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Player News

• Nnamdi Asomugha (CB) OAK

  Updated 12/2/09 5:56 PM

  Asomugha believes the problems with the Oakland Raiders defense are simple _ as in the defense is too simple.

  Impacts: The All-Pro cornerback said that the Raiders have traditionally been a team that predominantly plays man-to-man defense, with a single high safety, a four-man rush and little blitzing. The Raiders allowed 384 yards on just 10 plays in a 24-7 loss at Dallas last Thursday.

• Anthony Madison (DB) IND

  Updated 12/2/09 5:36 PM

  Madison has re-signed with the team, one day after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts.

  Impacts: Madison played for Pittsburgh from 2006-08 before being cut during training camp. He played for the Browns and Colts earlier this season.

• Jamal Lewis (RB) CLE

  Updated 12/2/09 4:40 PM

  Lewis has been placed on injured reserve with post-concussion symptoms, prematurely ending his NFL career.

  Impacts: Lewis, who announced last month that he planned to retire after this season, sustained an unspecified head injury in Sunday's loss at Cincinnati. Coach Eric Mangini, who failed to mention Lewis' injury during two news conferences this week, said in a statement on Wednesday that after consulting with doctors the team decided to place Lewis on IR.

• Jamal Lewis (RB) CLE

  Updated 12/2/09 3:40 PM

  Lewis will miss Sunday's game with an unspecified head injury, raising the possibility his NFL career is over. Lewis was listed as out on Cleveland's injury report

  Impacts: The 30-year-old Lewis, who last month said he intended to retire after this season, was not in the locker room during the session open to the media. There were no street clothes in his cubicle and a Browns spokesman did not give a reason for Lewis not practicing. A punishing runner who has battered would-be tacklers since entering the league in 2000, Lewis has been bothered by assorted leg injuries all season.

• Pisa Tinoisamoa (OLB) CHI

  Updated 12/2/09 10:51 AM

  The Chicago Bears placed Tinoisamoa on injured reserve because of ligament damage on his right knee, formally ending his season.

  Impacts: The Bears made the move Wednesday, a day after signing linebacker Cato June to a one-year contract. Tinoisamoa tore the posterior cruciate ligament during the opener at Green Bay, an injury that ultimately ended his season. He was inactive for the next three games, and started against Atlanta on Oct. 18 before getting carted off the field during that game.

• Brandon Pettigrew (TE) DET

  Updated 12/1/09 10:34 PM

  Pettigrew is out for the season after injuring his left knee on Thanksgiving Day, the Detroit Free Press reported.

  Impacts: The season came to an abrupt end for the rookie tight end, one game after he caught the game-winning touchdown with no time on the clock against Cleveland.

• Hines Ward (WR) PIT

  Updated 12/1/09 3:38 PM

  Ward apologized Tuesday for openly questioning Ben Roethlisberger's toughness, saying he spoke emotionally without knowing a team doctor recommended the quarterback not play Sunday because of a concussion.

  Impacts: Ward talked Monday with Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin in separate conversations, expressing regret for saying during a pregame NBC-TV interview that the locker room was split 50-50 whether the quarterback should play in Baltimore. "I have apologized to Ben," Ward wrote in a posting on his Facebook page. "Ben and I are cool and always will be. We will not let this come between us, our talk was very productive."

• Jon Beason (MLB) CAR

  Updated 12/1/09 3:38 PM

  The man who has accused Beason of punching him in the face has filed a civil suit against the Panthers middle linebacker.

  Impacts: A day after Beason was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge, the attorney for Gregory Frye filed papers Tuesday seeking damages in excess of $10,000. Frye claims Beason sucker-punched him at a Charlotte strip club last month, crushing his nasal cavity. He seeks a jury trial.

• Shaun Phillips (OLB) SD

  Updated 12/1/09 3:17 PM

  Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said he accepted an apology from Phillips for taunting him before the Chargers' 32-3 win at Invesco Field on Nov. 22. For several days after his confrontation with Phillips, McDaniels declined to tell his side of the story, and that led to widespread criticism from players and coaches alike after Phillips said McDaniels taunted him by saying, "We own you!" during warmups.

  Impacts: In the face of that mounting criticism, McDaniels told ESPN over the weekend that Phillips, renowned for his trash talk, confronted him and taunted him as he came out of the tunnel before the game. McDaniels said his response was meant to imply that McDaniels' former team, the New England Patriots, had always made Phillips eat his words.

• Mark Sanchez (QB) NYJ

  Updated 12/1/09 2:36 PM

  Sanchez is learning how to slide like a Yankee. The rookie quarterback isn't looking to trade in his pads for pinstripes. He was just working on his sliding technique Tuesday with Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who guided New York to its 27th World Series title last month.

  Impacts: Jets coach Rex Ryan wants Sanchez to make more of a conscious effort to slide and avoid potential injuries. Sanchez is also nursing a sore left knee, which he injured when he was tackled at the end of a scramble in New York's 17-6 win over Carolina on Sunday. He wears a brace on the left leg, which hampers his ability to slide on that side.

• Jason Elam (K) ATL

  Updated 12/1/09 1:45 PM

  The Atlanta Falcons have released Elam.

  Impacts: Elam, a 17-year veteran and one of the league's most accurate kickers, missed only two kicks last season, his first with the Falcons. But he struggled this year, making only 8 of 15 field goal attempts from at least 30 yards. Matt Bryant was signed to replace Elam, who played his first 15 seasons with the Denver Broncos.

• Brent Celek (TE) PHI

  Updated 12/1/09 10:58 AM

  Celek has signed a six-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles.

  Impacts: Celek has emerged as one of the top players at his position in his first full season as a starter. He's tied for seventh in receptions (54), fifth in yards (601), and tied for fourth in touchdowns (5) among all tight ends. Celek leads the Eagles in catches and TDs.