Ochocinco receives warm reception, right at home as No. 85

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It looks like Chad Ochocinco won't have to change his name again.

That was the colorful wide receiver wearing his usual number 85 at practice for the New England Patriots on Friday, one day after being traded by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Warren among New England's cuts

Ochocinco, a reference to the Spanish words for the numbers 8 and 5, legally changed his name from Johnson before the 2008 season. On Friday, he had the number worn last year by rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez, who hasn't practiced following hip surgery in February. Hernandez was on the field wearing shorts with the number 81.

Fans cheered when Ochocinco took the field for the afternoon session. Tom Brady connected on passes to him. Teammates went over play charts with him.

"I've watched him for a long time," Brady said. "He brings a lot of energy to the team."

The verbose Ochocinco didn't speak with reporters, although the Patriots officially announced the trade for undisclosed draft considerations on Friday. They also announced the trade for Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Haynesworth needed 10 days to pass the conditioning test with the Redskins before last year's training camp. Haynesworth passed his Patriots physical on the first day, according to the team.

"They're at different stages" of completing the work needed to get on the field, coach Bill Belichick said before the morning walkthrough. "One player has some things and another player has other things."

Ochocinco joins Wes Welker and Deion Branch in a strong, experienced receiver corps.

"He's been a very prolific receiver. I think he's had a bunch of production over the years," Brady said. "Hopefully, he can come in here and find a role on this team, as we're all trying to do."

During the walkthrough, a serious-looking Ochocinco spent considerable time talking with Brady and Branch as teammates ran through plays.

"I know he's excited," Brady said. "He's excited to be out here and I think he's excited to be a part of a new team.

"Everyone's really searching for a role for themselves. We're all trying to establish a role for ourselves, Chad, myself, Wes, Deion and all of us are trying to figure out what we can do to help this team win."

Brady had surgery in January for a stress fracture in his right foot but participated in three days of voluntary workouts with teammates at Boston College during the 4½-month lockout.

"I feel really good," he said. "I feel about as good as I can feel."

Brady was one of the plaintiffs in the players' lawsuit against the NFL lockout. That suit was dismissed as part of the settlement on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

"I think that I'm just glad that we're back here playing. I haven't thought too much about 'ah, it's over,' " he said of the lockout. "It feels like football season to me. It feels like training camp to me. And it feels like we have a lot of work to do."

So does Belichick. He has to run practices while assembling a roster.

On Friday he released six veterans and one rookie free agent. They were defensive end Ty Warren, offensive tackle Nick Kaczur, tight end Alge Crumpler, linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, defensive lineman Marcus Stroud, cornerback Tony Carter and rookie free agent linebacker Ryan Coulson of Nevada.

Warren, a starter for six seasons, and Kaczur, a regular for five seasons, spent all last year on injured reserve. Those two plus Crumpler each carried salary cap numbers of at least $3 million.

The Patriots also signed two draft choices -- quarterback Ryan Mallett of Arkansas, a third-rounder, and offensive lineman Marcus Cannon of TCU, a fifth-rounder.

Haynesworth can be a dominant player but feuded all last season with Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. And he's had a number of legal troubles.

"Everyone starts at a clean slate" when they join the Patriots, Brady said. "You put the team first and come out here and do your job. So I don't think we say, 'aw, man, because you did this 12 years ago, I think I should have an opinion of you.' I think you develop relationships with players and I think they develop relationships with you, and you see as you go."

Brady last played against Haynesworth in a preseason game before the 2009 season and suffered what the Patriots called a sore shoulder after being crushed to the turf by the 335-pound tackle late in the first half.

He missed the rest of the game, but played all 16 regular-season games.

"I saw him this morning and I said, 'I still haven't forgiven you for that,' " Brady said. "He said, 'God, I've got a lot of friends up here,' and they've all given him a lot of grief over the years."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Bucs rookie Bowers denies right knee injury is degenerative

Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-round draft pick Da'Quan Bowers knows that only his play on the field will silence questions about his surgically repaired right knee, but he insists he's ready to compete.

"My knee is great," the defensive end told WDAE-AM on Friday. "It's back to where I needed it to be. You know, It's back to playing shape. You know, I've been rehabbing and working out all throughout the whole summer, even through the lockout. The knee is fine. I'm running, cutting, jumping. Everything's a full go."

