NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

49ers: Michael Lewis is learning a new system on the fly, and the former Pro Bowl safety is running out of time to absorb all the details of his new game before the serious competition starts. Sure, Lewis is off to an outstanding start in his new job with the 49ers — but it’s really cutting into his ability to master Madden NFL ’08. “I’ve got this playbook I’m trying to get down,” Lewis said Thursday, gesturing at the thick black binder in his locker. “I can’t worry about Madden’s playbook. ... I felt like they made too many changes to the game. It’s difficult. You really have to have the time to sit and go through it. It’s too much. Too detailed.” Like many NFL players, Lewis is a video game devotee — but the former Eagles safety is recognized as one of the league’s top virtual talents, winning a pre-Super Bowl tournament two seasons ago and generally thumping all of his teammates on both coasts. Though Lewis believes Madden is getting too complicated for its own good, he’s keeping things simple in his first season with the 49ers after his five-year tenure in Philadelphia ended acrimoniously. Lewis, a Pro Bowler when the Eagles reached the Super Bowl two years ago, lost his starting job to Sean Considine last year and absorbed blame for the club’s struggles. Lewis, who signed with San Francisco alongside cornerback Nate Clements on the first day of free agency, immediately became the 49ers’ starting strong safety, providing a physical presence and veteran leadership for a unit that lacked both last season. Coaches praise his work ethic, and he already has landed his share of hard hits in practice and the 49ers’ preseason opener. Indeed, Lewis’ biggest struggles in California seem to be happening in front of his Xbox 360. “He’s an excellent tackler and run-stopper, but he’s also a determined leader,” said 49ers cornerback Donald Strickland, who played with Lewis in college at Colorado and again with the Eagles. “He’s played in the Super Bowl, and that’s where we’re trying to go. He’s definitely got the chemistry to bond with the players. He’s a well-rounded, likable guy.”

Broncos: The Denver Broncos surrounded the mother of slain cornerback Darrent Williams, then she broke the huddle after watching the team practice for the first time Thursday since her son’s death. “It was special for everyone involved,” coach Mike Shanahan said. Rosalind Williams visited with several Broncos coaches and players at their hotel earlier Thursday. While reluctant at first, she then decided to attend the last of four practices over two days against the Cowboys — not far from her Fort Worth home. Williams sat with family members on a shade-covered bleacher. When the 90-minute practice ended, veteran safety John Lynch came and got Williams, then escorted her to the team. “It was good for everyone,” Lynch said. “I know it was difficult for them, and difficult for us. In the end, it’s another step in the healing process.” Darrent Williams was slain on New Year’s Day in Denver in a drive-by shooting that remains unsolved.

Packers: Wide receiver Robert Ferguson’s injury-marred career with Green Bay is over, coach Mike McCarthy said. He said the team has decided to cut ties with the seven-year veteran, although he didn’t say how that would be accomplished. Ferguson, a second-round selection of the Packers in the 2001 draft, wasn’t on the practice field for the second of Thursday’s two practices. “Robert will no longer be a Packer. We’re going to go another direction,” McCarthy said. Asked if Ferguson would be traded, McCarthy responded, “Possible.” The team also could release Ferguson, who is under contract through 2008.

Eagles: Coach Andy Reid expects Shawn Andrews to be ready for next month’s season opener, even though the All-Pro guard cast doubt on his own future. Andrews is wearing a walking boot on his injured right ankle, where a plate was surgically inserted after he broke his fibula in Week 1 of the 2004 season. In an odd interview with reporters on Wednesday, Andrews said he wasn’t sure when he could play and that a specialist’s comments made him cry. Adding to the confusion, Andrews didn’t elaborate because Reid doesn’t allow players to discuss their injuries. “Well, Shawn’s an emotional guy,” Reid said Thursday. “He wants more than anybody to be out here and playing. He’s frustrated. But the main thing, and really the only thing that I care about right now, is that he’s getting better.”

Sidelines: Giants general manager Jerry Reese hasn’t talked to holdout defensive end Michael Strahan in a while and has no clue when the seven-time Pro Bowl player will make a decision on whether to retire. “We would like for him to be here if he’s going to be here, just for him to get some work,” Reese said. “Michael knows that if he’s going to come back, he has to get some work in. You just can’t show up and play in the National Football League. The Giants are fining the 35-year-old Strahan $14,288 for each day he misses. His three-week total is now $300,048. ... The Patriots released 11-year veteran punter Josh Miller Thursday, leaving the team with two punters in camp, neither of whom has appeared in an NFL regular season game. The 37-year-old Miller played his first eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing a free agent contract with the Patriots in March 2004.

Associated Press