Merriman brings 'Lights Out' attitude to slumping Bills defense

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Shawne Merriman is hoping for a fresh start in Buffalo. The Bills want to plug their porous defense. The two hope it's a perfect match.

Three days after the Bills claimed the 2005 first-round draft pick off waivers from the San Diego Chargers, the once-feared pass rusher expressed his readiness to turn the page and resurrect a promising career that had turned sour.

"They have high expectations for me to come in and make some things happen, and I'm going to do that," Merriman said Saturday before he and the rest of his new team departed for Toronto for their game Sunday against the Chicago Bears (4-3). "I've been working out, and I'm just ready to get on the field as soon as possible. Whatever they need me to do, I'm here to work and kind of be a piece of the puzzle."

Merriman was waived three weeks after he was placed on injured reserve because of a calf injury. The injury was designated as minor, meaning he was to be released once the Chargers deemed him healthy.

"I had a great six years out in San Diego and have a bunch of teammates that will be lifelong friends," Merriman said. "They made a decision, and it happens. Whether someone thinks that you can play or not, if the team decides to move in a different direction, they do that. For me, I'm more excited to get here and be in a position that I am right now, and contribute to a team that really needs me to go out and play. I plan on doing that."

Merriman passed his physicals, declared himself healthy and will begin practicing Monday. Whether or not he makes his Buffalo debut next Sunday when the Bills (0-7) host the Detroit Lions remains to be seen.

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"The faster I learn, the faster I get on the field," he said.

The Bills added Merriman in a bid to improve a defense that had struggled mightily this season. The three-time Pro Bowl linebacker joins a unit that ranks last in the NFL against the run, allowing nearly 189 yards per game. Buffalo's pass rush isn't much better, registering just 11 sacks, fifth-fewest in the league.

"You see the guys and the talent on the field, and you wonder how is this team 0-7? This doesn't look like an 0-7 team," Merriman said. "A lot of the things they have going on defensively are things that I'm accustomed to doing."

Nicknamed "Lights Out" for his aggressive and hard-hitting style, Merriman has 43.5 sacks in his 60-game career. His recent drop-off has been largely due to nagging injuries, including reconstructive knee surgery that forced him to miss most of the 2008 season.

This year, Merriman was slowed by an Achilles' tendon injury, then the calf injury. He sat out most of the Chargers' offseason workouts and part of training camp to protest his contract status.

Merriman was suspended four games in 2006 after testing positive for steroids. He blamed the positive test on a tainted supplement, which he never identified.

Merriman also brought unwanted attention off the field after being arrested just before the 2009 season when reality television star Tila Tequila accused him of battery and false imprisonment at his suburban San Diego home. No charges were filed, and Merriman and Tequila settled dueling lawsuits.

All that, though, is in the past, according to the 26-year-old.

"I'm more than happy to be in the position that I am to be going forward with these guys, and as being a Buffalo Bill," he said. "Bottom line, I love playing football."

The Bills hope they'll love Merriman just as much.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Best place for Moss? Titans believe its Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans don't believe like they took a chance claiming Randy Moss off the waiver wire.

They think they got lucky and hit the lottery.

The Titans are confident the move will translate into wins -- maybe even the missing piece that could deliver owner Bud Adams and coach Jeff Fisher their first Super Bowl.

Fisher, the NFL's longest-tenured coach, is known as a player's coach who holds his guys accountable. The Titans (5-3) are winning with a strong locker room hungry for the franchise's first postseason win since January 2004, which should keep Moss focused for their eight-game playoff push.

All reasons why, although no one else in the NFL wanted the 13-year veteran, the Titans think Moss now is on the right team at the right time.

"This is a great opportunity for him," Fisher said. "It's a fresh start. We've got a great locker room. They'll accept him. I'm confident he'll accept his new teammates as well."

Fisher himself is the biggest reason this can work.

He has dealt with egos -- Adam "Pacman" Jones and Albert Haynesworth and running back LenDale White -- coaxing out big punt returns, interceptions, sacks and touchdowns before those players wore out their welcome in Tennessee. The Titans eventually traded away Jones and White and let Haynesworth walk via free agency.

Now in his 16th full season, Fisher has enough clout to make personnel decisions as he sees fit. Fisher is a former player with a good feel for when to practice longer or turn a session into a walkthrough, and his players notice.

Not that the Titans are expecting any issues.

They did their homework on Moss, including a conversation with backup quarterback Kerry Collins. Moss and Collins were teammates for a year in Oakland, and Collins calls him a great teammate. Fisher also talked to Moss and said the receiver is excited to come to Tennessee.

"We think that he can help us, and I'm looking forward to seeing him run under those deep balls," Fisher said.

That's where Moss fits best.

He gives offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger the best option he's had to throw downfield. The Titans have been trying to do just that the past few weeks, attempting to stretch the field for running back Chris Johnson. Kenny Britt had 225 yards receiving Oct. 25, the best day in the NFL this year, and Nate Washington had a career-best 113 yards in last week's 33-25 loss to San Diego.

