Arizona Cardinals

QB: Kurt Warner continues to impress coaches and teammates during training camp. “He is poised and confident,” said wide receivers coach Mike Wilson. “For me, watching him work with the young receivers, talking to them and communicating with them, he is coaching those guys out there. I think that is the best thing for those guys, to be on the same page in the heat of the battle. Kurt has been a great acquisition for us and he has helped those guys a lot in their development.” With a game on Saturday, the players weren’t in pads for Thursday’s practice. The offense and defense squared off in situational drills like the two-minute and goal line drills, and some 11-on-11 drills, too. Kurt Warner hit Reggie Newhouse on a short slant pattern in one goal line drill. Backup QB Josh McCown was intercepted once, almost twice. He threw behind his receiver and Antrel Rolle dropped an interception, then later strong-side linebacker Karlos Dansby did intercept McCown on a short pass. John Navarre threw a TD in the corner of the end zone to free agent rookie Carlyle Holiday, who out-jumped a defender for the ball. In Saturday’s game Warner was 12-of-23 for 99 yards with no TDs or INTs. McCown relieved him and threw two TDs in the second half finishing 4 for 7 for 42 yards. John Navarre threw six passes with nary a completion.

RB: Last Monday, Marcel Shipp finally returned to practice. After a week of practice, Dennis Green was eager to see Shipp return to live action. "He practiced well this week," Green said. "When he gets the ball, we want him to be able to hit the hole. We'll make sure he is making progress. The big thing is, it's the first time he has played football in a year, as far as the tackling part. Hopefully the whole thing will come together without him being too rusty." In Saturday’s game Shipp had seven carries for 56 yards with a long of 26 yards. Green said if Shipp remains healthy, he’s the team’s No. 2 running back. The Cardinals released FB Casey Moore on Thursday. J.J. Arrington ran 9 times for 24 yards while catching 3 passes for 22 yards Saturday. Damien Anderson had seven carries for 20 yards and J.R. Redmond had five carries for 12 yards.

WR: Anquan Boldin (broken nose) returned to practice last Monday. Boldin wore his helmet the whole practice, and Green said he would continue to bring Boldin along slowly. Boldin’s return to game action this weekend marked the first opportunity for starting quarterback Kurt Warner to work with all three of his young, talented receivers at the same time. They did not disappoint, as Boldin broke loose on the sidelines for a 49-yard TD play that was brought back on a holding penalty. Meanwhile, one player who continues to turn heads in camp with his strong play is Bryant Johnson. “BJ is a legitimate starter in this league,” stated Wilson. “He is having his best year so far, and is having an excellent camp. He hasn’t really missed any balls and hasn’t had any mental errors. I’m excited about BJ. He is a good player.” Johnson himself added, “I’m definitely feeling more comfortable. The things that Keith Rowen (offensive coordinator) is doing, is definitely opening things up for the playmakers to make plays and that is where the comfort level comes into play.” Johnson had two catches for 26 yards. Charles Lee had a solid second half with three catches for 37 yards including a 19-yard TD. Reggie Newhouse also caught a 5-yard TD in the 2nd half from McCown.

TE: Undrafted rookie Adam Bergen is beginning to rise to the top of the TE competition with Eric Edwards injured and not practicing. “I think Adam has started to separate himself from a receiving standpoint and has really looked good," said QB Kurt Warner. "When Eric went down he got some more opportunities and really has emerged as a guy that we think can be really successful for us and do some things from that position for us, from a receiving standpoint.” Warner also noted that Aaron Golliday is making his mark with strong blocking and said, “He’s going to be a strength for us there.” At this point Bergen is a deep sleeper, but definitely worth rostering in dynasty leagues. He was a solid pass-catching tight end in college and could turn out to be a pleasant surprise even as a rookie. None of the Cardinals TEs caught a pass in Saturday’s loss to Kansas City.

Defense: Middle linebacker Gerald Hayes underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair knee cartilage and is expected to miss at least eight weeks.  Green said James Darling, who led the team last year with a career-high 104 tackles, will replace Hayes in the lineup at MLB. Darling made three of his 15 starts in 2004 at middle linebacker. "We won't make any other shifts, even though Huff has played middle linebacker most of his career," Green said. "James Darling will start for us at middle linebacker, and we could conceivably try to add to it," Green said Wednesday. "We've got three games to go, three preseason games, and with nine linebackers that's not a lot of guys." The team worked out free agent Lester Towns on Thursday. DE Peppi Zellner returned to practice last Monday after sitting out with sprained knee. Robert Griffith missed Thursday’s practice, as did DT Devone Claybrooks. Darnell Dockett looks primed for the regular season. He has been his disruptive self so far and Saturday he had one sack and 4 tackles. Calvin Pace had two sacks continuing his strong camp with a 2nd consecutive strong game.

Special Teams: PK Neil Rackers was good from 27 yards but was wide left from 37 in FGs in the game at Kansas City. Camp leg PK Matt Fordyce hit the right upright on his 30 yard attempt. RB J.R. Redmond knows there is plenty of competition at RB, so he has been focusing on his special teams play in hopes of making the team. Coach Dennis Green has indicated that Redmond is leading candidate to handle both punt and kickoff returns. He had one punt return for 16 yards, a fair catch, and two kickoffs returns with a 17.0 yard average this week. One of his competitors, rookie WR Dan Sheldon had two punt returns with a 10.0 yard average. Two RBs each had one kickoff return: Damien Anderson (24 yards) and Obafemi Avanbadejo (17).

Other: Starting center Alex Stepanovich will miss the month of August after injuring his right hand in the team's mock game Aug. 6. Green said Monday that Stepanovich had surgery last week, and plates were inserted in his snapping hand. "We don't have a timetable on Stepanovich," Green said. "It's going to be a while though". The Cardinals signed C Bill Conaty on Wednesday.

Cardinals Depth Chart
QB Kurt Warner, Josh McCown, John Navarre
 RB J.J. Arrington, Marcel Shipp, J.R. Redmond, Damien Anderson, James Jackson
 FB James Hodgins (inj), Obafemi Ayanbadejo, Harold Morrow, Casey Moore
 WR Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Bryant Johnson, Charles Lee, Reggie Newhouse, Dan Sheldon (KR/PR), LeRon McCoy, Carlyle Holiday
 TE Eric Edwards (inj), Bobby Blizzard, Adam Bergen, John Bronson, Aaron Golliday
 K Neil Rackers
 DE Bertrand Berry, Chike Okeafor, Peppi Zellner, Calvin Pace, Antonio Smith, Tyler King
 DT Darnell Dockett, Russell Davis (NT), Kenny King (inj), Ross Kolodziej, Tim Bulman, Keith Wright
 MLB Gerald Hayes (inj), James Darling (W), Lance Mitchell, Lester Towns
 OLB Karlos Dansby (S), Orlando Huff (W), Darryl Blackstock (W/S), Eric Johnson, Isaac Keys (W), Isaiah Ekejiuba (S)
 CB David Macklin, Antrel Rolle, Eric Green, Robert Tate, Rhett Nelson, Raymond Walls, Jermaine Hardy
 S Adrian Wilson (SS), Robert Griffith (FS), Ifeanyi Ohalete (FS), Quentin Harris (FS), Adrian Mayes (SS), Ernest Shazor (SS)

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Atlanta Falcons

QB: Michael Vick played well Friday night against the Titans completing 6-of-9 for 64 yards and a 4-yard TD to Brian Finneran. Vick also broke off a nice 21-yard run. Matt Schaub entered the game after Vick but failed to impress. He was just five for 15 for 47 yards while tossing an interception.

