Agent says Polamalu wants to finish career in Pittsburgh

It has been a busy offseason for Troy Polamalu.

He has been rehabilitating an Achilles' tendon injury in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from USC. He'll have a maximum 99 rating in the "Madden NFL 12" video game when it's released next month.

But has the Pittsburgh Steelers' star safety also been planning a request for a contract extension once the NFL lockout is over?

"The Steelers always have done this sort of thing the year before a contract is up," Marvin Demoff, Polamalu's agent, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review when asked Thursday about the possibility. "There's been no discussion yet, but I'd say it's highly likely that was because of the lockout. We'd be open to it, sure. Troy's played there eight years and wants to finish his career in Pittsburgh."

Polamalu, who signed a four-year, $30 million extension in 2007, never fully recovered from the Achilles' tendon injury he suffered during a Week 14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals when he approached the end zone to score a touchdown off an interception return. He missed subsequent games against the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before returning for the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Following treatment and rehab under the care of an orthopedic surgeon with ties to the Steelers' medical staff, Polamalu was expected to be ready by training camp -- whenever that might be.

"Troy tends to be pretty hard on himself emotionally and physically," Demoff said, "and he feels really good about where he is."

Now 30 years old, Polamalu has fully played a 16-game schedule in just four of his eight seasons because of his physical style of play. He has missed 13 regular-season games the last three seasons but still has 17 interceptions and 35 passes defended.

With the Steelers' defense rock solid but aging -- nine of the unit's 11 regular starters last season are either over 30 or about to turn 30 -- the question of a long-term contract might be troubling to the front office. But Demoff doesn't see his client just hanging around to collect a paycheck.

"That's not Troy," Demoff said. "He's not the type to keep playing when he's not at a high level. No offense, but he's not going to be Brett Favre."

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Titans face QB quandary after Collins ends 16-year career

Quarterback Kerry Collins announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday, ending his 16-year career and possibly speeding up the Jake Locker era for the Tennessee Titans.

Collins, the Titans' off-and-on starter since 2006, released a statement in which he said after several months of "introspection," he decided that "my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position."

Kerry Collins' retirement will force the Titans to quickly explore their QB options, and Bucky Brooks believes the team's backup plans should begin and end with a prominent veteran. More ...

That sounded much different than comments Collins made to The Tennessean in June, when he said: "I know I still have good football left in me, and I want to see where (the Titans are) at, too. If it makes sense on both sides to do it, I'd be good for coming back."

But Collins isn't coming back, so the Titans are left with first-round draft pick Locker and second-year pro Rusty Smith at quarterback. The team said earlier this year that it would trade or release Vince Young, its 2006 first-round pick, after a tumultuous time together.

"I want to wish Mike Munchak and the Tennessee Titans the best of luck in the future," Collins said Thursday in his statement. "I have had a fantastic five years here, and my family and I look forward to remaining part of the Middle Tennessee community that has been extremely gracious towards us and an honor to play for."

Collins, 38, enjoyed his best season with the Titans in 2008, when he took over for an injured Young and started 15 games, going 12-3 as the team won the AFC South. Collins then signed a two-year, $15 million contract that expired after the 2010 season.

Collins shared the stage with Young last season despite suffering injuries to his middle finger and thumb. Collins took over for good after Young suffered a season-ending injury to his right thumb Nov. 21, though the Titans only won one of their final six games in finishing 6-10.

"Kerry had a great NFL career, and we have been very fortunate to have had him with our organization for the last five years," Titans coach Mike Munchak said in a statement released by the team. "I really enjoyed working with him. He was a true pro who loved the game. His work ethic and commitment were a great example to his teammates of what it took to be successful in this league."

Said Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt in a statement: "Kerry accomplished a great deal in his career both personally and as the leader of some great teams. He was a talented passer and became a true professional. We were fortunate to have him as a member of our team over the last five years, and we wish him and his family the best."

Collins threw for 40,441 yards -- good for 11th on the NFL's all-time list -- with 206 touchdowns and 195 interceptions in 195 career games. He was the fifth overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft and also played for the New Orleans Saints (1998), New York Giants (1999-2003) and Oakland Raiders (2004-05) before joining the Titans.

As a starter, Collins lead his teams to the playoffs four times, including an NFL Championship Game appearance during the 1996 season with the Panthers and a Super Bowl appearance with the Giants in the 2000 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jasper winning battle with scale while prepping for Bills career

Michael Jasper has been dropping weight the past few years, and when he embarks on a career as an NFL defensive tackle -- soon, he hopes -- he plans to be quite svelte.

