NFL

Cardinals hand quarterback reins back to Warner

By wire services
Published November 3, 2005

TEMPE, Ariz. - Kurt Warner is a starter again.

Warner will replace Josh McCown as the Cardinals' starting quarterback Sunday against the Seahawks.

Coach Dennis Green declined to say Wednesday why he was making the switch.

"That's coach talk," he said. "We've got a bunch of guys that were involved in that decision. We talk about it every single week, and this week this is what we decided."

Warner started the first three games but was knocked out of the 37-12 loss in Seattle on Sept. 25 with a right groin strain. McCown started the past four games, including the team's only two wins.

McCown threw for 385 and 394 yards in his first two starts but has struggled the past two. He acknowledged he has sore ribs from the many blows he took in Sunday's 34-13 loss at Dallas, where he was 16-for-33 for 161 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

"There were some big hits, and with that comes some big soreness, I guess," he said. "But I'm working with the training staff to get my injuries better so I'll be ready to go if needed."

OWENS AILING: Terrell Owens' next sideline route could be directly to the bench. Donovan McNabb may be a little more lucky.

Philadelphia's Pro Bowl wide receiver and quarterback are about as banged up as they've been all season going into a critical game against Washington, where the loser lands in last place in the NFC East.

McNabb added a bruised rib to his growing injury report, and Owens might not play because of a sprained right ankle. Neither player practiced, giving the offense a significantly different look.

"I'm optimistic about the chance of those guys playing," coach Andy Reid said. "If things don't work out where they can't play, we've always moved on and the next guy steps in and does his job."

Owens' injury is much more serious. He sprained the same ankle he had surgery on last year and is doubtful for Sunday.

COMMON COURTESY: Like moviegoers everywhere, the Packers are fed up with interruptions caused by cell phones going off at inopportune times.

So, coach Mike Sherman cut short his weekly news conference when a camera operator's phone rang, and the team canceled quarterback Brett Favre's briefing when the culprit failed to 'fess up.

The cell phone went off about 16 minutes into what is normally about a 25-minute news conference when Sherman was in the middle of answering a question about his defense.

"I don't understand that," Sherman, a former high school history teacher, said as he walked from the podium in the media auditorium. "That stuff to me, to be honest with you, is a total lack of respect for each other. Forget me, you don't have to respect me. But respect each other."

The Packers were hoping peer pressure would result in the individual coming forward. But when that didn't happen, Favre's news conference was canceled for the first time since Mike Holmgren tried to reel in his loquacious quarterback a decade ago.

Meanwhile, Green Bay waived second-year cornerback Joey Thomas in a surprising move. Thomas, who briefly replaced starter Ahmad Carroll this season, was benched Sunday at Cincinnati after he fell down on a key third-down play in a 21-14 loss. Rookie Mike Hawkins replaced him as nickel back, angering Thomas.

RECEIVER RETURNS: The Lions welcomed receiver Charles Rogers back from a drug suspension but still didn't know who would be throwing him the ball Sunday.

Rogers practiced with the team after finishing a four-week suspension under the NFL's substance abuse program, but quarterback Jeff Garcia did not.

Receivers Scottie Vines and Mike Williams probably will start at Minnesota, but the backup spot didn't seem to bother Rogers, who complained about his role in the offense before the suspension.

"I know I can contribute to the team and help this team win," he said. "It's not about me starting. I know I'm going to be out there."

BILLS BACK HOLCOMB: While Buffalo coach Mike Mularkey spends the bye week considering lineup changes, several veterans say journeyman quarterback Kelly Holcomb deserves to keep his starting job over J.P. Losman.

They claim that gives the Bills the best chance of climbing into playoff contention.

"It's tough to take a guy out that's played as well as he has," tight end Mark Campbell said. "I understand the situation. J.P.'s obviously the future here. I don't know at what point that is, but we don't feel like we're close to that point."

Added top receiver Eric Moulds, "I don't think Kelly has done anything to really lose the job. We feel like we still have a chance to win. Hopefully, they'll still go with Kelly."

BEARS: Rookie receiver Mark Bradley went on injured reserve for a knee injury sustained in Sunday's victory over Detroit. Former starter Justin Gage will take Bradley's starting spot in Baton Rouge, La., against the Saints.

BROWNS: Running back Reuben Droughns apologized for his drunken driving arrest Tuesday, calling it a lapse of judgment. "The only thing I can say is I'm sorry to everybody, sorry to the organization, my teammates and the fans out there," he said. "It should have never happened."

PATRIOTS: Tedy Bruschi, returning to the lineup eight months after a stroke, was named AFC's defensive player of the week. The linebacker had 10 tackles Sunday and played nearly full-time in his first game since the Super Bowl.

RAIDERS: The team and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority announced a plan to end nearly a decade of legal acrimony by dropping existing lawsuits and ending an unsuccessful seat licensing plan.

RAMS: Kicker Jeff Wilkins, in his ninth season with the team, signed a four-year contract extension. Wilkins, who joined the team in 1997, is its career leader with 934 points and has made a franchise-record 298 straight extra points, third-best in NFL history.

SEAHAWKS: The team will pay Ken Hamlin's contract for 2005 even though it is no longer bound to because his season was ended by a nonfootball injury. Coach Mike Holmgren confirmed the team agreed to pay the rest of Hamlin's salary for this season, $245,882 on his $380,000 base pay. Hamlin was beaten by two at-large suspects outside a downtown Seattle nightclub early Oct. 17.

STEELERS: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat out practice with a right knee injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Green Bay. He said he feels better than he did three weeks ago, when he sustained a left knee injury.

[Last modified November 3, 2005, 01:07:13]