RB: Brace yourself. T.J. Duckett’s ADP is about to skyrocket following this week’s preseason game against the Titans. Duckett “exploded” for a 72 yard TD run in the third quarter. Players who do stuff like this in the preseason usually are overvalued just before draft time. That’s not to say Duckett won’t break out to some extent this year. Dunn’s always been a trooper, despite his lack of ‘size’, but he’s also getting to the age where backs traditionally begin showing cracks in the armor. Duckett is usually drafted later in most leagues, but keep him in mind in the middle-to-late rounds as a guy who could give solid upside for a RB3 or RB4. Dunn also looked good in brief action ripping off an 18-yard run. Jason Wright ran 4 times for 15 yards and caught two passes for 16 yards. FB Justin Griffith looks like he could be used as a nice receiving option out of the backfield this year; a role Griffith has been well suited to in the past. He caught two passes for 36 yards against Tennessee. Rookie DeAndre Cobb flashed his home run ability and excellent speed returning a kick 100 yards for a TD.

WR: WR Roddy White missed Friday's preseason game with Tennessee, after an MRI exam confirmed he sustained a mild high ankle sprain in last Saturday's 16-3 victory. "It could be anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks," Mora said. White was able to walk around at Thursday’s practice, albeit with a slight limp. He went though stretching exercises pain free and was able to get out of the protective boot he was wearing since the injury occurred. Meanwhile, the rest of the Falcons WR corps was mostly unimpressive in camp this week. Peerless Price is struggling somewhat and dropped two consecutive passes early in the week. Mora was asked if any of the receivers are giving the “wow” factor yet. “Maybe with Fin [Brian Finneran] and Dez [White]. I mean, I feel comfortable knowing exactly what they are as players. With the other three guys we’re focusing on, I can’t say that. You certainly can’t say that about Roddy [White] and Michael [Jenkins], because none of us have really seen them play at this level… and with Peerless, there is issues of how he is responding to being demoted. Has his blocking improved to the point where he’s not a liability on runs but he becomes an asset? It’s kind of funny we’re still saying that about a five- or six-year veteran, but that’s the facts of the matter.” Ironically, rookie Cole Magner did impress coach Mora with his performance this week. He put together a couple strong practices this week prompting Mora’s praise. "He certainly catches your eye because he catches the ball," Mora said. "He's a competitor, he catches everything that's thrown to him, he can jump and he's athletic.” In Friday’s game Coles Magner caught a pair of balls for 18 yards while Michael Jenkins had a catch for 13 yards. Considering the Falcons had a trademark game with just 11 completions, no one receiver had more than two receptions, but eight different players had at least one catch.

TE:  Alge Crumpler took a rep versus the cornerbacks during one-on-one last Tuesday, lining up opposite CB Jonte' Buhl and running down the left sideline. Crumpler leapt in the end zone and came up with the TD on a well-thrown ball by QB Bryan Randall.

Defense: During a seven-on-seven goal line period, S Etric Pruitt defended no less than two passes, putting himself in prime position and making the most of his opportunity on several occasions last Tuesday. In the evening practice, DT Jonathan Babineaux flashed great quickness, a nose for the ball and an impressive burst off the line. During 11-on-11 drills, Babineaux broke up a screen by busting up the play before it developed, blanketing the running back, and negating the screen. Pruitt carried his strong play over to Friday night when he intercepted a Billy Volek pass while also collecting 4 tackles. The Falcons shuffled their LBs for Friday’s game starting Demorrio Williams at SLB, Ike Reese at WLB and Jordan Beck at MLB. Keith Brooking tweaked his right quad while Ed Hartwell hyper-extended his knee last week against the Ravens and did not practice all week. Demorrio Williams had a huge game against the Titans with nine solo tackles and Jordan Beck had a 6-1-0 stat line. Rookie OLB Michael Boley had six solo tackles and Ike Reese had a 5-1-0.  DEs Brady Smith and Patrick Kerney and CB Christian Morton did not play against the Titans. Corner DeAngelo Hall was tossed from the game in the 2nd quarter after throwing a couple punches in a little skirmish.

Special Teams: PK Todd Peterson got to rest his leg during this week’s game against Tennessee. He had no FG attempts and kicked one extra point. The two punters handled kickoffs. The team once again avoided using starting CB/PR Allen Rossum on special teams and is apparently saving that until the regular season. Rookie WR Brian Bratton returned one punt for no gain. Rookies WR Roddy White and RB DeAndra Cobb are competing for the KR role. White did not play (ankle) and Cobb made the most of the opportunity, returning three kicks, including one for a 101-yard touchdown. Bratton returned a kickoff 18 yards, and RB Justin Griffith returned one 15 yards

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Baltimore Ravens

QB: Kyle Boller lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in Saturday’s game against the Eagles. Boller completed 10-of-15 passes for 88 yards and a 5-yard TD to Daniel Wilcox just before the half. "I'm glad we finished strong on that last drive, because the start wasn't very good," Boller said. "It's probably my worst quarter-and-a-half in the NFL." Anthony Wright, meanwhile, is not relenting as he continues to look as good as Boller does – and usually better – in the preseason. Wright completed 14-of-23 passes for 140 yards with no TDs, but just as importantly no turnovers.

