thursday rotation

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Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Rotation: Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, Quinn Gray (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

QB Doug Johnson was released this week.

Running backs Fred Taylor and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and tight end George Wrighster will miss Thursday's game with foot injuries.

The Jaguars' injury situation improved this week with the return of cornerback Juran Bolden from a quadriceps injury. Guard Mike Compton (thumb surgery) also was back, and rookie RB Rich Alexis joined fullback Marc Edwards and RB LaBrandon Toefield in returning.

Offensive line thin.

Defensive adjustments: LB Akin Ayodele will play at defensive end in some packages and may move tackle Rob Meier to an end spot. The idea seems to be to keep teams guessing about what they're going to do. "We'll utilize our personnel how we see best, whether it be combinations of 4-3, 3-4, sub packages with three linemen, three linebackers. We'll do a variety of things," Jack Del Rio said. Although they may use a 3-4 alignment on occasion, Del Rio ruled out the Jaguars becoming a 3-4 team because the strength of the defense is the tackle tandem of Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. Among the schemes they'll look at is a three-safety alignment, with Deke Cooper staying back in coverage while Donovin Darius moved up to the line of scrimmage.

New England Patriots - QB Rotation: Tom Brady (1-2 series), Rohan Davey (most of the snaps), Kliff Kingsbury (see QB situation below).

Brady will start, but Davey will get the majority of playing time against Jacksonville, and that surely will determine whether the No. 2 job is his. QB Jim Miller was released.

10-year LB Ted Johnson is banged up.

Among those who sat out Saturday's game was cornerback Ty Law, who the team said has a leg injury. Belichick gave no update on Law's status. The coach did say that despite the injury, Law wanted to play, but the coach opted against it. "I didn't think it would have been good for him to go," said Belichick.

In his never-ending quest for flexibility, Belichick used first-round pick Vince Wilfork, a nose tackle, at end for a few plays against Carolina. "We just feel like he can do it, for all of the reasons -- physically, mentally, his playing experience," said Belichick. "He has had a lot of playing time off of center out onto the guard, even some time to the inside shoulder of the tackle. Three-four end is similar to a 4-3 tackle that plays in the guard-tackle gap."

Baltimore Ravens - QB Rotation: Kyle Boller, Kordell Stewart, rookie Josh Harris (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

QB Anthony Wright (shoulder) is still not available.

The Ravens' starting defense is banged up: Three starters missed last week's game with injuries - defensive ends Tony Weaver (ankle) and Marques Douglas (elbow) along with LB Peter Boulware (knee).

The secondary is getting better: CB Chris McAlister is back and the Ravens have added Deion Sanders. Sanders is back to play nickel back (fifth defensive back), though Sanders won't play this week.

NY Giants - QB Rotation: Kurt Warner (will start and play into second quarter), rookie Eli Manning (will relieve Warner and play into fourth quarter), Jesse Palmer, Ryan Van Dyke (fourth quarter).

Coach Tom Coughlin said the Giants' starters will play into the middle of the second quarter. Coughlin will give the offensive line some extra work, into the second quarter, at least. He's looking for more improvement and has challenged them as a group.

QB Kurt Warner had beaten out Eli Manning for the starting job in the season opener at Philadelphia on Sept. 12.

Cornerback Will Allen mildly sprained his left knee in the game Saturday. Tight end Jeremy Shockey will be brought along slowly this week in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Carolina Panthers - QB Rotation: Jake Delhomme, Chris Weinke, Rod Rutherford (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Rookie QB Rod Rutherford, the Panthers' fourth-string quarterback, will likely get some work Thursday.

Carolina Panthers defensive end Kavika Pittman will miss the season after tearing a ligament in his left knee.

Pittsburgh Steelers - QB Rotation: Tommy Maddox, rookie Ben Roethlisberger, Brian St. Pierre, Kurt Kittner (see QB situation below).

Tommy Maddox and the No. 1 offense will play barely one quarter against Carolina. The defense, which could use more work, might get more than that.

Ike Taylor will start at right cornerback in place of Deshea Townsend, who will not play because of a groin injury. Taylor plays in the nickel defense, and he and rookie Ricardo Colclough each play in the dime defense and back up starters Townsend and Chad Scott.

