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EAGLES MEET WITH ANIMAL WELFARE GROUPS (12:21 a.m. ET)
Eagles management met with local animal welfare groups on Tuesday. Eight days after first sitting down with members of Philadelphia's animal welfare community, key figures in the Eagles' front office held a second, smaller gathering. The invite list included the Pennsylvania SPCA, the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), Penn Vet, the Humane Society of Berks County, the Humane League of Philadelphia, the Camden County Animal Shelter, and DogPAC. Quarterback Michael Vick was not present.

While no specific details were hammered out, the Eagles and the Philadelphia-based animal welfare groups started brainstorming possible concrete courses of action. At the crux of these plans would be putting Philadelphia's brand power behind potential initiatives, such as awareness campaigns. This marked a change in objectives from the first meeting, when the animal welfare groups did most of the talking, venting about their frustrations stemming from the Eagles' controversial Vick decision.

"A lot of stuff might be on the table, but [conversation] was fairly general," Karel Minor, executive director of the Humane Society of Berks County, said. "It was a free ranging discussion about possible solutions."

As for when these ideas could begin to come to fruition, no specific date or deadline could be provided, other than that the Eagles seem determined to act. The organization has made it known from the outset that as feedback and expertise from the animal protection community rolled in, the club would proceed with a practical patience, rather than rush the process.

On the national level, a source familiar with the situation told Brian Seltzer of 950 ESPN Radio in Philadelphia that arrangements for a Philadelphia-area Vick appearance on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States are nearing completion, and that an announcement could come soon.

-- ESPN.com news services

49ERS CUT BACKUP QB HUARD (9:16 p.m. ET)
The 49ers have released quarterback Damon Huard.

After the move Tuesday, Nate Davis is in line to be the team's No. 3 quarterback behind starter Shaun Hill and backup Alex Smith.

The 36-year-old Huard is a 12-year pro best known for his lengthy backup stints behind Miami's Dan Marino and New England's Tom Brady. He started 13 games over the past two seasons with Kansas City, but never firmly claimed the Chiefs' starting job during five seasons with the club.

Kansas City released Huard in February and he signed with San Francisco on March 4.

Interestingly, the Chiefs could be in the market for a quarterback after starter Matt Cassel sustained a knee injury last week that could sideline him 2 to 4 weeks.

-- The Associated Press

BUSH, THOMAS DOUBTFUL FOR PRESEASON FINALE (8:05 p.m. ET)
Reggie Bush could miss his third straight preseason game on Thursday night when the Saints host Miami, while fellow running back Pierre Thomas is expected to sit out for the second time in as many games.

Bush, who hasn't played since straining his right calf during joint practices with the Houston Texans during training camp, has only three carries for 5 yards during the entire preseason -- all in the exhibition opener Aug. 14.

Bush said Tuesday that he has felt healthy enough to play throughout camp, but did not feel the need to risk injury in exhibition games. He added that he would like to play against Miami, but did not believe it was vital to get him ready for the regular-season opener against Detroit in the Louisiana Superdome on Sept. 13.

"I would like to get some live snaps, just to get back into the flow of football," Bush said. "All in all, I'll be fine. Whether I get ... snaps or not, I'll be ready to go next week."

Coach Sean Payton also hedged when asked about playing Bush against the Dolphins.

"I don't know. I'm hopeful and yet I want to be smart about it," Payton said. "It's progressing well with the rehab and everything, and what's most important is the opening game, yet I'd like to get him some work if it's possible."

Payton was more doubtful about Thomas, who sprained his right knee when the Saints played at Houston on Aug. 22.

"I don't think we're going to be able to play Pierre in this game," Payton said.

-- The Associated Press

CHARGERS WELCOME LLWS CHAMPS (7:51 p.m. ET)
The Little League World Series champions from suburban Chula Vista got to skip school Tuesday and meet the San Diego Chargers.

During their first full day back home, the players from Park View Little League watched practice and then ran through a tunnel formed by the Chargers, shaking hands with the huge football players as they went past.

The Chargers seemed to have as much fun as the kids. LaDainian Tomlinson, among others, kidded 6-foot-2, 212-pound slugger Luke Ramirez about his size.

-- The Associated Press

LEINART NO. 2 AFTER STRONG PRESEASON? (6:59 p.m. ET)
Coach Ken Whisenhunt won't say so officially, but Matt Leinart's strong preseason performance certainly seems to have erased any doubt that he's Arizona's No. 2 quarterback.

"You've got to give Matt a lot of credit because he has faced a tremendous amount of criticism about his work ethic, about other things in his life besides football," Whisenhunt said. "He's worked very hard to focus on being a better quarterback, and it's shown up in this preseason."

Leinart has completed 38 of 62 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. Most of his stats came last Friday against Green Bay, when he threw for 360 yards and three scores in the second half to lead a rally against the Packers' reserves. Arizona cut a 38-10 lead to 38-37 before a two-point conversion try failed and the Cardinals lost 44-37.

