Giants Antonio Pierce expected to be back this week to face the Steelers.

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Spending a game walking the sidelines with coach Tom Coughlin and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was more than enough for Antonio Pierce.Less than a week after being sidelined by a quad injury, the New York Giants' middle linebacker has practiced without restrictions the past two days and appears ready for Sunday's showdown with the Steelers in Pittsburgh. "Sitting next to Spags and Coughlin is not entertaining at all," Pierce said Thursday. "I don't know what is entertaining to those guys, but not entertaining enough to get me to sit next to them. To be able to practice and go out there and be with the guys again is always fun. "When you are not out there, you kind of feel like you are not part of the team, so that is the toughest thing about when you are injured and you can't practice or play," said the eight-year veteran who leads the Giants (5-1) in tackles. Pierce will be a game-time decision Sunday, but admitted he's feeling much better. His status seems less iffy than receiver Plaxico Burress, who missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday with a sore shoulder and a stiff neck. Coughlin said that X-rays and an MRI on Thursday found no structural problems. "We will see how he does tomorrow," he said. Burress did not talk to reporters after practice. Pierce was much more accommodating. He said he woke up this past Sunday and felt that he would be able to play against the San Francisco 49ers at Giants Stadium. The coaches and the training staff vetoed the idea, leaving Pierce to act as another coach on the sidelines."I am always coaching every Sunday," said Pierce, who acts like a traffic cop during games, adjusting the defensive calls before snaps, telling players where to go while seemingly talking to the opposing quarterback. When he wasn't following Coughlin and Spagnuolo on Sunday, Pierce was talking with Chase Blackburn, his replacement, and rookie Bryan Kehl, who was starting at weakside linebacker with Gerris Wilkinson injured. "In a lot of ways, I could probably hand him the game plan and let him call it," Spagnuolo said. "He is that good. I think all the other guys that play around him know that, so there is a lot of confidence and a lot of comfort." Pierce, who originally hurt his quad against Seattle on Oct. 5 and aggravated it the next week against Cleveland, is looking forward to Sunday's game between the division leaders in the NFC East and the AFC North. "I don't know what a big game is. A big game is the Super Bowl," Pierce said. "For us this is another game, we are playing the Steelers, we are excited, they are a 5-1 team, they are physical, they have a good defense, a great offense, so it is going to be a challenge. I think if anything it is going to be a challenge to us both physically and mentally so we are excited to be out there ready to play." Pierce said the Giants not only need to pressure Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but they have to go after his arms. Too many teams go after his legs and upper body and the big quarterback brushes them aside."I think it is going to be one of those matches where you watch a great boxing match, where you have two fighters that are going to stand in the middle of the ring," Pierce said. "That is what we expect from them and I hope that is what we go in there expecting to do." The only thing that seemed to get Pierce upright was the suggestion that the Giants were finally playing a good team. The Super Bowl champions have beaten only one team with a better than .500 record this season. "This is a team that beat the St. Louis Rams, who beat the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, so to answer that question, we have faced every NFL team, we haven't played a Pop Warner team, we haven't played a junior college team," he said. "I mean Rutgers is very good, but we haven't even played Rutgers yet, so there is no such thing as a real team or a real game. We are facing NFL teams and those teams have been strong."

'FIGHTING A DEIFFERENT FIGHT' Tom Brady's knee issues caught the attention of former bengal Reggie Williams, who is fighting to save a leg.

