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Around the NFC

COWBOYS: Rookie Scott Zimmerman, a college linebacker converted to fullback, will be out at least two weeks after spraining an ankle in Friday's victory against Oakland. He is considered the No. 2 fullback behind Robert Thomas. ... Rookie receiver Anthony Lucas went down during practice with what team owner Jerry Jones described as a broken kneecap that likely will end his career. He was injured during a pass-catching drill that did not involve contact, Jones said.

GIANTS: The man coach Jim Fassel called "the hardest-working player on this team" wasn't good enough to play Arena League Football. And before Fassel gave him "a front-row seat to make this football team," the semipro Pittsburgh Colts was the only team he could make. Even Fassel is so unsure about what he has in Darnell Dinkins that he won't say whether he will play offense or defense. The only thing he knows is Dinkins will play. "If I give myself enough time to learn a position, I'm sure I could play wherever," Dinkins, a 6-3, 234-pounder, said Saturday after a victory against New England. "I don't limit myself. Wherever I can stay on the field the longest." Dinkins, the fourth quarterback and probably the ultimate long shot on the roster, gave everyone a taste of what he could do against the Patriots when he leveled punt returner Kevin Faulk in the third quarter. On a night when New York's special teams were awful, that was more than enough to impress his teammates. Said receiver Amani Toomer: "I don't think he understands how big that was." Especially considering quarterbacks don't often line up on special teams and hurl their bodies at opponents.

LIONS: Receiver Bill Schroeder suffered a "little groin pull," and safety Corey Harris "just wasn't feeling well," forcing them to leave midway through morning practice, coach Marty Mornhinweg said. Rookie running back Luke Staley, scheduled for surgery Wednesday to repair a knee ligament, said he plans to be recovered in six months.

RAMS: The team could be shopping for a veteran quarterback after backup Jamie Martin separated his right shoulder Saturday against Tennessee. The severity of the injury to Martin's throwing arm will not be clear until more tests are done. Martin, a seven-year journeyman, is the only quarterback on the roster other than starter Kurt Warner with regular-season experience.

REDSKINS: Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels might be able to return from a sprained left ankle in time for the first regular-season game. "I thought it was broken at first," said Samuels, who went down during a pass play Saturday night in the second quarter against Carolina. X-rays were negative. "I just dropped to my knees and started praying," linebacker LaVar Arrington said. "We don't need to lose him." Had the injury been more serious, coach Steve Spurrier could have been second-guessed for leaving his starting linemen in the game well into the second quarter. ... The team has scored 38 and 37 points en route to two straight preseason wins under the former Florida coach. "We had 47 passes, so we got to chuck it around a little bit," Spurrier said after beating Carolina 37-30. "But some was good and some was bad. We're way off, way off right now. We're not blocking our assignments like we should." The quarterbacks -- Sage Rosenfels and former UF players Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerffel -- have been clicking, though. Asked who would start this week, Spurrier laughed and said: "I haven't flipped a coin yet." ... Former Bucs receiver Jacquez Green left the game with a rib injury.

SEAHAWKS: Starting quarterback Trent Dilfer is out indefinitely with a sprained ligament in his right knee. Team officials would not say when Dilfer could return, but such an injury typically requires 4-8 weeks to heal, with no surgery necessary, meaning he could be back as early as the season opener at Oakland on Sept. 8. The former Bucs and Ravens quarterback injured the medial collateral ligament of his right knee during the second quarter of Saturday's loss against Indianapolis. He signed an $8-million, four-year contract in the offseason.

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