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GARCIA ON SLOW MEND FROM CALF INJURY (11:11 p.m. ET)
Four days of practice haven't been enough to convince Oakland Raiders quarterback Jeff Garcia that he's fully recovered from the calf injury that sidelined him for two weeks.

Garcia is expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against San Francisco but for how long and what he'll be able to do is uncertain.

"I'm still feeling my way and trying to get to the point where I can feel more comfortable and just let it all go," Garcia said Thursday. "I know the system well enough to where I'm reacting on the field but I know I'm not up to the speed I like to be at. Once I get to that point, things will be that much more comfortable for me, that much more natural."

The 39-year-old quarterback took part in Oakland's first two days of training camp when coach Tom Cable had the players go through walkthrough workouts. But when the team donned pads for the first time, Garcia was unable to take part because of a sore left calf muscle.

-- The Associated Press

SANCHEZ STEPS UP AT JETS PRACTICE (8:56 p.m. ET)
Mark Sanchez scrambled behind the line of scrimmage, his eyes locked in on the end zone.

The New York Jets rookie quarterback reared back, zipped a pass into Brad Smith's hands for a touchdown and celebrated as if he'd just won a game. Sanchez did it again on his next pass a few minutes later, capping another solid training camp practice Thursday.

"The last play of the game, you've got to have it, win or lose," coach Rex Ryan said. "He had to scramble on both of them. Found an open guy, showed good vision downfield and then threaded the needle."

Sanchez, competing with Kellen Clemens for the starting job, was having a good practice until kicking it up a notch with his last two tosses. He finished 7 for 14 in 11-on-11 drills, while Clemens was 4 for 7 with two interceptions on the day before the team wraps up camp at SUNY Cortland.

"In all fairness to Kellen, he's been around here a long time and if I'm going to play, I need to earn it," Sanchez said. "That's the right thing to do. I thought that was the right thing for the organization to do. That's what I've done, just competing like crazy to give Coach a reason to put me on the field, and when I get my opportunities, try and make the most of it."

He certainly has done so. Despite a mostly mediocre week that followed a sizzling debut against St. Louis last Friday, Sanchez appears to hold a slight edge over Clemens in the competition.

-- The Associated Press

BEARS BREAK CAMP IN GOOD SPIRITS (8:11 p.m. ET)
The Chicago Bears are headed back to their Halas Hall home after breaking training camp by swapping jerseys and laughing through a light workout.

Linebacker Brian Urlacher and quarterback Jay Cutler had seemed to be at odds when camp started, but wore each other's numbers Thursday as players up and down the roster confused fans by swapping jerseys for the final workout.

Coach Lovie Smith says camp has brought the team together under a new quarterback and helped the passing game get off the ground.

Injuries, though, still plague the preseason. Cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Zack Bowman and safety Danieal Manning will remain out for Saturday's game against the New York Giants.

But running back Matt Forte, defensive tackle Tommie Harris and tight end Greg Olsen are expected to play.

-- The Associated Press

DOLPHINS LB ROTH REMAINS SIDELINED (7:17 p.m. ET)
Miami Dolphins linebacker Matt Roth remains sidelined by a groin injury, and the team is prepared to start the regular season without him, coach Tony Sparano says.

Roth has yet to practice since training camp began Aug. 2.

"You know, 27, 28 practices have gone by," Sparano said Thursday. "Obviously you're hoping on one hand, but from the other standpoint, I have to keep going on. I don't know when this thing's going to get right, so I have to go on like it isn't going to get right at this time, and try to prepare the team accordingly."

Roth, who enjoyed his best season last year, has been limited to individual conditioning drills. Jason Taylor, who rejoined the Dolphins this year after one season in Washington, moved into to Roth's spot on the strong side and has won raves for his play during camp.

Taylor missed Thursday's practices because of a family illness.

Joey Porter returns as the other starting outside linebacker.

-- The Associated Press

LIONS' BULLOCKS PLACED ON INJURED RESERVE (6:10 p.m. ET)
Detroit Lions safety Daniel Bullocks was placed on injured reserve Thursday after he cleared waivers, sidelining him for the season.

The four-year veteran has missed most of training camp with a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve waivers late Wednesday, but no franchise claimed him before the 4 p.m. deadline.

Bullocks, a second-round selection in 2006, missed the entire 2007 season with a knee injury but rebounded to record 121 tackles in 15 starts last year.

-- The Associated Press

CHARGERS' JACKSON OUT SATURDAY (4:20 p.m. ET)
Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson will miss Saturday's preseason game against the Cardinals with a sprained middle finger on his left hand suffered in Wednesday's practice.

Jackson, the team's leading receiver last season with 1,098 yards, said he expects to be out for just a few days.

