NFL NEWS

HARVIN GETS TO PLAY: After another battery of tests last week, and a promising 2010 preseason debut, Vikings receiver Percy Harvin hopes he is getting closer to figuring out severe headaches that have plagued him for most of his life. Harvin had two catches for 30 yards and took two big shots to the head Saturday night in a preseason victory over Seattle, the first time he’s played this year after being stricken by migraines for most of training camp.

MICHAEL BUSH BREAKS THUMB: cheap Oakland Raiders jersey  running back Michael Bush will undergo surgery on his broken left thumb today and could be back in time for the season opener.MCNABB HURTING: Washington coach Mike Shanahan says he’s not certain quarterback Donovan McNabb will be available for the team’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. McNabb hasn’t practiced since spraining his left ankle in the second exhibition game against Baltimore.

SURGERY FOR PACE: Jets outside linebacker Calvin Pace will have surgery today to repair his broken right foot and will miss the season opener.

JETS CUT COLES, HENRY: The Jets released wide receiver Laveranues Coles a month after signing him for the third time. Coles, who had four catches for 19 yards in three exhibition games, has hinted that he might retire. The Jets also released Marcus Henry, a sixth-round pick out of Kansas in 2008 who spent most of the last two seasons on the practice squad.

Brandon Lloyd, a Blue Springs High School graduate, led the Broncos with four catches for 40 yards.

Broncos jersey quarterback Kyle Orton was shaken up in the first half and left the game briefly after taking a hit from linebacker James Harrison. Orton tried to make the tackle after Harrison picked up a loose ball.

Dixon finished nine of 16 for 94 yards and two interceptions.

Broncos rookie cornerback Perrish Cox picked off the first one in the end zone, a pass that Dixon should have thrown away. Andre’ Goodman returned Dixon’s second interception 77 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the second quarter that gave Denver a 17-3 halftime lead.

Dixon didn’t make a good impression Sunday night, throwing two costly interceptions.

After Roethlisberger was pulled, Dennis Dixon got his first significant playing time with the starters. Dixon has started only one NFL game, and he is expected to be Byron Leftwich’s backup when the season starts and Roethlisberger’s suspension begins.

Roethlisberger was suspended for six games after being accused of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student in March. He was not criminally charged in the case.

Greg Aiello, wholesale NFL hats vice president of public relations, confirmed during Denver’s 34-17 win over the Steelers on Sunday night that commissioner Roger Goodell and Roethlisberger will meet soon, but he declined to say when or where the meeting would take place.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave way to his backups after a quick night’s work. Now, he can get ready to make his case for a shortened suspension, too.

BENGALS RELEASE BRYANT: Wide receiver Antonio Bryant was released on Sunday by the Cincinnati Bengals jersey , who signed him to a four-year, $28 million deal last March. Bryant, who suffered a knee injury last season at Tampa Bay, missed all the Bengals’ practices and exhibition games.
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NFL preseason 2010. St. Louis Rams vs Cleveland Browns game will kick-off

Pretty well documented. We've been talking about it a lot. It's…we're glad we have A.J. He's got a command of the system and he's got a command of the huddle. He's been in the league a while. He's played in games, so I think (QB) Sam (Bradford) is picking his brain and I think that's helpful."

On how close he is to settling in on the offensive line

"I'm almost certain that what we saw with that first group out there today is what we're going to try to head toward. Unless something changes in the game, you've got injuries and the way guys play, but right now that's the way it's heading."

St. Louis Rams will meet Cleveland Browns in their second game of NFL preseason 2010. St. Louis Rams vs Cleveland Browns game will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

St. Louis Rams lost their first preseason game against Minnesota Vikings with 28-7 at Edward Jones Dome on 14th August. St. Louis Rams was failed to control from the beginning and did not score even single point in second and third quarters.

Cleveland Browns made a good start in this preseason with the victory against Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on 14th August. Browns are looking to maintain the same form in the upcoming game against St. Louis Rams.