RB: Jamal Lewis is glad to be back in camp and was pleased with the amount of loyalty the Ravens organization showed him during his turbulent offseason. Before pleading guilty, Lewis checked with the team to see how they would react and they indicated that they would stand by him. That’s exactly what they did, too. Since returning on August 9th, Lewis has been greeted with great support and enthusiasm by fans, coaches and players alike. "I'm on a mission, out to prove what I've always done with the Ravens, and that's prove people wrong," Lewis said. "I want to prove that Ozzie Newsome and this organization were right to stand behind me. I know there are people ... waiting to see me fail, people waiting to see me lose a step. ... But my fans, who supported me through this ordeal, they are waiting to see me explode." Lewis is slowly working himself back into shape – football-wise – and he’s gradually showing more of his trademark burst each passing day. "The ankle is a little bit sore. Monday might have been the first time I ran some real plays and actually got between the lines, and did some real football moves," Lewis said. "It's going to take a few more practices to really get that movement, break up some of that scar tissue and get it going. If I had to play tomorrow, I would be able to play." The Ravens are expected to ease him into the preseason action though. Lewis’ stated goal is to be 100% for the season opener against Indianapolis. Chester Taylor handled the bulk of the running duties on Saturday rushing 15 times for 47 yards. He also caught a pass for 11 yards. Alex Haynes and Tellis Redmon handled the rest of the workload. Haynes finished with 14 yards on four carries while Redmon scored on a 2-yard run and had a 19-yard reception.

WR: The two players who keep turning heads are rookie Mark Clayton and 2nd year Clarence Moore. "He's impressive," Billick said of Clayton. "He's picked up the offense very well in a short period of time." In fact, Billick’s quite happy with the entire group from top to bottom. "We've got a lot of guys playing real well across the board," Billick said. "All the way down, everybody is making plays. They're focused. I like the group." Moore had a nice week in camp beating Samari Rolle for two touchdowns in one-on-one drills. He later scored a 60-yard TD during team drills. In the Ravens first preseason game, he scored a TD, but dropped another. He and Clayton are competing for a starting spot, but there’s a chance both could be quite productive. Moore is obviously a huge presence in the red zone while Clayton has the quickness to make big plays with his ability to get open and run after the catch. Moore didn’t catch a pass on Saturday. Derrick Mason had four catches for 29 yards; Randy Hymes caught 5 balls for 44 yards while Mark Clayton caught two for 27 yards.

TE: Heap’s ankle has been holding up in workouts and he’s getting closer towards practicing and engaging in contact drills. Heap said last week his shoulder will be the bigger test when he puts the pads on. He’s hopeful to begin full contact drills and practice as early as this week. He was originally slated to make his preseason debut against the Eagles. In Heap’s absence, the other Ravens TEs got a lot of action and played pretty well overall. Terry Jones had two catches for 29 yards, Trent Smith three catches for 22 yards and Daniel Wilcox caught a TD among three receptions for 19 yards.

Defense: LB Peter Boulware's unexpected return to the Ravens became official over the weekend. The franchise's all-time sacks leader signed a one-year contract. Boulware, 30, fills the Ravens' major need for a pass rusher and will be paired with Terrell Suggs as the Ravens primary rush ends while also splitting time with Adalius Thomas at strong-side linebacker. "When I came in as rookie, we had Mike McCrary and Peter Boulware," S Will Demps said. "It spoiled me in the backfield. Now you've got Suggs, you've got Pete, you've got [Adalius Thomas]. I don't know how we're going to get everybody on the field at the same time. It's going to be crazy." In other news, both Dale Carter (leg) and Deion Sanders (rest) did not practice with the team on Thursday.  Jarret Johnson started in place of the injured Adalius Thomas, though Johnson lined up at defensive end in the 4-3 alignment.. Thomas is close to playing a week after suffering a hyper-extended knee. He returned to practice. Ed Reed picked up a loose ball on a blocked field goal and then flipped the ball to Chris McAlister on an apparent return for TD on the final play of the first half. The officials, who called it a forward lateral, negated the play. "I don't know of a football field, pup, community, Pop Warner, junior high, high school or college that that's not a touchdown," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "But evidently not in the NFL." Samari Rolle intercepted McNabb and then left the game in the first half with a mild knee sprain.

Special Teams: PK Matt Stover spent most of the game against Philadelphia on the sidelines, hitting just an extra point. Rookie PK Rhys Lloyd, hoping to make the team as the kickoff specialist, had a one kickoff for only 55 yards, which didn’t help his cause. During the week, the team signed Owen Pochman to compete with Rhys. Pochman faired somewhat better, hitting kickoffs 60 and 64 yards. RB B.J. Sams was arrested for DUI during the week, but that won’t impact his standing as the PR/KR specialist. He returned four kickoffs for a 21.5 yard average in the game. RB Tellis Redmon returned the other kickoff for 23 yards. The Ravens had no punt returns during the game.

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Buffalo Bills

QB: J.P. Losman and Eric Moulds appear to be on the same page after struggling a little during the first couple of weeks in camp. On Wednesday, the two connected on a pair of TDs during the morning practice session. After practice, Losman talked about getting off to a fast start in Saturday’s game. He noted that opposing defenses aren’t as fast as the Bills unit, and facing them in practice every day has accelerated his learning curve considerably. After Saturday’s game it’s apparent Losman needs to learn two things. First, learn how to avoid taking a hit by sliding. Second, how to celebrate a TD. After scoring on a one-yard scamper, Losman wasn’t sure what he should do. "I was like, 'Should I celebrate, should I not, should I wait for the regular season?'" said Losman, who simply stood in the end zone holding the ball before his teammates arrived to celebrate. "But it was a great feeling to get that first one out of the way." Losman also engineered two scoring drives on the team’s next two possessions. He went 7-of-14 for 59 yards with five carries for 36 yards. At this rate, if Losman stays healthy and reasonably productive he could turn out to be a draft day steal given his current ADP. Kelly Holcomb entered the game after Losman and looked sharp completing 7-of-9 passes for 79 yards.

RB: Last Monday night, Willis McGahee put on in his equipment but did what everyone in the crowd did — watch. McGahee limped off the field favoring his right leg during the first quarter of last Saturday's game at Indianapolis and had his thigh heavily wrapped up to his knee. Head coach Mike Mularkey, taking a page out of Jeff Fisher’s book when discussing injuries to the media, would only say that McGahee had a ‘leg injury’; thanks Coach. McGahee returned to practice on Wednesday morning and told the local radio station that he’s 100%. He was held out of practice the previous two days but did take part in all of the workouts and didn’t have any problems going full speed. The battle to backup McGahee appears to be Shaud Williams’ to lose. Williams missed two days of practice with an undisclosed injury, but returned to the field on Thursday. Rookie Lionel Gates is also having a solid camp displaying deceptive speed, power and good hands. ReShard Lee appears to be lagging behind those two along with RB/FB Joe Burns, but this competition is far from over. McGahee scored on a 6-yard run in Saturday’s game while Gates added a 14-yard TD run in the 4th quarter. McGahee ran nine times for 32 yards while Gates carried seven times for 36 yards. Joe Burns gained 29 yards on just four carries while ReShard Lee failed to get anything going despite having a 10-yard run. He ran nine times for 15 yards. McGahee, Lee, Gates and Burns all had runs of 10 yards or longer.

