The New Orleans Saints announced Saturday that veteran defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy has been placed on injured reserve.  2008 fifth-round pick DeMario Pressley was signed from the practice squad.

Clancy was a reserve this season, playing in only two games because of a knee problem.  With both defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and linebacker Scott Fujita out for a second straight week, New Orleans' rush defense will be tested again Sunday against the Panthers. 

Michael Turner had his best game of the season against New Orleans Monday night, so DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart could present major problems for the Saints. Despite the point spread, it wouldn't be that shocking if John Fox kept his Louisiana streak going, would it?

In a move that could spell the end of Bobby Engram's 14-year NFL career, the Chiefs released the veteran wideout to make room for running back Kolby Smith. 

Smith is a third-year player with starting experience who spent the first eight weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list.  He should have a role Sunday against the Jaguars backing up Jamaal Charles and could be a key figure for the Chiefs if the team chooses to deactivate Larry Johnson down the stretch.

Engram was essentially pushed off the roster by Chris Chambers, who the Chiefs claimed on waivers this week.  The former Seahawk came to Kansas City to provide a veteran presence, but quickly lost his playing time to Bobby Wade.  He finishes with only five catches as a Chief.

While Engram won't go down as an all-time great, he was one of the best slot receivers in the league for much of his career.  He caught 45 passes in a season eight times and ranked tenth among active players in receptions with 650.

The Houston Texans are making a change at running back.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports on Twitter that Texans coach Gary Kubiak told ESPN's Bob Holtzman today that Ryan Moats will start at running back Sunday against the Colts. Steve Slaton, who has started all eight games for the Texans this season, will share carries.

It will be the first start in a Texans uniform for Moats, who has played very well this season in a limited role, carrying 38 times for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Slaton has 110 carries for 342 yards and two touchdowns this season.

But more important than the rushing numbers, as Stephanie Stradley of FanHouse has pointed out, is that Kubiak wants two things of his runners: No negative yards and no fumbles. Slaton dances around behind the line of scrimmage too much, and he's fumbled seven times this season. Moats has more of a straight-ahead style, and he has yet to fumble.

Just how much Slaton will share carries is something we won't know until Sunday, but it's clear that Kubiak has made a change, and Moats is now the man for the Texans.

It's not clear how much longer Eric Mangini will remain the head coach in Cleveland, but if he's able to hold onto his job, it looks like he'll be getting a new, hands-on boss.

Peter King, who joined Jimmy Roberts and PFT's own Mike Florio on today's NBC Notre Dame halftime show, reported that Browns owner Randy Lerner is planning to hire a "football czar" to take a very active role in shaping the team's football operations.

King said Lerner wants a proven winner who can come in and run the franchise in a manner similar to what Bill Parcells has done for the Miami Dolphins. Parcells, of course, hired his own head coach, so that news can't sound good to Mangini.

So who might be the executive who takes over the Browns' football operations? King offered three names that Lerner would love to bring on board: Former Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi, former Packers and Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren and former Packers General Manager Ron Wolf.

King said the Browns' new boss would have one job: "Advise Eric Mangini to, basically, stop screwing up this organization."

That sounds like a big job. But Lerner desperately wants to clean up the mess his franchise has become.

The ink isn't even dry on Ty Law's new contract with the Denver Broncos, and Law is already talking about getting on the field in two days.

At the team's press conference to announce his signing, Law said he wants to play on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he noted that he signed with the Jets during the 2008 season and played just a few days later.

"They're trying to get me ready to play this week in a limited fashion," Law said. "I did it last year. . . . I'm just going to kind of wing it and go out and do the best I can. But right now they're just shoving a lot down my throat because the terminology is totally different."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Law signed a one-year, $800,000 deal that includes a $200,000 signing bonus and up to $400,000 in incentives.

Both Law and Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said the signing was a good fit because they know each other from their days together in New England, and because Law wants to play for a playoff team.

"First, I'm familiar with a lot of their guys here. They're hungry. They're winning and then, my familiarity with Josh McDaniels. I've won a few championships with him," Law said. "Other than going back to New England, this would be the ideal situation for me."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Bryant might not play on Sunday as he nurses a knee injury. But he says he's impressed with the way his teammates are continuing to fight hard every week despite an 0-7 record.

The 28-year-old Bryant, who's played for the Cowboys, Browns and 49ers, says he's played for teams in the past that mailed it in after getting off to a bad start. He doesn't see any evidence of that in Tampa Bay.

