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Buffalo Bills: Less dancing, more running: That's the challenge coach Mike Mularkey issued Willis McGahee this week, prodding his running back to be more decisive.

McGahee's 34 yards Sunday were the fewest in 13 games he's both started and finished. And it marked a big drop-off for a player who has registered eight 100-yard games, including a 117-yard effort in Buffalo's season-opening victory against Houston.

Mularkey addressed the problem almost immediately, singling out McGahee several times this week for being too hesitant.

"There were holes there," Mularkey said following the game. "You cannot go sideways against a fast defense."

Surrounded by a crowd of reporters before practice, McGahee shrugged off Mularkey's comments by saying it's between him and the coach.

"Everybody's got their own opinion," McGahee said. "I'm not going to worry about it. I'm not going to correct my running style or nothing like that. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing."

McGahee did acknowledge he can play better, adding there were times he was hesitant.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich returned to practice Thursday and remained optimistic he would play against the New York Jets.

Leftwich injured his groin last week at Indianapolis and was listed as questionable on the injury report. He missed practice Wednesday, but vowed to be on the field against the Jets.

Leftwich has completed 33 of 60 passes for 450 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions this season. He has been sacked nine times, including a career-high six against the Colts.

Carolina Panthers: Carolina safety Mike Minter returned to practice Thursday and is confident his strained right calf won't prevent him from playing against the Miami Dolphins.

"There's no pain, that's a great sign," said Minter, who has played in 68 consecutive games. "I went full speed and I was able to break on the ball and do things I normally do. So I feel like I will play."

Cornerback Ken Lucas is a different story.

Lucas missed his second straight day of practice with a shoulder injury and said he doesn't know if he will play Sunday in Miami.

"Believe me, I want to be out there," said Lucas, who had a game-high 13 tackles last week against New England. "But sometimes as a player you can put yourself in position where you hurt the team by being out there."

Linebacker Will Witherspoon (knee) and defensive tackle Brentson Buckner (knee) also sat out practice. Witherspoon is questionable for Sunday and Buckner is listed as probable.

Washington Redskins: The Redskins placed defensive tackle Brandon Noble on injured reserve.

Noble, who missed the entire 2003 season after reconstructive surgery on his left knee, underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same knee last week.

The Redskins moved Aki Jones from the practice squad to take Noble's roster spot and signed linebacker Nick McNeil to the practice squad.

Noble returned from the 2003 injury and saw action in all 16 games last season. He made seven starts and registered 38 tackles, including one sack.

The tough-luck sixth-year player had minor surgery on his right knee in April, only to develop a nightmarish infection that required six weeks of energy-sapping antibiotics. Noble tweaked his left knee leading up to the first game of the season.

"He has a bone bruise, plus he has a chip, which we cleaned out. We sat and talked to Brandon a long time. He is super important to us," said Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. "We decided it was probably best for the team and for him, rather than to try and rush him back, to put him in IR."

New Orleans Saints: The NFL set kickoff times for the Saints' remaining seven home games, all but one to be played on Sunday afternoons.

The Saints will play Buffalo on Oct. 2 and Atlanta on Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. ET in the Alamodome in San Antonio. The other Alamodome game will be on Saturday, Dec. 24 at 1 p.m. ET against Detroit.

Games at Baton Rouge, La., will be Oct. 30 vs. Miami and Nov. 6 vs. Chicago, both with 4:05 p.m. Eastern time kickoffs, while games on Dec. 4 against Tampa Bay and Dec. 18 against Carolina will begin at 1 p.m. ET.

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals placed tight end John Bronson on injured reserve, ending his season.

The Cardinals also promoted cornerback Lamont Reid from the practice squad and re-signed wide receiver Carlyle Holiday to the practice squad to take Reid's place.

Bronson, an undrafted rookie from Penn State, made the opening-day roster and played against the New York Giants on Sept. 11. But he hurt his left knee in the game and was inactive Sunday against St. Louis.

Reid, another free-agent rookie from North Carolina State, was released in the final roster trimming Sept. 3, then was signed to the practice squad nine days later.

Tennessee Titans: Immature and potential were the words used to describe Albert Haynesworth when he first entered the NFL. Now disruptive seems to fit best.

Haynesworth is coming off easily his best performance for the Tennessee Titans, when he collapsed the Baltimore Ravens' offensive line over and over, and his teammates finished with six sacks in the 25-10 victory.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Haynesworth's performance was as good as any he's seen from a defensive tackle in a long time.

"Two of those sacks were Albert's even though he didn't actually touch the quarterback. They were generated by his penetration, and his play against the run was exceptional. It started up there," Fisher said.

The challenge for Haynesworth now is to maintain that standard because that's what the Titans have been expecting since taking a gamble and drafting the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Haynesworth with the 15th pick in 2002. Haynesworth, who left for the NFL after his junior season, was taken six slots below his former Tennessee Vols linemate John Henderson because teams shied away from his volatile personality.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press