Asked if the knee injury was degenerative, as some reports have suggested, Bowers said, "That's not the case," adding that renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews "has seen much worse knees than mine that went on to have great careers in the NFL."

Bowers has skipped two player-only workouts organized by Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman -- and he failed to attend June's NFL Players Association-run rookie symposium -- but the former Clemson defensive terror says he skipped out to prepare his body for the season ahead.

"I didn't want to miss rehab and training," Bowers explained. "You know, I thought that this was a crucial point coming that the lockout may end in the next couple weeks. I didn't want to put myself behind in the great rehab program I have going for myself, so I decided to skip the symposium and the minicamp.

"I didn't want to miss any rehab time or anything that would slow me down from, you know, being where I needed to be come camp time."

Bowers is motivated to put the injury chatter behind him, and he predicts heady days in Tampa Bay's future.

"Get (the) popcorn ready," he said. "It's gonna be a long ride to the Super Bowl."

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Elway: Orton, not Tebow, is Broncos' starting QB right now

If the Denver Broncos had to pick a starting quarterback today, it would be veteran Kyle Orton, not youngster Tim Tebow, team executive John Elway said Wednesday on NFL Network.

"Kyle is still the starting quarterback," said Elway, a Hall of Fame quarterback who's now the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations.

Orton passed for 3,653 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions and completed 58.8 percent of his throws in 12 starts this season as the Broncos finished 4-12.

Tebow, a first-round draft pick out of Florida in 2010, generated some excitement while starting in the Broncos' final four games. He passed for 654 yards and five touchdowns on the season, but he also rushed for 227 yards and six scores.

"Tim is a very good football player," Elway said. "He's not a very good quarterback yet. We can make him a great quarterback. He's a young guy.

"When you look back a year ago when they drafted him ... he has all (the intangibles). Now we have to get him experience and get him the work to improve him as a quarterback."

Elway, no stranger to Super Bowls after having played in five of them, emphasized that new coach John Fox and his staff have plenty of evaluation to do at quarterback and every other position this offseason.

"Now that John and his staff are in place, they're going to have to come in and draw their own conclusions," Elway said.

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Goodell focused on Favre probe meeting 'the right conclusion'

MINNEAPOLIS -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he's still "following up" on some of the information in the Brett Favre investigation to make sure it's thorough and reaches "the right conclusion."

Goodell met with Favre briefly during his visit to Minnesota for Monday's Bears-Vikings game at snowy TCF Bank Stadium. Goodell did not elaborate on the nature of the work he has left to do on the investigation, nor would he be specific when asked when he will declare his decision.

"I'm not going to put a timetable on it, other than I did say I hope it'll be by the end of the regular season," Goodell said.

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He added: "We want to be as thorough and serious about it and reach the right conclusion."

Favre said he had a "brief conversation" with Goodell before the game, but the quarterback declined to elaborate on the discussion.

"I wouldn't call that an investigation or anything like that," Favre said.

Favre allegedly sent inappropriate messages and lewd photos to former New York Jets employee Jenn Sterger two years ago when they were both with the team. The allegations against the 41-year-old quarterback surfaced months ago on the website Deadspin.

Favre, who was declared out for the game when the Vikings issued their injury report on Saturday, was upgraded to questionable on Monday and started despite a sprained throwing shoulder that kept him out the week before and ended his NFL-record streak of 297 straight regular-season games started.

His return didn't last long. Bears defensive end Corey Wootton slammed Minnesota's quarterback to the ground in the second quarter, and Favre watched the rest of a 40-14 loss from the bench.

Favre has said several times this year that this will be his last season, and only two games remain.

Goodell requested a meeting earlier in the day with Minnesota Gov.-elect Mark Dayton regarding the team's drive for a new stadium. The Vikings had been lobbying for a new place to play for more than a decade before the Metrodome's roof collapsed under the weight of last weekend's blizzard.

Goodell also met with business leaders, union leaders and state legislators. He said he will help however he can.

"I think there's a recognition that we need to find a long-term solution for the Vikings here, get a new stadium built, and we're all going to work together," commissioner said.

