Kolb hopes for extra playing time in Cards' preseason opener

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- After just five practices, Kevin Kolb will lead the Arizona Cardinals into their preseason opener Thursday night at Oakland.

Kolb said he hopes Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt will give him as much playing time as possible as he works to learn a new system and develop chemistry with his teammates.

"Obviously, Ken's been around a lot longer than I have and he makes those calls," Kolb said before Tuesday's final pre-game practice, "but as much time as he'll give us, that's how much time we need because there's a lot of work to be done."

Whisenhunt said he probably will stay with his new quarterback a bit longer than he would under normal circumstances in a preseason opener.

"I just would just like to see him continue to be comfortable with calling and operating the offense," the coach said. "I've seen some good strides as far as handling it in the huddle, but this is a whole new deal now, going out on the field, working the communicator, getting in and out of the huddle, get the plays lined up. I'm sure there's going to be some confusion out there, not necessarily his but other people on the team. You just never know."

Forget game planning for the Raiders. With such a limited time to prepare, Kolb will do well to just oversee the basic offense.

"I guess the biggest thing that I want to see is just how he handles everything," Whisenhunt said. "I'm not too concerned about statistically what he does or a lot of those things. You want to see him do good things, but I think really you obviously want to see how he handles the situation. It will give us a better feel of what we can do, what we can put in, how we can adjust things going forward. That's what this is all about."

Kolb, obtained in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, couldn't practice with the Cardinals until last Thursday after he signed a five-year, $63 million contract with $21 million guaranteed. He said he's a perfectionist and it has been frustrating when he struggles sometimes with the terminology of Arizona's offense.

"It is hard because I put a lot of pressure on myself and I want to be perfect from the word go," he said. "It frustrates me beyond belief whenever I have a tough time spitting out a play. If I stutter through a long-worded play, that frustrates me because that's not my style. But I also understand I'm going into Day 5 here, so I have to calm myself down. But I still want to chase that perfection every day."

Kolb is coming off a mixed performance in the Cardinals' red and white scrimmage, when he made some big plays but threw three interceptions.

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Asked what he learned from that day, Kolb said, "Don't force things."

"We did some great things, and that happens to me sometimes," he said, "You know, I get caught up in trying to make too many plays."

Kolb said the important thing is not to repeat mistakes.

"I know I'm going to make some mistakes. I just want to learn from them," he said. "Just like the scrimmage on Saturday, just like the practice yesterday. All those are sticking in my head, and I'll remember them, and hopefully I won't make those mistakes again. Obviously, we don't want to make a bunch of them.

"I don't know how much playing time we're going to get, but every down, every snap, I'll make sure I'm learning from that experience and putting them in my memory bank for later on."

The Cardinals had Sunday off, but while some of his teammates chose to return to Phoenix, Kolb stayed at camp.

"I said I needed to hang out here and make sure I was catching up on the fast-paced first couple of days there," he said. "I feel good, though, even the next practice yesterday, just spitting it out felt a lot better. And every day's a little bit better."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Rodgers downplays sloppy practice showing by Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Asked about a sloppy showing by the Packers' offense the previous night, Aaron Rodgers channeled his inner Allen Iverson.

"Practice?" the quarterback said Tuesday in a deadpanned tribute to the NBA star's oft-imitated rant. "We're talking about practice? Not talking about the game, talking about practice, right?"

Rodgers acknowledged that Green Bay's offense made too many mistakes Monday night, but he didn't see any sense in dwelling on it.

And Rodgers firmly dismissed the notion that the reigning Super Bowl champions made a mistake by not coming together for informal practice sessions during the lockout, offering only a one-word answer: "No."

Rodgers will be talking about a game -- well, sort of -- instead of practice soon enough, as the Packers open preseason play Saturday at Cleveland after visiting the White House on Friday.

"I'm not sure how much we're going to play," Rodgers said. "Usually it's not a whole lot. Just get that timing back, maybe take a couple hits. Maybe one. And just get back into the swing of things."