"This is definitely something I can recover from," Jackson said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

-- ESPN.com news services

BUSH: JUKING DOESN'T WORK IN NFL (4:13 p.m. ET)
Reggie Bush says he has come to the realization that juking doesn't work on NFL defenders.

"The first step to recognizing when you have a bad habit is just admitting it to yourself," Bush said Wednesday, according to the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune.

"It's like an alcoholic when they go into an [Alcoholics Anonymous] meeting or something," Bush said, according to the newspaper. "That's the first step, just recognizing it and getting better from there. ... I'm really just working on being explosive and, yes, hitting the holes. I think over these last two years I haven't done that."

-- ESPN.com news services

BREES RETURNS TO SAINTS PRACTICE (3:34 p.m. ET)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was ready to focus on football Thursday as he returned to practice for the first time since his mother's funeral.

Brees, who last practiced on Sunday, was back on the field as the Saints wrapped up their joint practice with the Texans.

Mina Brees, an attorney in Austin, died Aug. 7 in Colorado. There was a public memorial service on Monday and the family gathered for a private ceremony Wednesday.

He said time has helped him deal with his mother's death and that he can focus on his work now.

"When my mom first passed away, it was just such a shock," he said. "And now that it's been almost two weeks, and we've already had the memorial services, so to have those and feel like there's some sense of closure, that makes it [where] I'm able to compartmentalize that enough and try to think about football."

-- The Associated Press

STEELERS CAMP: IT'S NO DAY AT THE MOVIES (1:34 p.m. ET)
Coach Mike Tomlin is showing his Pittsburgh Steelers it's not only quarterbacks who can run a fake.

As the Steelers trudged toward their practice fields for the last in a long series of a two-a-day practices Thursday, a fleet of buses pulled up at Saint Vincent College. To the veteran players, this signaled a welcome training camp tradition that began under former coach Bill Cowher: A morning at the movies, with no practice.

Wrong. Buckle up that chin strap.

It was all a ruse -- there were no movies, no break. Practice went on, and Tomlin only grinned.

"Just a little mental warfare," Tomlin said. "Sometimes people need to be horribly disappointed and then asked to perform. And they did pretty well."

-- The Associated Press

CARDINALS HAVE DEPTH AT WIDE RECEIVER (1:27 p.m. ET)
The Arizona Cardinals have an abundance of receiver talent, and that's not counting Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston.

With Jerheme Urban leading the way, the rest of the Cardinals' receivers have been catching passes all over the place in training camp.

Lance Long has improved his chances of making some team, if not this one, and roster longshot Onrea Jones made several big plays in the Cardinals' practice under the lights on Tuesday night.

Then there's Early Doucet, a second-year pro who has been slowed by a sprained shoulder, the result of a spectacular diving catch early in camp.

At the top of the list is Urban, who has cemented his position as the team's No. 4 receiver. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Urban has had "as good a camp as anybody" on the team and veteran quarterback Kurt Warner agrees.

"He's had a great camp, really, really, really looked good," Warner said. "He just continues to grow and I think he just gains more and more confidence. He gives us as quarterbacks and the staff more confidence in him and as he makes plays, I think he's starting to realize his potential."

-- The Associated Press

COWBOYS' TOUGHER TRAINING CAMP ENDS (1:23 p.m. ET)
Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips promised that this training camp would be much tougher and that he would be more involved. He kept his promises.

Dallas wrapped up three weeks of training camp Wednesday in the Alamodome with their 31st workout in 22 days; there were two workouts on half of those days. There was a two-day stretch in that span when they had the preseason opener in Oakland followed by their only day off.

"I am trying to do what helps this team. It's a long season and the mental toughness is part of it," Phillips said. "I say the mental part of it. When you get tired, that's when the mental process comes in. I thought it was good for our guys. I think they have come through it well."

His players noticed the new, tougher sessions this time around.

"This camp has been like two of the other camps put together. I haven't heard anyone call this one cupcake," linebacker Bradie James said.

"It's been a lot more detailed collectively," added tight end Jason Witten. "I think we've made it harder. ... It's been a great focus and minimum distractions."

-- The Associated Press

ALLEN AMONG VIKINGS SITTING OUT (1:18 p.m. ET)
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen missed his second full day of practice Wednesday because of a sprained right ankle.

Allen joined quarterback Sage Rosenfels, wide receiver Bernard Berrian, tight end Jim Kleinsasser and cornerback Marcus McCauley on the sidelines Wednesday. Allen and Rosenfels, who missed a fourth day of practice with a right ankle injury, are said to be doubtful to play Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Allen did not discuss his injury with the media, but he apparently used it to pull a prank on defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, according to the report.

"He pulls a practical joke on me and tells me he's out for six weeks," Frazier said, according to the report. "Almost gives me a heart attack. But he's going to be fine. He's a big jokester."

-- ESPN.com news services