NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Super Bowl in London? A future Super Bowl champion may someday be crowned overseas in a game witnessed predominantly by a foreign audience, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “There’s a great deal of interest in holding a Super Bowl in London,” Goodell told reporters Monday. The commissioner said London’s new Wembley Stadium would make a great candidate for pro football’s biggest matchup, given the enthusiasm overseas for the game. The NFL has been expanding its overseas presence for years by televising games around the world. It’s held preseason games in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Mexico and Canada, and in 2005, the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers played the first regular season game outside the United States. The game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City drew a league-record crowd, 103,467. On Oct. 28, Wembley will host the first regular season NFL game outside North America. It took just 90 minutes to sell the first 40,000 tickets for the game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants. Goodell said event organizers have sold 95,000 tickets in all.

McNair will sit: Steve McNair was tired of trying to play in pain. Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick ran out of patience waiting for the quarterback to heal. So the two agreed: McNair sits out two straight games, then steps back into the starter’s role. Kyle Boller will start at quarterback for a second straight week this Sunday in Buffalo, Baltimore’s final game before a much-needed bye. McNair could play, but the Ravens would prefer he rest his lingering groin injury and sore back. The objective is to get McNair three straight weeks off before the Ravens resume play on Nov. 5 in Pittsburgh.

Cardinals seek QB, again: If it’s Monday, the Cardinals must be looking for a quarterback. Last week, they signed Tim Rattay as a backup to Kurt Warner, who took over for the injured Matt Leinart. Now Warner is out indefinitely with a sprained left elbow, Rattay is the starter and the Cardinals are expected to sign Tim Hasselbeck as soon as they clear a roster spot. Rattay and Warner are the only quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. “It’s obviously unusual,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “It’s hard enough when you lose one quarterback, but when you lose two it’s doubly difficult. But it’s not going to change. I’m sure there’s not a lot of teams out there that are feeling sorry for us right now.”

Holmes may play: Priest Holmes, who hasn’t played or practiced since October 2006, will begin practicing Wednesday. Kansas City coach Herm Edwards did not rule out the possibility the running back might play this week against Oakland. The former Pro Bowler has been on the ineligible list and not able to practice since he unexpectedly reported to training camp in July. Asked when Holmes, 34, might appear in a game, Edwards said, “We’ll see. I’d like to see him practice first. I’ll be able to answer that Wednesday after practice or Thursday.”

Bucs seek running game: While coach Jon Gruden detests using statistics to gauge how well his team is playing, there’s one number he can’t ignore: The Buccaneers have gained a NFL-low 47 yards rushing in the past two games. The Bucs (4-2) have already matched their victory total for last season. However, Gruden knows it will be difficult to remain atop the NFC South unless he finds a way to compensate for the loss of injured running backs Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Michael Pittman. The ground attack also has suffered from the absence of veteran left tackle Luke Petitgout, whose season-ending knee injury left the Bucs with four starters on the offensive line who are either first- or second-year pros. Tampa Bay was held to 17 and 30 yards rushing by Indianapolis and Tennessee the past two weeks after gaining 182 and 189 with a healthy Williams and Pittman teaming with Earnest Graham the previous two weeks against St. Louis and Carolina.

No deal in sight: Tatum Bell expects the NFL’s trading deadline to come and go today, leaving him in Detroit. Bell said reports his agent was asking the Lions to trade him were overblown, but the running back acknowledged being unhappy with his role and the timing of it. “It’s frustrating, being a contract year. You want to put a show on,” Bell said Monday. “But I’m here now. I’m staying. I’m excited about helping the team.” Bell had just four carries for 15 yards in Detroit’s last game, a 34-3 loss at Washington in Week 5.

Eagles will take win: Given how poorly they played the first month, the Eagles aren’t going to nitpick any win. Sure, they barely squeaked out a 16-9 victory over the inept Jets Sunday. Yes, they wouldn’t have beaten many other teams. However, they found a way to avoid a loss that would’ve put the team in crisis mode just five games into the season. At 2-3, the Eagles still have a chance in a mediocre NFC. But it’s clear the defending NFC East champions need to improve in many areas before they can be mentioned as playoff contenders. Halfback Brian Westbrook looked sharp after missing a game with an abdominal injury, and wide receiver Reggie Brown finally showed up after being a non-factor in the first four games.

Bills mum on Losman: Coach Dick Jauron isn’t ready to reveal his starting quarterback, leaving incumbent J.P. Losman wondering who might be holding up the decision. “I think that’s still up in the air, whose call it is, who’s going to take responsibility for it,” Losman said after the Bills (1-4) returned following a bye to prepare to host Baltimore Sunday. “I don’t know who can answer these questions. It’s an awkward situation, an awkward scenario.” Losman’s sprained knee has healed.

Associated Press