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Injuries are part of the NFL -- that is standard NFL coachspeak. But there is not an orthodox answer on how to overcome them for the player, for the franchise, as several teams this weekend approach their season’s halfway mark. It took Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman the season opener to clearly discern that his wobbly left knee could not hold up in 2008, and without him the Chargers routinely limp on defense. Running back Reggie Bush learned this week that his surgically repaired knee could keep him shelved for a month. Dallas is stymied over quarterback Tony Romo’s pinkie injury. And Tom Brady, already out for 2008, has reportedly undergone three additional surgeries to clean infection on his left knee, possibly leaving his 2009 season in jeopardy. That Brady news grabbed the attention of former Cincinnati Bengals middle linebacker Reggie Williams. Infection in a surgically repaired knee? Williams is an expert on that. He traveled from his home in Orlando to New York on April 14 for surgery on his right knee to clean out infection from previous surgery. He was scheduled to spend three months here. But one surgery turned into nine surgeries since April to clean multiple infections, the last surgery on Sept. 5. His New York stay is growing on seven months now.This NFL player from 1976 through 1989 played all 14 of his pro seasons for the Bengals. His passionate, rugged play helped the Bengals reach two Super Bowls. It also took a surgical toll on his knees. Fifteen total surgeries on his right knee. Three on his left knee. Both knees replaced in a 2005 surgery. It is the pain of the swollen right knee that hinders him most today. He walks on crutches, dragging the right leg along. Often the pain in it is unlike anything he experienced on the field during his playing career. He said the knee talks to him. He talks to it. Williams was far more than a football player during his career. This ’76 Dartmouth graduate from Flint, Mich., was a member of Cincinnati’s city council while a player. He later became a general manager in the now defunct World League of American Football and an executive vice president at Disney. He left Disney last fall to prepare for his surgical battles. He stays connected to the NFL, whether his thoughts are sought on the next Players Association leader to replace Gene Upshaw or why his Bengals are 0-7 now. Williams, 54, has always viewed himself as an ambassador of the NFL but even more important to him, as an ambassador for communities and mankind. Growing up in the turbulent '60s where towering men with initials -- JFK, RFK, MLK -- impacted him on the difference an individual can make, Williams believes in that challenge for today’s NFL players. He said he lives a life where he has put others’ needs first. Now it is time to put his right knee first, he said. "My focus now has to be at peace with this knee," Williams said. "My goal is to walk with dignity and no pain. The big obstacle now is range of motion in the right knee. There is very little. I can’t drive a car. It’s tough walking down and up steps. I want to go from modulating pain to eliminating pain. The pain in this knee affects the hips, the back and leads to other pains. And they are all competing. When you take something from one part of the body in surgery and put it in another -- as has been the case with my knees -- an athlete knows his body and is going to feel that difference. My whole body, I feel like somebody put coffee in my chili. "There is no more wiggle room with this. I have been losing bone in this knee. This is the final showdown. It’s been a different kind of journey. The next step is to be cleared to begin rehabbing it." He is asked if this struggle could lead to amputation of the right knee and below -- or the entire right leg? His eyes and his face harden. "I am fighting a different fight right now," Williams says. He uses a photograph of arrows stuck into one of his idols, Muhammad Ali, as inspiration. He uses singer Al Green’s "How can you mend a broken heart?" each day as a battle cry. "His music, that song, was a gift to me," Williams said. "It’s not just about failed relationships. I hear it as how do you mend lots of pain and maintain that lust for life? It is a reminder of how much you want to live again." Football is a collision sport. Williams did his share of colliding. From his rookie year in 1976 -- "I entered the league without a scar" -- through 1978, he was vibrant in health, he said. He felt his right knee begin to lock up during the 1979 season. And then in 1980, his fifth in the league, he made a pick and was tackled by then Cleveland running back Greg Pruitt. That tackle and resulting injury forced the first of his 15 right-knee surgeries. Looking back, looking forward, Williams would not change the brutal nature of pro football. He heard Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu say recently that contac

Cowboys acquire WR Williams from Detroit

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The Lions have traded WR Roy Williams to the Cowboys for a first, third and sixth round pick.

The NFL has suspended Cowboys CB Adam Jones for at least four games without pay as a result of his most recent violation of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.

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Pacman back at it again gets in fight with his own bodyguard at Dallas hotel

