NFL

Pennington, Spikes out for the season

By wire services
Published September 27, 2005

Jets QB Chad Pennington and Bills LB Takeo Spikes are out for the season after being injured Sunday.

Pennington has a torn rotator cuff, the Associated Press reported. It's the same injury he suffered last year and had offseason surgery to repair. AP reported an MRI exam revealed the injury.

Spikes, a leader of Buffalo's defense, will be sidelined with a torn right Achilles' tendon.

Pennington was hurt in a 26-20 overtime loss to Jacksonville.

Jets backup Jay Fiedler also damaged his shoulder in the game and will be sidelined, leaving third-stringer Brooks Bollinger to start Sunday at Baltimore.

An eight-year veteran in his third season with Buffalo, Spikes developed into the team's physical and inspirational leader. He was hurt in the second quarter against Atlanta while pressuring QB Michael Vick . Spikes remained facedown on the field a few feet in front of Vick, then slammed his helmet to the ground when he rolled over and grimaced as he tried to kneel.

Angelo Crowell will replace Spikes, who was lured from Cincinnati in March 2003 with a six-year, $32-million contract.

PATS' HARRISON LIKELY OUT: Rodney Harrison , the fiery leader of New England's defense, is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury that further depletes a battered secondary. "I feel so bad because he's one of the hardest working guys on the team," LB Willie McGinest said.

Harrison suffered a torn ACL Sunday against Pittsburgh that will sideline him the rest of the season, his agent, Steve Feldman , told the Boston Herald .

In other news, coach Bill Belichick ordered Steelers trainer John Norwig off the field when Norwig asked if medical help was needed for injured Patriots T Matt Light . As Light lay on the Heinz Field turf with an apparently serious right leg injury during the second quarter, Norwig came onto the field to offer help. That prompted Belichick, who cautiously guards all injury information, to emphatically order the trainer off the field.

BAD TIMING: A clock error added 52 seconds to the fourth quarter of the Patriots-Steelers game. The extra time aided the Patriots during a winning drive that ended with Adam Vinatieri 's 43-yard field goal with one second left.

The Patriots won 23-20. The NFL acknowledged the mistake. It occurred after the second play of the fourth quarter, a reverse by Steelers WR Cedrick Wilson .

BENGALS: Pro Bowl RT Willie Anderson was listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Texans because of a strained back, jeopardizing his streak of 83 consecutive starts.

DOLPHINS: Coach Nick Saban said he was awaiting results of an MRI exam on LB Junior Seau 's calf injury. Seau said he didn't think the injury was serious.

JAGUARS: A former live-in girlfriend of DT John Henderson told police he kicked in her front door this month and threw her around the apartment when she refused to have sex. There was no warrant for Henderson's arrest, and the State Attorney's Office had not determined whether to file charges.

TITANS: RB Travis Henry was suspended four weeks for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

[Last modified September 27, 2005, 02:45:31]