Gore returns to 49ers practice; contract work continues

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Frank Gore practiced Tuesday with the San Francisco 49ers for the first time this offseason, breathing life into an offense that has been working this summer without several top players.

The two-time Pro Bowl running back ended his four-day holdout Monday and was back on the field a day later as the 49ers conducted their second padded practice of camp.

Gore was welcomed back by a new coaching staff and several players who have been anticipating his arrival.

"I almost hugged him and gave him a kiss, but I tried to play it cool," wide receiver Josh Morgan said. "It was really exciting to see him."

Gore, who missed San Francisco's final five games last season with a fractured hip, is in the final year of his contract with the 49ers that will pay him $2.9 million this season with a $2 million roster bonus. He is seeking a contract extension.

Gore said the holdout was a mutual decision between him and agent Drew Rosenhaus. But a few days away from the team was all it took to convince Gore to return.

"I love the game and I missed the game," Gore said. "I'm a football player and I missed being out here with my team. I'm here to get better and try to take this organization where it needs to go."

Gore has led the 49ers in rushing every year since being drafted in 2005, including a team-record four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2006-2009. Gore was on his way to extending that string last season before his injury. He finished the season with 853 yards rushing and 46 receptions for 452 yards.

The 49ers are installing a new offense this summer under new coach Jim Harbaugh, and Gore once again figures to be a key component of San Francisco's attack. Harbaugh wasted no time giving Gore extensive duty with the first-team offense during his first day back.

"There's quite a difference in communication when he's in the huddle," Harbaugh said. "I'm very impressed with the way he hits the hole extremely quick and fast. It raises the competition and gives some of our young backs an example of what a top-notch pro looks like."

The 49ers had second-year player Anthony Dixon and rookie Kendall Hunter taking most of the snaps at halfback with the first unit during previous camp practices.

Gore was a welcome addition to an offensive huddle that also has been missing incumbent starting quarterback Alex Smith and No. 1 wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

Smith and other free agents who recently signed contracts with the team can't practice until Thursday, and Crabtree has a foot injury that could keep him out several weeks.

Gore spent the offseason working out near his home in Miami and did not participate in player-organized 49ers workouts in June that were attended by most of his offensive teammates at San Jose State University.

The entire offensive tempo seemed to pick up with Gore back on the field.

"Frank's a leader on this football team and the energy is up," tackle Joe Staley said. "Any time Frank's back there, he's going to take care of business. Just having him back on the field, his presence, is good for everybody and it raises spirits. The way he prepares and the way he communicates is a standard to live up to."

Harbaugh said "diligent" contract negotiations continue with Gore's representatives and he expects there to be a resolution on a new deal "sooner rather than later."

"Frank's a 49er and we want Frank here," Harbaugh said. "We want Frank happy, too."

Said Gore: "I want to be a 49er forever, and if the contract comes, it comes. I felt like a kid out there today, and I'm just happy to be back. I'm sorry about the little holdup, but I'm back and I'm ready to go to work and get better."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Jets WR Cotchery returns to field following back surgery

Finally, Jerricho Cotchery is back on the football field.

After five months of laborious rehabilitation from back surgery, the New York Jets' wide receiver received full medical clearance to practice routes with quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Which is exactly what Cotchery did last week on a New Jersey high school field, according to The Star-Ledger.

"When you hit a field, you're out there in open space and you've just got to turn it on," Cotchery told the newspaper. "I was able to do that and not be cautious. It felt good to be able to go out there and make cuts and not think about anything."

Cotchery also told the newspaper that the back specialist who performed his surgery gave him the green light last week to fully participate in training camp once it begins. That's good news for the Jets, who figure to have a dilemma on their hands at wide receiver, with Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith all due to become free agents once the NFL lockout is lifted.

Cotchery, who had 41 catches for 433 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games last season, has been a staple in the receiving corps during his seven seasons with the Jets. He revealed to The Star-Ledger that his back had been an issue for some time.

"The past couple years, I've been dealing with the back, and you get used to your body not working the right way," said Cotchery, who underwent a microdiscectomy to shave off part of a troublesome herniated disc. "But little things make a huge difference. I’m better equipped moving forward."

