Judging by Kyle Orton's warm-up session before Sunday's game, the Bears QB appears to have a good chance of playing in Week 11 against the Packers. Orton was tentative moving on his heavily wrapped ankle, but he was clearly fighting through the pain.
Orton is trying to take a leadership role, which is much needed in Chicago because Rex Grossman stumbled again at quarterback during Sunday's loss to the Titans. Based on what I saw, there is a decent chance Orton could try to practice as early as Wednesday or Thursday. If he does, he should be able to start Sunday, although he will have a little less mobility than normal.
Tough Titan: Titans LB Keith Bulluck gave a courageous effort Sunday against the Bears. He said after the victory that a ligament around one of his ribs kept moving -- just about every time he ran or tried to make a hit -- as the game progressed. The result was a lot of pain, but Bulluck managed to fight through it and played a solid game. Coach Jeff Fisher doesn't plan to practice Bulluck much this week in order to save him to for the Week 11 game against the Jaguars.
Corner store: The Saints beat out the Vikings on the waiver claim for former Redskins cornerback Leigh Torrence, who was released to open up a roster spot for DeAngelo Hall. Both teams lost cornerbacks for the season Sunday, when the Saints' Mike McKenzie blew out a knee and the Vikings' Charles Gordon dislocated an ankle. Both corners went on the injured reserve list Monday. The Saints had priority claiming rights over the Vikings because they are 4-5 and the Vikings are 5-4.
Broncos add RB: The Broncos looked at most of the running backs on the street before deciding to sign Alex Haynes. Monday, the Broncos put Ryan Torain -- the third back they've lost for the season -- on the injured reserve list.
Spirited effort: It will be interesting to see how the Raiders rebound from their 17-6 loss to the Panthers. Defensively, the Raiders gave Carolina their best shot; they played hard and played reasonably well. The message sent by the release of DeAngelo Hall apparently motivated the defense. The problem facing the 2-7 Raiders now is trying to do the same in a 1 o'clock ET start in Miami.
John Clayton
