Ivory practices with hamstring injury, set to play vs. Falcons

New Orleans Saints rookie running back Chris Ivory, still bothered by a hamstring injury that he suffered during a Week 14 victory over the St. Louis Rams, believes he will play Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons, The Times-Picayune reported Thursday.

Ivory, who leads the Saints with 683 yards and five rushing touchdowns, was ruled out of last Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He was limited in practice Thursday.

"I can't really open up like I would like to," Ivory said. "So I'm not full speed yet. I'd say about 90, 95 percent. So I've kind of got to pace myself at what speed I go in practice, so that I will be ready for Monday.

"Earlier in practice, it was feeling pretty good for the most part," he added. "But as we got to going, I tried to open up, and I'm probably not 100 percent, so once I tried to open up, I felt that grabbing feeling on it ... I think all that will get worked out this week. A little more treatment these next couple days, I think that will help."

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Rodgers practices with Packers, continues concussion recovery

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was cleared by doctors and returned to practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. Assuming he doesn't have a setback in his recovery from a concussion, he is optimistic that he will start Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Rodgers practiced on a limited basis Thursday, taking the majority of snaps during the portion of practice that was open to the media.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers completed all the steps in the NFL's protocol to return to the field after a head injury, but the team will monitor his progress before naming him the starter against the Dolphins.

"I've gone through the process that the NFL requires," Rodgers said. "I've been cleared by our doctors, by an outside source. And I think it's just a matter of how I feel tomorrow. And I'm very optimistic."

Rodgers sustained a concussion during Sunday's overtime loss at Washington, but it's not clear -- even to the quarterback -- when he began experiencing the symptoms of a head injury.

McCarthy said Monday that Rodgers' concussion came on a helmet-to-helmet hit on the Packers' final offensive play of the game. Rodgers said that hit "definitely" made him feel worse and forced him out of the game, but he acknowledged that he wasn't feeling "completely normal" even earlier.

"Having never had a concussion before, it was definitely a learning process to understand how my body feels," Rodgers said. "Because obviously I've been dinged in the head a number of times, everything from in high school seeing the stars and stuff, to the different shots you take along the way. I think it was just a great learning process to understand how my body reacts to different situations."

According to NFL guidelines for head injuries, Rodgers must be symptom-free and cleared by a team doctor and independent neurological consultant before he can play again.

"The protocol as far as all the testing and so forth from the medical staff and the off-campus doctor has been completed," McCarthy said. "But it's like anything. There may be potentially a setback or something. That's why we limited him today at practice."

Rodgers said he didn't regret reporting the injury.

"With any other injury, there's definitely that temptation to be your own evaluator and to be very optimistic," Rodgers said. "But when it comes to your head, I think you can't be too careful. That's something I definitely thought about on Sunday, and something from here on that's going to be on my mind.

"Head injuries are different than the standard extremity injury, because you're talking about the rest of your life and being able to function and have normal brain activity is more important than risking having a setback because you come back too early."

For all his accomplishments in two-plus years as an NFL starting quarterback, Rodgers is perhaps most proud of the fact that he hasn't missed a game.

While he'll have to play a lot longer to match the consecutive-starts streak of his predecessor in Green Bay, Brett Favre, Rodgers clearly doesn't want to sit out Sunday. That said, Rodgers understands that pushing himself to return quickly from a head injury wouldn't be the same as toughing out a painful shoulder injury, as he did in 2008.

"When I started to really look into more information about this, that's when the severity of this injury hit me," Rodgers said. "And I realized, 'You know what, I'd love to be out there on Sunday for my guys, but I have to get cleared. And this has to be a process where I'm completely honest with our medical staff and they're honest with their assessment of how they feel I'm reacting and improving or not improving.'"

As the Packers' representative to the NFL Players Association, Rodgers said the treatment of head injuries for current and former players is a critical issue that deserves more attention.

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"That's something that I'm going to have to do a little more research on," Rodgers said. "But I think it's important that we at some point address the issue that we have with some of the former players and their injuries."

