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SPARTANBURG, S.C. - When preseason training camp started, Panthers quarterback Chris Weinke was just hoping to make the team. Now, he's vying for the starting job.
After spending last season as a backup to Rodney Peete, the 2000 Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State has led the Panthers in passing during their first two preseason games. He has completed 14 of 18 passes for 145 yards and no interceptions.
"Chris is playing really, really well," Peete said. "He's had a great camp and it's showing up in these last two games. He's throwing the ball well, making the right decisions, and I'm very happy with the way he's been playing."
Weinke, 31, wasn't even assured of a roster spot after the Panthers re-signed Peete and got Saints backup Jake Delhomme to challenge him for the starting job. Second-year player Randy Fasani also is competing for one of the three quarterback spots.
"I told myself coming into camp that I'm still on the roster, which means that I still have a chance," Weinke said. "I'm here until they tell me I'm not here."
Weinke, who played minor-league baseball before enrolling at Florida State, would like to follow Peete's example after struggling during his first two years in the NFL.
Weinke just wants another chance to prove he can be an effective starting quarterback.
"I feel like I've done the things they've asked me to do," he said. "I've gotten better. I'm going to continue to compete and whatever happens, happens. I'll accept that."
The dark cloud that blew over the training camp facility at Wofford College late Sunday afternoon was the second of the day. The first came around 1 p.m., when players were told that outside linebacker Mark Fields had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease and would miss the season.
Fields, who led the NFL's second-ranked defense in tackles last season with 127, was admitted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte on Wednesday with an infection in his thumb that had been jammed during practice. Doctors discovered signs of Hodgkin's and conducted several tests over the next two days that confirmed their suspicion.
"A major shock," safety Mike Minter said. "You don't wake up in the morning thinking you're going to hear something like that. It was a big shock."
Because the condition was discovered early, Fields is given a high chance for full recovery.
BENGALS: Carson Palmer tried to snuff out suggestions that he might be the best quarterback for Cincinnati.
"There's absolutely no quarterback controversy," the Heisman Trophy winner said emphatically.
Not for the moment, but perhaps in the near future. His debut in his new home made it inevitable.
The rookie quarterback completed all seven of his passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-10 preseason victory Saturday over the Detroit Lions.
"He was perfect, he really was," gushed starter Jon Kitna, who led the Bengals to three first-half field goals. "He went exactly where he needed to go with the football. There was no indecision in his mind.
"He hadn't practiced all week because of that (sore) foot, and to go out and play the way he did, that was great for him, great for our team and great for the fans to see."
Palmer said: "The answer is: I ain't ready yet. It's going to be a ways away. I'm definitely not ready to do what Jon can do."
BRONCOS: Mike Shanahan, 50, who coached John Elway and the Broncos to Super Bowl championships during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, signed a three-year contract extension through 2008.
BROWNS: Rookie running back Lee Suggs failed his physical and cannot practice. Suggs, who signed a five-year contract last week, watched from the sideline as the Browns prepared for Saturday's game against the Lions. Suggs had shoulder surgery in May, one month after the Browns selected the former Virginia Tech star in the fourth round of the draft. The club knew at the time Suggs would need the operation. "It's not ready, but we're closing the gap," coach Butch Davis said.
CARDINALS: Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch will probably be out for the season after tearing ligaments in his left knee Saturday. Vanden Bosch, who has started most of the past two seasons, was injured during a 16-10 victory over San Diego. Results from an MRI are expected to confirm the diagnosis, team spokesman Paul Jensen said.
DOLPHINS: Miami is trying to trade at least two players and could be shopping several more in the next two weeks. Fullback Deon Dyer and defensive back Scott McGarrahan are each being shopped for a seventh-round pick or a conditional pick as the Dolphins, a team with depth, try to receive some compensation before letting go of players. In the next two weeks, the team expects to shop one of its running backs, Robert Edwards or Leonard Henry, and possibly Oronde Gadsden in return for draft picks.
EAGLES: Rashard Cook was re-signed to a one-year contract, adding depth behind starting strong safety Michael Lewis and free safety Brian Dawkins.
FALCONS: Quarterback Doug Johnson might not have Michael Vick's speed, but he's certainly a gifted athlete. Johnson was a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1996 and spent two summers playing minor-league baseball while also playing football at Florida.
That arrangement didn't sit well with then-Gators coach Steve Spurrier, who thought Johnson should devote himself to one sport. The quarterback resisted, which has admittedly been a trademark throughout his life.
"I took the hard road," Johnson said. "I've always been a little hardheaded. I like to do things people say I can't do."
He never quite hit it off with Spurrier. And he was passed over in the draft.
"I guess God creates different personalities," Johnson said. "It's like oil and water. They don't mix. But I'm glad I went there. I learned more about the passing game than anyone else could teach me."
Spurrier, now coaching the Redskins, was conciliatory toward his former quarterback: "I think Doug has really improved since he became a pro. He'll do what they ask him to do, play within their system. Some guys get better as they go. He was a good one at Florida - Doug was an excellent quarterback - but he may even be a little bit better now."
In an interesting bit of scheduling, Johnson will get to face his former coach in Week 2, when the Falcons host the Redskins at the Georgia Dome.
JETS: The team waived defensive backs DeShaun Hill, Will Hunter and Kevin Knight along with kicker Danny Kight while signing receiver Cedric James. James was released by the Minnesota Vikings last week after two-injury plagued seasons. In five career games, James caught one pass for 29 yards and returned 10 kickoffs for an average of 22.8 yards. Hill and Hunter signed as rookie free agents in May. Kight also signed in May and was hoping to make the team as a kickoff specialist. Kight was cut on his birthday. The Jets also placed guard Tom Nutten on the reserve-retired list. Nutten told the Jets last week that he was retiring.
PATRIOTS: Cornerback Otis Smith, a key contributor to the 2002 Super Bowl championship, was released after he struggled to recover from a shoulder injury. It was his second stint with the team. Smith has been injured since December, when he hurt his shoulder in the fourth quarter of a 24-7 loss to Tennessee. Smith, 37, had started in 95 of 164 games during his 13-year career.
SAINTS: The team, still looking for a backup running back, brought in former No. 1 draft pick Ki-Jana Carter. Carter, drafted first by Cincinnati in 1995 out of Penn State, was on the field for Monday's only practice. Carter was cut by the Packers last year.
TEXANS: Doctors confirmed second-year fullback Jarrod Baxter will miss the season with a severe sprain in the middle of his left foot. Baxter was hurt during Friday night's 34-6 loss at Dallas.
PRO BOWL: The game will be broadcast by ESPN after a nine-year run on ABC. It will be played at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.