"I've been on teams when we've had bad records and guys have done things to show they really don't care to be there anymore, or [they act like] the season is completely over," Bryant tells Anwar S. Richardson of the Tampa Tribune. "For us, it's not like there are six games left. It is nine games. That's a lot of games. That's a lot of games to break this thing even or make people scratch their heads.

"At the end of the day, I respect it because nobody is coming in late for meetings. Nobody is being lackadaisical with where they have to be and doing what they have to do. That shows you everybody is still fighting."

Of course, simply "still fighting" isn't good enough in the NFL: Players are expected to get results on Sundays, not just try their best. And Bryant, who has started six of the Bucs' seven games this season, is one of several Bucs who haven't been performing very well on Sundays, catching just 16 passes for 229 yards.

And Bryant has even suggested that since he'll be a free agent after the season, he has to think about more than just winning the next game, telling Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, "I don't have no contract. It don't do me no good to play for a game or two and then be right back and have to sit down again."

So it's great that the Bucs are still fighting. But they need to start winning.

Whenever a team has success running the no-huddle offense, you can bet it's only a matter of time before fans start wondering why they don't do it all the time.

Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has heard the questions, and he has a simple answer: It wouldn't work all the time, because the Steelers are better off using multiple personnel packages.

Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has written a piece examining why the Steelers only go no-huddle in certain situations, and it all comes down to Arians' belief that multiple personnel packages are necessary.

"It limits you way too much," Arians said. "It limits what you can do offensively. You take away a lot of your play-action game and things you can do with a game plan. You basically don't have a game plan. If you go no-huddle [all the time], shoot, I can take every night off.

"It's a tool you use to change the tempo of the game, but you're limited in your personnel. It's not something we want to do wholesale every game."

Still, the Steelers are expected to go no-huddle in certain situations on Monday night in Denver, in large part because the Ravens ran it so effectively last week against the Broncos: Baltimore went no-huddle 31 times in a 30-7 win over the Broncos.

So yes, the Steelers will go no-huddle at times. Just don't expect Arians to do it all the time.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad is expected to miss his second consecutive game on Sunday when the Panthers take on the Saints.

Muhammad is listed as questionable, but he didn't practice Friday and is expected to sit out. Muhammad started the first six games of the year and hasn't had a particularly good season, but then again no one associated with the Panthers' passing game has had a particularly good season. Muhammad is second on the team with 24 catches for 219 yards.

Other Panthers who are listed as questionable include kicker John Kasay, fullbacks Brad Hoover and Tony Fiammetta and tight end Dante Rosario.

One piece of good news for the Panthers: Running back Jonathan Stewart is listed as questionable with an Achilles' tendon injury, but Stewart fully participated in practice on Friday and is expected to play.

As he prepared for the 2008 NFL draft, then-Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson had a mentor with a very impressive resume: Jerry Rice.

"He has all the talent in the world," Rice said of Jackson before last year's draft. "There's no reason he can't be everything he wants to be at the next level."

Now Jackson is in his second season with the Philadelphia Eagles, and he says Rice is still in his corner.

"He's a good guy and when he sees me doing things on Sundays, he definitely calls me and congratulates me and things like that. It's a pretty good relationship," Jackson tells Jordan Raanan of CSNPhilly.com. "He knows my talent and stuff, so he's definitely confident. He knows what I'm capable of doing."

At first glance, Rice and Jackson might seem like an odd couple: Jackson's greatest asset is his blazing speed, while Rice was known more for good route running and good hands. Rice was the consummate professional, while Jackson has had his share of bonehead plays, most memorably dropping the ball before crossing the goal line on Monday Night Football last year.

But Rice and Jackson have one major thing in common: Huge talent for playing the wide receiver position. Even if their talents aren't quite the same, Rice appreciates what he sees from Jackson.

The Miami Dolphins' defense will likely be missing two starters from the front seven on Sunday at New England.

Nose tackle Jason Ferguson and inside linebacker Channing Crowder are both listed as doubtful on this week's injury report. Ferguson is an especially big concern: Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel writes that Ferguson's elbow injury appears to be more serious than the team has let on.

Ferguson has started all seven games this season and looked surprisingly nimble for a man who's about to turn 35 and is well north of 300 pounds. Assuming Ferguson can't go, Paul Soliai will likely start in his place, and Randy Starks will get more snaps in the defensive line rotation against the Patriots.