WR: Roscoe Parrish had surgery last week on his injured right wrist. Coaches say he will be out of action for a while. He will not be available when the season starts having ruled out a return in the preseason. There is still no timetable on his return nor are any details available regarding the exact nature of the injury. On Wednesday, Parrish was back in practice on the sidelines sporting a cast on his wrist and a sling on his arm. Parrish’s injury leaves the battle for the team’s No. 3 WR job up in the air between Josh Reed and Sam Aiken, but it also opens the door for Tony Brown and Jonathan Smith to shine. "There's a sense of urgency," said Brown, a 6-foot-2, 199-pound rookie free-agent out of Tennessee. "The coaches are looking for somebody to step up and fill the void." Brown brings a lot of speed to the table while Smith is more of a possession receiver. Brown runs more post patterns while Smith is utilized on the short, underneath routes. Receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said, “I love the speed Tony Brown possesses”. On Smith, Tolbert added, “Get the ball in his hands right now and let him run.” Also in the hunt is Drew Haddad, who had a strong week in camp. Coaches have been very happy with the WR corps as a whole. They did not have to start from scratch this year and as a result the practice tempo has been quite a bit faster than last year. Drew Haddad had three catches for 26 yards against the Packers.  Eric Moulds left Saturday’s game after bruising his ribs in the 2nd quarter. Moulds was ok after the game and said he merely got the wind knocked out of him. Moulds only caught one pass for 5 yards. Josh Reed led all Bills receivers with three catches for 35 yards. Rookie George Wilson caught two for 30 yards. Evans, like Moulds, had just one catch for 15 yards.

TE: Kevin Everett is in training camp after signing his contract and is currently on the PUP list. The team says Everett is ahead of schedule with his rehabilitation from his torn ACL and there is a chance he could return before the season is over. Tim Euhus and Brad Cieslak each caught a pass in Saturday’s game.

Defense: The Bills beat up on the Packers in a scrimmage earlier this month prompting Packers QB Brett Favre to state that he was not looking forward to playing them again on Saturday. “I was hoping that we wouldn’t play them again,” said Favre. The Bills defense lost only one starter from a unit that ranked 2nd in yards allowed and forced 39 turnovers a year ago. If the Bills are going to sign CB Nate Clements to a contract extension, they had better do so in the next few weeks. Both sides have said they will not negotiate during the season and Clements is intent on becoming one of the league’s best-paid corners. Think Champ Bailey (7 years, $63 million). That price may prove to be too exorbitant for Tom Donahoe and the Bills front office. There is a strong battle between two undrafted free agents fighting for the fourth defensive end spot. Last year's undrafted signee Constantin Ritzmann and this year's UDFA George Gause are duking it out along with Uyi Osunde. Ritzmann had three tackles, two sacks, and forced a fumble late in the game to kill a Colts' comeback try and preserve the 17-10 win. On Saturday, he continued his pre-season tear with another pair of sacks. Gause had one tackle, one sack and a batted down pass. He also rag-dolled Colts QB Jim Sorgi which left an impression with the coaches. The nickel back job is currently Jabari Greer’s to lose now that Kevin Thomas is recovering from offseason surgery; and his interception against Green Bay helps make his case. No starting job appears to be on the line except for the battle between Ron Edwards and Tim Anderson to see who will start alongside DT Sam Adams; and we shouldn’t count out dark horse Justin Bannan who is having a strong camp thus far.

Special Teams: PK Rian Lindell has been working on his distance for kickoffs and long field goals and has looked improved in both practice and games. Against Green Bay this week he made field goals of 41 and 54 yards. He was wide right on yet another attempt from 54 yards.  Rookie WR Roscoe Parrish is expected to miss the remainder of preseason after undergoing wrist surgery, which hurts or at least postpones his bid to win the PR job from CB Nate Clements. Potential backups S Jim Leonhard (3 returns, 19.0 average) and WR Drew Haddad (2, 19.0) handled the returns this week. It appears the Bills have a very good blocking scheme(s). Potential backups ReShard Lee (1 for 69 yards) and rookie RB Lionel Gates (1 for 20 yards) handles kickoff returns this week.

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Carolina Panthers

QB: After two weeks of camp Stefan Lefors is now being called “Baby Jake”.  The way Lefors is playing in the preseason, it is easy to see why the name fits. Last week Lefors completed five-of-eight passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns even after bouncing his first pass to a wide open Efrem Hill. "I'm not going to lie, I was nervous," said Lefors of his first pass as a Panther. "I knew he was open, and I just choked. That's all there is to it. But after that first play, I got that bad ball out of me. After that, I just went in there and just had fun and played the game like I have before." Jake Delhomme wasn’t surprised, "If you're in his situation, that's what you have to do. That's all I ever played in for my first six or seven years in the League, and you've got to take advantage of it. You've got to run around and make some plays and that's what he did."

Delhomme threw two interceptions on Saturday, but was efficient otherwise completing 15-of-19 passes for 146 yards in a quarter and a half of work. He threw a 2-yard TD to tight end Mike Seidman in the first quarter. Chris Weinke was horrible completing just 7-of-18 for 63 yards while Lefors was 5-of-9 for 40 yards with 4-yard TD to Taylor Stubblefield and one interception. Lefors also scrambled for 23 yards while Weinke had 9 yards on the ground. Rod Rutherford saw a little action completing his only pass attempt for 7 yards.

RB: DeShaun Foster is the established starter and rookie Eric Shelton seems like the logical pick to benefit if/when Foster gets hurt again. Yet the practical side of us all tells us not to forget about Nick Goings. John Fox was asked last week about the value Goings has to the team. “We knew what he could do all along, but I think he showed everybody else around the country (last year) what he is capable of as an every down back. He has a lot of roles on this team. He's an excellent special teams player. He's a master of it all. He's good out of the backfield. He knows the protections. He's got good quickness and juice to run the ball, even after the catch.” With Goings in the mix, it shouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up getting a big chunk of the workload if Foster gets hurt. Shelton is still rounding into shape as a rookie trying to learn how to block, pick up blitzes and run good routes. Goings already does all that and plays special teams well. Goings certainly has his niche in the Panthers backfield, but as a player you might be able to draft in the waning rounds he could turn out to be a steal just like last year. For now, the plan is for Goings to transition back to fullback.  Against the Giants, DeShaun Foster ran 11 times for 39 yards while catching one pass for 5 yards. Jamal Robertson and Eric Shelton each carried five times for 37 and 27 yards respectively. Nick Goings carried four times for 15 yards.  

RB Stephen Davis probably won't return to live action until at least the third game of the preseason, but he returned to practice on Monday. John Fox was asked if Davis might be available for the 3rd or 4th preseason game, “That would be the best case scenario. So far, there has been nothing to discourage that," he said. "But we're not at that point yet and we're just taking it a day at a time. He's going through his rehab, and all of those things have been good. Now, it's just a matter of time when we get him out there and start banging him around."

