Nov 16, 2004 8 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee strong safety Tank Williams will miss the rest of the season after an MRI exam Monday confirmed he had torn left knee ligaments, and tackle Brad Hopkins will miss at least one game and possibly three with broken bones in his right hand. These latest injuries mean the Titans, who already had lost four players for the season, will be without six starters for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville.

Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth also will be out with damage to his right elbow.

Fisher said Williams will have surgery on his ACL within the next week to 10 days.

The Titans may seek a second opinion for Hopkins, the Pro Bowler who has started 171 of 177 games since being drafted in the first round in 1993. Fisher said the tackle will need to have a plate inserted and possibly some screws to fix his hand.

If Hopkins is able to return, he would have to play with his hand in a cast.

Veteran Jason Mathews will start. Right tackle Fred Miller is nursing a sore ankle on an offensive line that has featured rookie Jacob Bell at left guard since Week 2.

Seahawks

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had his right knee wrapped with ice Monday, treatment for a bruise from a collision with running back Shaun Alexander.

It wasn’t known if the injury would sideline Hasselbeck when the Seahawks (5-4) play visiting Miami (1-8) on Sunday. He’s made all nine starts, with reserve Trent Dilfer playing in mop-up situations.

The injury occurred on Seattle’s first play from scrimmage in a 23-12 loss at St. Louis on Sunday. Hasselbeck took the snap for a handoff to Alexander, and each just ended up in the wrong place.

Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss four to six weeks because of a lower left leg injury.

Urlacher, out for the entire preseason and two regular-season games with a hamstring problem, had a surgical procedure done early Monday morning on his leg, coach Lovie Smith said. There was some internal bleeding.

Smith said Urlacher would not be put on injured reserve.

Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Baltimore’s stirring comeback victory over the New York Jets came at a price: The Ravens lost punter Dave Zastudil for three to four weeks with a separated shoulder.

Zastudil hurt his left shoulder while being blocked after a second-quarter kick. He was replaced by backup quarterback Kordell Stewart, who averaged a respectable 35.4 yards on five punts, dropping two inside the 20.

The Ravens (6-3) will audition punters this week to find a starter against the Cowboys.

Cornerback Chris McAlister (shoulder numbness) and left guard Edwin Mulitalo (broken toe) hope to be ready for Dallas.

Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Ahman Green looks like his old self again and so do the Packers.

It’s no coincidence the tailback’s re-emergence has coincided with the Packers’ four-game winning streak that has propelled them into a first-place tie atop the NFC North with Minnesota at 5-4.

In the monthlong losing streak, Green, bothered by a sore Achilles’ tendon after wearing cleats that were too small during an August scrimmage, gained just 286 yards rushing and never reached the end zone. In the monthlong winning streak, he’s rushed for 459 yards and four touchdowns – and he’s thrown for a TD on a halfback option.

Vikings

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Randy Moss will probably miss at least one more game. The All-Pro receiver hasn’t caught a pass in a month because of a strained right hamstring.

Coach Mike Tice said Monday that Moss is progressing well, but won’t be allowed to play again until he completes a week of practice. The Vikings (5-4) have lost three straight, although Daunte Culpepper passed for 345 yards without Moss in a 34-31 defeat at Green Bay.

Tice said he doubted Moss would be ready to play this Sunday against Detroit, but a return for the Nov. 28 game against Jacksonville is “more than likely.”

Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. – Coach Jon Gruden insists he still has faith in struggling kicker Martin Gramatica.

Gruden stood behind his decision to not attempt a potential game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 24-14 loss at Atlanta, saying Monday that it had nothing to do with whether he was comfortable with giving Gramatica an opportunity to make a 46-yarder.

“I didn’t not kick a field goal because I lacked confidence. You try and show confidence in your offense and try to win the game,” said Gruden, who instead opted to run Michael Pittman on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons 28 with Tampa Bay trailing 17-14.

Pittman was stopped for a 2-yard loss. Four plays later, Atlanta put the game away on Michael Vick’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler.

“I’m not going to look back and regret history. You have to do the best that you can to win a football game. I thought that play was the right play,” Gruden said. “I thought it gave our team a chance to win it. Ultimately, it had a lot to do with us losing.”

Despite his insistence that he still has confidence in Gramatica, Gruden clearly has not been happy with the kicker’s performance. So accurate in college at Kansas State that he was nicknamed Automatica, the sixth-year pro has missed 15 field goals since helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl in 2002 – nine between 40 and 49 yards.

“I regret losing the game. I regret not making it. But 10 times out of 10 I’d go for it in that situation,” Gruden said of the fourth-down call, which came on the heels of Pittman being stopped for no gain on third-and-1.

Lions

ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Joey Harrington is still the starting quarterback of the Detroit Lions. After Monday, though, that position doesn’t seem very secure.

Lions coach Steve Mariucci gave his third-year quarterback a lukewarm endorsement one day after Harrington went 11-for-33 in a 23-17 overtime loss in Jacksonville.

“Right now, we’re headed that way this week, – we haven’t really discussed making a change,” he said when asked if Harrington would start Sunday in Minnesota. “We expect a certain level of performance and competence at every position, and that is constantly being evaluated.”

Harrington didn’t have a problem with the idea of backup Mike McMahon getting more work in practice this week.

“That’s fair – I’ve had two straight sub-par performances, and it isn’t like the quarterback position is set in stone,” he said. “Maybe it will light a fire under me.”

Colts

INDIANAPOLIS – Starting guard Tupe Peko has a high ankle sprain and could miss two to three weeks. Peko was injured during Sunday’s 49-14 rout of Houston.

Coach Tony Dungy said Peko had an MRI on Monday, but the results were not available.

He would be replaced in the lineup by either Makoa Freitas, a second-year player, or rookie Jake Scott.

Backup linebacker Gilbert Gardner also could miss two to three weeks with a strained hamstring.

Bengals

CINCINNATI – The Bengals’ defense spent the first two months of the season getting younger. Finally, it’s getting better.

An injury-ravaged defense has more than held its own during back-to-back wins. Three rookie draft picks started in a 17-10 victory in Washington that got the Bengals (4-5) moving in the right direction.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys at key positions,” defensive lineman John Thornton said Monday. “That’s what hurt us early. Now we’re starting to play better as a team, but it’s a week-to-week deal.”

That’s a major improvement from the weak deal in the first seven games.

Injuries hit every part of the defense. Middle linebacker Nate Webster and defensive lineman Tony Williams are out for the season, and the secondary has been repeatedly scrambled because of injuries.

As a result, the Bengals had the league’s softest run defense and ranked in the bottom half in most statistical categories during a 2-5 start. Veterans tried to do too much to cover for the youngsters, who were just trying to figure things out. It was a poor mix.

Things got a lot better in the last two games against struggling quarterbacks. The Cowboys’ Vinny Testaverde threw three interceptions and fumbled in the Bengals’ 26-3 victory, and Mark Brunell was benched during another abysmal performance in Washington on Sunday.

In the past, the Bengals could be counted on to revive a struggling quarterback’s career. The newcomers have helped them break the pattern.

“Right now, the young guys are progressing well,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “They’re playing a big part in what we’re doing now, and they keep growing. We kind of made the transition through those murky waters, and we’re coming out of it a little bit.”