Cleveland Browns have preformed well in the first and fourth quarters, but they struggled in the second and third quarters against Green Bay Packers.

"During the month of July I kind of ratcheted up the weight training portion of it. I was lifting twice a day, morning and evening. Then I would do my conditioning in between the two weights exercises. Years previous, I would run twice and lift once. So that allowed me to put on a little more muscle. I changed my diet: More healthy proteins in my diet and cut back on those carbs so I can just build up that good, good protein and build the muscle up that I think I need for the season."

On whether he is pleased with the results of his workout change

"You can never tell until I get into a game situation but practice, the speed of the game, my explosiveness in and out the hole, I feel crisp and I feel good. My lungs are there, my strength is there. So far, so good."

"It was real good — I was just so excited to go out there and play," Browns quarterback Jake Delhomme said after practicing with his new team. "It was something new, something fresh. I loved every minute of it. I mean, I had seven good years at Carolina. Well, make that six good years, but hey … "

The opening NFL betting odds on the Rams vs Browns TOTAL was 35 points. The best place to bet the OVER is JUSTBET.com, you can get St. Louis vs Cleveland OVER 34 points. The best place to bet the UNDER is at SBGGLOBAL.com, you can get the Rams vs Browns UNDER 35 points.

"I feel good physically. I feel great, really not sore at all. We got in there, we watched the tape today," Rams QB Sam Bradford said. "I thought I did some good things. I thought for the most part I was in the right spot with the ball all night. There were a couple of times, a couple of the sacks, maybe if I could have slid a little bit, maybe found a check down, we could have avoided some of those. I learned from those. I learned that if I do start to get pressure up the middle that you probably have a back out that I can get the ball to and keep ourselves ahead of the chains, but I thought there were a lot of good things to watch and learn from the on the tape today."

Houston Texans Suddenly Have a Lot of Running Backs

The Houston offense became a fantasy powerhouse the last few seasons on the backs of quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson. But what about the running game?

Other than a fantastic rookie campaign from Steve Slaton two years ago, Houston's running game has left much to be desired. Especially from a team that plays on a fast track.

Long gone are the days of Dominic Davis, once considered a fantasy stud in his own right until leg injuries derailed his career. Houston fans and fantasy owners thought that Slaton would be the answer for years to come, but a sophomore year marred by inconsistency, turnovers, and injuries has soured the taste buds of fantasy owners on his potential.

A new era, however, is being ushered in by the coaching staff in Houston. Slaton returns, flanked by last year's rookie Arian Foster (the starter heading into training camp) and this year's rookie Ben Tate. All three figure to factor significantly in the running game this year, making this yet another running-back-by-committee.

For fantasy owners hoping to see Slaton return to fantasy glory this year, this quote should curb any enthusiasm:

"The Texans won't ask Slaton to gain 1,658 yards from scrimmage again like he did as a rookie, but they'd love to see his 4.8 yards-per-carry come back.  Instead of being The Guy, Steve Slaton looks slated to be a backup and passing down specialist.  He's also worked on kick returns in practice."

 Sounds like, as of right now, fantasy owners should expect Steve Slaton to complement Foster in the offense. Something to keep an eye on during the Texans' first preseason game, for sure.

Here are today's great reads:

If you really want to win your fantasy league this year, I suggest you skip on the top quarterbacks on your cheat sheet. Never been a fan of taking a quarterback early. Especially when there is a ton of quarterback value to be had in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.

We do not cover individual defensive player leagues often here on The Hazean (although it has been suggested by a few readers), so I try to make up for it by linking to IDP stories. For those of you playing in IDP leagues with upcoming drafts, peep these IDP rankings.

Fantasy owners are salivating to get their first look at this year's crop of rookies. Read this primer on fantasy rookies (runners and passers) before heading into fantasy draft day. Your best bet when it comes to rookies, obviously, are the running backs.

Many fantasy owners are banking on second-year Jets running back Shonn Greene leading them to a fantasy championship this year. Buyer beware on Greene, however, according to some fantasy experts. The presence of LaDainian Tomlinson is a little disconcerting, although LT2 has not been that effective near the goal line recently.