WR: The Panthers appear to have lucked out when they acquired WR Rod Gardner from the Redskins for a song and a dance. Gardner is already making an impact in the preseason. The physical play and size he brings to the table are reminiscent of Muhsin Muhammad. Gardner is giving Keary Colbert some competition for a starting job, too. Colbert should be safe providing he stays healthy, but it’s probably a moot point. Both receivers will probably see plenty of action opposite Steve Smith when the team goes to three receiver sets. The coaches are looking to Steve Smith to return punts again this year even though is coming off injury. The simple fact is the Panthers special teams struggled mightily last year with Smith (and Rod Smart) missing most of the season. Smith’s open field elusiveness, speed and toughness make him a home run threat. Keary Colbert and Steve Smith got the bulk of the targets in Saturday’s game. Colbert made a few spectacular catches answering the challenge presented by Rod Gardner with five catches for 69 yards. Smith caught eight balls for 69 yards while getting stripped on one catch and losing the football. Gardner finished with just one catch for 7 yards.

A player to watch in the next couple preseason games is Aaron Boone. This kid is something else. He was a two-year starter at QB in high school where he earned all-state honors in football, basketball and baseball. He received scholarship offers from several schools, but instead chose to go to Peru and serve a two-year mission helping rebuild homes. He lost thirty pounds while there, then he returned to play ball going the JUCO route before landing at Kentucky. He led the Wildcats with 41 catches, 706 yards and 10 TDs as a senior. Boone earned all-NFL Europe honors leading the league with 43 receptions, 582 yards and 5 TDs. Now, the 6’2” 205 lb. Boone is going on his fifth camp in two years. His bid to make the roster was boosted when Boone caught a 26-yard TD from Lefors on his first reception in the NFL against the Redskins. Unfortunately, Boone didn’t catch a pass against the Giants.

TE: The Panthers were hoping to get more out of Mike Seidman this year. When Freddie Jones unexpectedly retired, the team’s desire for improvement out of Seidman became a priority. On Saturday, Seidman played well catching three passes for 28 yards and a 2-yard TD. Kris Mangum is the team’s starter, but the coaches believe that Seidman is their more complete player who can offer more in both the running and passing game. At this point, Seidman is nothing more than a player to watch, but if he surpasses Mangum on the depth chart he immediately becomes a deep sleeper and potential waiver wire pickup during the season.

Defense:  The Panthers defense should be significantly better this year with the return of DT Kris Jenkins and the addition of first round pick LB/S Thomas Davis. DE Mike Rucker certainly expects big things. "He's going to help anybody out when he gets back in there just because of what he brings to the table," said Rucker. "I like to think of this line as a puzzle, and we didn't have all the pieces last year. Now that it is together, hopefully we can be full strength and cause havoc." Rucker himself was slowed last year by knee problems and an irregular heartbeat. He says this year will be different. "I'm healthy. I'm getting back into the swing of things. I'm getting the communication down and just working on the little things that you wouldn't really think of during the season." Davis is in his first week after transitioning to linebacker from safety. He’s already flashing his potential and impressing teammates. “He's another athletic guy who will make our linebacking corps that much better," said linebacker Dan Morgan. "I think he'll do well. He just has some learning to do. Once he does that, he'll progress. It's going to take a little work on his part. It's not something he can do overnight." Davis is hitting the playbook and proving to be a quick study. "We had a wake-up call this morning and I missed it because I had stayed up all night trying to learn this position," said Davis, who will probably start at strong-side linebacker with Brandon Short injured. Short will be sidelined for a few more weeks, but his chances of returning for the season opener look better. Short was running and cutting on the sidelines Thursday morning. It looks like the injury isn’t as bad as first thought. Chris Draft got the start in Short’s place against the Giants.

The Panthers like their depth, too… "If you start watching the Redskins game from the second quarter on, you'll see we have playmakers behind the starters, too," said Al Wallace, among the most valuable non-starters himself. "Kemp Rasmussen has been having another great camp. Jordan Carstens came in as an undrafted guy last year and has done some great things. Kindal Moorehead started for us last year. Add myself on that defensive line, and that's a lot of veteran players out there. Chris Draft was a starter last year (for Atlanta) who might be a backup linebacker here. Then you have Ricky Manning, Jr. at cornerback and a couple of guys who have started in this league at safety (Idrees Bashir and Marlon McCree). When you have that depth, it's great, because you can plug guys in and out and there won't be any weak link in the defense. We take great pride in that. When we go out there, we know we play behind some great guys, but we plan on upholding the defense to a standard that's been set the past four years." The Panthers front office was busy this week inking LB Dan Morgan to a five-year, $28 million extension. The deal includes $10 million in bonus money in the first two years. Morgan was set to become a free agent after the season. His 102 tackles a year ago were tied for the team lead with Will Witherspoon and helped him earn his first Pro Bowl bid. "Dan is a guy we thought was very, very important to the organization, in particular to the defense," said Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox. "He has performed very well for us. We think he is an impact type middle linebacker, and he is a guy we wanted for the long term."

On Saturday, the Panthers defense looked ready for the season. Aside from two touchdown passes, the Panthers' starters virtually shut down the Giants' offense. Julius Peppers scored one of Carolina's touchdowns on a 29-yard fumble return and the Panthers held Eli Manning to 3-of-9 passing for 150 yards -- 131 of which came on the two scoring plays. Manning looked hurried and out of rhythm on almost of all of his pass attempts. Overall, the Panthers had five sacks and the one turnover by Peppers.  Colin Branch tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee in the first quarter Saturday and will miss the entire season. Branch was the team’s starting free safety. It is unclear if the team will move rookie Thomas Davis back to safety or if Idrees Bashir will take his spot. Marlon McCree is another possibility. McCree and Bashir were signed to add depth to the secondary in the offseason.

Special Teams: PK John Kasay had no FG attempts and hit three extra points at the NY Giants this week. WR Steve Smith has been looking good on punt returns in practice, and the team is strongly leaning towards keeping him in that role (despite the fact he should be also be busy on offense). He didn’t look quite as good in the game, with two punt returns for no gain. WR Efrem Hill returned two punts for an 11.5 average and also had a fair catch. RB Rod Smart saw his first game action as the lead KR this week with three returns for 22.0 yard average. WR J.R. Tolver returned a kickoff 20 yards

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Chicago Bears

QB: Rex Grossman’s ankle surgery went well, but the team is thinking about placing him on injured reserve. With injuries at other positions, they may not have the luxury of keeping a roster spot open for him. With more than two weeks until final 53-man rosters are due, the Bears won't rush the decision. "He's a part of our team, and we want him to be a part of our team, and we'll just take it from there," Coach Lovie Smith said. "But we're excited about what happened with the surgery and [that] he can get on the road to recovery." With Grossman likely out for the season, the Bears will be studying Chad Hutchinson’s progress during the next couple of weeks along with rookie Kyle Orton and newly signed veteran Jeff Blake.  On Saturday, both Hutchinson and Orton led the team on touchdown drives riding the heels of a super defensive effort. Each quarterback showed poise and overcame mistakes. Hutchinson threw two early interceptions – certainly not a good sign – but finished 5-of-8 for 40 yards. Orton fumbled deep in Bears territory but then rebounded to lead Chicago on the winning drive. Orton was 6-of-10 for 67 yards.

