Saturday rotations....

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Detroit Lions - QB Rotation: Joey Harrington (1 Q), Mike McMahon (2 Q), Rick Mirer (3 Q), Curt Anes.

Joey Harrington will get more than half the practice time with the No. 1 offense in preparation for the regular season. McMahon and Rick Mirer will divide the rest. McMahon will get more practice time than Mirer, but not enough to challenge Harrington.

Three injured cornerbacks who did not play Saturday practiced Monday ? Fernando Bryant (hamstring), Dre? Bly (hip) and Chris Cash (knee). They might play at Cleveland Saturday.

The Lions have a new defensive coordinator in Dick Jauron.

Cleveland Browns - QB Rotation: Jeff Garcia (first half), Kelly Holcomb (3 Q), Todd Husak (4 Q), Nate Hybl and rookie Luke McCown.

Garcia expects to play about a half, with backup QB Kelly Holcomb playing the 3rd quarter.

Offensive line is still in flux: The weekly changing of the guard on the Browns' offensive line brings Paul Zukauskas to the No. 1 unit for the second preseason game. Zukauskas moves into the left guard spot formerly occupied by Chad Beasley (first week of camp) and Enoch DeMar (second week).

The Browns committed a whopping 14 penalties for 155 yards in last week's preseason opener.

Rookie TE Kellen Winslow challenged his Cleveland Browns teammates to match his intensity level. "We want to make our identity," Winslow explained. "I wasn't here last year, but they only won five games."

Terry Robiskie is new as Browns' offensive coordinator.

QB Jeff Garcia has urged the Browns to play to his strengths and showcase his skills as a mobile, improvising quarterback. "There are certain things I'm trying to adapt to, and there are certain things this offense needs to adapt to me as far as what I bring to the table," Garcia said. Coach Butch Davis said the staff is willing to let Garcia do his thing.

Tennessee Titans - QB Rotation: Steve McNair, Billy Volek, Jason Gesser, Robert Kent (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Secondary ailing: The Titans will continue their game of musical chairs at cornerback this week. CB Andre Dyson may miss the rest of the preseason (quadriceps strain). Dyson should be back at full strength for the regular season opener. The other starting cornerback, Samari Rolle, won't play this week. Third-year pro Mike Echols started in place of Rolle against the Browns. Rookies Rich Gardner and Michael Waddell figure to get more opportunities as well.

Coach Jeff Fisher said TE Dwayne Blakley will go in earlier in Saturday's preseason game at Buffalo so he can get some work surrounded by more experienced players. Fisher said TE Ben Troupe should play more than he did against Cleveland last week, but probably later in the game.

Defense ailing: Defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth (foot) and James Atkins (knee), and DEs Travis LaBoy (groin) and Bo Schobel (foot) are dinged up. Coach Jeff Fisher said, "We are down to nine healthy defensive linemen right now and that is going to be tough the next couple of weeks."

Buffalo Bills - QB Rotation: Drew Bledsoe, rookie J.P. Losman, Travis Brown, Greg Zolman (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

The Bills shuffled the offensive line Tuesday, promoting unheralded free agent Lawrence Smith to the starting left guard spot in place of third-year man Mike Pucillo. The move underscored the fact that the front five is the big worry on the team. The starting line has 15 on-the-field days in which to get its cohesiveness before the season opener. The Bills had starting right tackle Mike Williams back on the field Tuesday. He had been bothered by a sore arch and had practiced only six days so far. His arch is not yet 100 percent. Backup tackle Marcus Price is out this week with a sprained toe.

Receiver Josh Reed got the first crack at kickoff return duties against Denver, and will do so again. Last year the Bills ranked 16th in average drive start after kickoff. Their average was their own 28.8. "I think Josh has a good feel for it," coach Mike Mularkey said.

Mike Mularkey is in his first year as head coach, Jerry Gray is the new defensive coordinator, and Tom Clements is the new offensive coordinator.

 

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Houston Texans - QB Rotation: David Carr, Tony Banks, Dave Ragone, rookie B.J. Symons (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Running game banged up: RB Jason Anderson is out for the year. RB Domanick Davis is doubtful, RB Jonathan Wells (knee) is also not expected to play. RB Tony Hollings will start against Pittsburgh and be followed by KaRon Coleman and Adam Matthews, who both signed with the team Monday.