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Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones got into a fight with one of his security guards at a downtown Dallas hotel on Wednesday morning, several media outlets are reporting. Dallas' CBS affiliate, Channel 11, first reported Wednesday that Jones was involved in an altercation at the Joule Hotel in Dallas, damaging a bathroom. Dallas Deputy Chief Vince Golbeck told the Dallas Morning News police were called to the scene at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. Chief Golbeck told the News he thought Jones was staying at the hotel and may have been drinking. There was no police report filed regarding the incident. Worrick Robinson, Jones' attorney, told ESPN's Ed Werder that he had a conversation with Jones on Wednesday about the alleged incident. "I'm not satisfied anything has happened,'' Robinson said. "I perform due diligence on rumors anytime there is an allegation made against a player I represent, and at this point I can tell you that I'm not satisfied that anything occurred.'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello had no comment. The Dallas Cowboys said they had no information about the incident and also had no comment. A source told ESPN that NFL Security has been notified and is investigating. It was apparently a coincidence that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visited Cowboys players at their Valley Ranch training complex Wednesday. Goodell suspended Jones from the league for the entire 2007 season for violating the NFL player conduct policy after he was arrested six times in his first three NFL seasons. The Cowboys acquired him from the Tennessee Titans in a historic trade in April. Jones became the first player in NFL history to be traded while serving a suspension. The expectation is that Jones is likely to be called to New York to explain his conduct to Goodell, a source close to the player said. Jones' reinstatement is contingent upon his ability to conduct himself appropriately. Deion Sanders, who has acted as a mentor for Adam Jones since his arrival in Dallas, was also at Valley Ranch on Wednesday, ESPN.com's Matt Mosley reported. Compounding the potential consequences for the Cowboys is that Jones has been starting at left cornerback for Pro Bowler Terence Newman, who is attempting to confirm a preliminary diagnosis of a sports hernia injury that could sideline him for a minimum of six weeks if surgery is required. In a sitdown interview with ESPN just before the start of the NFL season, Jones explained his decision to provide Jones with a four-man security detail at the team's expense. "We have in place a staff here that really is good at monitoring what our players do," the Cowboys owner said. "Now I say this at the risk of knowing that in the next minute or in the morning I could get a phone call. ...When you're dealing with the numbers of people that we're dealing with and get some news that isn't too savory. On the other hand, this does call for an awareness on the part of any player that he is being monitored and the reputation of our team is at stake." In his two decades of owning the Cowboys, Jones has established a reputation for taking risks on players who fit a specific profile. Jones says they must have a uniquely big work ethic, an intensely competitive personality and no history of substance abuse. Before completing the trade, Jerry Jones told ESPN he sent investigators to Tennessee to research every incident in which Adam had been accused of wrongdoing and was so thorough in his background check that he and an assistant personally looked into every person to whom Jones wrote a personal check to determine the quality of people with whom he was associating. Jerry Jones said he specifically informed Adam Jones he had lost most of his benefit of the doubt and underscored the privilege of playing in the NFL and wearing the Cowboys uniform. "When we do have a player come to the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said, "I really do expect him to understand that, 'Look you've stepped on some bright lines you may even have gone over them certainly, and we've got to really get it back in the middle because all your benefit of the doubt is gone.'"

Oden Makes Strong Preseason Debut for Blazers

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Oden made a strong first impression with 13 points 5 rebounds 2 blocks and 2 assist in his first preseason game with the Blazers in just 20 minutes.

KIMBO GETS HIS A$$ BEAT BY LAST SECOND REPLACEMENT FOR KEN SHAMROCK

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Steelers sign Najeh Davenport because of injury in their backfield (willie parker), (rashard mendenhall)

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Jets' Smith suspended one game, fined $50k for hit on Boldin

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Safety Eric Smith of the New York Jets has been suspended for one game and fined $50,000 for a flagrant violation of player safety rules, the NFL announced Monday. Specifically, on a pass play on Sunday, Smith engaged in helmet-to-helmet contact with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who was in a defenseless position at the time contact was made. The suspension will sideline Smith for the Jets' game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Oct. 12 following the Jets bye on Oct. 5. The $50,000 fine includes the game check Smith will forfeit for the week of his suspension. Smith's actions violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8(g) of the NFL Official Playing Rules, which prohibit: "... using any part of a player's helmet (including the top/crown and forehead/'hairline' parts) or facemask to butt, spear, or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily; although such violent or unnecessary use of the helmet is impermissible against any opponent, game officials will give special attention in administering this rule to protect those players who are in virtually defenseless postures." On Sept. 17, Commissioner Roger Goodell specifically advised all players of his intention to strictly enforce playing rules that promote safety on the field: "Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players - offense, defense, and special teams - from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits. From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense."

Aaron Rodgers has shoulder sprain

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Aaron Rodgers suffered a right shoulder sprain during the Packers’ 30-21 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said during his Monday news conference. “He will rehab today and tomorrow, and we’ll have a better idea on Wednesday,” McCarthy said. “We will make sure both Matt (Flynn) and Aaron (Rodgers) are ready to play. Wednesday’s important.” Rodgers injured his right shoulder early in the fourth quarter and missed two offensive series as backup Matt Flynn stepped in. Rodgers re-entered the game seven minutes later, but was hit from the blindside as he released a second-down pass from the Packers 40 and Gaines Adams intercepted near midfield, a turnover that lead to Earnest Graham’s 1-yard touchdown that sealed victory for Tampa Bay. After the game, Rodgers said that he thought that he may have separated the shoulder.

