NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Browns: Right tackle Ryan Tucker will miss the rest of the season because of an undisclosed illness. Tucker was placed on the non-football illness list Tuesday after missing the second half of Sunday's 30-0 loss against Cincinnati. Tucker, a team captain, started nine games this year but missed two because of the illness: Oct. 29 against the New York Jets and Nov. 5 at San Diego. The 31-year-old Tucker wouldn't reveal what the nature of his illness was after returning to the team Nov. 8, saying it was irrelevant. He had said he was back to normal. Tucker had been Cleveland's steadiest member of an offensive line that has been in constant flux because of injuries and personnel changes in recent years. He made 62 starts over the past four seasons. The Browns also made a series of other moves. They placed defensive lineman Ethan Kelley on injured reserve, signed free-agent defensive lineman J'Vonne Parker, signed offensive lineman Rob Smith from the practice squad and signed defensive lineman Alvin Smith to the practice squad.
Jets: Offensive lineman Adrian Jones apologized to the team and his family Tuesday, three days after being charged with driving while intoxicated. Jones, 25, was fined 20,000 by the team and will be monitored by the NFL as a result of being a first-time offender of the league's substance abuse policy. Jones was arrested at about 4 a.m. Saturday after he was stopped by police on Hempstead Turnpike and Merrick Avenue -- about a mile from the team's training facility -- for allegedly driving slowly and making an unsafe lane change, said Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and had his license suspended after refusing to take a blood-alcohol test, Phillips said. After being released by a judge Saturday morning, Jones was ordered to return to court on Dec. 15.
Chiefs: Running back Priest Holmes will not return to the team this season. However, general manager Carl Peterson said Tuesday that medical tests on Holmes have been encouraging and Holmes hopes to return for the 2007 season. Tuesday was the last day the Chiefs could have activated Holmes. The three-time Pro Bowler, who turned 33 last month, has not played since Oct. 30, 2005, when he was injured on a hit by Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman in a game at San Diego.
Bengals: Running back Chris Perry was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, a day after he had a pin put in a broken bone in his lower right leg. Perry broke the fibula when he was tackled during a 30-0 victory in Cleveland on Sunday. He also missed the first five games of the season while recovering from off-season surgery on his knee and ankle. Defensive end Jonathan Fanene was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday. Fanene, a seventh-round pick from Utah in 2005, has been sidelined by a hamstring injury suffered in the off-season. Cincinnati also filled the spot on its practice squad by signing fullback Chris Manderino. Manderino attended training camp with the Bengals as an undrafted rookie from California. He was waived on Sept. 2.
Texans: Pro Bowl kick returner Jerome Mathis was moved to the active roster Tuesday. Mathis missed the first 11 games recovering from a fractured foot. The team had to decide by Tuesday whether to activate him or place him on injured reserve, which would have ended his season.
Eagles: Donovan McNabb could be sidelined between eight and 12 months after having surgery Tuesday to repair a torn knee ligament. McNabb, a five-time Pro Bowl quarterback, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the second quarter of the Eagles' loss to Tennessee last week. It was his third season-ending injury in mid-November in the last five years. Renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews performed the reconstructive knee surgery in Birmingham, Ala. Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder said McNabb also needed expected repairs to his meniscus, fibers and cartilage in the knee. He added there was a "good" chance McNabb will be healthy for Philadelphia's season opener, which would be about nine months. "Donovan, with all his injuries, he works hard and expedites it," Burkholder said. "We're setting it up so he can be back for training camp." The Eagles also learned they'll be without long snapper Mike Bartrum for the rest of the season because of a neck injury. Bartrum, also a third-string tight end, made the Pro Bowl last season on special teams.
Redskins: Kicker Shaun Suisham was signed to the practice squad on Tuesday, effectively putting Nick Novak on notice after another inconsistent performance. Novak has made only 5-of-10 field goal attempts this year, a 50 percent success rate that is last among current regular kickers. Only Atlanta's Michael Koenen, who now only handles long field goal attempts after struggling early in the season, has a lower percentage (3-for-9). Novak went 1-for-2 in Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers, missing from 37 yards and converting from 42, and coach Joe Gibbs said he was also concerned about the depth's of Novak's kickoffs. Novak was signed last month after John Hall was lost for the season with leg injuries. Suisham made 4-of-6 attempts over parts of two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He was 1-for-2 in this year's opener while Mike Vanderjagt was injured, then handled kickoffs for several games after Vanderjagt returned. The Redskins also released receiver Ryan Hoag from the practice squad.
Associated Press