NFL ROUNDUp News and notes

December 11, 2008 at 12:00a.m.

Jets: Wide receiver Brad Smith didn’t practice while he recovers from a vicious hit that sidelined him late in the Jets’ 24-14 loss at San Francisco on Sunday. Smith was listed as having a head injury on the team’s injury report, but coach Eric Mangini wouldn’t go into details. “No real update on Brad Smith,” Mangini said before practice. “We’ll monitor him throughout the week here and see where he is at the end of the week.” Mangini added that Smith, a former college quarterback who has 10 catches for 68 yards and 11 carries for 116 yards in his third season, would only do “some light things” at practice. Smith caught a 7-yard pass across the middle with 2:14 left and was simultaneously grabbed from behind by Michael Lewis and slammed into by Patrick Willis, with the 49ers linebacker’s shoulder and then his helmet appearing to strike Smith’s helmet. Smith’s body bent backward on top of Lewis, the wide receiver appearing stunned. Smith then quickly popped up and walked a few yards before getting woozy and going down on one knee.

Giants: With the NFL regular-season winding down, New York Giants halfback Brandon Jacobs is nicked and bruised like many NFL players. The big halfback hurt his left knee against Seattle in early October. He tweaked his right knee against Baltimore in early November and then aggravated his left knee again this past weekend in a loss to Philadelphia. Jacobs didn’t practice Wednesday, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys (8-5) is uncertain for a number of reasons. The Giants (11-2) have already qualified for the playoffs, and many would argue the smart thing would be for coach Tom Coughlin to rest his No. 1 running back and have him ready for the playoffs. The other argument is that the Giants have not locked up either a first-round bye or home-field advantage for the postseason, so they should use Jacobs until they do that. If Jacobs does not play, Derrick Ward will start and be back up by Ahmad Bradshaw.

Lions: The winless Lions probably will be without starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper against the surging Colts. Culpepper did not practice Wednesday, three days after injuring his shoulder. Culpepper stretched with teammates Wednesday, then left the field and had to avoid a blocking sled a teammate was hitting toward him. Drew Henson, Drew Stanton and Dan Orlovsky participated in drills led by quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler and split reps during practice.

Orlovsky has been out since Nov. 2 with an injured wrist. The Lions (0-13) seem destined to be the NFL’s first 0-16 team, closing against the Colts, New Orleans and Green Bay.

Broncos: Denver dipped into their past again when it signed free agent tight end Jeb Putzier, who was jettisoned following the AFC championship game three years ago. The Broncos also waived safety Herana-Daze Jones, who was signed last week and didn’t play in a game. The team also signed running back Steve Baylark to its practice squad.

Putzier is a seventh-year player who played in Denver from 2002-05 after the Broncos made him a sixth-round draft pick out of Boise State. He played in six games, starting once, for Seattle this year before the Seahawks waived him on Nov. 26.

Redskins: The Redskins added their third offensive linemen in two days, signing D’Anthony Batiste. Batiste started four games at guard for the Falcons in 2007. He was originally signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Batiste joins tackle Devin Clark and guard Will Montgomery as the new additions along the offensive line, which this week lost Chris Samuels and Justin Geisinger to season-ending injuries. Also, right tackle Jon Jansen is nursing a knee injury. The Redskins had a spare roster spot after releasing defensive end Erasmus James on Tuesday.

Panthers: Reserve offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges practiced with the team Wednesday, three days after he was arrested for the second time in 16 months on assault charges. Bridges was deactivated for Monday’s win over Tampa Bay, but coach John Fox indicated the team will let the legal process run its course before deciding whether to take disciplinary action.

Bills: Quarterback Trent Edwards is in jeopardy of missing a second straight start because of a groin injury. The team also is considering placing DE Aaron Schobel on season-ending injured reserve. Coach Dick Jauron said Edwards was held out of practice Wednesday because he is still experiencing soreness limiting his range of motion. Without ruling out Edwards from playing Sunday when the Bills travel to face the Jets, Jauron indicated he prefers not to have his second-year quarterback miss any practice time leading up to a game. Edwards has been out since the first half of a 10-3 loss to San Francisco on Nov. 30. If he can’t play, backup J.P. Losman would make his second straight start even though he was wildly inconsistent in going 13-of-27 for 123 yards with an interception and fumble in a 16-3 loss to Miami last weekend.

Vikings: Quarterback Gus Frerotte did not practice, raising the possibility Tarvaris Jackson will return to the starting lineup Sunday against Arizona. Coach Brad Childress said Frerotte is continuing to rehabilitate a lower back injury, and his uncertain status could carry through the week of practice. The 37-year-old Frerotte took over for Jackson after the Vikings got off to an 0-2 start with the young quarterback under center. But Jackson performed brilliantly when rushed into duty after Frerotte went down in the first half at Detroit. He completed 8 of 10 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown to rally Minnesota to a 20-16 win over the Lions.

Saints: Starting left tackle Jammal Brown will sit out Thursday night’s game in Chicago because of a sprained left ankle. Brown was hurt during the Saints’ 29-25 victory over Atlanta last Sunday. The injury was not deemed serious, but still bothered him enough to keep him out of action in a short week for New Orleans (7-6). Zach Strief is slated to start in Brown’s place, as he has once in each of the previous two seasons.

Cowboys: T.O., with your nose so bright, are you ready to help guide the Cowboys to a better December finish? Apparently so. Terrell Owens was in the holiday spirit Wednesday, sporting a flashing red nose. He described his mood as “jolly,” dismissing his sideline outburst after the late collapse in Pittsburgh and saying the team remains confident about its playoff hopes. “I’m happy. I’m very excited about the opportunities that we’ve got,” Owens said. “There’s not any pressure. We know we can win.”Despite the loss to the Steelers, Dallas (8-5) is in position for a wild-card spot. But the Cowboys are still vulnerable with three difficult games left: Sunday night against the New York Giants, who have already clinched the NFC East title, followed by Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Colts: Indianapolis signed running back Najeh Davenport to shore up a suddenly injury-depleted backfield. Coach Tony Dungy had said Monday the Colts would add a running back if there was concern starter Joseph Addai could not play Sunday against Detroit because of a right shoulder injury. No. 3 back Chad Simpson, who also returns kickoffs, sprained his ankle in last week’s 35-3 victory over the Bengals and is unlikely to play against the Lions.

Associated Press