Chargers' Tomlinson back at practice
SAN DIEGO (Ticker) San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson returned to practice Thursday, but quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates remained on the sidelines.
Tomlinson, who suffered a hyperextended knee in last weekend's 28-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, should be ready for Sunday's AFC championship game at New England.
"He looked good. He looked really good," Chargers coach Norv Turner said on Thursday.
The outlook is less definitive for Rivers and Gates. Rivers suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee, which forced him to sit out the fourth quarter against the Colts.
"He was wanting to go out and throw some and take some reps today but (trainer) James Collins didn't think it was appropriate," said Turner of Rivers. "So we'll see where he is tomorrow."
Gates has a dislocated toe that clearly limited the All-Pro tight end against the Colts. However, he did not practice the entire week leading up to the game at Indianapolis.
If Rivers is unable to play, journeyman Billy Volek will get his first start since the 2005 season. Volek led a fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown drive against the Colts.
"I think he's going to give it a go tomorrow and go out there and practice," said Volek of Rivers. "If he's not ready to go then I've got to be ready to step up and play."
Copyright 2008 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Unfazed by postseason flub, Romo ready for another chance
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- First, a teary apology by Tony Romo to his teammates after the botched hold that cost the Dallas Cowboys their first playoff victory in 10 years.
Then came the long wait for another chance.
The way Romo has played this season proves the flub didn't haunt him. But even his closest friend on the team admits to having had his doubts.
"That play, all of us were really wondering how he would overcome that," All-Pro tight end Jason Witten said.
Romo never wavered in his self-confidence. If anything, he worked even more to get the most out of what happened last January in Seattle.
"It helps motivate you in the offseason to work with a chip on your shoulder. I went out there every day with a purpose," Romo said Wednesday. "Not just because of that, but that is kind of how I have always done it. That just added fuel to the fire."
Another Pro Bowl regular season later, plus a well-publicized excursion to Mexico this past weekend, Romo is finally getting ready for another playoff game, the top-seeded Cowboys at home Sunday against the New York Giants.
"It really shows his resilience and what kind of character he has," linebacker Akin Ayodele said. "From the time we came in during offseason workouts to minicamps, you could talk to him, hang out with him and you wouldn't have thought that the previous season ended the way it did."
In the closing minutes of a wild-card game against the Seahawks, the Cowboys tried a 19-yard field goal that would've put them ahead 23-21.
Romo desperately sprinted for the end zone once he picked up the bobbled snap, but was tackled from behind -- 2 yards from a touchdown and a yard short of a first down. He then sat on the turf, his legs extended while he grabbed his face mask with both hands and stared down.
After a last-ditch pass dropped incomplete on the final play, Romo sat at his locker with his back to everyone. He apologized to the team and choked up again during the postgame interview.
Teammates never blamed Romo, and instead tried to console him with a common message: The Cowboys wouldn't have been in the playoffs without him.
The also knew the mistake had nothing to do with Romo's play at quarterback. It came trying to handle one of those slick out-of-the-box balls used by kickers while still doing the holding chores he performed before replacing Drew Bledsoe at quarterback.
"The ball slipped out of his hand," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "It didn't really have anything to say about how he would (play) quarterback."
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips was San Diego's defensive coordinator when he saw the play unfold. He was most impressed by the way Romo handled himself after the game.
"He took all the blame," Phillips said. "And I thought then, `He's the guy who got them down there, he's the quarterback.' I understand he made a mistake as a holder, but I don't think you can just say, `Hey, I can't play quarterback because I wasn't a good holder on one play in my career.' "
A month later, Romo volunteered to hold on kicks at the Pro Bowl -- and hasn't done that again. Not because of anything that happened in Seattle, but as the starting quarterback and the owner of a $68.5 million contract, he's too valuable.
Romo was able to get away from the ugly ending to his season in high style. After the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, he judged the Miss Universe pageant, played in a celebrity golf tournament near Lake Tahoe and was Carrie Underwood's date at the Country Music Awards.
