Rivera says Panthers WR Smith didn't break finger in practice

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith injured his finger during Tuesday's padded practice, but coach Ron Rivera confirmed it's not broken and isn't anything that will keep the player out of any regular-season games.

Smith, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, sustained a cut near the base of his left middle finger that required stitches, but X-rays revealed no broken bones. Smith injured the finger while attempting to catch a pass in Tuesday morning's practice.

"There was no dislocation," Rivera said. "The ball went right in between (his fingers)."

Smith left the morning practice early to have his finger checked out by the medical staff. He didn't participate in the night practice and is expected to miss about a week or so. Smith was spotted in the team's dining room a few hours after the injury with the middle finger on his left hand heavily wrapped.

Smith is the Panthers' all-time leader in touchdowns and figures to play a pivotal role in their offense this season.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Texans WR Johnson dislocates finger but avoids serious injury

HOUSTON -- Texans All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson will miss "a day or two" of practice after dislocating his left index finger in a morning workout.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Johnson will be OK.

"I think we got lucky," Kubiak said.

Johnson wore a bandage on his finger as he watched the Tuesday afternoon walk-through from the sideline.

Johnson was running a slant route in an individual drill and leaped to catch a pass, with rookie cornerback Roc Carmichael defending. Johnson couldn't make the catch and came down shaking his left hand. He took off his glove, his finger was bleeding and he walked to the sideline, where a trainer examined him.

"As soon as I felt it pop, I felt it out of place and I popped it right back in," Johnson said. "I really wasn't in a lot of pain, or anything like that. It was just more concern about the bleeding and stuff."

Johnson left the field on a cart and went to the hospital. He was back at Reliant Stadium by 1 p.m., eating lunch in the cafeteria with his teammates.

"I wasn't scared," Johnson said. "It's just a dislocated finger. I've had worse. I don't think I'll be worried about a finger keeping me from missing anything."

The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Johnson had 86 catches for 1,216 yards last season, ranking sixth in both categories. He played most of 2010 with a sprained right ankle and underwent surgery in January -- a much more serious injury than this one, he said.

"It's just a finger," Johnson said. "I played with a bum ankle. I don't think a finger is going to keep me out. I'm fine. I'm just letting it heal up, and I'll be right back out there."

Kubiak said he'll wait for doctors to clear Johnson to return to work.

"When he's ready to go, he'll go," Kubiak said. "But it's an opportunity for these younger guys to take some reps."

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Second-year receiver Dorin Dickerson took Johnson's first-team reps for the remainder of practice. Kubiak also said cornerback Jason Allen and guard Wade Smith missed some snaps on Tuesday, due to illness.

Linebacker Brian Cushing has sat out team drills for the first two days as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery. Cushing had an ice wrap on his knee after Tuesday's morning workout but participated in the afternoon walk-through.

"He's a few days away," Kubiak said of Cushing. "I'll have to let you know from day to day. He's the one guy we had who wasn't quite ready to go on the field (on Monday). We're just trying to take our time to do that."

Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith acknowledged on Tuesday that the team is talking to two free agents - defensive end Ty Warren and fullback Lawrence Vickers.

The 6-5, 300-pound Warren was cut by New England after playing for the Patriots from 2003-09. He spent last season on injured reserve with a hip injury. The 6-foot, 250-pound Vickers has played five seasons with Cleveland. Houston is looking to replace All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach, who helped Arian Foster lead the NFL in rushing in 2010.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Rams RB Jackson ready to go vs. Panthers after finger surgery

ST. LOUIS -- Steven Jackson had surgery Monday for a broken ring finger on his left hand. No big deal: The Rams' running back usually carries the ball in his right hand anyway.

Jackson said Thursday that he will play Sunday when the Carolina Panthers (1-5) visit the Rams (3-4).

"Absolutely, I will definitely be out there Sunday," said Jackson, who had two pins inserted into the finger. "The surgery went fine. Everything went well. It's unfortunate it had to happen. It's on the left hand, so it's not a big deal as if it was my right hand."

Despite missing practice, Steven Jackson should still suit up and is a strong start against a struggling Panthers defense. No reason to panic as of yet. More ...

The pins will be in Jackson's hand for six to eight weeks. Jackson didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday. He said he might work out Friday.

"I don't see why not," Jackson said about practicing Friday. "First thing, we want to make sure infection doesn't happen. Pain is going to occur. That's something we're not trying to avoid. That's not something we're thinking won't happen. Pain will be part of the game Sunday."

