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RAIDERS PLEASED WITH MYERS' PROGRESS (12:03 a.m. ET)
The Oakland Raiders drafted Brandon Myers to help ease the blocking workload of fellow tight end Zach Miller, but halfway through the preseason it's been the rookie's pass-catching skills that have stood out most.

Myers, a sixth-round selection and the last player the Raiders grabbed in this year's NFL draft, has been one of the team's biggest surprises of training camp. He leads the team in receptions (six), receiving yardage (104) and scored his first touchdown in last week's 21-20 loss to San Francisco.

His catches and yardage are more than Miller and projected starting wide receivers Javon Walker and Darrius Heyward-Bey have combined this preseason, though to be fair he's played more than the others with the exception of Heyward-Bey, the Raiders' first-round draft pick.

"For us, we needed to get a third tight end who could take some of the stuff off of Zach, and I think Brandon has allowed us to do that," Oakland coach Tom Cable said. "Where he's showing up is catching the football more and more. There was kind of an unknown expectation in regards to that. He certainly has proven that he can do those things, and that's just who he is."

-- The Associated Press

CADILLAC READY TO ROLL IN PRESEASON DEBUT (6:46 p.m. ET)
Seven months after undergoing major knee surgery for the second time in just over a year, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Cadillac Williams will make his preseason debut Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said, his words not nearly matching the excitement in his voice. "I'm sure I'm going to make the most of it."

Williams was the 2005 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and became the first player in league history to begin his career with three consecutive 100-yard games. His production has been limited the past three seasons because of injuries.

A torn patellar tendon in his right knee sidelined him from September 2007 until last November, when he was activated from the physically unable to perform list only to have 2008 end in disappointment, too.

Six weeks into his comeback following a laborious rehabilitation, Williams tore the patellar tendon in his left knee when he was tackled at the end of a 28-yard run during a season-ending loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Unlike two seasons ago when the patellar tendon in his right knee was ruptured, the tendon pulled away from the bone in his left knee, making it simpler to repair and requiring less recovery time.

Coach Raheem Morris has been impressed by what he's seen. Williams will start against the Dolphins and share playing time into the third quarter with offseason acquisition Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham.

-- The Associated Press

LIONS SIGN KICKER CUNDIFF (6:44 p.m. ET)
While veteran kicker Jason Hanson recovers from a right leg injury, the Lions signed kicker Billy Cundiff to take over.

How long Hanson will be out remains a mystery in Detroit.

During Cundiff's career, he never has missed a field goal inside 30 yards (23-of-23), and his accuracy inside 40 yards is at 86 percent (36-of-42).

In other moves, the Lions signed defensive end Orion Martin and cut wide receiver Eric Fowler and kicker Swayze Waters to make room on the roster.

Martin was cut earlier this week by the Dolphins. The Lions will give the rookie from Virginia Tech a chance, perhaps as soon as Saturday in a preseason game against Indianapolis, because they desperately need pass-rushing help.

-- ESPN.com news serivces

'SCARY' MISHAP WORRIED ROETHLISBERGER (6:08 p.m. ET)
Ben Roethlisberger says he feared he was seriously injured after he heard a popping sound when teammate Max Starks accidentally stepped on his right foot during practice last week.

"It is a pretty scary thing to have a 300-pound guy step on the back of your foot, on your Achilles," Roethlisberger said Wednesday.

Roethlisberger apparently bruised his Achilles tendon -- the team has not disclosed details -- during the final minutes of the Steelers' final training camp practice at Saint Vincent College on Thursday.

Roethlisberger missed Saturday's exhibition game at Washington, but returned to practice on Tuesday. Coach Mike Tomlin said the quarterback is "fine" and will play as long as the starters do in Saturday's preseason game against Buffalo.

-- The Associated Press

COLTS NOT RUSHING SANDERS BACK (5:28 p.m. ET)
The Indianapolis Colts are in no hurry to push the return of oft-injured strong safety Bob Sanders.

Sanders is on the Colts' physically unable to perform list after undergoing surgery on his right knee in the spring. He has not practiced since the start of training camp. The 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year has spent the last few days meeting with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews at his clinic in Birmingham, Ala.

Andrews, who performed the initial surgery on Sanders, has told Colts officials Sanders' rehabilitation is on schedule.

"[Sanders is] doing well. Dr. Andrews has looked at him and really feels he's on target and coming along," coach Jim Caldwell said this week. "He'll be there for a couple days and when he comes back, he'll continue on with the process he's going through here in terms of his rehab.

