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'...
All of a sudden, losing Ben Roethlisberger for at least a month isn't the Steelers' only quarterback worry. Byron Leftwich, expected to be the fill-in starter, is injured and looks to be out indefinitely. Leftwich, tuning up for his anticipated Sept. 12 start against Atlanta, sprained his left knee in the second quarter as Pittsburgh beat the starter-less Carolina Panthers 19-3 on Thursday...
Eli Manning and Tom Brady are ready for the season, and so is Rhett Bomar. Haven't heard of him? Well, he just might be the New York Giants' backup quarterback. Bomar probably nailed down the job, throwing a 60-yard scoring pass to Duke Calhoun with 1:49 to play as the Giants rallied for a 20-17 victory over the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
One perfect series and done for Sam Bradford. No doubt, facing the Baltimore Ravens' second-string defense made it easier for the No. 1 pick. Bradford made another favorable impression in his second preseason start, going 6 for 6 for 68 yards and a touchdown to open the St. Louis Rams' 27-21 victory over Baltimore on Thursday night.
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...
The Oakland Raiders have plenty of roster moves they need to make before the start of the season. Apparently trading for Matt Leinart isn't one of them. The Raiders denied a report from ESPN on Wednesday that said the team has had discussions about trading with Arizona for Leinart. "The Raiders have never discussed trading for Leinart," the team said in a statement.
Michael Vick has reached the point in his comeback where he doesn't have to prove himself anymore. The New York Jets beat Philadelphia 21-17 in their preseason finale Thursday night, while Vick led the Eagles to a field goal in two series and Kurt Coleman scored on two fumble returns. Making his first start in four years, Vick played just one quarter before heading to the bench.
Tim Tebow's first two series had rookie written all over them. Then he started playing with the veteran-like poise that helped him get drafted in the first round by Denver in the first place. Tebow outplayed Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson in the backup quarterback comparison, but the Vikings forced four first-half turnovers and beat the Broncos 31-24 on Thursday night in the preseason finale...
On crutches again, Montario Hardesty hobbled toward the stadium's exit after his first NFL game for a doctor's appointment. He can't outrun his knee problems. Cleveland's highly touted rookie running back, whose career at Tennessee was slowed by knee injuries, hurt his left one in the second quarter Thursday night in a 13-10 win over the Chicago Bears, a potentially major blow to...
Darnell Dockett finally has the contract he feels he deserves. The Arizona Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they have signed the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle to a four-year extension worth up to $48 million with $30 million guaranteed. Dockett had two years left on his previous contract, so the new deal runs through the 2015 season.