Vince Young is the NFL's top-rated passer at 103.1 for the first time in his career, although the Titans rank 24th with 187.6 yards passing per game. Moss is expected to change that.

"He should be a difference-maker for the offense and other individual players on our offense," Heimerdinger said.

The biggest benefactor could be Johnson.

He is the NFL's third-best rusher with 721 yards, but defenses stack the line against him. And although the Titans are the NFL's second-highest scoring team (28 points per game), with Britt out a minimum of two weeks with a strained right hamstring, things were bound to get tougher for Johnson.

"I know for a fact they can't put all those guys in the box with that guy out there," Johnson said Thursday in quotes shared by the team after a closed practice.

Johnson isn't the only player excited about the arrival of Moss and his 153 career touchdowns.

The Titans missed the playoffs last year and lost in their previous two postseason appearances, and they are a half-game behind Indianapolis (5-2) in the AFC South at their bye with five divisional games to play down the stretch.

They expect Moss to be ready to work when they return to practice Tuesday after their bye week.

"We need to make sure we are here to play, we are here to win, and that is what it is all about," linebacker Will Witherspoon. "I think coach Fisher said it himself: Anytime you have a chance to improve the roster, you need to try to make that move if you can. I think they had the opportunity and took full advantage of it."

Although the man with the West Virginia drawl can be moody, snarling at reporters or responding with candor and wit, past teammates have nothing but good things to say about the 6-foot-4 receiver.

Even if Moss didn't give 100 percent, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre said he was dangerous.

"So, did he hustle on every play? I don't know if Randy has ever hustled on every play. That's just Randy," Favre said. "But he knows what his value is. He figures, 'Heck, two guys follow me everywhere I go.' ... They may watch and say, 'He's jogging, jogging, jogging.' Boom! Seventy-yard touchdown."

Vikings receiver Greg Camarillo credited Moss with making him better. Adrian Peterson tweeted he knew Johnson was excited and that he enjoyed his time with Moss. Tom Brady still calls Moss a "great friend."

Saints fullback Heath Evans said Moss had young receivers in the weight room at 6 a.m., bugging coaches to open the doors early so he could start work.

"As an old teammate, any time I hear negative news about him it angers me, because I know the guy," Evans said. "Listen, he's the type of guy you want on your team on Sundays."

That's the Moss the Titans believe they've got.

Tennessee tight end Bo Scaife said, "Thank you, Jesus," once they landed the veteran.

"I hope he's mad at those other teams passing him up, and he comes in and gives us the best eight games of his career," Scaife said.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Packers guard Colledge could sit out vs. Cowboys with stiff back

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Continuity has been a key to the Packers offensive line's success this season.

But an important member of that line might miss Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Starting left guard Daryn Colledge has a stiff lower back, which could mean a rare change on Green Bay's line.

Colledge returned to practice on a full-time basis Friday after being out one day and believes he can play, but he said the decision is up to the Packers' medical staff and coach Mike McCarthy.

"I always feel like I can be out there and make it," Colledge said. "But they're not going to go off of a player's decision. Emotionally, I want to be there for my guys, and I want to be able to play, but for them, it's a real decision to make, and they've got to make that."

The Packers listed Colledge as probable for the game, but he split practice reps with backup Jason Spitz on Friday and isn't sure if his playing streak will continue.

"Spitz had more practice time this week and practiced well," Colledge said. "If they feel he's more prepared and physically ready for the game, then they'll make that decision. If they believe I'm ready to go, then I'll ride it till the wheels fall off."

Colledge has played in 75 consecutive games since his rookie season in 2006. The streak was in jeopardy earlier this season when Colledge suffered a knee injury during a collision with nose tackle B.J. Raji on the practice field. Colledge missed one day of practice, but he made a quick recovery and started in the Packers' 20-17 loss to the Chicago Bears.

"That's a tribute to him and the way he prepares and the way he takes care of his body," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Friday. "It's also just a lot about his mental toughness. He doesn't let little injuries affect him."

McCarthy said a determination on Colledge's playing status won't be made until Saturday.

"I think anytime you have an injury and a player comes off of not practicing and then practicing, it's really the next day is the true indication," McCarthy said. "Knowing Daryn's history, I anticipate that he will go."

The Packers have made only one change to the starting five on their offensive line with the season halfway complete. That happened after four games, when Bryan Bulaga, this year's first-round draft pick, took over at right tackle for veteran Mark Tauscher, who suffered a shoulder sprain and isn't fully recovered.

Rodgers has been sacked 16 times through eight games. At the same point last season, Rodgers had been sacked 37 times as the Packers were preparing to start a sixth different offensive line in their ninth game, also against the Cowboys.

"I think the biggest difference between this year and last year is we haven't had to move guys around too much, we're able to keep guys in the same spots," Rodgers said.