Crowder started the first six games of the season but missed last week against the Jets. If he can't go, Reggie Torbor will again start in his place.

On Friday Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Ty Law was headed to Denver, and on Saturday the Broncos made it official: Law, the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, has been signed.

To make room on the roster for Law, the Broncos waived cornerback Jack Williams.

This will be Law's 15th NFL season. He played for the Jets last year and in 2005, for the Chiefs in 2006 and 2007, and for the Patriots from 1995 to 2004. Law has 52 career interceptions.

Although Law is 35 years old and certainly past his prime, he still managed to start six games for the Jets last year, and before that he had started all 16 games for three consecutive seasons.

This has been a week full of bad injury news for the Indianapolis Colts, with safety Bob Sanders, cornerback Marlin Jackson and linebacker Tyjuan Hagler all being lost for the season.

But there may be one piece of good news on the injury front: Phillip B. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star writes that running back Donald Brown, the Colts' first-round rookie, is expected to play despite a shoulder injury. Brown practiced for two days this week before being given Friday of, and he's listed as questionable on the injury report. But Wilson writes that Brown is expected to go.

Brown has been an effective change of pace for Joseph Addai this season, with 46 carries for 212 yards and two touchdowns, plus seven catches for 138 yards. But he was injured and had to sit out last weekend's win over the 49ers.

Now he should be back on the field Sunday, in a small piece of good news at the end of a decidedly bad week for the Colts.

Bengals running back Cedric Benson thinks that after he was sent packing from Chicago, the Bears blackballed him around the league.

Whether Benson is right or wrong to characterize communications between the Bears and other teams as "blackballing," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says it's true that he had a "very candid" conversation with Bears coach Lovie Smith before signing Benson.

In this week's Sports Illustrated, Damon Hack writes about the surprising turnaround that Benson has had in Cincinnati after being labeled a bust in Chicago. And Hack quotes Lewis as talking about his conversation with Smith before bringing Benson aboard.

"Lovie was very candid," Lewis said. "He felt like Ced had come into a situation that maybe he wasn't ready for. There were mixed emotions [in Chicago] on whether he should have been there. On Ced's part he probably didn't handle it correctly, and he did things that didn't endear him."

That suggests that Smith gave Lewis an evaluation of Benson that was less than flattering, but then again, Benson was a fourth overall pick who was released after starting just 12 games in three seasons. Any coach would give a player an unflattering evaluation after that kind of performance.

But Lewis decided to sign Benson shortly after having that conversation with Smith, so Smith's comments obviously didn't poison the well to such an extent that Lewis would think Benson couldn't help the Bengals win.

And help the Bengals win he has. Benson is fourth in the league with 720 rushing yards, and the Bengals are tied for first in the AFC North with a 5-2 record. Whatever was said in that candid conversation, Lewis is unquestionably happy that he signed Benson.

Though the name of Steelers safety Ryan Clark does not appear on the team's injury report for Thursday or Friday, his status for Monday night remains undecided for reasons other than his current overall condition.

Clark, despite generally being healthy, might not play on Monday night in Denver due to a sickle-cell trait that attacked his body the last time he played a game at the high altitude of the Mile High City.

The Steelers, however, are saying nothing about the situation.  Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, neither Clark nor coach Mike Tomlin will provide official confirmation regarding his status prior to the game.

"This is not about me," Clark told Dulac.  "It's two good teams playing on Monday.  Whether I play or not, the game is going to go on, and that's what I do know.  They won't stop the game if I don't play.

"I just want to deal with it and get it over with.  I can honestly say, I'll be happy Tuesday morning to get back to a regular life."

There might be a fairly strong clue provided as to Clark's status if he doesn't make the trip to Denver with his teammates.  Otherwise, we'll have to wait until the Steelers submit their list of inactive players.

In the interim, it'll be interesting to see how the Steelers address Clark's status on the Saturday injury report, which will include one of the various labels reflecting his expected availability.

Our guess?  He'll given the 50-50 tag of "questionable," even though it appears that the Steelers already know with 100-percent certainty whether he will or won't be playing.

Bills DE Chris Kelsay credits the secondary with the team's improved sack totals.

Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown has improved as a passer out of the Wildcat, according to coach Tony Sparano.

WR Randy Moss is the smartest receiver that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has ever been around.