The Texans will get a look at their projected starting offensive line for the first time Saturday. Right guard Zach Wiegert, who returned to practice this week after missing more than two weeks with an elbow infection, will start the game and play between 20 and 25 plays. The Texans want to get a look at the right side of the line, which added right tackle Todd Wade during the offseason. The Texans are expected to enter the regular season with a line of left tackle Seth Wand, left guard Chester Pitts, center Steve McKinney, Wiegert and Wade.

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Rotation: Tommy Maddox (1 Q+), rookie Ben Roethlisberger, Brian St. Pierre, Kurt Kittner (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

QB Charlie Batch is hurting (sore arm) and is out 2-3 weeks.

The offensive line suffered a setback Thursday when the team learned that starting right guard Kendall Simmons (right knee) is out for the year. The No. 1 unit looked crisp Saturday at Detroit. The left side of the line, particularly tackle Marvel Smith and guard Alan Faneca, dominated on the game's opening drive. It is not yet known how the Steelers will compensate for the loss of Simmons, who has started 30 of a possible 32 games in two years.

Bill Cowher said that QBs Roethlisberger and St. Pierre will get more preseason action than anticipated because of the injury to Batch. First-round pick Ben Roethlisberger joined the Steelers' first team in practice this week, but Cowher said, "Don't read anything into that. He had a short one the other day, so we gave him more time."

The Steelers have a new defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau.

Cincinnati Bengals - QB Rotation: Carson Palmer (1 Q+), Jon Kitna, rookies Casey Bramlet and Scott Rislov (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

QB Carson Palmer will start. Marvin Lewis wants to give the first-year starter a little more time than most starting quarterbacks in the preseason. Jon Kitna will go second while rookies Casey Bramlet and Scott Rislov will finish up.

Linebackers thin.

New England Patriots - QB Rotation: Tom Brady (1 Q), Rohan Davey (2 Q), Kliff Kingsbury (3 Q+).

QB Tom Brady will see limited action as Rohan Davey and Kliff Kingsbury gain experience.

Offensive line back together: RT Tom Ashworth (back) returned to practice, marking the first time this camp the Pats' Super Bowl line - Matt Light, Russ Hochstein, Dan Koppen, Joe Andruzzi and Ashworth - was on the field at the same time.

Rookie receiver P.K. Sam remains out of action as he rehabs a hamstring injury. Veteran J.J. Stokes has also been on the sidelines. The severity of the injuries could impact the Pats' decision on the fifth and sixth receiver jobs.

Rookie TE Ben Watson made his practice debut this week, but it has yet to be determined if he'll play Saturday.

Bill Belichick was not happy with the play of the offense in the opener. Asked if he placed most of the blame at the feet of the quarterbacks, Belichick said, "Quarterbacks? You have guys coming through the line on scrimmage unblocked. What do you want the quarterback to do? Then sometimes it is on the quarterback, with guys open and we can't hit them. It's a combination of things."

With his 3-4 defense, Bill Belichick has become almost single-minded in the type of player he covets to play it. Drafting a linebacker isn't the philosophy. Instead, he has built into his drafting strategy the concept of picking sack-specialist defensive ends and turning them into athletic, pass-rushing linebackers with the speed to drop into pass coverage. In his 3-4 defense, college defensive ends aren't big enough to play, so he gets guys to lose a little weight and play outside linebacker at 255 pounds than draft an outside linebacker who weighs 230-240 pounds. He loves supersized linebackers to stuff running games. "You look at guys in college that are 6-foot-4, 250-pounds, they are playing down," Belichick said. "The guys that are on the field are more undersized linebackers. The bigger linebackers, they don't last too long in the draft."

Washington Redskins - QB Rotation: Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Tim Hasselbeck, Gibran Hamdan (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

QB Mark Brunell has taken an early lead in the quarterback competition, but mainly by default. In two games, Patrick Ramsey is 7 for 19 for 74 yards and has looked uncomfortable.

Coach Joe Gibbs said he doesn't feel QB Patrick Ramsey's preseason struggles are related to any pressure to keep his job with veteran Brunell. "I just think sometimes you're working hard trying to get in a groove and things don't work out for you," Gibbs said of Ramsey.

LB LaVar Arrington (knee) and left tackle Chris Samuels (mild concussion) missed practice Wednesday for the second straight day.

Miami Dolphins - QB Rotation: A.J. Feeley (1st Q+), Jay Fielder (2 Q+), Sage Rosenfels (3 Q), Clint Stoerner.