Packers coach Mike McCarthy had harsh words for his team Monday night, saying they were "not close to where we need to be as a football team" after a practice filled with mental mistakes, penalties and fumbles by running backs James Starks and Ryan Grant.

McCarthy said at the beginning of camp that he didn't have an issue with the fact that his players didn't organize informal offseason workouts. Several teams did -- including the team the Packers will play in their regular-season opener, the New Orleans Saints.

Given the disjointed nature of the offseason, McCarthy said it might be expected that players across the league would make more mistakes in camp. Still, McCarthy said he's holding his players to the same standard he always does and now needs them to "mentally tighten it down."

Rodgers didn't want to overreact to one sloppy practice, but he did show frustration at mental mistakes by the offense -- something he believed might be the result of players not showing up in shape, although he didn't call his teammates out by name.

"To me, this is a self-motivated league," Rodgers said. "In order to be successful, you have to be willing to put the time in on your own. And part of that is coming into camp in shape. I think you saw last night, we got tired last night and there was a lot of mental mistakes. So we've got to pick up the urgency I think."

Rodgers hasn't been perfect himself, throwing an interception to undrafted rookie Brandian Ross in Saturday's rain-shortened Family Night event.

"It surprised me, too, I don't know what he's doing jumping that route," Rodgers joked. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good in a situation like that."

Rodgers said the defense generally is one step ahead of the offense at this point in camp, as the offense installs some of its more complex concepts.

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"So I'm not overly concerned about a practice like last night," Rodgers said. "I think the thing that you think about is the tempo and urgency. I feel good about where I'm at, I feel like I'm moving well in the pocket, the ball's coming out well. It'll be nice to get back on the field and start running stuff that we're going to run during the season."

Packers safety Nick Collins said the offense and defense try to make practices as competitive as possible -- both to get each other ready for the regular season and break up some of the monotony of camp.

"We feel, as a team, we give each other the best look for our opponents," Collins said. "We kind of make it interesting, have fun, crack little jokes."

An indication of that competitiveness: When an offensive player makes a shoestring catch in practice, defensive players on the sideline immediately yell and point to the ground, lobbying for an incompletion.

"That's just the characters that we have on this team," Collins said. "That's why I feel like we have another special group, and the sky's the limit for us. We've just got to go out and grab it, and at the same time, have fun doing it."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Former Dolphins LB Crowder abruptly announces retirement

MIAMI -- The NFL will be a bit quieter this season: Channing Crowder says he's retiring.

Crowder, one of the league's most notorious trash-talkers, said Tuesday he has decided to call it a career less than two weeks after being cut by the Miami Dolphins. The veteran linebacker made the announcement on WQAM-AM, where he has been a talk-show host.

"I know I can still play football," said Crowder, 27. "But I decided to hang it up. Now I'm not worried about icing my knees anymore or getting stingers or concussions. I did it long enough. I played football since I was 9 years old."

That included six NFL seasons, all in Miami, where Crowder developed a reputation as a jester and motormouth. For that reason, he conceded, his announcement might be met with skepticism.

"I'm not making a comeback," he said. "If somebody tells me I don't have to go through training camp and I can come in Week 1 and play -- but I don't see it."

After being released by the Dolphins, Crowder said, he tried out with the New England Patriots.

"It was just so weird," he said. "I went to their practice facility to work out, and I ran over the red dummies instead of the orange ones. I was so used to Miami, and I loved Miami so much."

Crowder said several other teams also expressed an interest in signing him, but he and his wife are expecting a baby, and he wants to remain in South Florida.

"I don't want to be jumping from team to team," he said. "Financially, we're stable. It's not there. I don't want to go."

Crowder's agent, Joel Segal, said he doesn't anticipate a change of heart for his client.

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"I think Channing has made a permanent decision to retire and pursue a career in broadcasting," Segal said. "He's a passionate guy. He loves football. He loved playing for Dolphins. Once that chapter ended, I think he's ready to move on."