Donald Lee, who sustained a chest injury early in last Sunday's game and left for good after catching a touchdown pass, also practiced Thursday, and McCarthy said he was optimistic the tight end would play against the Dolphins.

Two players who practiced Wednesday didn't participate Thursday -- defensive lineman Mike Neal and linebacker Brandon Chillar. Linebacker Clay Matthews and right tackle Mark Tauscher also didn't practice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Texans LB Cushing practices for first time since suspension

HOUSTON -- Brian Cushing insists he hasn't lost a step. The Texans will find out soon enough.

The linebacker returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since his four-game drug suspension, saying he's eager to play again after feeling "helpless" at times watching his teammates on the field.

Coach Gary Kubiak said Cushing will play for the Texans (3-1) against the New York Giants (2-2) on Sunday.

Cushing said he'll use the rest of the week to sharpen his football techniques and relearn Houston's defensive calls and schemes.

"I'm back," Cushing said. "It's going to be the same old (No.) 56 running around. It's what I do. I take a lot of pride in playing football, and I want to be the best at it. Hopefully, I cannot skip a beat, come in Week 5 and be the player I'd be in Week 1."

Kubiak said he's concerned that Cushing is about 250 real-game snaps behind the Texans' other defensive starters. But Cushing has proven before that he can catch up in a hurry after missing practice time. He sat out every preseason game last year, then led the team in tackles in its first four regular-season games.

"He's always handled himself well with the team, he's always been very accountable in his preparation and his work," Kubiak said. "It's not like you have a player who we're fighting to get in here and work and take care of his business. This guy is working all the time, so that's not a problem."

Cushing wasn't shy about sharing what he did in his month away from the team.

Videos posted on YouTube in recent weeks show Cushing working out in a New Jersey gym, with hard-rock music playing in the background. Cushing turns over a giant tire, bench-presses a 347-pound barbell, dead-lifts weights attached to heavy chains and pushes a weighted sled.

Cushing said he worked out about 3 to 4 hours per day during his suspension, including physical therapy and studying film of Texans' games. He took Sundays off and decided not to watch the live broadcasts of Houston's games after the opening victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

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"I couldn't really watch the games anymore, just from the fact of not being able to be out there and not being able to help the team," he said. "It's kind of a helpless feeling. I played golf and tried to get my mind off it. But I was on my cell phone every single second, checking the score updates."

Cushing was suspended in May after testing positive for HCG, a drug on the league's list of banned substance. Cushing says he never took the drug, which can be used to restart testosterone production after a steroid cycle, and has no idea how it got into his body.

Cushing said during training camp that he has a unique medical condition -- "overtrained athlete syndrome" -- that led to the positive test. Cushing said the syndrome can trigger hormonal spikes after breaks in training. The NFL denied an appeal based on the argument.

Cushing wouldn't address questions about his medical condition Wednesday, other than to say he was relieved to finally have the suspension behind him.

"It's peace of mind," Cushing said. "The last two weeks, it was getting to me a little bit. I was a little on edge. Now I'm back to doing what I do, and it's a really mind-clearing kind of feeling. Now, I'm home."

Cushing said he has talked to Texans left tackle Duane Brown, who received a four-game suspension Sept. 21 for also violating the NFL's banned-substance policy. Brown is eligible to return for the Texans' Nov. 1 game at Indianapolis.

"I just reached out to him and said if he had any questions, let me know," Cushing said. "I know what he's going through. I gave him some positive encouragement, told him to keep his head up and time will pass, and he'll be back on the field again."

Cushing was Houston's first-round draft pick in 2009. He had 133 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions last season to win The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He retained the honor after a revote following his suspension.

Cushing is motivated now to show skeptics that his performance level hasn't tailed off.

"I feel like I have something to prove every time I step on the field," he said. "I'm sure some people will be looking for drop-offs and stuff like that, but nothing like that is going to happen. Come Sunday, I'll be right back out there again, and I'm looking forward to it."