Newcomer A.J. Feeley gets the start at quarterback this week and Jay Fielder will follow.

Note: QB A.J. Feeley was not sharp in Thursday morning's drills. Feeley appeared to have trouble gripping the ball and fired several wobbly passes. At one point, Feeley fumbled while attempting a pass.

Former running backs coach Joe Collier is the new offensive coordinator for the Dolphins.

Secondary thin: S Shawn Wooden (lower back), CB Sam Madison (hamstring), S Chris Atkins (knee surgery) CB Will Poole (leg), CB Korey Banks (stinger), and CB Patrick Surtain (groin) are hurting.

Injuries: RB Rob Konrad (knee), DT Tim Bowens (back/knee), WR Sam Simmons (ankle/hamstring), RB Leonard Henry (quadriceps), OT Damion McIntosh (ankle), G Eric Wilson (knee), DT Dario Romero (leg), WR Terrence Wilkins, and RB Sammy Morris (concussion).

Youth movement on offense: Not one of the offensive players who will start Saturday against the Redskins has reached his 28th birthday. Five of the 11 projected starters have never started a regular-season game for the Dolphins. Coaches slowed the pace of installing new wrinkles into the offense this week.

NY Jets - QB Rotation: Chad Pennington (1 Q+), Ricky Ray (who expects to see a majority of the action against the Colts.), Chris Finlen (may mop up late).

QB Depth thin: Pennington will start, injured second-year pro Brooks Bollinger is out a week with a sprained knee, and is vying for the spot with CFL import Ricky Ray.

Secondary in transition: After nearly three weeks of camp, the Jets' secondary remains the biggest question on defense. S Reggie Tongue (strained calf) hasn't been on the field since July 31 and nickel back Ray Mickens (knee) is out. When they face the Colts Saturday the Jets will have two rookies (safety Erik Coleman and cornerback Derrick Strait) in their nickel package. There is concern about whether there's enough speed and coverage ability to play the aggressive scheme envisioned by new defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson.

In the preseason opener against the Saints, Henderson estimated that 70% of his calls were man-to-man, 15% zone and 15% man-zone combination. Now, with so many inexperienced players, he may have to pull back this week, relying more on zones.

Indianapolis Colts - QB Rotation: Peyton Manning (1 Q+), Corey Sauter (2 Q+), Jim Sorgi (3 Q+), Joe Hamilton.

Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney did not finish Wednesday morning's practice after suffering an elbow injury. Tony Dungy did not know the extent of the injury.

Secondary thin: Safety Idrees Bashir suffered rib cartilage damage Tuesday that likely will force him to miss the next two weeks. His situation, coupled with the continued absence of rookie Bob Sanders, will result in extended practice and playing time for Anthony Floyd, Cory Bird, Eli Ward and Waine Bacon.

Wide receivers Aaron Moorehead (shoulder) and Brandon Stokley (groin) and RBs Dominic Rhodes (groin) and Brian Allen (knee) were among players who didn't practice Wednesday. Allen's status for Saturday game isn't known, but Dungy said Moorehead, Stokley and Rhodes will not play.

 

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New Orleans Saints - QB Rotation: Aaron Brooks (1 Q+, Todd Bouman (2 Q+, J.T. O'Sullivan (3 Q+).

Defensive line thin: Already missing injured veteran Willie Whitehead, the Saints lost another reserve lineman when tackle Kenny Smith injured his right shoulder, which will require season-ending surgery. DE Darren Howard (knee) and right tackle Victor Riley (ribs) are nursing nagging injuries.

Linebacker concerns: Veteran LB Derrick Rodgers should be the starter for the second consecutive season. Behind him, however, there is a battle brewing. With third-year pro Roger Knight unable to practice due to a knee injury, rookie Colby Bockwoldt has been getting the bulk of the second-team reps. Bockwoldt has performed well, which leaves Knight in jeopardy of not making the final roster. Also, LB Cie Grant (knee) is hurting.

Green Bay Packers - QB Rotation: Bret Favre (1 Q), Tim Couch, Doug Pederson, Craig Nall (4 Q).

Favre will start. Tim Couch will see some time, but is under the gun after a poor performance. Doug Pederson and Craig Nall should see some time and undrafted rookie Scott McBrien didn't play Monday. Nall likely will see action Saturday after nursing a strained hamstring. Offensive coordinator Tom Rossley was quick to concede that golden oldie Doug Pederson had played better than Couch in the first two weeks of training camp.

