said. "Bumps and bruises are part of the game but at the same time I'm just coming out here trying to work on my craft and get better."
Sparano revealed that in the morning the training staff and coaching staff tried to get Jerry "heated up," but his knee got sore on him again after a little while.
Donald Thomas and Cory Procter were seeing more practice reps at the guard spots when Jerry was limited, and Andrew Gardner and Lydon Murtha will continue to pick up the workload in Garner's absence.
Broncos without 17 players at morning practice
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The banged-up Denver Broncos may be giving some players a rest. The team practiced without 17 players Tuesday morning, including Pro Bowl defensive backs Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins.
Dawkins didn't play Sunday night in the preseason opener at Cincinnati. Receiver Brandon Stokley, offensive lineman Russ Hochstein and tight end Daniel Graham also missed morning practice.
The team has been besieged by injuries in training camp, especially at tailback. Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter and LenDale White all missed the morning session. Rookie receivers Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas sat out with leg injuries.
Offensive guard Chris Kuper returned and linebacker D.J. Williams shed his orange no-contact jersey.
Player Moves
Saints sign RB Ladell Betts to 1-year deal
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints made a move to strengthen their running back depth when they signed former Redskin Ladell Betts to a one-year contract Tuesday.
Betts joined his new teammates for a two-hour practice at the Superdome, but didn't wear shoulder pads and was held out of team drills as he continues to work his way back from surgery last fall to repair torn left knee ligaments. Coach Sean Payton said Betts will not play against Houston on Saturday night in the Superdome.
"He is coming off an injury, so we need to monitor and be smart about how we practice him, especially in the first couple of weeks back with his ACL," Payton said. "His experience was something that we valued and his workout was good."
New Orleans worked out Betts on Aug. 3, but did not sign him. The team's interest intensified when third-string back Lynell Hamilton suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice against New England on Aug. 11. Hamilton cleared waivers and was placed on injured reserve Monday.
"They basically wanted to see how my knee would hold up during the workouts, planting and cutting," Betts said. "I'm assuming they like what they saw. I was able to get in and out of my cuts. They said, 'You look pretty good,' so they decided to bring me on."
Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are firmly entrenched as the Saints' top two halfbacks, but the team carried four last season. Hamilton, who played primarily on special teams, was in position to become the third back after Mike Bell signed with Philadelphia as a free agent in the offseason.
"Those guys are established," Betts said. "They've been here. They helped this team win (the Super Bowl) last year. I'm just trying to fit in wherever I can. I like to consider myself a between-the-tackles runner. Hopefully once the coaches see what I can do, they'll use me to my strengths."
Betts, a nine-year veteran who turns 31 on Aug. 27, joins second-year player P.J. Hill and rookie free agent Chris Ivory in the race to back up Bush and Thomas. He will earn $755,000 in salary this season and can earn an additional $250,000 in incentives.
A second-round draft choice in 2002, the 5-foot-11, 224-pound Betts had spent his entire career with Washington before being released March 4. In eight seasons he rushed for 3,176 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 165 passes for 1,505 yards and three touchdowns. His best season came in 2006, when he accounted for 1,599 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns.
"He is a veteran player, a good all-around football player," Payton said. "He is someone who we think has pretty good balance and understands protections well."
To make room on the roster for Betts, New Orleans released free agent wide receiver Larry Beavers, who returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown during a 27-24 loss to the Patriots last Thursday.
Bills WR Nelson carted off field with leg injury
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills rookie receiver David Nelson is out indefinitely after being carted off the field with a right leg injury during practice on Tuesday.
Without providing any specifics of the injury, coach Chan Gailey said, "it doesn't look good." Based on the initial prognosis, Gailey added that there is a question as to whether Nelson will recover in time for the Bills' season opener against Miami on Sept. 12.
Nelson was hurt about an hour into practice while taking part in a team red zone drill. Making a catch over the middle from Levi Brown, Nelson turned toward the end zone and was on his way down when he was nudged sideways by a defender, who was attempting to stop himself from making a collision.
It appeared that Nelson's right foot got caught in the turf as he fell.
Nelson immediately clutched at his lower leg. Trainers spent about 5 minutes treating the player and keeping his foot elevated. Nelson was then loaded into a cart and unable to put any weight on his foot.
An undrafted rookie free agent out of Florida, Nelson is part of a raw and inexperienced receiving corps competing for a backup spot on the team.
He had a solid NFL debut, making a team-high five catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in a preseason-opening 42-17 loss at Washington last week.
Buffalo is already down two receivers entering its preseason game against Indianapolis on Thursday at Toronto. Rookie Marcus Easley is set to have surgery on his left knee, and James Hardy has missed a week with an undisclosed injury.
And that doesn't include Felton Huggins, who was waived/injured last week after he hurt his left shoulder.
Starting free safety Jairus Byrd missed practice Tuesday because of what Gailey would only refer to a "physical complication." Gailey provided no other details except to say he believes it will be resolved very quickly, and that the player was having the complication checked out.
Titans release injured rookie RB Stafon Johnson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans waived injured rookie running back Stafon Johnson, the former Southern California standout whose college career was ended by a weightlifting accident that crushed his neck.
As soon as he clears waivers, coach Jeff Fisher said they will put him on injured reserve to keep him around the training facilities during his recovery.
Johnson dislocated his right ankle and broke his fibula Saturday night in the Titans' 20-18 loss at Seattle. Before Tuesday's move, Fisher had said Johnson would be out up to 12 weeks recovering from what he called "major reconstructive surgery."
"We have not given up on him just the opposite of that," Fisher said after practice. "We are going to put him on injured reserve for the year."