Crowder played at the University of Florida before being drafted by the Dolphins in the third round in 2005. He was a starter for Miami since his rookie season, winning praise for his leadership and toughness while drawing criticism for his failure to make more big plays.

The day after they released Crowder, the Dolphins signed veteran Kevin Burnett as a replacement at inside linebacker.

Last season, Crowder made 33 tackles in 11 games. He missed five games with injuries.

After Crowder was released, Dolphins players said they would miss his yakking, which always kept the locker room loose. He famously feuded with New York Jets coach Rex Ryan.

"A lot of teams we played either hated me or loved me," Crowder said. "You love the stuff I talked, or you hated it because I was talking it to you. But I have friends around the league that enjoyed it. It got me going when I played."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Logistical hurdles cleared, NFL to begin game-day drug testing

NEW YORK -- The NFL is adding game-day testing for performance-enhancing substances -- but not recreational drugs -- this season under the new collective bargaining agreement.

The league's senior vice president of law and labor policy, Adolpho Birch, said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters that tests weren't conducted on past game days "because of logistical issues involved, much more so than any philosophical issues."

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Birch, who oversees the NFL's drug program, added that the league had developed a way to test that "is not overly disruptive to the clubs and that respects the game-day process."

Birch wouldn't say where talks between the NFL and the players' union stand -- or even if they have started -- about details that need to be worked out before the league can introduce random, year-round blood testing for human growth hormone.

The league and union agreed last week that HGH testing can become part of the sport's drug program under the new, 10-year collective bargaining agreement that was ratified by players Thursday. But first, issues such as the appeals process and how tests are taken must be negotiated.

"The key to this testing is the randomness of it, and that every player is subject to and eligible for testing on a year-round basis, with no notice," Birch said.

The only limitation on the number of tests is that a player may be tested a maximum of six times each offseason, from February until the start of training camp.

"I would certainly expect players will be tested in an amount that will be meaningful," Birch said. "But more important, the idea is not so much the number of tests performed, but it is the constant threat of testing that provides the key to deterrence under this particular program."

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Agent: Umenyiora will fly to Atlanta to see specialist

The agent for disgruntled New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora said Tuesday that Umenyiora will travel to Atlanta in the next few days to get a second opinion on his knee, which has kept him from participating in the team's recent practices.

"We won't do anything without conferring with the Giants medical staff first," Tony Agnone told the Star-Ledger. "We're just looking for a way to get him back on the field soon."

Umenyiora's planned trip to Atlanta to see a specialist is the latest chapter in what has been an eventful offseason for the Giants' defensive star. Unhappy with his contract, Umenyiora was initially a holdout as the team opened training camp. The Giants front office gave Agnone permission to seek a trade, but the agent's asking price of a first-round pick, and Umenyiora's desire for a restructured deal, didn't attract any takers. After one missed practice, Umenyiora returned, but has been limited to riding a stationary bike.

Umenyiora missed the entire 2008 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. The same knee has been an issue this summer.

Giants team doctors have already examined Umenyiora, and seem to think he can manage the knee with rest and still participate in practice, according to the New York Post.

A person familiar with Umenyiora’s status told the Star-Ledger he is dealing with a meniscus cartilage issue that could require surgery. The person requested anonymity because the extent of the injury has not been made public.

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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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Denver adds another D-lineman, signing ex-Patriot Warren

The Denver Broncos snatched up defensive tackle Ty Warren on Tuesday, a few days after the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder was released by the New England Patriots.

The Denver Post reported Tuesday night that Warren, 30, agreed to a two-year contract with the Broncos.

According to The Post, Warren also visited the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs before deciding to accept Denver's offer.

Warren missed all of the 2010 season after sustaining a hip injury during the preseason. Before that he was a starter for the Patriots since 2004. He has 20.5 sacks, including a season-high 7.5 in 2006.

Warren will join a revamped Broncos defensive line under first-year Denver coach John Fox. The team also acquired defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, and signed free agent defensive end Derrick Harvey, who previously played with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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