"Obviously I'm still learning but I just feel so comfortable out there, knowing where to throw the football," Leinart said after Tuesday's practice. "That's how it's kind of been all camp. It's nice to practice well and then it shows up in the game. I feel really good, really confident out there."

Brian St. Pierre signed a $1 million contract with the promise that he'd get a chance to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Kurt Warner. But St. Pierre struggled in the first two preseason games, then missed the Green Bay game with a sore back. He also will miss Thursday night's preseason finale at Denver.

-- The Associated Press

COLTS REACH 75-MAN LIMIT (5:39 p.m. ET)
The Colts have waived defensive back Marcus Paschal.

The move gets Indy down to the NFL's mandatory roster limit of 75. On Monday, the Colts released four players, three of whom were placed on the waived-injured list.

Paschal was signed by the Colts last week. He played in three games with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007.

The Colts visit Cincinnati on Thursday night and must cut 22 more players before Saturday's deadline.

-- The Associated Press

RAVENS RELEASE LEMON (5:29 p.m. ET)
Quarterback Cleo Lemon has been waived by the Ravens, leaving the 30-year-old without a team less than two weeks before the start of the NFL season.

Lemon, who was with the San Diego Chargers before spending two years at the Miami Dolphins, spent last season at Jacksonville before joining the Ravens.

Joe Flacco is the starting quarterback for the Ravens with Troy Smith and John Beck as backups.

-- Reuters

BRONCOS RELEASE PUTZIER, 3 OTHERS (4:28 p.m. ET)
Veteran tight end Jeb Putzier was among four players released by the Broncos, reducing their roster to the 75-player limit.

Also waived was rookie punter Britton Colquitt, who was edged out for the job by holdover punter Brett Kern.

Center Blake Schlueter, a seventh-round pick out of Texas Christian, and third-year wide receiver C.J. Jones also were released.

Meanwhile, the Broncos retook the practice field without quarterback Kyle Orton, who suffered a finger injury in Sunday's 27-17 exhibition loss to Chicago.

Backup Chris Simms also has been sidelined by a high left ankle sprain, leaving rookie Tom Brandstater and journeyman Ingle Martin as the only healthy quarterbacks on the team's roster. Neither Brandstater nor Martin has had a meaningful snap in an NFL regular-season game.

-- The Associated Press

URBAN AMONG VIKINGS' CUTS (4:14 p.m. ET)
The Vikings have trimmed their roster by releasing kicker Taylor Mehlhaff, cornerback Derrick Roberson, running back Antone Smith and guard Nick Urban.

Urban was signed in May after a rookie tryout camp. He played tackle at Division II Winona State, about two hours from the Twin Cities.

Vikings players were off Tuesday following their 17-10 exhibition victory over Houston. The Vikings host Dallas in their final preseason game Friday.

-- The Associated Press

BILLS WAIVE SIX, SIGN TIGHT END (2:32 p.m. ET)
The Buffalo Bills have waived six players and signed a free-agent tight end.

The Bills on Tuesday waived offensive lineman Chris Denman, linebacker Solomon Elimimian and receiver Shaine Smith. Tight end Travis McCall, defensive back Lydell Sargeant and defensive tackle Marcus Smith were placed on the waived/injured list.

The team signed tight end Tyson DeVree, who played in two games with New England last season after spending the first nine weeks on the Patriots' practice squad.

The Bills made the moves to get down to the mandated 75-man roster.

-- The Associated Press

COWBOYS ADD PAIR OF CORNERBACKS (1:50 p.m. ET)
The Dallas Cowboys shored up their injury-plagued rookie class by adding undrafted cornerbacks DeAngelo Willingham and Jeremy Haynes.

The Cowboys also cut receiver Julian Hawkins on Tuesday and placed linebacker Brandon Williams on season-ending injured reserve with a torn knee ligament.

Lineman Robert Brewster was moved off the active roster because of a right shoulder injury.

Willingham signed with Tampa Bay out of Tennessee and was released after the Buccaneers' third preseason game. Haynes joined the Tennessee Titans out of McNeese State but was released after playing in the first preseason game.

-- The Associated Press

TITANS CUT FOUR (1:17 p.m. ET)
Tennessee running back Rafael Little was among four players waived by the Titans to reach the NFL roster limit of 75.

The Titans made the announcement Tuesday. The team also waived receiver Dudley Guice, center Matt Lehr and linebacker Tyson Smith. Lehr signed a week ago and did not play in his only preseason game with the Titans.

The Titans gave Little a year to rehabilitate his knee after tearing his left ACL at the 2008 Senior Bowl. But he didn't see much action in the preseason after the Titans drafted All-American Javon Ringer out of Michigan State.

Little had four carries for minus-4 yards with one kickoff return for 18 yards.

-- The Associated Press

FALCONS ACQUIRE SECONDARY HELP (12:59 p.m. ET)
Atlanta, apparently concerned about its secondary after it struggled in preseason games, traded for cornerback Tye Hill.

