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The Chicago Bears cut Al Afalava; keep Josh Bullocks.

Sam Bradford will have to wait a few days to learn if he'll start the St. Louis Rams' opener. The No. 1 pick certainly has appeared ready for the job. Bradford's opening drive set the tone for a 27-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, giving the Rams a 3-1 preseason finish for the second straight season.

Ben Roethlisberger is getting time off for good behavior. He'll be back on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers two games earlier than expected after convincing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell he is turning his life around. The star quarterback, accompanied by team president Art Rooney, met with Goodell early Friday and was told he could return on Oct.

The Denver Broncos' tailback turnstile keeps on spinning. LenDale White is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles' tendon, a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the Broncos hadn't publicly discussed the results of medical tests on White's right leg.

The last of the original Houston Texans is gone. The team has cut kicker Kris Brown, the only player remaining from the inaugural 2002 season. Brown's agent, Glenn Schwartzman confirmed the move Friday, which was first reported by KRIV-TV and the Houston Chronicle. Brown lost a competition in training camp to Neil Rackers, who was signed in the offseason.

Detroit Lions rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was fined $7,500 by the NFL on Friday for his roughing-the-passer penalty on quarterback Jake Delhomme in an exhibition game against the Browns. The No. 2 overall pick in April's draft grabbed Delhomme's face mask and twisted it, then wrapped his arms around the quarterback's head and slammed him to the ground in the second quarter of...

Wide receiver finds home where he'll get action

The Houston Texans cut kicker Kris Brown on Friday, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Recently released running back Derrick Ward will visit with the Houston Texans on Friday, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported, citing a league source.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Patrick Crayton -- who comes with a $2 million price tage this season -- could be the odd man out in the team's plans at wideout.

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Quarterbacks

The Pittsburgh Steelers have known for some time that they would not have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first part of the regular season.

What they haven't known is how many games Roethlisberger would have to sit out.

Now, they know.

Roethlisberger met Friday morning with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and his suspension has been reduced to four games. The reduction was originally reported by Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network on his Twitter page.

Roethlisberger was originally suspended six games, a move announced April 21. Goodell cited violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy in announcing the ban. At the time, the league said Roethlisberger's ban could be reduced to four games if he met certain conditions.

Goodell issued a statement in which he quotes a letter he sent to Roethlisberger.

 

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Filed under: Lions, NFC North

Lions linebacker Julian Peterson has been in the NFL for 11 years, played for three different teams, and generally knows how things work in the NFL.

But instead of acting like a grizzled old veteran, Peterson sounds positively giddy about the Lions' 3-1 preseason record.

"We look real good," Peterson said after the Lions came from behind to beat the Bills in Thursday night's preseason finale. "We made dramatic strides from last year. You can see the offense can put up points at any time."

Sorry, but I don't buy it.

 

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Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North

When you’re a marginal NFL player and the final preseason game has just been played, the worst thing you can hear is nothing.

If the coaches are telling you that you played great, that probably means you’ve made the team. And if the coaches are telling you all the things you did wrong, that actually probably means you made the team, too: Coaches don’t waste time with players they’re not going to keep.

But if the coaches aren’t saying anything to you, your roster spot is in jeopardy. And Bears defensive back Corey Graham, a fourth-year player who’s been an occasional starter but mostly a backup and special teams contributor, says the coaches aren’t saying anything to him.

”To be honest with you, I don’t know what is going on,” Graham told the Chicago Sun-Times after the Bears’ preseason finale Thursday night. ”I know just what you know.”

 

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The end of the exhibition season brought encouraging signs for the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks when it comes to their backup quarterbacks. Bruce Gradkowski threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and the Raiders mostly used backups to end the preseason with a 27-24 victory over the Seahawks on Thursday night.

Vernon Davis' frustrations with Michael Crabtree finally came to a boiling point, and the San Francisco 49ers' Pro Bowl tight end let his teammate have it -- and for everyone to see. Davis angrily confronted Crabtree during Wednesday's practice and coach Mike Singletary had to step between them.

Tim Tebow's first two series had rookie written all over them. Then he started playing with the veteran-like poise that helped him get drafted in the first round by Denver in the first place. Tebow outplayed Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson in the backup quarterback comparison, but the Vikings forced four first-half turnovers and beat the Broncos 31-24 on Thursday night in the preseason finale...

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew expects to be back at practice next week. Jones-Drew has missed five consecutive practices, didn't travel to Tampa Bay last week and didn't dress for Thursday night's preseason finale against Atlanta. He denied an Internet report he had arthroscopic knee surgery, but acknowledged that he has been "taking care of all the nicks and...

One perfect series and done for Sam Bradford. No doubt, facing the Baltimore Ravens' second-string defense made it easier for the No. 1 pick. Bradford made another favorable impression in his second preseason start, going 6 for 6 for 68 yards and a touchdown to open the St. Louis Rams' 27-21 victory over Baltimore on Thursday night.

All of a sudden, losing Ben Roethlisberger for at least a month isn't the Steelers' only quarterback worry. Byron Leftwich, expected to be the fill-in starter, is injured and looks to be out indefinitely. Leftwich, tuning up for his anticipated Sept. 12 start against Atlanta, sprained his left knee in the second quarter as Pittsburgh beat the starter-less Carolina Panthers 19-3 on Thursday...

Michael Vick has reached the point in his comeback where he doesn't have to prove himself anymore. The New York Jets beat Philadelphia 21-17 in their preseason finale Thursday night, while Vick led the Eagles to a field goal in two series and Kurt Coleman scored on two fumble returns. Making his first start in four years, Vick played just one quarter before heading to the bench.