While few are bear-ish on Greene, many more are bull-ish on the fact that Tomlinson is washed up at this point and could be one of the biggest busts of the 2010 fantasy football season. Included on this list is the Broncos defense, which lost its best player (Elvis Dumervil) for four months last week.

The Eagles' Flight Night practice

The practice itself wasn't much to write home about from an offensive perspective. None of the 3 offensive units looked particularly in sync, but I'm not sure you can really take all that much out of this practice. I suppose the only real bit of "news" tonight was that injured Eagles Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, Mike Bell, & Asante Samuel  didn't practice but were all introduced to the crowd and jogged out in the introductions. Maclin jogged gingerly and Bell took it easy,  but Jackson and Samuel looked like they're pretty close to returning.

The Eagles' Flight Night practice is over, no one was hurt, and we all go home happy. It seemed like everyone there had a good time and I'm sure plenty of money was raised for a good cause.

Mike Kafka showed off a surprisingly big arm with a nice 50 yard TD to Jared Perry. Rookie CB Trevard Lindley continued his fine offseason/camp with a couple pass breakups.

For the second day in a row, DeSean Jackson (back) and Asante Samuel (hamstring) made an appearance. OK, so it was on the side field, and they were just jogging at an offensive lineman pace, but at least they were there. It seems the Eagles' two stars are getting close to a return.

As for the actual practice, Kevin Kolb struggled a bit with his accuracy, air mailing a few balls and vocally expressing displeasure with his own performance. The usually low-key starting quarterback showed some fire.

The Eagles worked on special teams, and the first onside kick landed in the hands of ... Hank Baskett! The irony. Baskett, of course, had a game-changing onside kick hit him in the head last season for the Colts in the Super Bowl.

DT Trevor Laws continues to impress. He even earned some first-team Asante Samuel  reps on pass-rushing situations on Thursday morning.

The rising Clay Habor made a crowd-pleasing one-handed catch on a Mike Vick dart at the left hash. The ball just stuck to the outstretched hand of the rookie tight end for a 20-plus-yard gain. Harbor has been very impressive the last few days.

Ndamukong Suh, Lions agree on five-year deal

Maybe Ndamukong Suh took Dominic Raiola's words to heart.

A few hours after Raiola told the media that he wanted to tell Suh, "Just sign the damn contract already," the No. 2 overall pick agreed to terms on a five-year deal and should be at practice today.

Details were worked out Tuesday night. Sources confirmed that Suh will earn a base salary of $60 million over the five years and could earn as much as $68 million, with $40 million guaranteed.

Suh wrote on his Twitter account Tuesday night, "Thanks to everyone that stuck by me and wished me the best. Looking forward to finally being in camp with my teammates!!!"

Suh will fly to Detroit from Nebraska this morning and is expected to participate in the afternoon (3:15) practice session.

The $40 million guarantee is less than 2009 first-round pick Matthew Stafford ($41.75M) got, but his was the largest guarantee on a five-year rookie contract in the history of the NFL.

First overall pick Sam Bradford got a $50 million guarantee over six years. No. 3 pick Gerald McCoy got a $35 million guarantee over five years. If you average the value of the guarantees, Bradford's is worth $8.3 million and Suh's is worth $8 million.

Suh's $40 million guarantee is also a 21.21 percent bump over the guarantee given to 2009 second overall pick Jason Smith over five years.

The Lions would not confirm the deal until Suh actually signed, which is expected to happen this morning.

For a rookie defensive tackle like Suh to command guaranteed money on par with quarterbacks is ground-breaking. In recent years, veteran defensive linemen Julius Peppers got a $42 million guarantee from the Bears and Albert Haynesworth got $41 million from the Redskins.

Sources close to the negotiations pointed out several factors that helped give Suh additional leverage. First, the Rams, who drafted Bradford, had a distinct need for a quarterback. Suh was considered the best player in the draft although he was taken second overall, and his agent Eugene Parker negotiated accordingly.