Cotchery said he feels physically rejuvenated and is prepared to get back to form.

"The way the season went last year for me, I'm driven to get back on the field and play the way I'm capable of playing," Cotchery said. "Not having experienced something this significant and not knowing how to battle through it, through the course of a year, was draining for me. I spent a number of hours getting ready physically for the games, and the mental part suffered."

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Vick returns from monthlong layoff to get best of Manning, Colts

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick shared a long embrace with offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg after coming back from a month off to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a big win.

When Peyton Manning is on the other side, it's no ordinary game.

Vick threw for 218 yards and one touchdown, and ran for 74 yards and a score in the Eagles' 26-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

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"This game was more emotional because we knew how tough it was going to be to win this game," Vick said. "It took two weeks of hard work, guys working extra hard, watching film and doing whatever it takes. To win this game was very gratifying."

The Eagles (5-3) are 12-0 after a bye since Andy Reid became coach in 1999. They hadn't beaten Manning in three previous tries.

While Philadelphia rested last week, the Colts (5-3) had to make a quick turnaround after beating Houston on Monday night. It certainly seemed the Eagles were the fresher team, especially early.

"They got off to a great start against us," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "You got to give them credit. They hung in there and really did a nice job."

The depleted Colts lost wide receiver Austin Collie to a concussion after a hard -- and illegal -- hit by Kurt Coleman forced him to leave on a stretcher in the second quarter.

Collie lay on the ground for several minutes as the crowd fell silent. Soon afterward, the announcement came he had movement and was alert.

"I think he'll recover quickly," Caldwell said.

Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson had 109 yards receiving and one touchdown in his first game back after a vicious hit gave him a concussion on Oct. 17.

Playing his first game since injured rib cartilage forced him out on Oct. 3, Vick picked up where he left off when he was NFC offensive player of the month in September. He completed 17 of 29 passes, and scrambled for some key first downs.

"We knew we had to keep Peyton off the field," Vick said.

Manning threw for 294 yards, one TD and two interceptions. The four-time NFL MVP wasn't his usual self, misfiring on several passes.

"They have good players, good cover guys," Manning said. "Everything was contested. We had a tough time finding a rhythm in the second half."

Indy played without cornerback Jerraud Powers, running backs Joseph Addai and Mike Hart, tight ends Dallas Clark and Brody Eldridge and wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

The Eagles went ahead 19-17 when David Akers kicked his fourth straight field goal midway through the third quarter.

On their next possession, a holding penalty on Winston Justice negated a 56-yard TD pass from Vick to Brent Celek. While Celek ran down the sideline, Indy's Robert Mathis stood at the spot where he was held and kept waving everyone back.

But Vick kept the drive going with a 22-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin on second-and-26, and a 32-yard run on the next play. A few plays later, Vick sneaked in from the 1 to give Philadelphia a 26-17 lead.

The Colts cut it to 26-24 on Javarris James' 1-yard TD run with 1:50 left. The Eagles appeared to have thwarted Indy's drive when Manning got sacked and fumbled on fourth-and-18, but a penalty on Trent Cole for slapping Manning in the helmet as he reached for the ball gave the Colts a first down.

With three timeouts left, the Colts didn't try an onside kick. Jackson ran for 11 and 6 yards on consecutive end-arounds, but the Eagles punted it away.

Manning got the ball at Indy's 26 with no timeouts left and 40 seconds remaining. But Asante Samuel made his second interception to ice it.

LeSean McCoy ran for 95 yards for the Eagles, who hadn't beaten the Colts since Bubby Brister led them to a win in 1993.

The Eagles scored on their first four possessions, but settled for three field goals after failing to convert inside the 10 three times.

That allowed the Colts to take a 17-16 halftime lead. Down 13-0, Manning led Indianapolis on a long drive, capping it off with a 3-yard TD toss to Jacob Tamme.

Vick made two big plays on third down during the following drive that resulted in Akers' 31-yarder. Vick ran 24 yards on third-and-9, and hit Jason Avant for a 34-yard gain to the Colts 6 on third-and-7.

Vick had said he would play more cautiously, but he didn't shy away from hits on many of his scrambles.