RB: The Bears say they’ve made their final offer to Cedric Benson, the fourth overall pick in the draft and last remaining contract holdout among the rookies. "After missing all of training camp, we want to make it abundantly clear that the Chicago Bears have made their best and final offer to Cedric Benson," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said in a statement released by the team. "No dollars are left on the bargaining table and at this point the only contract discussions that will be entertained will be reflective of the considerable loss of value to the club created by the players' extended absence.” Lovie Smith remains patient though. He knows it’s part of the business, but obviously would rather have his top draft pick in camp and working with the team.  “Losing patience?” Smith said smiling. “I have (three) kids, and from time to time, they don’t do exactly what I’d like for them to do. But you still keep them in the family, and you love them once they start getting it right. Eventually, Cedric will get here and we’ll go from there. When he comes in, we will love and treat him just like all of the family members. (I’ve been) behind the scenes as much as I possibly can. We have to keep our team going here, but I’ve made it known from the draft on how much I thought about Cedric.  He’s a big part of what we’re going to do this year. He needed to be in camp the first day, so I’m waiting patiently just like all of us.”

Benson’s loss continues to be Thomas Jones’s gain. Jones has a firm grip on the starting job, at least for now. “Thomas has handled the situation,” Lovie Smith said. “He’s really done a great job with it. From the start, we said that Thomas Jones was our starter, and we would like to have two running backs that we feel comfortable with. That’s all that’s changed. Cedric was coming in to compete with Thomas eventually. The competition hasn’t even started right now. We feel real good about Thomas Jones. He hasn’t missed a practice. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s a good football player, and Thomas being our tailback this year, we’re going to win a lot of games if that’s the case.” On Wednesday the Chicago Bears announced RB Fred Russell’s waiver and the signing of WR/KR J.J. Moses. FB Bryan Johnson might return to practice next week and play in the last two preseason games. FB Jason McKie is also ahead of schedule and may be able to start practicing before the start of the season. In Saturday’s game, the Bears decided not to play Thomas Jones and gave Adrian Peterson the bulk of the work. Peterson ran 14 times for 60 yards including a 4-yard TD run. Antoineo Harris got some action, too. He scored from 1 yard to cap an 80-yard drive to take the lead and ultimately win the game with 13 minutes left. Harris ran for 42 yards on 12 carries with two catches for 16 yards. Zack Abron had 50 yards on 11 carries.

WR: Muhsin Muhammad, slowed by a groin injury this week, returned to practice Thursday night while Bernard Berrian was held out due to sprained fingers. Of course, Berrian is engaged in a battle with Justin Gage for the starting job opposite Muhammad. After a few weeks of camp, the competition has been great, but remains unsettled. “Between Justin and Bernard, there’s a great competition right now,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “I think Bernard has really stepped up. I think it’s pretty even. They’re both a little bit different in what they do and in what their strengths are, but they’re both playing well.” Gage hasn’t been as productive in the preseason games as Berrian, but he’s biding his time. “It depends on how many opportunities you have to catch balls,” Turner said. “He has had a few, but he hasn’t had a whole lot of opportunities. Hopefully in these next couple of games we’ll get a chance to get him the ball a little bit more.” In a twist of fate, maybe Rex Grossman’s injury will aid Gage as he’s quickly developed good rapport with Chad Hutchinson. “Chad [has] been feeding the ball to me more," Gage said. "That could just be the plays and the way the defense is playing them. And it's the quarterback building confidence up. I definitely feel Rex [Grossman] had confidence in me. Rex is more of a guy who will do it by the book but also likes to take a chance. Chad right now is getting comfortable and doing [plays] more by the book."

Both players are competing with Bobby Wade and rookie Mark Bradley for playing time, too. “Bobby Wade has had a real, real good camp, especially lately,” Turner said. “He’s so valuable to us because he can do so many things. He can play in the slot. He knows all the positions. He’s done a good job.” Meanwhile, Bradley has been excellent at times, but inconsistency and inexperience are clearly holding him back. He’s got 9 catches for 194 yards in the first two games, but also dropped a pass at the goal-line a week ago. “Mark obviously has gotten the attention of everybody,” Turner said. “He’s playing well. Mark will have a role on this team. I don’t think he’ll start, at least not right away, but I think he’ll play. He’ll play quite a bit.” In Saturday’s game Bradley produced 49 yards on three catches including the longest receptions of the game – a 24-yarder. Moose caught three balls for 38 yards while Wade had two for 14 yards (but also had a 54-yard punt return for a TD).

TE: Desmond Clark is back from injury now and immediately rejoined the first team offense. Clark’s job appears to be safe despite the missed playing time, but there remains plenty of competition for the backup spots between John Gilmore, Dustin Lyman and John Owens. Ron Johnson, Darnell Sanders and Gabe Reid remain in the mix, too. It’s likely that only two, possibly three, will be kept from that group so the last couple games will play an important role in settling the final roster. None of the Bears TEs got into the box score on Saturday.

Defense: The Bears are expecting bigger things this season from Adewale Ogunleye. He’s off to a fast start in the preseason with three sacks in the first two preseason games. "I'm healthy. That's the bottom line. And I'm not learning on the run anymore. I know the system. I have it down pat. I know what the coaches expect from me,” he said. "Last year I started learning the system, and then the injury happened and things slowed up. This year everything is clicking. This is the player they traded for. I'm happy that I'm able to start to live up to those expectations." In other news, Cornerback Charles Tillman (back) and defensive tackle Tank Johnson (foot) returned to practice Thursday night. The Bears defense was the difference maker against the Colts Saturday with four sacks, two recovered fumbles and several other hurries on the Colts QBs while also getting a 54-yard punt return out of Bobby Wade for a score. Three backup players were hurt in the game unfortunately. Safety Bobby Gray was carted off the field with an injured left knee, LB Rod Wilson had a knee contusion and LB Marcus Reese re-injured his shoulder. On Tuesday morning the Bears announced Gray, Reese and safety Cameron Worrell will all miss the entire season due to their injuries.

