NFL roundup | News & notes

HGH: Tennessee Titans player representative Jake Scott says the NFL should wait until March to deal with HGH testing. The league and NFLPA tentatively agreed in the contract that ended the lockout to implement testing for human growth hormone. But the union had to approve testing procedures and has not done so, saying it wants more information. Scott says a solution would be “if we ... do it in March when players can sit down and the league can sit down and you don’t have the stress and the strain of a football season going on to deal with it.” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello notes that in the CBA “the union agreed to HGH testing with the goal of beginning it by the first week of the 2011 season. We have been ready to go, but the union continues its delaying tactics.”

Patriots: The New England Patriots took just half a season to decide they didn’t need Albert Haynesworth. Two days after he sat out most of the second half against the New York Giants, the Patriots released the defensive lineman they obtained after his rocky two-year stay with the Washington Redskins. In six games with the Patriots, Haynesworth had just six tackles and no sacks. His last play came in Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Giants when left guard David Diehl blocked him to clear the way for Brandon Jacobs’ 10-yard touchdown run with 9:10 left in the third quarter. The Patriots are 5-3, tied for first in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets,

Lions: Kevin Smith’s departure from the Detroit Lions turned out to be only a hiatus. The 24-year-old running back is back with the Lions after being signed along with offensive lineman Leonard Smith at the season’s halfway point. Detroit drafted Smith in the third round in 2008 and he ran for nearly 1,000 yards and caught 39 passes as a rookie. The Lions let him go this past offseason, but he has earned another chance with the team. On Tuesday, Smith was back in the same corner of his old locker room, eager to try to contribute to a team that’s very much in the race for a playoff spot. Detroit (6-2) is coming off its open week.

Seahawks: The Seattle Seahawks activated wide receiver Deon Butler from the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday. Butler broke his right leg during a touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter against San Francisco last December. He’s been practicing with the team the last three weeks and was activated on the last day he could remain on the PUP list.

Associated Press