NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Steelers: Wide receiver Hines Ward said an MRI exam on his bruised knee revealed no damage. Ward, injured in the third quarter of a 37-16 victory over San Francisco on Sunday, walked without a limp while reporting to a team meeting Monday. Ward was hurt when he took a helmet to the knee, forcing him to leave the game. Coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday the preliminary diagnosis was a bone bruise, but the team plans no further injury update until today. The team has not said which knee Ward injured while he was the intended receiver on consecutive plays during a stalled Steelers drive early in the third quarter. It is uncertain if the injury will prevent the four-time Pro Bowl receiver from playing Sunday at Arizona.

Ravens: Steve McNair remains the first-string quarterback, although it might be a while before he can finish what he started. Twice this season McNair has been relieved in the fourth quarter by Kyle Boller, including Sunday, when Boller engineered the winning drive in a 26-23 victory over the Cardinals. McNair has been bothered by a strained groin, and coach Brian Billick is wary of using the 34-year-old quarterback deep into the game. So until McNair has completely rid of himself of the injury he can expect to share time with Boller. McNair didn’t play in a second-week win over the Jets. He returned Sunday to go 20-for-27 for 198 yards before giving way to Boller, who finished with an 8-for-10 performance over the final 15 minutes.

Jaguars: It might not be easy for receiver Matt Jones to get back on the field. Jones was inactive for Sunday’s game at Denver, a move that raised questions about the former first-round draft pick’s future with the franchise. Jones’ agent, Alan Herman, criticized the decision Sunday and said he would seek a trade if it continued. Coach Jack Del Rio defended it Monday. “First and foremost, my responsibility is to make decisions based on what is best for this football team,” Del Rio said. “I will continue to do that.”

Bills: Quarterback Craig Nall is back after agreeing to a one-year contract on Monday, three weeks after the team cut him. The move came a day after Bills starter J.P. Losman sprained his left knee in the first series of a 38-7 loss at New England. Losman is expected to miss as many as two weeks, and Buffalo doesn’t have a backup behind rookie third-round draft pick Trent Edwards, who is expected to start Sunday when the Bills host the Jets.

Buccaneers: Eight-plus years in the NFL and five more in the Canadian Football League have taught Jeff Garcia to measure his words when he talks about progress three games into a season. The quarterback likes the direction the Buccaneers are headed on offense. He’s just not ready to say the unit has arrived after lopsided victories over New Orleans and St. Louis. After being limited to a pair of field goals in a season-opening loss to Seattle, the Bucs scored seven touchdowns while outscoring the Saints and Rams 55-24. “We can still be better,” said Garcia, who has completed 66 percent of his passes for 595 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. “I think from my standpoint, it is about efficiency. It’s about not putting us in bad situations, bad positions, not forcing the issue. I think we have enough good plays, good opportunities, good looks, where I can make the right decision to give our guys opportunities to make plays.”

Raiders: The quarterback situation got a little more muddled Monday when top pick JaMarcus Russell was added to the roster and starter Josh McCown’s status was in doubt because of a sore foot. Those factors have put third-stringer Andrew Walter in limbo. The Raiders have talked to teams about trading Walter, who started eight games last season, but don’t want to make a move until they know if McCown is healthy. After starting the offseason as the only quarterback on the roster, Walter has watched as the Raiders traded for McCown, drafted Russell and signed Daunte Culpepper. Expecting to get a chance with a new team after Russell had to be added to the roster, Walter instead found out he would have to wait longer. The Raiders released cornerback Duane Starks to make room for Russell, and will keep four quarterbacks for now.

Associated Press