Faulkner, longtime NFL coach and executive, passes away at 82

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Longtime pro football executive Jack Faulkner died Sunday night in Newport Beach, Calif., the St. Louis Rams announced on Monday. "This is a sad day because we lost Jack Faulkner last night, who I have known since I was 8 years old," Rams owner and chairman Chip Rosenbloom said. "I feel he is a part of the Rams family, our family, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I can't overstate the significance that he has played in the history of the Rams. We lost one of the great connections to our past." Few in pro football have experienced the success and the longevity of Faulkner, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, who joined the Rams in 1955 as a member of first-year coach Sid Gillman's staff and spent the next 53 years in pro football. Forty-three of those were with the Rams. Faulkner coached many positions and held many coaching and executive roles and was one of the few still living who had coached in the NFL and American Football League. Faulkner was the defensive backfield coach of the 1961 AFL San Diego Chargers, when the defense intercepted 49 passes, still a pro football record. Faulkner was head coach and general manager of the 1962 Denver Broncos and was named AFL coach of the year after leading the financially strapped and competitively weak franchise to a 7-7 record. Faulkner made his first return to the Rams when he scouted for them in 1966 after a season on the Minnesota Vikings' coaching staff. Faulkner then joined the first-year New Orleans staff in 1967. In 1968, Faulkner was named the Saints' defensive coordinator, a position he held until becoming the Saints' director of player personnel in 1970. He returned to the Rams again in 1971 as a pro and college scout. Faulkner stayed with the Rams for the next 37 years. He most recently had been the Rams' Administrator for Pro Personnel, working out of his office in Orange County, Calif. Faulkner retired from coaching after serving as the Rams' offensive backfield coach during the 1979 run to the NFC Championship and berth in Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1980, Jack was named the Rams' assistant general manager. He was one of the few Rams employees who remained in California when the team relocated to St. Louis in 1995. Faulkner was in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II and got into coaching in 1949 after playing linebacker at Miami of Ohio. He served under Sid Gillman at Cincinnati from 1949-54 and with the Rams from 1955-59. Faulkner is survived by his wife, Debbie, and sons Jon, Brandon and Ryan, and daughter Cathy.

Ken Whisenhunt Say's Boldin Is Not Seriously Hurt.

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After tests were done on receiver Anquan Boldin’s spine, and no serious injuries were detected, the receiver was cleared to fly back to Arizona on Sunday night, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said that his Monday news conference. “All the test results were positive,” Whisenhunt said. Boldin was injured in the final moments of the Cardinals’ 56-35 loss to the Jets, as the receiver was hit simultaneously by safety Kerry Rhodes from behind and safety Eric Smith from the front while attempting to make a catch in the end zone with 27 seconds remaining in the game. Boldin was strapped to a stretcher with his helmet still on and carted off the field. He was then transported to a Manhattan hospital for further tests, which all came back negative. “That was just a scary, scary play and I can’t get it out of my mind,” Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner said after the game. During his Monday news conference, Whisenhunt said that he felt that the NFL will look at the hit, which the coach feels falls under being dangerous to a player.

Jacksonville lineman Richard Collier is paralyzed

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Doctors say Jacksonville lineman Richard Collier is paralyzed below the waist and that they had to amputate one of his legs. Collier was shot and critically wounded earlier this month as he sat in a vehicle outside an apartment building with a former teammate. Doctors say he has 14 bullet wounds but is now in stable condition. No one has been arrested.