Special Teams: During the week special teams coach Dave Toub confirmed what we already knew, that PK Doug Brien is the kicker and that rookie Nick Novak is along for the preseason ride. Brien hit a 50 yard FG at Indianapolis and looked okay and consistent on kickoffs of 60, 63, 62, 62, and 66 yards.  Toub also noted that WR Bernard Berrian remains the top PR by default, but he’s hoping that someone will step up, particularly WR Bobby Wade. Wade responded with a 54 yard return for a touchdown in the game. During the week, the Bears signed WR J.J. Moses who was the PR/KR specialist for the Texans the last two years. He played this week and returned two punts for a 1.5 yard average. While CB Jerry Azumah continues to recover from surgery, CB Rashied Davis, WR Mark Bradley, and Berrian returned kickoffs in the game.

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Cleveland Browns

Cincinnati Bengals

QB: Palmer was a little rusty against Washington, but he did throw a pair of TDs, one to Kelley Washington for 45 yards and the other to RB Chris Perry for 13 yards. He finished with only 12 completions in 24 attempts for 152 yards. He was intercepted by Redskins rookie corner Carlos Rogers. Palmer added 23 yards on the ground, too. Jon Kitna played briefly and looked sharp. He was 4-for-5 for 44 yards and a 23 yard TD to Kevin Walter to open the 3rd quarter. Craig Krenzel and Casey Bramlet both saw a little action in the second half. Krenzel was 5-of-9 for 65 yards while Bramlet was 1-for-2 for 9 yards.

RB: Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry each had 10 carries against the Redskins Friday night. Johnson gained 20 yards with a long run of 9 yards. Perry had 38 yards and a long run of 8 yards, but he also caught three passes for 32 yards and a TD. Perry’s versatility is just one of the “X” factors the will make the Bengals offense better in 2005. Unfortunately, for Rudi Johnson it might mean fewer touches - but not a lot – as Perry’s talents are difficult to ignore when healthy. He adds a new wrinkle to the Bengals offense. Kenny Watson filled that role last year. He had a nice 39-yard reception on Friday night, but gained only 17 yards on eight carries. Don’t be surprised if Perry gets more carries than originally thought. Johnson will certainly remain the team’s primary workhorse, but if he gets hurt Perry’s value could be tremendous because of his receiving skills will keep him on the field for third downs, too. Last week against the Redskins, Chris Perry rushed for 41 yards and Rudi Johnson had 40 yards while barely breaking a sweat.

WR: Peter Warrick finally practiced last Saturday afternoon after being cleared medically. It was his first action of the preseason. Warrick is a natural in the slot, but he’s facing stiff competition from Kelley Washington and rookie Chris Henry for the job. With Warrick and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals suddenly have a pair of players with 70 catch seasons under their belt. Houshmandzadeh and Warrick were asked if they’ll be happy sharing the ball with the other talented receivers on their roster. “That’s how football is. Everybody can’t get the ball all the time,” said Houshmandzadeh, who still believes that he’ll get more opportunities than he did last year when he caught a career-high 73 balls. “I’m going to get more than that. I wouldn’t think I’d get less than last year because I didn’t get the ball very much at all to start the season.” Peter Warrick added, “We’ve got Chad Johnson and I know there are going to be games he gets 12 catches and maybe I get three… As long as we win, that’s all that matters, that’s my take on it.” Then Warrick broke a smile and added, “But, I do want the ball.”

The bottom line is the Bengals have more weapons to utilize this year. Chad Johnson is already a star, but with Warrick’s return along with RB Chris Perry the team suddenly has some serious firepower. “Last year, there was Chad, me and Rudi (Johnson),” Houshmandzadeh said. “Now you’ve got those three, plus Dub and Chris Perry. I’ve said it before. The more you have to make defenses worry about, the better you’ll be. We’ve never been in a situation like this. We’ll see how it works out.” The Bengals also have a third year receiver in Kevin Walter who is having a good preseason, but might get lost in the numbers game. He caught a TD pass from Jon Kitna and had five catches for 42 yards on Friday.

TE: Reggie Kelly did not play in Friday’s game. Tony Stewart did and caught two passes for 25 yards. Ronnie Ghent was converted to fullback before camp; he caught one pass for 11 yards. Matt Schobel also had a catch for 5 yards. The Bengals just don’t utilize their tight end enough to warrant much fantasy consideration here. They play all three guys, which makes each one a huge reach as a starter even during bye weeks.

Defense: First round pick SLB David Pollack (17^th overall) ended his 19-day holdout on Wednesday signing five-year contract. ``We're excited to have this deal concluded,'' Marvin Lewis said. ``We're excited to get started with David, for his and our future.'' Lewis was obviously relieved after blasting Pollack a couple days earlier referring to his holdout, ``I think the club has given in every way.'' He’s signed now and ready to make an impact. Keep in mind that he did participate in the 13-week offseason program and both minicamps. He’s familiar with some of the defense that’s been installed. He also studied training camp film sent to him during the holdout, and talked regularly with his coaches. Pollack won’t take long to get back up to speed. Rookie MLB Odell Thurman limped off the field during Monday night's practice injuring his knee while tackling RB Chris Perry. He missed practice the next two days but the injury didn’t require an MRI. Thurman dressed Friday night and played well. Thurman had three tackles and a sack. Pollack dressed but did not play. Other players who sat out of Friday’s game were safety Madieu Williams, CB Terrell Roberts, CB Greg Brooks, LB Nate Webster, LB Caleb Miller and DE Duane Clemons. Tory James had two interceptions against Patrick Ramsey.

DT John Thornton got into a fight with OT Levi Jones last Monday, but the two made up quickly after watching video and eating breakfast together the next morning. "You've got to know Levi. He's a real feisty guy," said Thornton. "I just think I got blocked one too many times. I usually don't react like that but, after watching film, he didn't do anything too bad. I just reacted and we ended up on the ground with a lot of punching. It was a lot of fun.”

Special Teams: PK Shayne Graham did not play in the game at Washington, so that he could rest his sore groin. PK Carter Warley handled all the kicking duties, including a 27 yard FG and three extra points. WR Peter Warrick finally started practicing, including working on kickoff returns. He did not have any returns in the game. WR Jamall Broussard returned a kickoff 17 yards and WR Freddie Milons returned one 7 yards. The lead KR WR Cliff Russell did not have any returns. Starting PR CB Keiwan Ratliff had a poor evening, fair catching one punt and returning another for a one-yard loss. Broussard returned a punt 12 yards, and Milons had a fair catch.