Cowher listed three others as questionable for the game: G Alan Faneca (shoulder), LB Kendrell Bell (shoulder) and NT Kendrick Clancy (calf). WR Antwaan Randle El is probable with a bruised calf.

The Steelers have a new defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau.

 

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Buffalo Bills - QB Rotation: Drew Bledsoe (1-2 series), Shane Matthews, Greg Zolman (see QB situation below).

Mike Mularkey said Drew Bledsoe will play only one or two series Thursday. QB Shane Matthews was signed Tuesday and assumes the #2 spot behind Bledsoe. Matthews will see a little action this week. Buffalo lost another QB when backup Travis Brown (knee) was injured against Indy. He joins rookie J.P. Losman (out 8 weeks).

Injured starting safety Lawyer Milloy won't play. RB Travis Henry will be held out of the game as a precaution.

Offensive line concerns: It's apparent the Bills need their starters on the offensive line to step up and play together. With Jonas Jennings out the past week with a sore ankle, the Bills struggled to protect Bledsoe in obvious passing situations. The first-team line, as currently constituted, has yet to practice together for a full week. "Trey (Teague) really has been the only guy who has been in there for every snap," coach Mike Mularkey said. "It's been one guy here, one guy there. I think it showed a little bit tonight when the chemistry is not working like it should."

Depth at tackle is a major concern. No. 3 tackle Marcus Price has been out two weeks with a sprained toe. No. 4 tackle Marques Sullivan has struggled all training camp and was not effective against the Colts. Meanwhile, No. 2 tackle Mike Williams still is working himself back into condition and coming back from a sore arch.

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.

Detroit Lions - QB Rotation: Mike McMahon, Rick Mirer, Joey Harrington, Curt Anes (see QB situation below).

QB Mike McMahon is expected to make his first start. "We?ve been intending to play Mike with the starters, and I hope to get that accomplished,? Steve Mariucci said. ?Mike will play quite a bit, and I intend to have Rick Mirer finish the game.? Joey Harrington isn?t expecting to play much, if at all, but will be ready.

Injury update: Mariucci already has ruled out a number of players for Thursday because of injuries. They include defensive linemen Kalimba Edwards (groin) and Cory Redding (shoulder), LBs James Davis (ankle) and Alex Lewis (ankle), backup fullback Paul Smith (shoulder) and offensive lineman Matt Joyce. Joyce is facing elbow surgery to remove debris. Jones could sit out to rest his left foot.

The Lions have a new defensive coordinator in Dick Jauron.

K.C. Chiefs - QB Rotation: Trent Green (25 plays), Todd Collin (2 Q+), Damon Huard (see QB situation below).

Dick Vermeil said the offensive and defensive starters would play about 25 plays against the Cowboys. That should take them into the second quarter. QB Trent Green, who has a sore elbow, didn't practice for the second straight day but Vermeil said Green would play against Dallas. QB Casey Clausen was waived.

WRs thin: Marc Boerigter will have knee surgery and might be lost for the year, throwing Kansas City's tattered wide receiver corps into even greater disarray. Johnny Morton, slated to start alongside Eddie Kennison at wide receiver, has missed virtually the entire training camp with a sore Achilles' tendon. Kennison, also slowed by injury, made his first start of the preseason last week against the Browns.

Secondary banged up: Cornerback William Bartee left Saturday's game because of a bruised shoulder, but the injury is not serious. Starting corner Dexter McCleon was held out of his second straight game because of a sore shoulder but will practice this week and could play Thursday night at Dallas.

Rookie Ryan Lilja could get his first start Thursday. Lilja took first-team snaps at left guard in the absence of Brian Waters, who is injured and may not play in Dallas.

New defensive philosophy: New coordinator Gunther Cunningham likes to blitz and show blitzes: "The general philosophy of going after the opposing quarterback will not change. My history of that is: ?You want to throw it, we're coming.'"

Dallas Cowboys - QB Rotation: Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson, Tony Romo (see QB situation below).

This is a short week for Dallas, having played Monday, August 30, against Tennessee.

QB Vinny Testaverde was season ready and will see limited action in the preseason finale.

 

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Tampa Bay Bucs - QB Rotation: Brad Johnson (1 series), Brian Griese, Chris Simms, Jason Garrett (see QB situation below).