Also, the Lions used their drafting of Suh to help recruit Matthew Stafford free agent defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. Certainly Parker felt that was worth an additional boost.

What worked against Suh, though, at least from a public relations perspective, were reports Parker was pushing for more guaranteed money than Bradford got from the Rams. Here's what happened on that:

Parker's initial asking price was a $50 million guarantee for Suh. That was made before Bradford signed. In truth, most felt that Bradford would command close to $55 million, which is why Parker asked for $50 million.

When Bradford signed for $50 million, Parker adjusted. But he still wanted Suh to get a deal close or better than Stafford's, which he did. Stafford's guaranteed money averages out to $7.6 million.

Suh's expected to return to practice, perhaps not coincidentally, on the first day the general public is allowed to watch practice. It's not a moment too soon. Another day of holding out might have put Suh at odds with his teammates.

On Monday coach Jim Schwartz expressed his frustration and Tuesday, after Suh missed his fourth day and sixth practice session, Raiola chimed in.

"I understand the business side of it but when you are talking in the $40 millions, you have to get your named signed already, right?" Raiola said. "He's the second overall pick. He needs to go ahead and tell his agent, 'Look, I want to sign and get into camp.'

Pop-smack-thud: 49ers put on the pads

A sound had been missing from the 49ers' 2010 practices, and it wasn't the air horn, Mike Singletary's baritone voice or, heaven knows, the roar of jet engines as they leave San Jose International Airport and shoot directly over the team's practice field.

No, it was the pop-smack-thud of pads.

After months of saying they want to be more physical, and acquiring players who might make that possible — including first-round draft choices Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati — the Niners geared up and hit one another Monday morning. Hard. And repeatedly.

"It felt good being in full pads," said fullback Moran Norris, one of the team's resident hard-noses. "Just trying to dust off the rust."

With 40 practices slated over four weeks of camp, many of them featuring full contact, it promises to be another draining August under Singletary. Safety Dashon Goldson proved as much, posting on his Twitter account a photo of several teammates sound asleep in lounge chairs between Monday's two practices.

As promised, Singletary inaugurated Training Camp 2010 with the infamous nutcracker drill. Linemen, linebackers, fullbacks and tight ends were divided into three adjacent stations, with battles rotating quickly among the three and a crowd of players at the perimeter.

"Everybody was watching each other, watching their guys — offense on offense and defense on defense," tackle Joe Staley said. "It was good to see. It was kind of good start to hitting, get everybody's competitive juices flowing."

It was a violent and fast-moving spectacle, and Singletary had to stop the action a Patrick Willis couple of times early to warn players not to hit after the three-second whistle. The second time he threatened to make the whole team run if his rule wasn't obeyed.

As Singletary explained afterward, he will add movement to some of his nutcrackers. Monday's was the original flavor: Two men lined up face to face, slamming into one another like sumo wrestlers upon the first whistle.

"Today was just being fundamentally sound," Singletary said. "You make contact, eyes up, butt down, back flat, making sure your feet are shoulder-width apart. So just basic one-on-one, in terms of how to come off the ball and how to attack."

The nutcracker is a test of psychological toughness, but it's also about physically getting beneath your opponent.

"The thing we're trying to have our guys do is understand what Vernon Davis leverage is," the coach said. "In football, the low guy normally wins. You can be big, you can be strong, you can be fast, but if you can't bend, and if you don't have leverage, chances are you're gonna lose a lot (of) those individual battles."

Many observers questioned the wisdom of the nutcracker last summer after several players were injured in the drill, including star linebacker Patrick Willis. There was an injured player Monday — guard David Baas, who suffered a mild concussion. But it happened in a one-on-one blocking session, not the nutcracker.

Singletary seems profoundly weary of defending the age-old drill, a throwback to his playing days and beyond.

"If we're going 9-on-7, or if we're going team, if you take that one guy and just put him over here and go against that guy, that's all our nutcracker is," he said. "We don't have any drills where guys just bang each other until the other one drops."