Dayton said before the meeting that Goodell will have a "crucial" role in the process.

"If it's a good deal for the people of Minnesota, I'll support it," Dayton said. "If the financial benefits of 8,000 construction jobs, the taxes they pay, the additional revenues from contractors, subcontractors, all of the financial gains to the state of Minnesota exceed the costs, then it's a good deal for the people of Minnesota."

Two separate groups in Los Angeles are aiming to build stadiums there. The Vikings have a lease at the Metrodome through next season. But Goodell said he "certainly" hopes the franchise would not be relocated.

"Our focus is entirely on making sure they're successful here in this market," Goodell said.

Goodell stopped by the Metrodome to see the damage and called it "quite startling." Because the focus has been on getting the stadium at the University of Minnesota ready, Goodell said, it was too early to assess the Metrodome's status for next season.

Players from both the Bears and the Vikings voiced worry this week about the safety of the turf at TCF Bank Stadium, the University of Minnesota's home field, but Goodell said experts have signed off on the condition and expressed no concern about it.

"We have great respect for the players," Goodell said. "They're a part of developing these rules and focusing on the techniques that we think should be eliminated from the game. We'll continue to make sure that the rules are enforced to make the game as safe as possible."

Goodell also addressed the status of the league's labor talks with the players' union, given the lack of a collective bargaining agreement in place for next season.

"We're not as close as I'd like to be. We have a lot more work to be done," Goodell said. "We have time to get it done, but it's going to need a very concerted effort to get that done."

For more NFL labor news, visit http://NFLLabor.com

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Vikings' Peterson tweaks right ankle in win over Redskins

LANDOVER, Md. -- All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson injured his right ankle during the first half of the Minnesota Vikings' 17-13 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday and didn't return.

Peterson said his ankle "got rolled up" when he was tackled on a 1-yard carry late in the second quarter. Neither Peterson nor Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier would speculate on the running back's prospects for next week's game against the Buffalo Bills.

"We'll know a little more about Adrian tomorrow," Frazier said, "after they do whatever examinations they have to."

The Vikings initially said Peterson was probable to return to the game, then downgraded him to questionable. He had his ankle taped, then stood on the sideline testing it, stepping gingerly at times and attempting short sprints.

"It started to throb a little bit," Peterson said. "I was trying to keep it loose, jogging, but it really didn't help out."

Peterson went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season for the fourth time in his four-year NFL career before he was hurt. He finished the game with six carries for 36 yards, including a 5-run touchdown run on Minnesota's opening drive.

With Peterson out, rookie Toby Gerhart carried the load for the Vikings, rushing for 76 yards on 22 carries. The second-round draft pick had just 86 yards for the season entering the game.

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"Toby Gerhart, man, take my hat off to him and our offensive line, just understanding our situation," Frazier said. "We came in at halftime, we had an idea that Adrian might not be able to go in the second half, and we wanted to emphasize that it wouldn't change our game plan. We were going to trust our offensive line to do what we talked about all week long, and they didn't flinch."

Vikings defensive lineman Ray Edwards left the game in the first half with a left leg injury. He also will be evaluated Monday.

Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers injured his left hamstring during the second half. An injury to Rogers' right hamstring kept him out of the previous week's overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Del Rio still looking for right formula to rebuild Jags' defense

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars' defensive collapse happened quickly and with little warning.

There might have been some signs, like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's near-perfect performance against the Jaguars in January 2008. But no one predicted that coach Jack Del Rio's defense would fall so far so fast.

The Jaguars had one of the NFL's most consistent defenses between 2004 and 2007, stuffing running backs, harassing quarterbacks and holding opponents to 17 points or less in 36 of 64 games.

It was what Del Rio believed in, what he wanted, even what he demanded.

It just didn't last. With the Jaguars (4-4) heading into a bye week off a lopsided victory at Dallas, Del Rio reflected on his once-stout defense -- the unit that currently ranks 30th in the NFL and the one he's trying so desperately to turn around this season. He took blame for overrating personnel and missing badly on free agents and draft picks, and he vowed to return the defense to where it was a few years ago.