Starters are not expected to see much action. Jon Gruden said Brad Johnson may play only one series at Houston, followed by Brian Griese and Chris Simms. Coaches will use the final game as an evaluating tool. The Bucs have already begun game-planning for the Washington Redskins, their regular-season opening opponent.

Bucs LB Derrick Brooks made his preseason debut last week, playing less than a series after sitting out the first two games with a hyperextended left knee.

Through three preseason games, the Bucs have yet to field their projected starting lineups on offense or defense. A variety of injuries has sidelined several starters and allowed unproven players an opportunity to shine.

WR Charles Lee is expected to make his 2004 preseason debut Thursday after recuperating from a pulled hamstring.

The Bucs traded away OL Jason Wittle. Coupled with the injury to guard Matt O'Dwyer (torn pectoral muscle), the Whittle trade further cleared the mystery of who will start in the middle of the Bucs line. As they did against Miami and probably will again Thursday, the Bucs are leaning toward starting the season with Matt Stinchcomb at left guard, John Wade at center and Cosey Coleman at right guard.

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

Kick return teams: Second-year man J.J. Moses will get the bulk of the work against the Buccaneers, although wide receivers Kendrick Starling and Jabar Gaffney also will see action.

Nose tackle Seth Payne, who has missed all three preseason games, will play 20-25 snaps. Rookie cornerback Dunta Robinson (hip injury) probably will not play against Tampa Bay.

 

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Arizona Cardinals - QB Rotation: Josh McCown, Shaun King, rookie John Navarre, Chris Lewis (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Wide receivers thin: WR Bryant Johnson (foot), Anquan Boldin (knee) are out, while rookie Larry Fitzgerald (sprained left ankle) is unlikely to play. "Bryant and Johnson will be ready for the first game of the season, and maybe can get a little action beforehand, or maybe they don't," said Dennis Green. The current wide receiver starters are Karl Williams, Kevin Kasper and Bryan Gilmore. They added WRs Scotty Anderson and Lawrence Hamilton off the waiver wire last week.

RB Marcel Shipp (knee) is out. The Cardinals have averaged 3.6 yards a carry this preseason. If you subtract the scrambles of quarterback Josh McCown - 12 for 62 yards - the average drops to 3.3 yards.

The Cardinals acquired veteran tailback Troy Hambrick and defensive end Peppi Zellner in a trade this week with the Oakland Raiders.

DE Kenny King (wrist) is likely out for the year. FB James Hodgins (shoulder) is expected to miss about a month. SS Dexter Jackson (back), OT L.J. Shelton (back), WR Nate Poole (shoulder), and OLB Karlos Dansby (hamstring) are hurting.

Denver Broncos - QB Rotation: Jake Plummer, Danny Kanell, rookie Matt Mauck, Mike Quinn, Brad Van Pelt (see QB situation below).

The vast majority of the Broncos' starting lineup will make a cameo appearance at best in the final preseason game Thursday. The game against the Cardinals will be a time to rest starters and avoid injury on the eve of the regular season.

Younger starters and players coming off injuries likely will play. Among the key players expected to see playing time against the Cardinals are CB Lenny Walls, LB Jashon Sykes and first-round pick D.J. Williams, who has been starting since the second preseason game.

RB Mike Anderson (groin) is out for the season. Anderson was poised to be the top backup behind starter Quentin Griffin. Rookie Tatum Bell will be the backup with veteran free-agent acquisition Garrison Hearst likely securing a roster spot behind Griffin and Bell.

Minnesota Vikings - QB Rotation: Daunte Culpepper, Gus Frerotte, Shaun Hill (see QB situation below).

Not much time for the starters: After playing into the third quarter against San Francisco, the starters will play just "enough to sweat" said coach Mike Tice.

RB Michael Bennett will miss one to three weeks after spraining his right knee in Friday's exhibition win over San Francisco.

Secondary thin: CB Brian Williams (knee) will miss the rest of the preseason. There are a handful of young players like Rushen Jones, Reggie Austin and Horace Willis looking to step up.