Mosley stops Mayorga in final second of their 12 round bout

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Shane Mosley stopped Ricardo Mayorga with one second left in the 12th round of their junior middleweight bout Saturday night to possibly put himself in line for a title shot. Neither fighter appeared seriously hurt before Mosley floored Mayorga with about 15 seconds left in the final round. Mayorga staggered to his feet and took the mandatory eight count before a short left put him down again. There was no way Mayorga was going to get up after that. Referee David Mendoza stopped the bout just before it was going to end in a decision. Mosley led by one point on judge Nelson Vasquez’s scorecard and five on Tony Crebs’ entering the 12th round. Mayorga had a one-point lead on judge Pat Russell’s card. The Associated Press had Mosley ahead by three points entering the 12th. Antonio Margarito watched the fight from ringside. Mosley, a former four-time world champion, has lobbied for a shot at Margarito, who stopped Miguel Cotto on July 26 in Las Vegas to win the WBA welterweight championship. Cotto earned the title by scoring a close but unanimous 12-round decision over Mosley 10 1/2 months ago.“Mayorga is a tough fighter, he took some good shots,” Mosley said. “But I wore him down. He was a lot heavier than me. He put on at least 10 pounds.” Both fighters weighed 153 1/2 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in. “I caught him with the side of my right hand and an uppercut, so I knew I hurt him and he got wobbly,” Mosley said. “I felt him getting weaker during the fight, but he was trying to stay strong. I felt I was winning the fight and he stole a few rounds. But I wanted the knockout. I wanted to give the fans what they deserved, and that was a knockout. “We had our share of rabbit punches, but he was definitely doing it more. We also exchanged some head butts, but it didn’t matter in the end.” Regarding his future, Mosley said: “I have to try and find fights now. I don’t want to wait around for Cotto and Margarito. I know they have plans. I know Margarito is here watching. It was interesting.” Speaking through a translator, Mayorga said: “I was proud of the way Shane came to fight. He didn’t run. I thought I was doing well, and I came out to win the 12th. But he caught me. I will tell you one thing—he hit harder than I thought he would.” Mosley, 45-5 with 38 knockouts, hadn’t fought since losing a close but unanimous 12-round decision to Cotto for the WBA welterweight championship at Madison Square Garden 10 1/2 months ago. Mosley won his previous five fights—two over Fernando Vargas—and has beaten Oscar De La Hoya twice. Mosley was supposed to return to action in May against Zab Judah, but the bout was canceled when Judah injured himself by putting his hand through a glass shower door. Mayorga, 28-7-1, hadn’t fought since winning a majority 12-round decision over Vargas 10 months ago. That was his first outing in more than 18 months; he was stopped by De La Hoya in the sixth round of their WBC junior middleweight title bout on May 6, 2006. The 37-year-old Mosley, who was heavily favored, will receive a guaranteed $1.5 million; the 35-year-old Mayorga was guaranteed $550,000. The crowd was pro-Mosley—no surprise since he grew up in nearby Pomona, and as the first round came to an end, the fans began chanting “Mosley, Mosley!” When the round ended, Mayorga stood on the ring buckle in his corner and thrust his fist into the air in an act of defiance. Mosley landed a solid right in the fourth round, snapping Mayorga’s head back and prompting the fans to begin another chant. Midway through the fifth, Mayorga caught Mosley with a punch to the back of the head, and Mosley barked at his opponent before landing several solid punches. Then, as the round ended, the two barked at each other. Mayorga, a three-time former world champion from Nicaragua, reacted like he had been poked in the eye in the sixth, and Mosley responded by rolling his eyes before going back on the attack. The action slowed after that, and even the crowd had a difficult time getting into it, with some starting to boo late in the 10th round. Mosley landed a solid right midway through the 11th, but Mayorga responded by playing to the crowd, making it clear he wasn’t hurt. Finally, the action picked up in the 12th. Earlier Saturday night, unbeaten Andre Berto of Winter Haven, Fla., scored a unanimous 12-round decision over Steve Forbes of Las Vegas to retain his WBC welterweight title. Two judges scored the bout 118-109 and the other 116-111. The 25-year-old Berto, who earned $300,000, raised his record to 23-0 with 19 knockouts. The 31-year-old Forbes, who earned $150,000, is 33-7 with nine knockouts. Berto weighed 145 1/2 pounds and Forbes the maximum 147 pounds. There were no knockdowns. “I started to dominate in the fifth and sixth rounds, and it was my speed that won it,” Berto said.

Where has ronnie brown been for the dolphins he's got 4 rushing td's and one passing.

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After missed call, referee Hochuli to be graded down

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Ed Hochuli's acknowledgement that he erred on a call late in Sunday's San Diego-Denver game will mean lower grades for one of the NFL's highest profile referees.Officials are held accountable for their calls. They are graded on every play of every game," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Monday. "Ed has been an outstanding official for many years, but he will be marked down for this call. Under our evaluation system, an official's grades impact his status for potentially working the playoffs and ultimately whether or not he is retained." The play occurred with the Broncos at the Chargers 1-yard-line in the final minute. Denver quarterback Jay Cutler dropped back to pass, the ball slipped out of his hands, bounced off the grass and into the arms of San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins. Hochuli ruled it an incomplete pass. Replay ruled it a fumble, but it was spotted at the 10-yard line, where the ball hit the ground, and given to Denver because the rules did not permit possession to be awarded to San Diego because the whistle had blown. Denver went on to score, convert a two-point conversion and win 39-38.

How about that win the broncos got the chargers got cheated.

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that was clearly a fumble even the ref said it was a good game though but the chargers got screwed i know you guy's are gonna say they won fair and scare though.

DO YOU THINK THAT MICHAEL TURNER IS A TOP FIVE RUNNIN BACK THIS YEAR NOT JUST BASED ON HIS FIRST GAME HIS AVG AS A BACKUP AND HIS CLUTCH PERFORMANCES IN SAN DIEGO

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GREEN BAY IS WONDERING WHO BRETT FAVRE IS RODGERS PLAYED GREAT TONIGHT

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TUFF GAME FOR THE RAIDERS TONIGHT FANS ARE HOLDING SIGNS SAYING LANE KIFFIN MUST GO

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