NFL ROUNDUP \ News and notes

Browns: Defensive end Robaire Smith will miss the rest of the season after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday because of a left Achilles’ injury. Smith was hurt during Sunday night’s 10-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith started all 16 games last season with the Browns and had four sacks. Cleveland signed defensive end Santonio Thomas to fill Smith’s roster spot. Thomas spent the past three seasons with the New England Patriots, mainly on the practice squad. He played in four games last season.

Saints: Confident he’s healthy enough to play — and play well — running back Deuce McAllister has been mostly watching from the sideline for the past two weeks. He has been frustrated at times, but trusts that patience and leadership will see him through. So far, McAllister has yet to utter an inflammatory word about the negligible playing time he’s seen during New Orleans’ first two games. “It’s not something that I’m going to go and fuss and whine about,” McAllister said. McAllister rushed twice for 10 yards against a Redskins defense that consistently stacked eight players close to the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Those were McAllister’s first and only two carries of the season. He dressed for the Saints’ season opener, but never got on the field while Reggie Bush and second-year pro Pierre Thomas shared all the carries.

Texans: Owner Bob McNair has discussed the possibility of his team playing at Rice Stadium if repairs to Reliant Stadium from Hurricane Ike can’t be made in time for its first home game Oct. 5. The stadium’s retractable roof lost five pieces in the storm and officials said large pieces of debris had fallen into the stadium. Though he has discussed playing at Rice, which is 4 miles from Reliant, McNair is “optimistic” that repairs can be made in time for Houston to play at home against the Colts.

Chiefs: Kansas City will start two rookie cornerbacks Sunday at Atlanta, a potentially troubling situation that coach Herm Edwards insists will not cost him one minute’s sleep. “Not at all. Not those two kids,” Edwards said Tuesday. On one side will be Brandon Flowers, who was handed the starting job as soon as he was drafted in the second round in April out of Virginia Tech. Replacing 11-year veteran Patrick Surtain, who injured his shoulder last week against Oakland, will be fifth-round pick Brandon Carr.

Referees association supports Hochuli: Ed Hochuli received the support of the NFL Referees Association Tuesday, two days after he botched a call at the end of the San Diego-Denver game that allowed the Broncos to keep possession and go on to score the winning points. “No one feels worse about this than Ed, but like the coaches and players in our high-speed game, mistakes will occur,” NFLRA executive director Tim Millis said in a statement. “The NFLRA stands by Ed Hochuli as a 19-year veteran with multiple Super Bowl and countless playoff game experience who has the integrity and character to admit a mistake and accept the criticism that comes with it.”

Quick hitters: The Jets waived punter Ben Graham two days after a poor outing in a loss to the Patriots. … Raiders defensive end Tommy Kelly was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. … Buccaneers rookie cornerback Elbert Mack was suspended one game without pay by the NFL for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. … The Falcons waived second-year tight end Martrez Milner.

Associated Press