The Texans need Cushing to return to form as soon as possible. They rank last in total defense (408 yards per game) and have given up several big pass plays. Houston also has lacked a consistent pass rusher other than defensive end Mario Williams, who has five of the team's nine sacks.

"Any time you have a Pro Bowl player come back and play for your team, it helps out a lot," defensive tackle Amobi Okoye said of Cushing. "We're looking forward to him getting out on the field and showing us all the things he did last year, and even more. I know he has a lot more in the tank."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Cutler practices while Bears try to solve protection issues

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was hitting receivers in stride, and for once, no defenders were near him. Of course, it was only a practice drill.

Cutler was back at it on a limited basis Wednesday, three days after a brutal 17-3 loss to the New York Giants in which he was sacked nine times in the first half and left with a concussion.

For that, Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz took the blame.

"I just tried to do way too much in a short week with these guys," he said. "Whatever went wrong in that game was my responsibility."

Cutler's status for this weekend's game at Carolina was unclear. NFL guidelines say Cutler should receive clearance from an "independent neurological consultant" before playing again.

Martz said Cutler had "a meeting" after practice, presumably with a doctor, although he didn't specify. Bears coach Lovie Smith said Cutler would meet with an independent doctor, but he wouldn't say when.

Martz said Todd Collins, who left Sunday's game with a stinger, would start against the Panthers if Cutler isn't available.

Cutler didn't address the media as he usually does before practices Wednesday. That was pushed back at least until Thursday, but seeing Cutler in uniform and hitting receivers had to be encouraging for a Chicago team that saw much of the goodwill created by a 3-0 start squashed by an avalanche of sacks.

Besides leaving Cutler woozy, that barrage also placed Martz under the microscope and renewed the debate whether the personnel fits his system.

Martz's system is heavy at times on seven-step drops, an approach that welcomes pressure and can result in a beating for quarterbacks even on a team with a decent offensive line. Considering Chicago's blockers have struggled in recent years, that was one reason Martz's hiring raised some eyebrows during the offseason.

Martz's teams ranked among the top six in sacks allowed in each of his previous seven seasons as a head coach and coordinator. Yet the Bears hoped the rewards would outweigh the risks after watching Cutler be sacked 35 times while throwing a league-leading 26 interceptions last season.

Things were mostly clicking through the first three games, although there were issues in protection and the run game. Now the Bears lead the league with 18 sacks after that performance against the Giants.

Does the system need to be adjusted?

"You're talking to the wrong guy," said Martz, who added the seven-step drops are a small part of the offense. "I think we all believe in the system. Like I said, it's not what we're doing, it's just how well we're doing it. And it's new to everybody. And we've got guys who are learning how to just play, on top of it, in a highly competitive situation. We've just got to grind through it. If we're doing something we don't believe in or are suspicious about, certainly we wouldn't do it."

Martz said he's not worried about confidence after a game like that, adding, "You start worrying about confidence, you have the wrong guys. And we don't have the wrong guys. We do not have that. I promise you we don't. It's a coaching issue, period."

The Giants didn't blitz that much Sunday. They often had a clear path to the quarterback, and as the first half wore on, the Bears tried to protect Cutler with seven or eight blockers.

Not that it made much of a difference.

"It was mental, man," center Olin Kreutz said. "There was a little bit of everything really, but most of them were those guys just beating us. That's not acceptable really. We've got to go back to work, and hopefully, we can rectify it this week in Carolina."

Cutler didn't help himself, either, by hanging onto the ball and at times not seeing open receivers, although he might have been dazed even if Smith said the Bears didn't notice any symptoms until after the ninth sack.

That came on the second-to-last play of the half, when Cutler's head banged the turf while being taken down by Aaron Ross. Cutler had absorbed more than his share of hits by then.

There was a big one early in the second quarter, when Osi Umenyiora ran through tight end Greg Olsen and blasted Cutler from behind, the ball popping out and into the arms of Kreutz. Cutler got up and took a few steps toward the wrong sideline.

"They beat us time after time, and we've got to get in front of guys and get them blocked," Kreutz said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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