Said Mike Sherman, "We're going to continue to try to give Couch as much as possible. His arm, according to him, was not sore on Monday night. He just wasn't as effective as we would like him to be. But we'll keep pushing him." The possibility exists that Couch doesn't have the arm strength to run an offense that has been tailored for the strong-armed Favre and isn't the same as the offense the finesse-throwing Joe Montana ran for San Francisco.

Offensive line still isn?t healthy: Backup offensive tackle Brennan Curtin practiced Wednesday for the first time during this training camp, but starting offensive linemen Mike Flanagan and Mike Wahle (knee injuries) won't play Saturday. Though the Packers return all five starters on the offensive line, the unit will get minimal work together in preseason. Grey Ruegamer, a backup center and guard, continues to work at Flanagan?s spot, while rookie Steve Morley has replaced Wahle at left guard.

Packers not looking for punter ? yet: Don?t expect any moves unless rookie B.J. Sander?s struggles last for two more exhibition games. Sander was woeful during the preseason opener on Monday, when he punted 10 times for an average of 36.5 yards. Seven of his 10 punts were for 36 yards or less.

The Packers have a new defensive coordinator in Bob Slowik (promoted from linebackers coach).

Chicago Bears - QB Rotation: Rex Grossman (1 Q+), Jonathon Quinn (will relieve in the 2 Q and play into the 3 Q), rookie Craig Krenzel (4th Q).

QB Rex Grossman and the starters may end up playing into the second quarter. Backup QB Jonathan Quinn was sidelined again with a sore left shoulder, but Coach Lovie Smith said he should be fine to play Saturday.

Defensive ends Alain Kashama and Alex Brown (right calf muscle) are out, while DE Bryan Robinson (left knee) is hurting.

Offensive line took a hit: Bears left guard Rex Tucker will miss eight to 10 weeks (dislocated left elbow). Free agent acquisition Ruben Brown will replace him.

Speed defeats size in just about every equation for Lovie Smith, so it is no surprise the Bears have flip-flopped defensive ends. Alex Brown, considered the team's best pass rusher, will play left end and last year's top pick, Michael Haynes, has been switched to right end in an effort to invigorate the pass rush which was nonexistent in the preseason opener.

On defense, the hope is the recent switch that put Alex Brown at left end and Michael Haynes at right end will help the pass rush. The emphasis on getting upfield may put a strain on the run defense. If Urlacher's injury did anything, it allowed defensive coordinator Ron Rivera to get a better handle on the backups at that position. NFL Europe veteran Marcus Reese made the biggest strides in camp, taking over the strong-side spot from Joe Odom.

S.F. 49ers - QB Rotation: Ken Dorsey (1 Q), Brandon Doman (2 Q), Cody Pickett (3 Q+).

Starting QB Tim Rattay (forearm) won't throw at all this week, and probably won't get in a game until the third exhibition Aug. 27 at Minnesota. Even though rookie Cody Pickett completed 5-of-7 passes for 89 yards and a TD against Oakland, he will be the third quarterback off the bench Saturday.

QB Cody Pickett impressed the coaches in the opener. With Rattay sidelined, Pickett is getting more of a chance in camp. He even got to work on the two-minute drill in Monday's practice.

Ted Tollner is the new offensive coordinator for the 49ers, and Willy Robinson is the new defensive coordinator.

Dallas Cowboys - QB Rotation: Vinny Testaverde (probably the first half), Tony Romo or Drew Henson will play the second half.

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said the first-team offense might play an entire half against the Raiders Saturday. He said he will probably play two quarterbacks. Vinny Testaverde will start and probably play the first half, but he hasn't decided if Drew Henson or Tony Romo will play the second half.

Bill Parcells plans to give Testaverde more reps in practice and against the Raiders. He also will give the backup QBs through Saturday's preseason game in Oakland before making decisions, so Romo and Henson get another chance.

Parcells expects to see a lot more of cornerback Donald Mitchell in Saturday's preseason game.

Angry Parcells: Hell knows no fury like a head coach whose team gets dominated on both sides of the football. Cowboys players found that out during Monday's first practice since their 18-0 loss to the Texans. "I'm trying to teach my team how to behave," Parcells said. "If it does not learn any better than they did Saturday night, we could not beat a six-man team." Parcells was more active when it came to letting players know what they were doing wrong. Players ran wind sprints after the practice. When some of the linemen started to take off their shoulder pads, Parcells barked at them to put them back on before running.