Playing with pain or an injury is nothing new for Jackson.

Earlier this season, Jackson sustained a groin injury against the Washington Redskins in Week 3 and wore extra padding in the next two games before healing. Last season, he played with a sore back.

That Jackson plans to play doesn't surprise Rams guard Jacob Bell.

"He's like Brett Favre, man," Bell said. "You got to count in him until he's out. Nothing really stops the guy."

Jackson is a big part of the St. Louis offense.

Jackson became the Rams' all-time leading rusher Sunday at Tampa Bay, where he had his third consecutive 100-yard game, finishing with 110 yards on 22 carries. He moved ahead of Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson when he gained three yards early in the second quarter. Dickerson gained 7,245 yards for the Rams from 1983 to 1987. Jackson stands at 7,324.

Jackson's 617 rushing yards this season rank fourth in the NFL and second in the NFC behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson (684).

Jackson will look at some different protections for his hand.

"We're going to experiment with a couple of different things," Jackson said. "It will be some sort of soft cast to protect the ring finger. It won't be a club. Something that's functional that will allow me carry the ball, catch the ball and hold the ball. We'll play around with it. We'll see what we come up with."

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said he believes Jackson will be able to work around the injury.

"I'm sure it's not going all that comfortable having to put something on you and lug a football around and try to shed blockers," Spagnuolo said. "He's dealt with injuries before, so we'll be optimistic."

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said not practicing this week shouldn't affect Jackson's ability Sunday.

"I guess I've learned that we keep practicing and coaching, and on Sunday, we see who's there," Shurmur said. "Steven has displayed an ability to play extremely well with limited practice. So, that's kind of the approach we're taking at this point."

Shurmur noted that Jackson can play with pain. It won't change any plays Shurmur might want to call for his big back.

"With a warrior-type player like Steven, it's not as much of a concern as it would be a player who's dealing with his first injury," Shurmur said.

Jackson said he'll do his best regardless.

"Just like with any injury, you've got to perform at the level you can," Jackson said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Rams say RB Jackson day to day after surgery on left ring finger

Steven Jackson set the St. Louis Rams' franchise rushing record over the weekend -- despite playing with a broken finger.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said the running back had surgery on his left ring finger Monday. The Rams said two pins were put into the finger, and Jackson's status for this Sunday's home game against the Carolina Panthers was unknown.

"Yes, I had surgery on my ring finger but I shouldn't miss a beat," Jackson wrote on his Twitter page. "I'm not married so I'm covered there too."

Jackson sustained the injury last Sunday during the Rams' 18-17 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He rushed for 110 yards, his third consecutive game over the century mark, and passed Eric Dickerson to become the Rams' all-time rushing leader.

"He didn't think it was a big deal," Spagnuolo said of Jackson's reaction to the injury. "He kept playing. ... He's going to be sore. Hopefully, he'll be able to play this week. We'll know more after he gets through it. ... He's just a warrior. He goes out and plays, and we find out later on there's a crack in there."

Jackson's 617 rushing yards rank fourth in the NFL this season and second in the NFC behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson (684). In his six seasons with the Rams, Jackson has 7,324 yards.

"Wonderful, wonderful thing for him, for this organization, for all the guys along the way that have blocked for him," Spagnuolo said of Jackson breaking the Rams' rushing record. "Hopefully there's a lot more yards to come."

Still, the Rams continued their trend of losing games on the road with Sunday's loss, struggling again in the second half.

The Rams, who have lost six consecutive road games and have one win in their last 16 road games, led 17-6 at halftime but were unable to score again. St. Louis hasn't scored a touchdown in the second half of its last three games and has been outscored 46-3 in the final two quarters during that stretch.

"It's not one thing," Spagnuolo said. "I told the guys in there, 'Don't be deep-thinking this thing.' Should we have won the game 17-12, we would have won it because we would have made one or two plays somewhere in there. That's how close it came down to and there wouldn't be as big of questions.

"Do we have to get better in the second half? Yeah. But we looked at everything this morning: It is scheme? Calls? Did they make any major adjustments? I don't think so, a couple little tweaks here and there. It's a tackle here. It's a completed pass there. It's just simple football stuff."

The Rams will be without safety James Butler against the Panthers after he suffered a knee injury Sunday, Spagnuolo said. The team worked out veteran cornerback Ralph Brown on Monday, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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