Bucs/NFL

Seau not gone yet, signs deal with Pats

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 19, 2006

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The way Junior Seau looks at it, he's now in graduate school.

Seau returned to the NFL on Friday after a four-day retirement, trading surfing in San Diego for a one-year contract with the Patriots that the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker hopes will pay off with a long-sought Super Bowl ring.

"I'm going after my master's now," the jet-lagged Seau said during a conference call.

That was a reference to his lavish retirement ceremony Monday at the San Diego Chargers' headquarters when he said: "I'm not retiring. I am graduating."

The 37-year-old said then that no teams wanted him. But he didn't rule out coming back.

Seau said the Patriots called on Tuesday. New England needed another linebacker because Tedy Bruschi has a broken wrist, although he has been out since July 31. Chad Brown and Monte Beisel also are hurt, and Willie McGinest, a mainstay of the Patriots' three Super Bowl titles in four seasons, signed with the Browns as a free agent.

"When a championship team calls, you've definitely got to answer the call and definitely look into it," Seau said.

BROWNS 20, LIONS 16: Overlooked on draft day and underrated for most of his career, little Jerome Harrison is making big plays for Cleveland. The 5-foot-9 rookie running back caught a 31-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and finished with 107 total yards as the host Browns rallied.

Bears 24, Chargers 3: Brian Urlacher and Rashied Davis saw to it that the Chicago Bears wouldn't have to rely on the offense to score. Urlacher returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown on the game's third play and Davis took a kickoff 100 yards for another first-quarter TD to lead the host Bears.

BENGALS 44, BILLS 31: Chad Johnson got his first touchdown this preseason. The Bengals receiver's bid to celebrate, though, was denied. It didn't matter much, because there was enough high-scoring entertainment in Cincinnati's mean-nothing win at Buffalo. Johnson and the defense led the way, helping Cincinnati produce the third-most points in a preseason game in team history.

COWBOYS: Receiver Charlie Adams failed his physical, voiding a trade with the Broncos.

GIANTS: Center Shawn O'Hara sprained a knee ligament and is not expected to play in next week's game against the Jets.

JETS: Quarterback Chad Pennington will miss today's game against Washington because of a family illness.

VIKINGS: Receiver Koren Robinson's arrest this week on suspicion of drunken driving wasn't his first scrape with the law since training camp opened. Robinson got a ticket Aug. 10 for driving a BMW without a valid Minnesota driver's license. The license issued in his home state of North Carolina was suspended, according to police.

[Last modified August 19, 2006, 02:02:28]