Oakland - QB Rotation: Rich Gannon (1 Q), Kerry Collins (2 Q+), Marques Tuiasosopo (3 Q), Tee Martin (4 Q).

Said Coach Norv Turner, "We've got to build on our starters, and they'll play more. But there are some of those veterans who aren't going to play a half. If they went 10 plays (against the 49ers), they'll get 16 to 18 plays this week."

Raiders rookie Robert Gallery, the No. 2 pick in the draft, injured his right elbow Monday (hyperextended). Gallery couldn't say when he might return to practice, though the injury was not serious.

Cornerbacks thin: CBs Clarence Love (knee) and Ike Charlton (toe) are hurting.

S.D. Chargers - QB Rotation: Drew Brees (1 Q+), Cleo Lemon (2 Q+), Joe Germaine (3 Q+).

San Diego is short on QBs, with Doug Flutie (knee) hurting and rookie Philip Rivers holding out. On Wednesday, Flutie took some snaps in 7-on-7 drills but said he wants to be cautious before resuming full-time work. Thursday, Coach Marty Schottenheimer said he was impressed with Flutie's performance on returning to the field this week. But he wouldn't commit to Flutie playing in Saturday night's exhibition game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Chargers have a new defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips.

Last week, while the San Diego linebackers were flying around from the team's new 3-4 alignment, they weren't effective on pass defense. The Colts passers were 29-for-42 for 346 yards against San Diego.

Arizona Cardinals - QB Rotation: Josh McCown (1 Q), Shaun King (2 Q), rookie John Navarre (3 Q), Chris Lewis (4 Q).

Wide receivers thin: WR Bryant Johnson (foot), Anquan Boldin (knee) and rookie Larry Fitzgerald (sprained left ankle) are out and won't play this weekend.

The current wide receiver starters are Karl Williams, Kevin Kasper and Bryan Gilmore. When asked if there was a healthy receiver who had made a positive impression, Cardinals coach Dennis Green replied: "None. Not one. And I'm concerned about that."

Running game thin: Two running backs, Marcel Shipp (knee) and Larry Croom (hamstring) are out.

Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Kenny King needs surgery on his right wrist and probably will miss the season, the latest hit to a team struggling with injuries.

Arizona had a poor opener. There was no timing in the passing game, the running attack sputtered, the Cardinals were penalized nine times for 72 yards and four quarterbacks - McCown, Shaun King, John Navarre and Chris Lewis - were sacked seven times. "The whole timing was off," coach Dennis Green said of the offense.

The Cardinals have finished near the bottom of the NFL in sacks for the past several years, and coach Dennis Green is hoping to correct that. This week he moved rookie Darnell Dockett to defensive end.

 

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Denver Broncos - QB Rotation: Jake Plummer (1 Q+), Danny Kanell (2 Q+), Mike Quinn, rookies Matt Mauck and Bradlee Van Pelt.

Jake Plummer will start and it appears Danny Kanell has all but locked up the backup quarterback job. Van Pelt has gotten few repetitions in practice and has little chance to prove himself during the remaining three preseason games.

Rookie RB Tatum Bell is expected to start. They are trying to find a replacement for Clinton Portis.

New wrinkle on offense: Champ Bailey has made a name for himself as a cornerback. Now the four-time Pro Bowler wants to show what he can do as a wide receiver: He split time working with the offense.

Linebackers thin: One week after LB Jashon Sykes tore a medial collateral ligament (out three weeks), LB Terry Pierce suffered a similar knee injury.

Through two preseason games, the Broncos' starting offense has six possessions that have accounted for no touchdowns, two field goals and three interceptions. In two games, QB Jake Plummer is eight of 19 for 74 yards with three interceptions.

Seattle Seahawks - QB Rotation: Matt Hasselbeck, Trent Dilfer, Damon Huard, Seneca Wallace, Bryson Spinner (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Trent Dilfer and Damon Huard missed last week's game (back problems). However, Dilfer returned to practice Wednesday. If Dilfer is ready to go Seneca Wallace will likely have a reduced role. The injury to Huard is the only one that appears significant at this point, though Dilfer's situation should be monitored closely.