Still, he acknowledged Wednesday it took some time to get over the Seattle flub.
"It always takes you a while. The playoffs are different because of the finality of it all," he said. "It's just a situation where you kind of go through the whole season to get to this point, so you want to win football games."
Romo did his part to get the Cowboys back into the playoffs, setting team records with 4,211 yards passing and 36 touchdowns. He got off to a strong start, throwing for a career-best 345 yards in the opener with four TD passes and another running -- all against the Giants, the team Dallas plays Sunday.
"More than anything, he was able to bounce back from it and obviously have a great season," Witten said.
The Cowboys tied a team record with 13 victories, which earned home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and the bye weekend Romo spent lounging at a Mexico resort with Jessica Simpson, along with Witten and other teammates.
Phillips wasn't bothered by the weekend getaway, and Romo scoffed at any notion he's not focused on playing the Giants.
"Last weekend was good. ... I got away from the distractions of everything," Romo said. "I think people don't see things certain ways sometimes, but I know the reality of the situation."
By next week, there will be a new question for Romo depending on the outcome Sunday: Can the Cowboys get to the Super Bowl? Or, was Romo affected by off-field distractions?
"If I don't perform well," he said, "it has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that the Giants played a better football game."
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Manning's backup hopes to take advantage of rare playing time
INDIANAPOLIS -- This is Jim Sorgi's favorite time of year.
There's nothing at stake for Indianapolis and Peyton Manning is expected to make another early exit Sunday, putting the Colts' backup quarterback squarely in the spotlight.
It's a rarity for the man who spent part of the offseason trying out for a fitting role: the little-needed Maytag repair man.
"I've certainly grown accustomed to it," Sorgi said Wednesday. "Last year was a little weird because I wasn't playing at the end of the year, but this is when I usually get an opportunity."
These rare chances have become part of Sorgi's regular holiday routine.
Each season, for roughly 3 1/2 months, Sorgi is mired in virtual solitude because of Manning's uncanny durability and success. The Super Bowl MVP has started 159 consecutive regular-season games, second all-time to Brett Favre among quarterbacks.
But once Thanksgiving rolls around, the Colts are usually closing in on another AFC South title. Once they're locked into a playoff seed -- typically between mid-December and Christmas -- Sorgi emerges as a celebrity.
Just as he was Wednesday.
Despite going 7-of-12 for 64 yards in three appearances this season, almost as many reporters crowded around Sorgi's locker as Manning's.
Sorgi hasn't done much more of note in his three other NFL seasons. His career numbers are 66-of-102 for 683 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. But he did start 2007 with a better career passer rating, 99.3, than Manning, 94.4.
Some cities might consider the ratings number as the impetus for a quarterback controversy. Not in Indianapolis, where Manning has led the Colts (13-2) to five straight AFC South titles, two conference championship games and last year's Super Bowl crown.
Meanwhile, Sorgi remains mostly an afterthought until he's needed in those meaningless late-season games, mop-up duty and or at a Maytag audition.
And now Sorgi has some new fans in Cleveland, which needs an Indy win to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
"There are a lot of Cleveland fans in Michigan from where I'm from," Sorgi said. "I've gotten a lot of voice mails from Cleveland fans saying 'You need to play well, you need to beat these guys.' I've given them the same old speech. All I can say is I'll do my best and see what happens."
Yet the biggest question in Indy is how much the backups will play Sunday?
Coach Tony Dungy plans to give Sorgi at least one half, perhaps more.
Part of the decision hinges on whether perennial Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison returns after missing nine straight games with a left knee injury. Early indications lean toward Harrison sitting out again, and if he doesn't play, Sorgi could take even more snaps.
Dungy all but ruled out defensive tackle Raheem Brock (ribs), right tackle Ryan Diem (knee) and tight end Ben Utecht (shoulder), and he's still debating how long to play the other regulars.