Notes: Rodgers (ankle), LB Clay Matthews (shin), DE Cullen Jenkins (calf) and LT Chad Clifton (hamstring/knee) also are probable to play Sunday, the Packers' last game before their bye week. Rodgers was a full participant in practice every day after he twisted his left ankle late during the shutout win over the New York Jets on Sunday. The team played it safe with Matthews, who has an NFL-high 9.5 sacks, and didn't have him practice much this week. "He'll be ready to go Sunday," McCarthy said. ... DE Ryan Pickett (ankle) is questionable, but he felt optimistic after going through all portions of Friday's practice that he will be able to play after missing the last game. ... McCarthy said rookie TE Andrew Quarless (shoulder) had a setback after trying to practice Thursday, and the team listed him as questionable. If Quarless can't play, the Packers will be down to Donald Lee and Tom Crabtree at tight end.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Eagles WR Jackson 'ready to roll' vs. Colts, coach says

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Banged-up Cowboys starters ready to go vs. Packers

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Chargers TE Gates holding out hope that he'll play vs. Texans

Logic dictates that Antonio Gates finally will miss an NFL game for the first time when his San Diego Chargers meet the Houston Texans on Sunday.

The All-Pro tight end is listed as doubtful on the Chargers' injury report. No player with that designation has played in a game for San Diego this season.

But Gates isn't ready to rule himself out just yet.

"I know it sounds like a tape recorder," Gates told The San Diego Union-Tribune on Friday. "We just have to wait to see how I feel."

The Union-Tribune reported Saturday that Gates was "walking pretty good" as the Chargers prepared for their scheduled walkthrough.

Gates has never missed a game in eight NFL seasons, but injuries to his feet and ankle have put his status in doubt as the Chargers prepare for a key AFC game in Houston. Gates sprained the plantar fascia in his right foot during last weekend's 33-25 victory over the visiting Tennessee Titans. He previously had been playing through turf toe and a sprained ankle.

Gates' status was a game-time decision in Week 7 against the New England Patriots, but he eventually suited up and caught a touchdown pass. Last Sunday, he dominated the Titans, hauling in five passes for 123 yards and the go-ahead TD.

Gates leads the NFL with nine TD receptions this season. He has 40 catches for 663 yards, both team highs.

Gates was in so much pain Monday that a team trainer drove him on a cart to his car. He acknowleged that if he does play against the Texans, he won't know for sure until shortly before kickoff.

"Sunday morning may be an understatement this time," Gates told the Union-Tribune. "It might be an hour before the game now (although a decision must be made 90 minutes before kickoff). I know it's going to be tougher (to make a decision) than it was last week."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Seahawks turn to Whitehurst at QB after Hasselbeck ruled out

RENTON, Wash. -- If the New York Giants are going to add to their knockout list of quarterbacks, it won't be Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck, the Seahawks' starting QB, is out for Sunday's game against New York with a concussion, with Seattle coach Pete Carroll announcing Thursday that Hasselbeck had not been cleared to play. Charlie Whitehurst will make the first start of his career.

"I think it's a little more serious than I thought. I visited with Matt after the game and stuff and I didn't realize there was anything going on. Not till Monday did we really ... there were some symptoms and stuff like that and then we took it very seriously," Carroll said. "I'm surprised a little bit, but it's real. That's good for me to understand it better, too."

Carroll said Hasselbeck would still need to be cleared under the league-mandated concussion testing in order to play next week at Arizona.

Hasselbeck suffered his concussion late in last week's 33-3 loss at Oakland. Carroll said Monday and again Wednesday he hoped Hasselbeck would be cleared and able to play against the Giants.

Instead, it'll be Whitehurst, who was brought to Seattle in a trade with San Diego in the offseason, but has never thrown a pass in a regular-season game.

"The circumstances are good," Whitehurst said. "We're playing a good team. Playing at home. It's all you can really ask for. I plan on going out there and executing and helping this team win."

Outside of three snaps in garbage time last week, Whitehurst gets his first opportunity. Whitehurst spent his first four years in San Diego as the third-stringer behind Philip Rivers and Billy Volek.

The Seahawks acquired him in March for a swap of second-round picks in the 2010 draft and an undisclosed 2011 selection.

"He's ready," Carroll said of Whitehurst. "I've talked to Charlie from the first day he got here that he's coming here to play football. Nothing else. He's not coming here to be a backup or to do anything other than to make himself a spot. He has done a fantastic job up until this point. He's done everything that we've asked of him and we're real excited to see him play now."

The Seahawks will face an imposing Giants defense that has knocked out five quarterbacks this season and had 10 sacks against Chicago in Week 4. Seattle's banged-up offensive line allowed eight sacks of Hasselbeck last week in Oakland.

"I've got a lot to worry about. I'm not going to worry about that. I'm confident in the guys up front," Whitehurst said. "They can do their jobs and I know what they've done to quarterbacks this year, but we're confident we're going to go out there and play well."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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