"He's making progress. He's moving forward. He feels good about where he is. Dr. Andrews feels good about where he is. That means I should feel good about where he is."

Team president Bill Polian told an Indianapolis radio station on Wednesday that he will wait before making a final decision on placing Sanders on the Colts' 53-player roster or to leave him on the PUP list.

-- The Associated Press

CARRIKER BACK AT PRACTICE (5:04 p.m. ET)
St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Adam Carriker is back at practice after an ankle injury, but the 2007 No. 1 pick is working with the third-string defense, at least for now.

Carriker hurt his left ankle during a scrimmage Aug. 7, the same ankle that bothered him last season. He returned to individual drills Monday, then resumed working out with the team Tuesday and Wednesday.

For now, Gary Gibson and Clifton Ryan are the first-team tackles. Gibson, 27, was signed as a free agent in April after two seasons in Carolina, where he played in 12 games with no starts. Ryan has started 12 of 32 career games, all with the Rams.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Carriker, the 13th overall selection in 2007, may play in Thursday's preseason game at Cincinnati, but his starting job is not guaranteed.

-- The Associated Press

ANDERSON LIKES SUSPENSE OF QB DUEL (5:04 p.m. ET)
As the Cleveland Browns quarterback derby continues in the team's third preseason game against Tennessee on Saturday night, Derek Anderson said he doesn't need resolution to his competition with Brady Quinn for peace of mind.

"I'll ride it out," Anderson said Wednesday. "I don't have a choice."

Browns coach Eric Mangini hasn't announced his starting quarterback for the game and may not until Saturday.

Anderson said Mangini has told the quarterbacks who will start "the night before sometimes -- or not. Just whenever he tells me."

Anderson said he'll "go in when he tells me to go in and take advantage of every play that is called. Hopefully they're all positive."

-- The Associated Press

BOLDIN MISSES PRACTICE (5:03 p.m. ET)
Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin sat out practice with a sore right hamstring Wednesday and probably will miss the Cardinals' game against Green Bay on Friday night.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt says Boldin felt a problem with the hamstring late in practice on Tuesday but an MRI showed no serious injury.

The Cardinals might also be without wide receiver Steve Breaston, who has been sidelined with a bruised knee. If both miss the game, Jerheme Urban would move up to No. 2 receiver behind Larry Fitzgerald.

Arizona is expected to have the services of rookie running back Beanie Wells, who missed the first two preseason games with a sprained ankle.

-- The Associated Press

BELICHICK HONORS LATE SENATOR KENNEDY (4:08 p.m. ET)
New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick says he admired the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who sent him personal notes and congratulations on the team's successes.

Belichick said Wednesday that Kennedy's "leadership and his courage were certainly something I personally always looked up to" and also "meant a lot" to people in Massachusetts and the nation.

Speaking at the team's training facility the morning after Kennedy's death from brain cancer, Belichick said the senator "personally was very supportive of this team and also of me." He added that Kennedy attended the team's Super Bowl victory visits to the White House.

Kennedy played football at Harvard. As a senior end, he caught a five-yard pass for a touchdown in a 21-7 loss to Yale on Nov. 20, 1955.

-- The Associated Press

PANTHERS ROOKIE MARTIN SWAPS POSITIONS (4:05 p.m. ET)
Sherrod Martin entered training camp as a candidate to snag the No. 3 cornerback job with the Carolina Panthers.

Just over three weeks later, the rookie isn't even playing that position anymore.

The combination of falling behind others at cornerback and a slew of injuries at safety has led to the second-round pick moving to the position he played last season at Troy.

"He's very athletic, so it was a natural for him to move there," starting strong safety Chris Harris said Wednesday. "He's still got to learn the defense and learn the ins and outs. But as of now I think he's picking it up pretty well."

This week, Martin's job description changed. After starting free safety Charles Godfrey broke his right hand in Saturday's preseason loss to Miami and with backup Nate Salley (knee) still sidelined, Martin moved to safety in practice.

Quinton Teal is the candidate to start in Godfrey's place, while Martin is working in a group that includes veteran Kevin Kaesviharn, who was signed on Monday.

-- The Associated Press

NINERS STARTING QB HILL STRAINS BACK (3:55 p.m. ET)
In the same week he was named the 49ers starting quarterback, Shaun Hill strained his lower back and threw just one pass in practice Wednesday.

