AROUND THE NFL Training camp news and notes

Bears: Brian Urlacher, Chicago's Pro Bowl middle linebacker, will miss most of training camp with a hamstring injury; although, the team expects him back for the regular-season opener. Urlacher, hurt in the Bears' first training camp workout Wednesday, has been diagnosed with a "moderate strain" of his right hamstring and will be out four to six weeks, coach Lovie Smith said. "Brian's a quick healer," the coach said. "We would like for it to be four, but we'll take him when we get him. I'm just excited that we're going to have him for that first game."
Rams: Leonard Little's first interview session since his arrest for drunken driving in April shed no light on the legal troubles he faces. The St. Louis Rams' defensive end is talking once a week during training camp, and the ground rules restrict the questioning to football. "I don't think it's a good idea to talk about cases when they're pending," said Scott Rosenblum, Little's attorney. Little was indicted in June on charges of persistent drunken driving stemming from an arrest April 24 that marred the Rams' draft day. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in an alcohol-related traffic accident that killed a St. Louis County woman in 1998. Little has pleaded innocent in his latest case. The next court date is Oct. 12. Little was suspended without pay for the first half of the 1999 season and could face another suspension from the league in his latest case. When Little arrived at training camp Tuesday, it was a reunion with his teammates. He has been away from the team since his arrest, skipping a minicamp in May because of his legal situation and also electing to work out on his own out of town. Little said he was a little rusty the first few days of camp but is getting his timing back. He was among the league leaders with 121/2 sacks last season and went to his first Pro Bowl despite missing a month with a torn pectoral muscle. "I'm getting it back now, so we'll see how it goes," he said.
Lions: Jason Hanson, who has kicked for Detroit for his entire 12-year NFL career, signed a new four-year deal with the team. Drafted in the second round in 1992 out of Washington State, he is the Lions' career scoring leader with 1,236 points as well as the all-time leader in field goals with 284.
Bengals: Running back Chris Perry and cornerback Keiwan Ratliff, Cincinnati's first two draft picks, remained unsigned as players reported to training camp. But the Bengals announced the signing of six other rookies. Safety Madieu Williams, the second of the Cincinnati's two second-round picks, signed a four-year deal. Third-round picks Caleb Miller and Landon Johnson, both linebackers, as well as fourth-rounders Matthias Askew (defensive tackle), Robert Geathers (defensive end) and Stacy Andrews (offensive tackle) agreed to three-year contracts. The Bengals also signed free-agent tight end James Whalen to a one-year deal. Whalen was released by the Dallas Cowboys Monday.
Patriots: New England signed safety Guss Scott and running back Cedric Cobbs, third- and fifth-round draft picks. The Patriots also released safety Matt Cercone. Tight end Ben Watson, the Patriots' second first-round pick, is the only rookie who remains unsigned.
Packers: Green Bay signed cornerback Joey Thomas, its third-round draft pick. That leaves only first-rounder Ahmad Carroll and sixth-rounder Corey Williams unsigned. Carroll is a cornerback and Williams a defensive tackle.
Giants: While Eli Manning has a bright future and a bank account filled with money, two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner believes the job of quarterbacking the New York Giants is his. At least for now. "I am going to go in there and prove to them that I deserve to be the starter," Warner said Friday after the Giants opened their first training camp under Tom Coughlin. "I think that is how any player has to approach it." Warner, who signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract with the Giants this spring after being released by the St. Louis Rams, is in an awkward situation. He is the caretaker, the guy who is supposed to lead the offense until Manning, the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, is ready to take over. The only drawback is that Warner, 33, feels he has a lot of football to play despite battling injuries in recent years.
-- Associated Press
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