"It's going to be tough to hold him back," Reid said. "He did run out of bounds once. I was fired up about that."

Collie got hurt on the Colts' next drive. Unnecessary roughness was called on Quintin Mikell on the play but should've been on Coleman because he delivered the hit to Collie's helmet.

Manning threw a 33-yard pass to Blair White on the next play and a facemask call on Mikell put the ball at the 6. James ran in from the 6 to cut it to 16-14.

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After Philadelphia went three-and-out the Colts went ahead on Adam Vinatieri's 37-yard field goal before the half.

The Eagles scored a touchdown on their opening possession for the fourth time in eight games. McCoy broke loose for a 62-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. Vick tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jackson.

The Eagles quickly got the ball back when Manning badly overthrew his target and Samuel made an easy interception. Samuel returned it 33 yards to the Colts 9, but Philadelphia settled for a 22-yarder to make it 10-0.

Notes: Since 2000, the Eagles are 36-9 when scoring a TD on their opening drive. ... Eagles RG Max Jean-Gilles left with a concussion in the first half. Rookie FS Nate Allen has a neck strain. ... The Colts averaged 42 points per game in Manning's three wins against Philadelphia.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Holmes returns to Jets practice, 'ready to get season started'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Santonio Holmes arrived at the New York Jets' facility before the sun even rose, eager to start his day.

After four weeks of no practice while serving an NFL-mandated suspension, the wide receiver was downright antsy to be on the field again Wednesday. Even if it was only 6 a.m.

"I was a little upbeat this morning," Holmes said. "I was up early, walking the dog, got myself situated, driving to practice ready to go. I sat in meetings at attention. Everything was a little bit different."

Holmes, whom the Jets acquired in April from the Pittsburgh Steelers, is expected to make his regular-season debut in Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was forced to sit the first four regular-season games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

"I'm ready to get the season started for myself," he said.

Although he hadn't practiced since camp ended, Holmes was able to attend meetings during his suspension. He used the rest of the time to stay in shape -- not to reflect on what he had done to put him in that situation.

"To look in your eyes and be honest with you, not 1 percent," Holmes said. "I've been the same person since I stepped foot in the NFL. I'll continue being the same person until I leave. I didn't have anything to think about. Everything was already done in the process. It's time to play football now."

Holmes, a former Super Bowl MVP, came to the Jets with some off-the-field issues other than the suspension. He was arrested in 2008 for possession of marijuana and involved in a domestic-violence incident in 2006; the misdemeanor charges were later dismissed.

Holmes said those incidents had no impact on his performance on the field.

"I made it to the Super Bowl and won it, didn't I?" Holmes said. "That's all I had to do with myself. I didn't have anything to think about. I'm a football player. What happens off the field happens off the field. It doesn't affect anything I do or what I'm capable of doing."

Holmes joins a Jets offense that has been solid through four games, with Mark Sanchez throwing eight touchdown passes with no interceptions.

"I think he's going to be a huge thing for us," Jets coach Rex Ryan said of Holmes. "He looks like he hasn't missed a beat. He looked good."

Not that being away was easy for the receiver.

"It's a totally different mindset," Holmes said. "You can't be in the same mindset as a player. It's tough, you know, being an outcast."

Holmes was welcomed by his teammates and coaches whenever he was at the facility, when he wasn't working out in Florida four hours per day. Holmes still needed to think of himself as someone who wasn't a true part of the team.

"It's a mindset that I had to use," Holmes said, "that I'm not playing, can't think like I'm on the field yet. Go to meetings, learn and keep moving."

Holmes isn't concerned where he'll be used on the field. He's just happy to be back, as are his teammates.

"He's just somebody who has big-play potential," Sanchez said. "He catches an underneath route and has the ability to run by people. He'll be perfect for our group."

Once Holmes returned to the field, it didn't take him long to feel comfortable.

"It's football," he said. "I've been doing this since I was 7 years old. It's not like I became a professional football player yesterday or five years ago. I've been playing ball since I was a kid. I've learned the ins and outs, the ups and downs of the game. The media, the different aspects, whatever it is, I'm on top of everything."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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