But he understands the importance to Sorgi.
"I had two starts in my lifetime in the NFL, and they were when we had playoff position," Dungy said. "We just happened to win both of those games, so I like to think I had something to do with it. But you look forward to it."
If Dungy follows his usual script, it could mean Sorgi gets nearly four quarters of action.
When the Colts wrapped up their playoff seed in 2004, Sorgi replaced Manning after one series against a Denver team they faced the following week in a wild-card game. The next year, the Colts clinched the AFC's top seed early, and again Sorgi entered after one series.
Now, with the Colts locked into the No. 2 seed, it could happen again despite Manning's best lobbying efforts.
"You'd always rather be in there, there's no question about that," Manning said. "But it doesn't change anything and nobody's told me that (I'd play a half) directly. So my thing is to prepare like I always do."
The same cannot be said of Sorgi, who, like most NFL backup quarterbacks, often gets only spot duty in practice.
Except this week, on national television, Sorgi could change the AFC's postseason landscape. Tennessee (9-6) is in with a win. So Sorgi suddenly finds himself in a more vital role than just being a trivia question answer as Manning's longest-tenured backup.
And all jokes aside, Sorgi intends to make the most of it.
"You have to go out and play hard and play well," he said. "We'll have a lot of young guys in there, so I have to make sure they're all on the same page with me."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
Chiefs sign RB Battle
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (TICKER) -- The Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday signed running back Jackie Battle to a three-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 6-2, 238-pound Battle, who signed as a rookie free agent with the Dallas Cowboys before being released prior to the start of the season, signed with Kansas City as a member of its practice squad on November 21.
In other moves, the club added tight end Zac Alcorn and linebacker Mickey Pimentel to the practice squad.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Giants RB Ward out for season
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The New York Giants officially lost their leading rusher for the remainder of the season Tuesday when Derrick Ward was placed on injured reserve.
Ward suffered a broken left leg in Sunday's 21-16 victory over the Chicago Bears. The news put a damper on an otherwise outstanding day for Ward, who rushed for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown.
The 5-11 Ward had missed New York's previous four games with injuries to his groin and ankle. But the 27-year-old had been effective when healthy this season, rushing for a team-high 602 yards and three TDs while hauling in 26 receptions for 179 yards and one score in eight games.
Ward was replaced Sunday by Reuben Droughns, who scored the go-ahead 2-yard TD with 1:33 remaining.
The good news for the Giants (8-4) is that Brandon Jacobs is ready to return after missing two games with a hamstring injury. Jacobs has rushed for 599 yards this season.
With Jacobs coming back, Droughns likely will be used as the Giants' backup.
Droughns has been solid as a replacement to Jacobs and Ward this season, rushing for 247 yards and six TDs in limited action.
Despite the injuries to Jacobs and Ward, the Giants have a two-game lead in the NFC wild card race.
To replace Ward on the roster, the Giants signed running back Danny Ware off the New York Jets' practice squad.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
Broncos RB Travis Henry says his left knee is fit, ready to run
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -- Broncos running back Travis Henry is excited about the thought of a 20-carry game Sunday.
He's just hoping his knee shares his enthusiasm.
"I feel good enough to play," said Henry, who partially tore the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. "If they need me to (carry it 20 times), I'll man up and do it. My knee feels real good."
Henry and rookie Selvin Young (knee strain) both practiced Thursday and Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is optimistic they'll play Sunday at Oakland.
Andre Hall, though, remains a question mark. Hall sustained a high ankle sprain last weekend against Chicago on his first carry, but he persevered through the pain to finish with 98 yards on 26 carries.
He walked with a noticeable limp Thursday.
"Maybe I can go," said Hall, who planned to test the ankle more thoroughly on Friday. "But you have the two-headed monster back so everything is OK."
Henry has missed the last three games because of the knee injury he suffered at Detroit. He said the extra rest has rejuvenated him.
