NFL ROUNDUP \ News & notes

Bengals: Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson didn’t participate in the first practice of training camp because his right ankle hasn’t fully recovered from surgery. Johnson spent time Monday rehabilitating the ankle, which was surgically cleaned out last month. The ankle is still sore and he runs with a pronounced limp. He warmed up with the team on the field, then went into the trainer’s room. The Bengals held their opening practice without top draft pick Keith Rivers, a linebacker from Southern California who was projected as a starter. Rivers, the ninth overall pick, is the Bengals’ last unsigned rookie.

Giants: Recently signed offensive tackle Shane Olivea said he was addicted to painkillers while playing for the San Diego Chargers last season. The 26-year Olivea lost his starting job at right tackle in midseason and was eventually released by the Chargers in February, a move he said he asked the team to make. “It’s a second chance in my life and football and I’m just happy to have that opportunity,” said Olivea, who was signed by the Super Bowl champions July 10. Olivea said that he did not confront his problem until his family intervened in April, about a week before the NFL Draft. He was treated at the Betty Ford Center in California.

Packers: If it wasn’t for the daily twists and turns of the Brett Favre unretirement saga, this would be considered a really big deal: Ryan Grant does not have a contract in place and skipped the first practice of training camp Monday. Grant, an exclusive rights free agent, is seeking a long-term deal with the Packers, but talks appear to have broken down. Grant’s agent, Alan Herman, told the Wisconsin State Journal Sunday that the team’s offer of a six-year deal that included $1.75 million in guaranteed money was “insulting.”

Saints: Sedrick Ellis’ holdout reached its sixth day Monday and coach Sean Payton appeared to be growing tired of it. “He’s missing opportunities to get better, and that can affect his play,” Payton said. The Saints reported to training camp for weigh-ins and conditioning tests last Wednesday. They began two-a-day practices on Thursday, meaning Ellis has missed 10 practices in all.

Rams: Defensive end Victor Adeyanju might have to get used to playing with a cast again. The third-year player will be sidelined two to four weeks after breaking his right middle finger in practice Sunday. He broke his right forearm during his rookie season in 2006.

Falcons: Joe Horn can look at the depth chart and know he doesn’t have much of a future with the Falcons. The 36-year-old Horn, coming off a season in which he had only 27 catches and one touchdown, is working in training camp behind a bunch of younger receivers, including starters Roddy White and Laurent Robinson, former starter Michael Jenkins and third-round draft pick Harry Douglas. Horn has no chance to beat out White and Robinson, and he’s clearly below Jenkins and Douglas in the pecking order.

Associated Press