EXTRA POINTS

The hit of the day came when FB Brit Miller bent OLB Parys Haralson backward on an attempted blitz in team period.

QBs Alex Smith, David Carr and Nate Davis all connected on deep passes in the morning practice. Smith found WRs Michael Crabtree and Brandon Jones, Carr connected with WR Ted Ginn, and Davis hit WR Josh Morgan and TE Vernon Davis.

Dashon Goldson got his second interception vs. Smith in as many days, catching a ball that ricocheted off the hands of wide-open WR Jason Hill.

The New York Jets opened training camp without cornerback Darrelle Revis

Clemens is starting camp on the active-physically unable to perform list because of a strained calf, but he's not concerned about missing much time.

"They're just going to bring me along slow,'' he said. "I'll probably be back on the field in the next couple of days. It's nothing serious.''

Clemens is part of a logjam at the position with Sanchez, Brunell, Kevin O'Connell and Erik Ainge, who's currently on the reserve-non football injury list with an undisclosed illness. There's also wide receiver Brad Smith, a former college quarterback who might see more time under center this season in certain situations.

"This is how the quarterback position breaks down, in my opinion, right now: If your name is Mark, you're safe,'' Clemens said. "If your name isn't Mark, then, who knows? It's going to be an interesting next four weeks until this thing plays out. We'll see. They might carry four, they might carry three and they might carry two.''

There were some thoughts that the Jets might cut Clemens after they signed Brunell, a 39-year-old former Pro Bowl quarterback who played the last two years in New Orleans.

"I'm confident that I'm going to be on a roster,'' Clemens said. "As of right now, I'm on this roster and I'm excited about it and excited to go out and compete.''

Clemens said he and his agent have never asked the Jets to let him go pursue Bart Scott a job elsewhere, and playing for a players' coach such as Ryan is the major reason.

"The only other side to that is that I still believe I can play,'' Clemens said. "This is Mark's team and he's got the future with this team, and that's understandable. I'm not banging on the door to get out of here by any means.''

The New York Jets opened training camp without cornerback Darrelle Revis, Albert Haynesworth missed another practice with the Washington Redskins after failing to take a conditioning test, and the San Diego Chargers finally signed rookie running back Ryan Mathews.

Revis is holding out while locked in a contract dispute with the Jets, and there's no telling how long the All-Pro might stay away.

"Darrelle and his family were extremely deliberate with the decision-making process," Braylon Edwards agent Neil Schwartz told the Associated Press. "Obviously his actions speak far louder than words."

Revis didn't show for the team's conditioning test Sunday morning at the Jets' training facility in Florham Park, N.J., and officially became a holdout when he missed the team's first meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Cortland, N.Y.

Not good news for a team with its sights set on a Super Bowl.

Schwartz and agent Jon Feinsod said both sides worked until the last minute to get something done. General manager Mike Tannenbaum said the Jets offered long-term and short-term deals, and a face-to-face meeting in the last 72 hours and all three were denied.

Haynesworth's sore left knee kept him from taking the conditioning test once again, forcing him to sit out practice for the fourth straight day.

"There's no change from yesterday," coach Mike Shanahan said. "He's still Dustin Keller sore, irritated, getting treatment, working out, and we'll see if he's ready to go tomorrow."

The two-time All-Pro defensive tackle won't be allowed to practice until he passes the test. He failed it on the first day of training camp Thursday and again on Friday. He didn't take it Saturday because he had a small amount of swelling in his knee.

After Sunday's practice was over, Haynesworth emerged for what has become a daily ritual. He spent about 15 minutes walking through plays with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and defensive line coach Jacob Burney, learning the nuances of the team's new 3-4 defense.

Haynesworth is the only Redskins player required to take the test because he skipped the Darrelle Revis  team's offseason conditioning program, partly because he wanted to work out on his own and mostly because he didn't want to play nose tackle in the 3-4 scheme and was hoping for a trade.