Vikings coach Mike Tice continues to tinker with his linebackers, replacing rookie Dontarrious Thomas in the nickel defense with Mike Nattiel. Nattiel will join E.J. Henderson as the only linebackers when the team goes into its nickel defense on passing downs. Thomas will continue to be the starting weak-side linebacker in the base defense, and Nattiel will be his backup.

Ted Cottrell is the Vikings new defensive coordinator.

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

Backup quarterback Brock Huard is out for the year.

Offensive line thin. Left tackle Walter Jones is no closer to a long-term contract and is out. Floyd Womack is playing Jones' position and will start there Friday. Offensive lineman Jerry Wunsch (sprained ankle) won't play.

LBs thin: The Seahawks lost three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Chad Brown to a broken leg. LB Tracy White is listed as the third-string weakside linebacker on the depth chart. With Brown and D.D. Lewis (shoulder) out, White will back up Isaiah Kacyvenski on the strong side and Anthony Simmons on the weak side.

St. Louis Rams - QB Rotation: Marc Bulger, Chris Chandler, Jeff Smoker (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Offensive line thin. Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace continues his holdout. Right tackle Kyle Turley will miss the season, and center Dave Wohlabaugh was released (hip injury). Things appear so dire that two veteran offensive lineman - Chris Dishman and Tom Nutten - have been lured out of retirement. "We're so thin at this point," Mike Martz said. On the plus side, G Chris Dishman played well the last game.

Oakland - QB Rotation: Rich Gannon, Kerry Collins, Marques Tuiasosopo (exact amount of playing time still to be determined).

Backup QB Tee Martin was cut.

LBs thin: LB Napoleon Harris (knee) won't return this week, but inside linebacker might be ready to face Pittsburgh in the opener. Outside LB DeLawrence Grant (knee) remains a long shot for the Steelers game.

CB Charles Woodson won't play in the exhibition finale. He also lost his starting job for the opener against Pittsburgh. The secondary now looks like this: CB: Denard Walker, CB: Phillip Buchanon, SS: Derrick Gibson, FS: Ray Buchanan.

Offensive line shift: Norv Turner was pleased with how OL Robert Gallery performed. Gallery again will play both positions with the second unit in Thursday night's exhibition finale. Starting right guard Mo Collins was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

The Raiders were poor on third downs last week, allowing Arizona to convert on 9-of-15 third-down attempts -- four because of penalties. The Raiders played more fronts and coverages against Arizona than they have the entire preseason and the transitions often weren't smooth. Norv Turner said he and the coaching staff assume responsibility for not preparing the defense well enough to counter Cardinals scrambling quarterback Josh McCown.

S.D. Chargers - QB Rotation: Drew Brees (will start), Philip Rivers, Cleo Lemon and Joe Germaine (see QB situation below).

Marty Schottenheimer said QB Drew Brees will start Thursday's exhibition finale, but the coach would not tip his hand beyond that. He said the 49ers game "won't drive the decision at all" in terms of selecting a starter for the season opener Sept. 12 at Houston. If true, it could mean he already has decided between Brees and rookie Philip Rivers.

Schottenheimer said LB Donnie Edwards probably will play into the second quarter after missing the first three exhibition games with a calf injury. "He needs to get tuned up," Schottenheimer said.

WRs thin: Schottenheimer said his biggest concern is at wide receiver, where injuries prevented three of the team's top four players from facing Seattle. The Chargers are hopeful several of their wounded will play in San Francisco, including WRs Tim Dwight and Eric Parker and LB Donnie Edwards. Starters don't usually play much in the final exhibition, but Schottenheimer said exceptions might have to be made for such players as Dwight and Edwards, who have yet to play this summer.

S.F. 49ers - QB Rotation: Tim Rattay (2-3 series), Ken Dorsey (2-3 Qs), Cody Pickett (4 Q).

QB Tim Rattay will start and play two or three series. Ken Dorsey, who missed three practices last week because of a back injury, is in line to follow Rattay and Cody Pickett is penciled in to play the fourth quarter.

QB Cody Pickett clinched the No. 3 quarterback job as he beat out Brandon Doman, who was released.

The only starting spot left up for grabs is at right guard, where second-round draft pick Justin Smiley is trying to unseat Kyle Kosier, who will start Thursday night's exhibition-season finale against San Diego.