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Dallas Cowboys

QB: Drew Bledsoe had an MRI taken on his right foot Tuesday just to make sure the aching he felt was nothing serious, and it wasn't. Bledsoe hasn't missed any practice time because of the injury. The MRI was taken prior to an afternoon workout. On Friday, Tony Romo practiced with the second team ahead of Drew Henson for the fifth straight day. Parcells said he had made no firm decisions about who will win this battle. "I need a little more time on these guys," Parcells said. "I told you what I got to do, give them plenty of reps and see how it will play out in the preseason. In Monday night’s game Bledsoe looked fine completing 7-of-11 for 56 yards capping off on drive in the 2nd quarter with an 11 yd TD to fullback Lousaka Polite. Bledsoe was nimble enough to gain seven yards on one scramble, so it appears his foot is fine after all. Drew Henson took over for Bledsoe in the second quarter. He completed 4-of-10 for 38 yards and was intercepted by Kelly Herndon. Tony Romo also played and completed two passes in six attempts for 38 yards. Romo and Henson are in the midst of a battle for the backup job but so far, it looks like Romo still has the upper hand.

RB: The Cowboys got all three of their backs the ball Monday night. Julius Jones started and carried the ball 12 times for 58 yards with a long run of 18 yards. Anthony Thomas entered the game next and ran 9 times for 30 yards with a long of 16 yards. Rookie Marion Barber got some action in the second half with 18 carries for 62 yards. Barber also lost a fumble. He’ll certainly hear about this from coach Parcells when they review film.

WR: Terry Glenn had the play of the day in Friday’s practice with a superb catch during the two-minute drill in the morning. Glenn split Anthony Henry and safety Roy Williams on a deep slant over the middle for an acrobatic catch. Almost three weeks into training camp WR Quincy Morgan is on the verge of losing his claim to the third receiver spot. HC Bill Parcells said Wednesday that second-year WR Patrick Crayton, a seventh-round draft pick in 2004, has a slight edge over Morgan, who has not done much to distinguish himself in camp. Crayton is not as fast as Morgan, but appears to have much better hands. Morgan, now in his fifth year in the league, has a fundamental flaw in catching the ball, according to Parcells. On Friday, Morgan did make a small statement with two impressive catches during the two-minute drill. He made a juggling catch (no surprise there, eh?) over corner Jacques Reeves and safety Lynn Scott. He came back later with a TD catch from Tony Romo in the corner of the end zone. Off the field, the Cowboys waived WR Zuriel Smith on Wednesday.

In Monday’s game Patrick Crayton didn’t hurt his chances of beating Morgan for the No. 3 job. He caught 5 passes for 82 yards including one reception that was good for 43 yards. Keyshawn Johnson caught a couple balls for 23 yards while Ahmad Merritt and Terry Glenn each had one catch.

TE: Sean Ryan, who underwent surgery July 31, remains sidelined for 4-to-5 weeks and isn’t expected back until early September. The Cowboys waived TE Mike Gomez on Wednesday. None of the Cowboys tight ends caught a pass in Monday night’s game. Witten remains one of the top fantasy TE prospects this year and nothing has happened in camp to change our opinion of that during the last week.

Defense: First round pick Demarcus Ware put on a show Monday night. He produced a sack, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, an interception and a quarterback pressure in the Cowboys' 18-10 preseason victory against Seattle. DE Eric Ogbogu had a strong effort as well with 3 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Rookie Justin Beriault also had a sack.

In Friday’s practice, LB Dat Nguyen batted Drew Bledsoe's pass in the air, then snagged it and ran down the sideline for an interception during the two-minute drill. Safety Justin Beriault injured his knee on the Thursday and is considered day to day. The free safety positions remains up in the air as the Cowboys break camp. Bill Parcells started Keith Davis in the preseason opener and he practiced with the first team for the past week, too. Yet Parcells doesn’t want to lose Davis on too many special teams units – where he excels. "We were talking about me playing special teams versus me playing safety," Davis said. "(Parcells) said, 'I don't need an average safety and I don't need an average special teams player. I need a good safety and I need a great special teams player.' I said, 'I can be whatever you need me to be, Coach.'" At the same time, Parcells doesn’t seem to look at Lynn Scott or Izell Reese as strong candidates for the starting job either. Parcells said Friday he that is still searching for available candidates. "You just can't dial them up," Parcells said. "It's not a 1-800 deal. I'm not satisfied with the position. If I was 100 percent sure about it I would say I think we're solid at the safety. I don't think we're solid yet."

The early returns on DL Chris Canty are encouraging. Injuries made Canty a draft day risk fearing he may need to sit out a year. So far, Parcells and the Cowboys are reaping the rewards. We were just wishing," coach Bill Parcells said Tuesday. "Now, knock on wood, it looks like we have a pretty good player and that's just a big, big plus. ... It looks like it could turn out like we hoped it would.” As a sophomore and junior at Virginia, the 6-foot-7, 295-pound Canty led the ACC in tackles by a defensive lineman. Yet less than a year ago Canty tore three ligaments in his left knee, a reminder he’s given each time he puts on his knee brace. On January 30, Canty went to a night club and a fight broke out across the room. A thrown beer bottle slammed into his face leaving him with a detached retina. “I don't take things for granted any more," he said. "I know it's a blessing every time I come through that gate and run onto the field. I think about how far I've come and what I've been through. It was a lot." The Cowboys couldn’t be happier either. Canty played for Al Groh at Virginia, a long-time Parcells assistant in the NFL. 

Off the field the Cowboys waived DT Jermaine Brooks and LB Roger Cooper on Wednesday, and also waived S Derek Pagel on Tuesday when DT Jason Ferguson returned to practice after missing several days with an ankle injury. Pagel has a torn rotator cuff and the Cowboys will bring him back on the injured list if he’s unclaimed.

Special Teams: Although PK Jose Cortez was probably not signed as a potential replacement for Billy Cundiff; he has been keeping pace so far. As fate would have it, Cortez just got an opportunity to start, at least short term. Cundiff suffered a hip flexor in practice Saturday, and is expected to miss four weeks. Parcells hinted that this could lead to Cundiff’s release, and that the team will tryout additional kickers and watch for veteran kickers after roster cut downs. WR Zuriel Smith, who has been practicing punt returns and had one in last week’s game, was released during the week. Parcells mentioned RB Tyson Thompson during the week as one of the good surprises during camp so far. Thompson is competing to make the team as a backup RB and/or lead PR/KR.

Other: Owner Jerry Jones said Thursday evening that right tackle Jacob Rogers will miss the 2005 season with a knee injury. Rogers is scheduled to have surgery next week. The injury leaves the Cowboys problematic right tackle spot to rookie OT Rob Petitti and three-year veteran OT Torrin Tucker. Larry Allen could also be moved to the spot, but the team has been hesitant to do so.

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Denver Broncos

QB: Jake Plummer’s surgically repaired left knee continues to be a slight issue. Plummer started wearing a small brace