49ers coach Mike Singletary said he was unsure when Hill hurt his back or whether Hill would be able to play Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

"I don't know," Singletary said. "I just know that it showed up yesterday, pushed himself through practice, got some treatment yesterday. Today it was still there. He probably could have pushed himself through practice, but I told him, 'You don't need to do that. Let the other guys get the reps and let's go.' "

If Hill is unable to play Saturday night, the 49ers would start either Damon Huard or Nate Davis as Alex Smith already has been ruled out of the game.

-- Adam Schefter, ESPN

MANGINI DOESN'T NEED TO SEE ROGERS PLAY (1:51 p.m. ET)
Browns coach Eric Mangini is comfortable starting defensive tackle Shaun Rogers in the season opener even if the Pro Bowler misses the entire preseason.

Rogers has been out since Aug. 2 with what appears to be a foot injury. He got off the stationary bike Tuesday to hit the tackling sled and work on individual drills. Mangini said Rogers' status for Saturday's preseason home game against Tennessee will be decided later in the week.

"I want to see everybody, but I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what he can do," Mangini said Wednesday. "I feel pretty comfortable with that."

Rogers was the team's lone Pro Bowl representative last year, recording 81 tackles and 4 1-2 sacks.

The Browns open at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.

-- The Associated Press

LEINART IMPRESSING WHISENHUNT (9:24 a.m. ET)
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has been impressed with what he has seen of Matt Leinart, although he isn't ready to name him the Cardinals' backup quarterback just yet.

Brian St. Pierre remains an option for the No. 2 spot.

"It's never easy to accept the type of role that Matt has had to accept, especially because of having had success in college," Whisenhunt said, according to The Arizona Republic. "But the great ones, the ones that go on to be really good players in the league ... they figure it out.

"It would be easy for me to sit up here and say one day it will pay off for him, but I really believe that when Matt gets his opportunity to play -- and it's coming -- he's going to do very well. And I've seen a number of signs in the first two preseason games that have kind of solidified that.

"He hasn't had a lot to say. He's just focused on what he needs to do and it's really good when you start seeing results on the field."

-- ESPN.com news services

LIONS' OFFENSIVE WEAPONS RETURN (9:16 a.m. ET)
Calvin Johnson (thumb), Bryant Johnson (ATV crash) and Dennis Northcutt (hand), as well as rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew (thigh) all missed last Saturday's 27-10 loss at Cleveland. All four returned to the practice field this week.

"It's going to be great to have them back -- you always want to have all of your weapons," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "But that's not an excuse for anything that happened against Cleveland. You need to be able to execute no matter who is on the field."

Lions coach Jim Schwartz said he's hopeful all four will play Saturday against the Colts.

"That's a huge part of our offense," Schwartz said. "Everyone knows what Calvin brings us, and we brought in Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt to give us more options in the passing game, and then we drafted Brandon in the first round."

-- The Associated Press

SAINTS' BELL A CHANGED MAN? (9:12 a.m. ET)
Mike Bell looks back on his last days in Denver with self-loathing.

Now trying to save his career with the New Orleans Saints, Bell described his former self as an egotistical malcontent who gained too much weight and became a cancer in the locker room after the Broncos moved him from running back to fullback.

"I felt like I was betrayed and I felt like I didn't even want to play anymore," Bell recalled after practice Tuesday. "That's why I gained all that weight -- not only because I was playing fullback, but because I just didn't care and almost just let myself go.

"I don't blame them for cutting me; I would've cut me too," Bell continued. "Nobody wants somebody that's cancerous to the team with that attitude, someone that's always complaining and saying that he deserves this or deserves that. In all actuality, I don't think I deserved anything."

Bell said his new approach is to treat every day on the field as if it may be his last, which may sound cliché, but has served him well.

-- The Associated Press

FITZGERALD NOT WORRIED (9:06 a.m. ET)
The Arizona Cardinals' offense, so brilliant in the team's run to the Super Bowl, has been unproductive in the first two preseason games.

The only touchdown Arizona has scored came late in Game 1 at Pittsburgh, with fourth-stringer Tyler Palko at quarterback.

"It's preseason," All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said.

Once the season starts for real, Fitzgerald believes the Cardinals will be their high-flying selves again.

"We are who we are," Fitzgerald said. "We're going to throw the football around and no matter who we're going to play against we're going to get it done."

-- The Associated Press