Said Jets S Kerry Rhodes, "We lost games that we shouldn't have. It's just one of those things where you have to look at yourself in the mirror and see that we're 4-4 and try to right that in the second half."

After bouncing around different positions, Chris Chester has made a home for himself at right guard.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is happy with the progress he's seen from FB Fui Vakapuna since the player returned to the team.

Will an easier schedule help the Browns stop the bleeding?

Said Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley, "Everybody that got drafted in front of me, I'm doing better than them. Not being cocky, that's just the way it is."

Texans WR Kevin Walter may benefit from TE Owen Daniels's injury.

The Colts signed DE Josh Thomas and TE Tom Santi to fill the roster spots vacated by CB Marlin Jackson and S Bob Sanders.

The Jaguars claimed S Anthony Smith off of waivers from the Rams.

CB Rod Hood is doing all he can to make the most of his chance to play for the Titans.

Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan studied the Steelers defense while implementing a 3-4 scheme in Denver.

The Chiefs need S DaJuan Morgan to limit big plays in his first NFL start.

Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times doesn't believe that the Raiders would re-hire Jon Gruden as their coach.

The Chargers think that playing three nose tackles with differing styles makes things more difficult for opposing centers.

The performance of the Cowboys special teams has been superb in special teams coach Joe DeCamillis's first season with the team.

Said Giants G.M. Jerry Reese, "Sure, these last three games are a concern, but I believe it's a little too early to call it a crisis."

Eagles rookies are looking forward to their first taste of the team's rivalry with the Cowboys.

The Redskins signed P Sam Paulescu, and if he punts Sunday it will mark the second time in team history that four different players punted for them in one season.

Bears coach Lovie Smith feels his secondary is ready for the test the Cardinals will provide on Sunday.

The battle for playing time at right outside linebacker between Ernie Sims and DeAndre Levy has been a constant for the Lions.

RG Josh Sitton has been the steadiest player on the Packers offensive line this season.

A small group of Vikings fans stood outside the state Capitol to urge lawmakers for a new stadium.

Redskins DT Albert Haynesworth had some threatening words for Falcons offensive linemen Tyson Clabo and Harvey Dahl.

Panthers K John Kasay missed a second day of practice which could leave all the kicking duties to kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd.

Morten Andersen was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.

Buccaneers S Tanard Jackson said that his four-game suspension was a "reality setter."

Said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, "I don't think anybody is scared of or scheming to stop our run game."

The first Rams victory of the season resulted in a spike in the team's local television ratings.

Rich Gannon praised 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye and thinks he'll get the maximum out of his personnel.

Seahawks T Sean Locklear went through a full practice Friday and could start on Sunday.
  

If there's any hope at all for the Detroit Lions, who are 1-22 since the start of 2008, that hope can be found in a trio of young offensive skill position players: quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Kevin Smith.

But while all three of those players have shown promise at times, they've also had injuries, and the Lions haven't had them on the field together very much. That's something Lions coach Jim Schwartz hopes will change on Sunday against the Seahawks.

"Really, the last time they were all healthy together on the field was the first half of the Washington game [in Week 3]," Schwartz said, referring to the only game the Lions have won in the last two years. "Somebody's been limited or somebody's been missing. They are a big part of our offense, a big part of our team."

Johnson and Smith are listed as questionable for Sunday and Stafford is listed as probable, and all three are expected to play. With the trio on the field, Lions fans might finally see something that gives them some hope.

We thought that the off-field issues relating to Raiders coach Tom Cable were concluded with the decision not to prosecute him on charges of fracturing the face of defensive assistant Randy Hanson.

But with last weekend's ESPN report featuring a former Cable wife and a former Cable girlfriend who claim that he committed violence against them, the problem isn't going away.

PFTV tackled recently the complex issues that the NFL and the Raiders now face.

With two big-name college players whose seasons already are over making it known that they plan to crash the April 2010 instant millionaire party known as the NFL draft, it remains to be seen how many of the guys still playing in 2009 -- and who could still continue to play for one or two more seasons -- will make the cash grab sooner rather than later.

As Keith Arnold of NBC's Inside The Irish recently pointed out, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has acknowledged that quarterback Jimmy Clausen and receiver Golden Tate have a tough decision to make, since both will be eligible to bolt from South Bend.

(And, yes, I'm pushing the NBC Notre Dame blog today because I'm on the halftime show of the Notre Dame game.  We all know it.  So why not admit it?)