Johnson was at the Titans' headquarters after being waived and even talked to reporters in the locker room after practice about his plans to return better than ever.
The Titans replaced Johnson on the roster by signing Samkon Gado. Gado has played in 41 career games with 268 carries for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has played for Green Bay, Houston, Miami and St. Louis most recently. Gado was on the field for Tuesday's practice.
Seahawks cut former Bears RB Peterson
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks have released former Chicago Bears running back Adrian Peterson days after signing him.
Peterson signed with Seattle on Thursday. His release clears roster room for newly acquired defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer.
His boomerang stay continues a pattern of roster turnover that new coach Pete Carroll has had since he arrived in January.
Seattle also released linebacker Alvin Bowen and signed kicker Clint Stitser to the 80-man training camp roster.
Stitser was out of football in 2008 and '09. The former Fresno State kicker was most recently with the New York Jets. He is in camp to help reduce the workload of Olindo Mare. The Seahawks' franchise-designated player for 2010 has been kicking with a sore calf this month.
Colts add safety, waive 2 injured players
ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts have signed safety Terrell Skinner and released two injured defensive backs.
Skinner is an undrafted rookie out of Maryland and adds depth to a secondary that sustained two injuries in Sunday's preseason loss to San Francisco.
To make room for Skinner, the Colts put veteran safety Jamie Silva and recently re-signed rookie cornerback Donye' McCleskey on the waived-injured list. Both players will be placed on the season-ending injured reserve list if they clear waivers.
Silva tore the ACL in his right knee Sunday. The Colts haven't said what injury McCleskey sustained in Sunday's game.
The 6-foot-2 Skinner was originally signed by Minnesota.
Jaguars sign LB Wilson, waive WR Townsel
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed veteran linebacker Rod Wilson and waived rookie receiver Derrick Townsel.
Wilson has played in 36 games since entering the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick of Chicago in 2005. He has 30 special teams tackles and 12 tackles on defense. He also played in eight games for Tampa Bay last season before finishing the season on injured reserve.
Wilson was a four-year letterman at South Carolina, where he played quarterback, receiver, safety and linebacker.
Townsel was an undrafted rookie from Murray State.
Chiefs sign free agent QB Stull
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs signed free agent quarterback Bill Stull on Tuesday and waived defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald.
Stull started 13 games at the University of Pittsburgh as a senior and hit 209 of 321 passes for 2,633 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Stull was signed one day after No. 2 quarterback Brodie Croyle sat out practice with an undisclosed injury. Croyle was on the field but did not participate and had a support sleeve on his right arm. Stull was with the Chiefs during rookie minicamp.
League News
Bengals LB Maualuga docked 2 games
CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga was fined two game checks by the NFL on Tuesday and forfeited a two-week share of his signing bonus for a drunken driving conviction.
The NFL decided not to suspend Maualuga, who pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges in February.
"These past couple weeks and days I was wondering when I was going to find out. I found out this morning and I was ecstatic," Maualuga said. "We've got everything put behind us now and we can just concentrate on football."
Police in northern Kentucky said the second-year player from Southern California hit a parking meter and two parked cars while driving drunk in January. He was charged with drunken and careless driving. Maualuga apologized and entered a guilty plea.
Maualuga got a suspended seven-day jail sentence and had his driver's license suspended for 90 days. He was ordered to participate in an alcohol and drug education program.
The linebacker also was put on probation for two years and ordered to pay $884 in fines plus court costs. He was ordered to make restitution for damages from the accident.
He wasn't sure whether he would be suspended by the league under its substance abuse and conduct policies.
"I took care of what I could and let the league take steps they had to," he said. "I'm glad that everyone came together and took care of it."
Scientists: Link between ALS, head injuries
BOSTON (AP) — Scientists funded in part by the NFL say they have found evidence connecting head injuries in athletes to a condition that mimics Lou Gehrig's disease.
Dr. Ann McKee said she found toxic proteins in the spinal cords of three athletes who had suffered head injuries and were later diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS. Those same proteins have been found in the brains of athletes with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease linked to head injuries that causes cognitive decline, abnormal behavior and dementia.
The findings, announced Tuesday, are to be published in September's issue of the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology.
McKee is a neurology professor at Boston University who has studied CTE in athletes. She also is director of neuropathology for the Department of Veterans Affairs at the Bedford VA Medical Center, where research has been conducted on the brains and spinal cords of 12 athletes donated by family members.
McKee noticed that an unusually high number of football players seemed to be affected by ALS. The disease attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and destroys the ability to move and speak.
She studied the brains and spinal cords of ex-Minnesota Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg, former Southern California linebacker Eric Scoggins, and a boxer whose family asked that his name be kept private.
She found the toxic proteins in the spines of all three. The proteins were not present in the spines of athletes with CTE who didn't have Lou Gehrig's disease. Nor had she seen them in non-athletes who died of ALS.
The findings suggest that the motor neuron disease that affected the three athletes is similar to — but not exactly the same as — ALS. McKee and her colleagues are calling this new disease as chronic traumatic encephalomyopathy (CTEM). They say it is "likely caused" by repetitive head trauma athletes can be exposed to in contact sports.
The BU researchers say head injuries from baseball and playing football at Columbia University might have contributed to Lou Gehrig's motor neuron disease. They say their research raises the question of whether the New York Yankees' Hall of Fame first baseman had CTEM, rather than ALS — the disease which bears Gehrig's name.
The NFL announced in April it would donate $1 million to Boston University School of Medicine, becoming the first sports league to financially support the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy's research into the long-term effects of repetitive brain trauma in athletes.
The BU researchers have been critical of the league's stance on concussions in the past.
