NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Falcons: With all the uncertainty surrounding Michael Vick, movement on the depth chart at quarterback isn’t surprising. This time, it’s at the bottom. Based on his erratic play in Atlanta’s preseason opener last week, D.J. Shockley has dropped to third. Shockley is trying to beat out Chris Redman for the No. 2 job behind starter Joey Harrington, but he had a mediocre debut against the Jets. “I think mostly he just wasn’t in a comfort zone, was off-balance a couple of times and moved in the pocket,” Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said. “But he settled down. He’s had some good practices here in the last couple of days, so hopefully it’ll be a different story.” Shockley, a 2006 seventh-round draft pick from Georgia, took no snaps as a rookie behind Vick and Matt Schaub, but he hoped to impress a new coaching staff when the Falcons began training camp three weeks ago. Instead, with Harrington entrenched as the starter and Vick out of the picture because of federal dogfighting charges in Virginia, Redman distinguished himself by performing better than Shockley in practice. Redman also benefited from knowing Petrino’s playbook after they spent the 1998 season together at Louisville. “He’s got a reason for why he calls every play, and he knows as much as any coach in the NFL,” said Redman, a third-round draft pick for Baltimore in 2000. “He’s very knowledgeable. He’s just got a knack for calling plays, and he’s really good at it. I’ve never been around a better coordinator my entire career.”

Vikings: Jason Glenn gave it everything he had trying to get ready for a seventh NFL season. His aching knees just wouldn’t let it happen. The linebacker and special teams standout, one of the most liked players on the team, officially retired. Glenn appeared in nine games with the Vikings last season, spent the first five years of his career with the Jets and also played one season in Miami. Glenn tore an ACL last season and was still experiencing soreness through the first two weeks of training camp. He addressed the team on Monday night in what players called an emotional meeting. “I was pretty saddened by it,” fellow linebacker Ben Leber said. “He is a great guy, a great friend and was great in the locker room. But I think retirement should be something you congratulate the person. He played seven years and played the way the game is supposed to be played.”

Titans: Rookie defensive end Jacob Ford could have surgery as soon as today to repair a torn left Achilles’ tendon. Ford was the sixth-round draft pick out of Central Arkansas. He was working in an individual drill Monday when he went down. He tried to hop off, but then was carted off the field. Ford is the second rookie defensive lineman the Titans drafted to have a season-ending injury. Tackle Antonio Johnson tore up his knee and already is on injured reserve. The Titans picked up defensive end Jason Hall off waivers from Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 253-pound Hall originally signed as an undrafted free agent with Buffalo in 2006, was cut and signed with Carolina in January.

Bills: John McCargo hurt his left ankle and was unable to complete practice. Coach Dick Jauron said the backup defensive tackle was fine, but will have more tests. McCargo called the injury “nothing serious,” saying he was hurt when he fell back on his ankle during an 11-on-11 drill. He limped off and was immediately attended to by trainers and a team doctor.

Chiefs: Larry Johnson is still a holdout and Priest Holmes is still a question mark. That makes Michael Bennett the first-string running back for now. “Michael’s had a good camp,” coach Herm Edwards said. “He came into camp with the mind-set of wanting to be a part of the offense this year, whether Larry Johnson was here or not. And he needs to be a part of this offense. That’s why we brought him in.”

Jaguars: Offensive lineman Stockar McDougle ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon and will be out for the season, the team’s second significant injury along the offensive line. Jacksonville already was playing without starting center Brad Meester, who broke his right ankle two weeks ago and will miss at least the first three games of the regular season. McDougle, who plays guard and tackle, injured his Achilles’ tendon during practice Monday night, but the team didn’t know the severity of the injury until Tuesday.

Associated Press