"I'm pumped up about it," said Henry, who's rushed for 580 yards this season.
Henry was mum on his ongoing fight with the league. The beleaguered back is fighting to keep the NFL from suspending him over the results of a drug test. He had a hearing with the league a few weeks ago in Phoenix and is still waiting to hear back.
If he's unsuccessful, Henry faces a yearlong suspension.
"I don't know nothing," Henry said after practice Thursday.
A league spokesman had no additional information to report on the hearing.
Shanahan was just happy to see his top two running backs on the field again at the same time.
Young even dropped back and returned some kickoffs at the conclusion of practice.
While Young's knee isn't 100 percent, he said it's good enough to play.
"I'm ready to go," said Young, who's third in the league with a 5.1-yard rushing average. "This is a grueling position. You have to understand pain. Everybody is hurt."
Broncos running backs coach Bobby Turner has developed a keen eye for uncovering unheralded tailbacks.
His talent, though, has been put to the test this season. But no matter who the Broncos insert into the backfield -- like undrafted free agents Young and Hall -- the production hasn't dipped.
Young filled in nicely when Henry went down, and then Hall picked up the slack after Young got hurt.
Denver is averaging 148.3 yards rushing a game over the last three contests, best in the league over that time frame.
"In classic Denver fashion, here's two undrafted free agents that they just plug them into the system and here they go," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said.
It's because Turner knows precisely what he's looking for in a tailback -- toughness. Hall showed his tenacity by playing through a sprained ankle.
Then again, Hall had no choice but to carry on -- the Broncos were almost out of options. Henry and Young were both inactive for the Bears game, and Mike Bell fumbled on his only carry of the contest.
Hall said that Young and Rod Smith -- who's out for the season with a hip injury -- gave him all the incentive he needed.
"Selvin and Rod said, 'We need you to push through it,"' Hall said. "After every possession, Rod would come and say, 'We appreciate it.' That makes you feel good."
The positive reinforcement worked better than any cortisone shot could have.
"It really did," Hall said with a grin. "I got energy."
The fact he played through a bum ankle gives Hall hope he'll be ready Sunday.
"I think I can go," Hall said. "I'm going to get my job done, no matter if I have to suck it up for four quarters with a sprained ankle. That's what I'm going to do."
Henry had the same attitude.
"In this league, you're never 100 percent healthy," he said. "I have to suck it up."
Henry refuses to wear a knee brace to protect the knee. He's not the least bit worried about the knee ligament possibly tearing more than it already has.
"That's the game," Henry said. "I feel good enough to play. I ain't even thinking about the what-ifs."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.
Redskins place WR Lloyd on IR
ASHBURN, VIRGINIA (TICKER) -- The Washington Redskins placed Brandon Lloyd on injured reserve Thursday, ending the underachieving wide receiver's season.
Lloyd, 26, suffered a broken collarbone during practice Wednesday when he drove his shoulder into the ground while making a diving catch in the end zone.
It marked the latest in a series of disappointments for Lloyd, who has struggled mightily since signing a contract extension reportedly worth $10 million in guaranteed money with the Redskins in April 2006.
After recording 23 catches for 365 yards in 15 games last season, Lloyd virtually has been a non-factor for the Redskins this season, playing sparingly after falling out of favor with coach Joe Gibbs.
Lloyd has appeared eight games this year, hauling in just two receptions for 14 yards.
Redskins officials said that the 6-foot Lloyd will not need surgery. But the news still comes at a bad time for Washington (5-4), which already has an injury-depleted wide receiver corps entering Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys (8-1).
Santana Moss (heel) and James Thrash (ankle) both missed Wednesday's practice, while Antwaan Randle El still is slowly recovering from a hamstring injury which has curbed his production over the last month.
To fill Lloyd's spot on the active roster, the Redskins signed wide receiver Jimmy Farris on Thursday.
Copyright 2007 PA SportsTicker. All Rights Reserved
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