Jasper, a seventh-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in last month's draft, is down to 375 pounds -- still big, even by NFL standards, but nowhere near the 448 pounds he carried not so long ago.

The 6-foot-4½ nose tackle has lost 73 pounds since leaving Middle Tennessee State after his sophomore year to transfer to Bethel, an NAIA school in McKenzie, Tenn., and he has focused on slimming down even more since his college career closed last fall.

"(Bills regional scout) Matt Hand made a deal with me initially, saying they wanted me under 400 pounds," Jasper told the Tennessean. "After the draft, I talked with coach (Chan) Gailey, and he said just to keep working hard and keep the weight off."

Jasper has become smarter about his diet while working out with his cousin, Artis Hicks, a nine-year NFL offensive tackle who played for the Washington Redskins last season.

"I've stopped eating so much and pretty much cut eating beef out," Jasper said. "I've minimized my bad carbohydrate intake, increased my vegetables and greens and water intake to kind of confuse my body so that it wouldn't hold onto so much water. It has started to flush some of the excess off.

"I feel brand new. I sleep better, I wake up feeling good, I enjoy being outside and feel like a kid again. I realize God has definitely blessed me."

Because of the NFL lockout, Jasper hasn't spoken with anyone from the Bills since the draft, and he's not sure if the team wants "me to get down to 360 pounds or anywhere near that," he said. "The way my body is, I'm not a regular 360-pound man. But I've done what the Bills asked me to do."

The average NFL nose tackle entering last season was 6-3 and 330 pounds, according to the Tennessean.

Jasper, 24, was listed at 394 pounds when he was drafted -- the heaviest player taken during the three-day process -- but Bills general manager Buddy Nix said that number was wrong.

"He's not as big as you've got him listed," Nix said after the draft. "He's down to 378 pounds, so he's drying up to nothing."

Bethel coach Dino Kaklis believes a slimmer Jasper will be a better Jasper. The lineman posted a 5.34-second 40-yard dash time, a 34-inch vertical leap and a 9-foot-5 broad jump in a workout for Bills scouts, and he wasn't as slim then as he is now.

"Everything the Bills and the other NFL guys saw of Michael playing during the year was when he was at 435 pounds, and they were impressed by what he did then," Kaklis told the Tennessean. "He's at 375 now and still as strong and solid as he was. I'd say he has the mobility of a 265-pound player."

Jasper weighed just 240 pounds when he started at Mount Juliet (Tenn.) High School, but he was 380 as a senior.

"When I got bumped up to varsity my freshman year, I started to put on the weight," Jasper said. "I started drinking creatine and protein and didn't know what I was doing. Then once I got to college, the food gets a whole lot better, and I started to get even bigger."

Jasper played two seasons as a nose tackle and offensive guard at Tennessee-Martin, then transferred to Middle Tennessee State but didn't play because of grades. He became a part-time student, and that's when he ballooned to his heaviest weight, before transferring to Bethel, where he played defensive tackle in 2009 and offensive guard in 2010.

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Saints TE Shockey suffers rib injury on 500th career catch

New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey left Bank of America Stadium in an ambulance Sunday with injured ribs after scoring a touchdown on his 500th career catch.

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Shockey caught a 7-yard TD pass from Drew Brees late in the first quarter before he was hit hard by the Carolina Panthers' Charles Godfrey. Shockey staggered to his feet, then walked to the Saints' locker room.

Just before halftime, Shockey was spotted walking from the locker room to the back of an ambulance while dressed in street clothes.

The Times-Picayune reported that Shockey returned to the stadium during the second half, with the hospital trip a precautionary measure. The newspaper also reported that Shockey's injury wasn't believed to be serious.

Saints coach Sean Payton said after the game that x-rays on Shockey's ribs were negative, the Times-Picayne reported.

The milestone catch gave Shockey 33 touchdowns in his nine-year NFL career.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Britt's career day leads Titans past Eagles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kerry Collins threw three touchdown passes to Kenny Britt, who had the best game of his career two days after being involved in a bar fight, and the Tennessee Titans scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 37-19 on Sunday.

Britt had the best receiving game in the NFL this season. He caught touchdown passes of 26, 80 and 16 yards and finished with seven receptions for 225 yards -- all career highs for the second-year pro in a game that he didn't start as punishment for his role in the fight.

The Titans (5-2) won their NFL-best 12th in a row over an NFC team with Collins making his first start in a year. Vince Young was sidelined by a sprained left knee and ankle that had him still limping in pregame warmups.

The Eagles (4-3) blew a 19-10 lead despite sacking Collins three times and forcing him into three turnovers.

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