News

The Oakland Tribune reports, “Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said in his post game press briefing that Oren O’Neal and Drew Carter had sustained knee injuries that will likely keep them out for the entire regular season.” Full story here.

Monster Take: This is a tough break for Carter and further evidence of why players hate the pre-season. Ronald Curry will have more opportunity now.

Philadelphia Eagles WR, DeSean Jackson, caught 4 passes for 67 yards - all from Donovan McNabb - to lead all Philly receivers.

Monster Take: With Kevin Curtis out for the first few games of the season, the Eagles have the need for someone to step up at wide receiver. Rookie DeSean Jackson is making the case that he is that guy.

The AP reports “(Head Coach) Nolan officially announced Friday that journeyman J.T. O’Sullivan will open the season as the starter.” Full story here.

Monster Take: O’Sullivan will have the opportunity to sling the ball around in Mike Martz’s offense. He immediately becomes draftable as a backup with upside. He hasn’t proven a thing yet, but if you’ve got room on your bench to stash him he could be worth having in deeper leagues.

The AP reports, “Steven Jackson signed a six-year, $44 million contract, ended a 27-day holdout, and was on the field for practice with the St. Louis Rams on Thursday.” Full story here.

Monster Take: It’s official now, Jackson got the new contract he wanted. Now he’s got his work cut out for him to get into shape and good rhythm with the team in time for the season opener.

The Detroit Free Press reports that RB Kevin Smith continues to get reps with the first team. Full story here.

Monster Take: Smith has taken the starting spot from Tatum Bell and should have no problem retaining it. The team has stated that it’s still an open competition, but Bell seems unlikely to overtake him.

Jaguars.com reports, “Garrard said wide receiver Reggie Williams practiced with the team on Wednesday and “he looked good.” Williams underwent knee surgery shortly after training camp began.” Full story here.

Monster Take: The Jaguars are hurting at WR with their projected number 1, Jerry Porter, still out with injury. This gives Williams a shot to get plenty of reps in with Garrard before the season begins.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, ” The holdout is over for running back Steven Jackson, and with a little luck he could be on the practice field tomorrow. Jackson’s agent, Eugene Parker, informed the Rams on Wednesday afternoon that Jackson has agreed to report to Rams Park as a show of good faith in contract negotiations.” Full story here.

Monster Take: This is good news for the Rams and Jackson. Hopefully they’ll get something worked out quickly. Jackson has missed a lot of conditioning, but still has time to get in and get up to game speed.

Bengals.com reports, “If the season opened now, Chris Perry would be the starting running back. Asked what Johnson would have to do to win the job back, Lewis said, “I have to see Rudi play and practice, practice, practice and then play.” Full story here.

Monster Take: Coach Lewis may be trying to light a fire under Rudi. However, this makes sense - Rudi obviously can’t start if he can’t get on the field. We’ll keep you updated.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports, “Eagles wide receiver Kevin Curtis will have sports hernia surgery, coach Andy Reid said today.” Full story here.

Monster Take: A timetable for how long he will be out has not been given, but he could easily be out 6 to 8 weeks. Curtis’ value obviously takes a big hit here.

The AP reports, “Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was taken off the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday and participated in parts of practice after passing a physical.” Full story here.

Monster Take: Gates thinks he will be ready for the season opener, barring a setback in his recovery. It’s definitely a good sign to see him off the PUP list and practicing.