The Falcons sent a 2010 seventh-round draft pick to the St. Louis Rams for Hill, who was a first-round pick by the Rams in 2006. Hill started 10 games and had three interceptions as a rookie, but his playing time has been limited to 12 games in the past two seasons because of injuries.

The Falcons have been starting Chris Houston and Brent Grimes at cornerback throughout the preseason, and also have rookie Chris Owens and second-year pro Chevis Jackson.

-- ESPN.com writer Pat Yasinskas and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter

GIANTS PLACE ROOKIE BROWN ON INJURED RESERVE (12:07 p.m. ET)
Rookie halfback Andre Brown has been placed on injured reserve by the New York Giants.

The fourth-round draft pick from North Carolina State ruptured his Achilles tendon in training camp, and he was among three roster moves on Tuesday as the Giants reduced their roster to 74 players, one below the league limit.

Brown, who recently had surgery to repair the tendon, rushed for 2,539 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught 70 passes for 631 yards and two scores in college.

Tight end Lee Vickers also was waived and offensive lineman Andrew Carnahan was waived/injured with a knee injury. Ironically, Carnahan was injured in a collision with Vickers on Monday.

-- The Associated Press

PANTHERS ACQUIRE LEONARD FROM BROWNS (11:21 a.m. ET)
The Carolina Panthers have traded an undisclosed draft pick to the Cleveland Browns for defensive tackle Louis Leonard.

The move on Tuesday helps shore up the biggest area of need for the Panthers, who lost starter Maake Kemoeatu to a ruptured Achilles tendon on the opening day of training camp.

Leonard was signed by San Diego in 2007 after going undrafted out of Fresno State. He was later waived by the Chargers and St. Louis before signing with the Browns during the middle of the 2007 season.

Leonard played all 16 games for Cleveland last season, including four starts, and had 31 tackles. The Panthers hope he'll help improve a leaky run defense.

-- The Associated Press

COLTS SEEKING IMPROVEMENT ON DEFENSE (9:30 a.m. ET)
The Indianapolis Colts spent the offseason trying to beef up their defense. New coach Jim Caldwell changed coordinators, hiring longtime NFL assistant Larry Coyer. Team president Bill Polian selected bigger players in the draft and re-signed 296-pound defensive tackle Ed Johnson to help stop the run.

But the results of that makeover were not evident in Saturday's loss to the Detroit Lions. On a week that the Colts typically use as a regular-season dress rehearsal, the Lions gained 412 yards, ran 24 more plays than the Colts and scored two TDs.

On Monday, Caldwell insisted the Colts are getting better, even if it hasn't been noticeable yet. "Sometimes it's tough to tell," he said. "I can tell you this, we are improving. We do think we have some fundamental issues in terms of our tackling, which hasn't been where we'd like it."

Part of the explanation is the Colts were nowhere near full strength. Johnson, cornerback Kelvin Hayden, defensive end Raheem Brock and middle linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett all sat out on Saturday. And safety Bob Sanders, the 2007 defensive player of the year, is still out after offseason knee surgery and has not even practiced.

Still, Caldwell expected to see better results by now -- with or without his starters.

"You can lure yourself into a trap that way. We try never to think that way," he said. "We expect whoever is out there to play and play well. They should play up to our standards, which are lofty. We haven't done so consistently at this point."

-- ESPN.com news services

FALCONS' NORWOOD, MOORE OUT WITH INJURIES (8:23 a.m. ET)
Atlanta Falcons running back Jerious Norwood and safety William Moore are injured and won't play against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, coach Mike Smith said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Moore pulled a hamstring during a special-teams play in last week's preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, while Norwood suffered a head injury when he was tackled.

"Jerious had the big hit in the ball game there and his head got hit hard," Smith said, according to the report. "He also had a situation with his leg. We'll be very cautious with that."

Moore, a rookie coming back from left knee surgery, pulled a hamstring on the same leg. "We're going to work him back in and see if we can get him back [for the season opener]," Smith said, according to the report.

-- ESPN.com news services

RAVENS HOPE SUGGS PLAYS THURSDAY (7:49 a.m. ET)
Terrell Suggs was back at Baltimore Ravens practice on Monday and coach John Harbaugh hopes the linebacker will be able to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Suggs has been out of practice for nearly a month with an Achilles tendon strain.

"We're just going to have to see how it responds," Harbaugh said, according to The Baltimore Sun. "If we can get him out there during the game, we will. And if we can't and we need to be safe with it, we won't."

As for Suggs, when asked about whether he'll play, he said, "I don't know. I'll let you all know," according to the report.

-- ESPN.com news services

STOMACH VIRUS LIKELY TO SIDELINE HAYNESWORTH (7:42 a.m. ET)
Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth missed a second day of practice on Monday with a stomach virus, leading defensive coordinator Greg Blache to all but rule him out of Thursday's preseason game at Jacksonville, according to The Washington Times.

"I don't suspect that he will [play]," Blache said when asked about Haynesworth playing Thursday, according to the report.

Haynesworth has played about 30 snaps in his first preseason with the Redskins after signing a $100 million contract as a free agent.

-- ESPN.com news services