The problem, as we've recently explained at SportingNews.com, is that a flood of underclassmen will make it harder for any of them to get paid, since there are only so many big-money slots at the top of the draft.

The safer play for the players, then, might be to let everyone else rush for the cash, and to wait until 2011, when the pool will be less crowded.

Then again, if there's a work stoppage or an NBA-style rookie wage scale by then, there also might be something floating in the pool other than a Baby Ruth.

That's why we continue to believe that the NFL and the union should find a way to get these players to realize that they don't need to rush for the exits.  The best solution?  The league should agree to keep the current rookie compensation system in place, and the union should make an equivalent concession in some other area of the negotiations.

It might be much easier said than done, however.  Since paying rookies represents a significant aspect of the system for paying all players, and given that the league seems poised to revolutionize the current salary-cap approach, one can't be done without the other.
 

Veteran cornerback Rod Hood has had a strange year, to say the least.  Cut by the Cardinals in late April, Hood made the rounds before landing in Cleveland.

He signed with the Browns on May 26.  On August 31, they released him.

The next day, Hood signed with the Bears.  On September 4, they released him.

He finally found a new home -- his fourth of the year -- in Tennessee on October 15.  So far, the relationship is working fairly well.  His first start came in Week Eight's 30-13 win over the Jaguars, and Hood contributed an interception to the effort.

Earlier this week, he talked about his experiences with Terry McCormick of the Nashville City Paper.  The stuff that caught our attention the most related to his time with the Browns.

"It had nothing to do with my play at Cleveland," Hood told McCormick.  "It was one of those things where I really wanted to get out of there, because I didn't like how things were going, how things were being run there.  I'm just a big guy on character and how things are supposed to be played out, and it wasn't a good situation for me.  It was to a point where football wasn't even fun for me.  It was terrible to me."

Per McCormick, Hood didn't provide chapter-and-verse particulars.  But Hood said he'd never encountered anything like it during his seven NFL seasons.  

"I don't want to go into it specifically.  The owner is a good guy, and the organization in years past, but now they've got some people in there that's not running it the way it should be," Hood explained. "I've never experienced football [like that].  I came from two good organizations in Philly and Arizona, and I'd never seen football handled the way it was when I was there."

The unspoken target of Hood's attack is, clearly, coach Eric Mangini.  Though some might think Mangini has become a pin cushion for criticism because of the way he handles the media, we get the sense that it runs much deeper than that.  A league source recently told us that former G.M. George Kokinis "changed" once he arrived in Cleveland, and that he seemed aloof and always fearful.  The source believes that Kokinis changed due to the stress of working with (for) Mangini.  

And while we heard in the wake of the team's first and only win of the year that Mangini had changed for the better, another source told us that Mangini fairly quickly went back the other way.

That said, there likely are more than a few players who don't have a problem with the way Mangini is running the Browns.  For Mangini's sake, it would be nice if one or more of them would stand up and prop up the team's embattled coach.

Patriots linebacker defensive end Jarvis Green recently had surgery to repair a knee injury.  And in discussing the matter at a Friday night charity event, Green might have gotten the team in a little hot water.

"The knee is going good, rehab is going good," Green said, per Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald.  "Taking it one day at a time, feeling good.  [Surgery] had to be done.  I've been playing with it for about four weeks, the injury, and it was getting worse and worse. It was time."

This admission suggests that Green had a knee injury during the team's four prior games.  Since the Pats had a Week Eight bye, the four prior games would have been played in Week Four, Week Five, Week Six, and Week Seven.

And, naturally, Green's name didn't appear on the Week Four injury report.  Or Week Five.

In Week Six, Green was listed as participating in practice on a limited basis on Wednesday through Friday, and he was officially "probable" for the game.

But even though Green said the injury was getting "worse and worse," his status on Week Seven indicates that it was getting better.

Green was listed as fully participating in practice on Wednesday and Thursday of that week, and then he was removed from the injury report for Friday.  He was not given any of the various pregame designations, which means that he was 100 percent.

We expect that Green and/or the Patriots will say that Green was misquoted or that he misspoke or that it was otherwise an accident or a mistake.  And the league likely won't do anything about what appears to be, based on Green's statements, a partial effort by the Pats to keep the injury under wraps.

And, eventually, we'll grow numb to and/or bored with the notion that teams apparently cheat on the injury report.

But we're not there yet.