"Defensively, when we got here in '03, a lot of work went into establishing a mentality and a mindset of how we're going to do things," Del Rio said. "And our guys embraced it. We played some really stout defense for a number of years."

Del Rio mixed oversized tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson, speedy linebacker Mike Peterson and hard-hitting safety Donovin Darius with second-year linebacker Daryl Smith and third-year cornerback Rashean Mathis. It was a recipe for success.

Jacksonville might not have been the 1985 Chicago Bears or the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, but it wasn't too far off. The Jaguars ranked in the top 10 in nearly every defensive category between 2004 and 2007, establishing the benchmark for Del Rio's tenure.

The defense carried the franchise to the playoffs in 2005 and 2007, but that last postseason run was where things started to turn.

Brady completed 26 of 28 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns in an AFC divisional game, taking advantage of a mostly nonexistent pass rush and picking apart Jacksonville's secondary.

In the aftermath of the 31-20 loss, Del Rio and then-personnel chief James "Shack" Harris decided to trade Stroud for two draft picks. They took those picks, packaged them with some of their own and moved up in the first and second rounds to select Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey and Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves.

It turned out to be Del Rio's worst move since putting a sharp ax and a tree stump in the middle of the locker room.

Harvey has six sacks in 40 career games and was finally benched last week. Groves was even less productive and was traded to Oakland in April.

Del Rio justified trading so many picks for two rookies by saying few draft choices would have made the roster.

"We probably underrated the number of players we had that were getting up in their years, that weren't going to continue playing for a long time," Del Rio said Wednesday. "I would say that's absolutely something we have to admit looking back, that to package that many picks and try and move, thinking you're that close, that's really not the sound way to do things.

"I think we gave into some of those thoughts, some of those feelings. To acknowledge that is just being honest."

Making matters worse, the Jaguars gave cornerback Drayton Florence about $12 million guaranteed in free agency -- to be a backup -- and whiffed on safety Reggie Nelson (first round, 2007) and linebacker Clint Ingram (third round, 2006).

Throw in fourth-rounder Brian Smith (2007) and fifth-rounders Chris Thompson (2004), Brent Hawkins (2006), Josh Gattis (2007), Derek Landri (2007), Thomas Williams (2008) and Trae Williams (2008), and the Jaguars had more late-round defensive flops than finds.

"You never know how it's going to turn out," Mathis said. "You can go get a young guy in the draft or bring a guy here in free agency. We missed on both, in free agency and the draft. When you do that, it's going to take you a while to come back around."

The Jaguars overhauled their defense in 2009, then tweaked it again this offseason after finishing with a franchise-low 14 sacks.

With newcomers at nearly every position, the Jaguars have given up at least 26 points in eight games and are on pace to set franchise records in touchdowns, points and yards allowed. Nonetheless, Del Rio believes the defense is on the verge of playing better, just not quite ready to be like it was before.

"We have a good group of guys," he said. "We have an energetic group of coaches that are teachers, we have a group of guys that are willing to learn and they're unselfish. I like the way that were working at it, and I do feel that we will play much improved defense down the stretch here."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Stafford re-injures right shoulder in overtime loss to Jets

DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford's return to the lineup lasted less than two games.

The Detroit quarterback hurt his right shoulder again late in his team's 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

With the Lions leading 20-10, Stafford was tackled trying to scramble deep in his own territory and landed on the shoulder. He separated the same shoulder in the season opener and missed the next five games, not returning until last week's win over Washington.

It's not clear how serious this latest injury is.

"He's very sore," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We took enough time with it that we thought that, any re-injury would be a new injury. We'll see where he is with that."

Stafford, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft, headed to the sideline with 5:19 to play Sunday and was replaced by Drew Stanton. Stafford threw for two touchdowns and ran for one before hurting himself.

"That was a tough situation because he had green grass in front of him and had his chance to break out of there and run," Schwartz said. "But some of those plays we just need to throw it away. We didn't want to throw incomplete passes in those situations. He ran it."

Backup Shaun Hill has been recovering from a broken arm suffered three weeks ago against the New York Giants, which is why Stanton was pressed into service as the game slipped away.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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NFL head official: Miami fumble call right, Vikings non-TD not

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