Title Defense Begins Tonight

Does Brady have cracked bone in foot? ... Belichick expects him to be ready ... Leahy: "No credible source" ... Sheldon Brown lashes out at Rosenhaus ... Boldin: "I'm coming to play football" ... Manning says he's "certainly ready to play" ... Rosenhaus: "very good chance" Lito gets traded in next few weeks ... Seahawks' Carlson to start ... Steven Jackson expected to get full workload in opener ... Pace expects to play Sunday ... Tommie Harris's knee worse than previously thought? ... Tatum Bell tries out with Houston ...

"Rudi Johnson didn't appear to be bothered by the hamstring injury he had while with the Bengals during his first practice since signing with the Lions. 'He kind of went out and had a good day,' said Lions coach Rod Marinelli, adding that he expects Johnson to play on Sunday."

"After the Seahawks used their top two draft choices on Lawrence Jackson and John Carlson, coach Mike Holmgren stated the obvious: You draft anyone were they selected the defensive end from USC and the tight end from Notre Dame, you're hoping they contribute right away. Expectations became reality Wednesday when Holmgren announced Jackson and Carlson will start Sunday in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills."

"That Sheppard would excuse what Rosenhaus did to Brown as just being part of business shows he has little concern about his teammates or how this team performs this season."

"Rookie DeSean Jackson will be one of the starters at wide receiver when the Eagles open the season Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Jackson, a second-round draft choice out of California, will become the first Eagles rookie receiver to start on opening day in Andy Reid's 10 seasons as coach."

"Ed Reed practiced yesterday for the first time this summer without his red jersey, which had signified no contact with other players. The free safety is suffering from a nerve impingement in his neck and shoulder. Doctors have told him to rest a couple of weeks, Reed said. But Reed will attempt play in the season opener. 'If I feel like I can go out there and be effective, that's what I am going to do,' Reed said. "But at the same time, I'm going to be smart and try to strengthen it as much as possible.'"

"[Sheldon] Brown was agitated Wednesday because Rosenhaus went viral with his message that a disgruntled Sheppard - his client - was in the 'prime of his career,' and should be a starting cornerback along with All-Pro Asante Samuel. . . . An irked Brown wondered why his name was mentioned in the video. 'I don't want nobody in my business and I would never bring nobody else in my business,' he said. . . . 'If you know (Rosenhaus') track record, it's more of a disappointment to me that he enticed the guy into signing with him. . . . Agents don't get the deals done. The player gets the deal done. That's what's disappointing. . . . I think he's in desperate situation and he's got a desperate agent trying to do anything to get him out of the situation. . . . There is a professional way to get it done. Brian [Westbrook] got something done without being a clown.'"

"Backup quarterback Matt Moore reinjured his left leg in practice today, suffering a fractured fibula, and will be sidelined indefinitely. Moore will remain on the active roster and is officially listed as 'week to week.' The Panthers re-signed Brett Basanez to the practice squad and released defensive end Angelo Craig. General manager Marty Hurney said Moore had two x-rays and an MRI done after he injured his leg in last Thursday's exhibition finale at Pittsburgh. However, Hurney said Moore threw passes in practice today and felt a pop in his leg. New x-rays showed the fracture."

"St. Louis Rams coach Scott Linehan expects Steven Jackson, who ended a 27-day contract holdout Aug. 20th, to carry a full load in the season opener."

"Just had a brief chat with Orlando Pace, and he said he expects to be in the lineup Sunday in Philadelphia. His shoulder, injured in last year’s opener, is 'feeling great,' Pace said. 'Everything’s looking good. I feel really good, probably the best I’ve felt since last year. It’s been a long time. I just can’t wait to back on the field.'"

"In his conference call with Kansas City reporters earlier today, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked if quarterback Tom Brady will play in Sunday's season opener. 'He's practicing and I expect he'll be ready to go,' Belichick responded."

"We've reached interesting territory with DeSean Jackson. Philly is certain the rookie receiver is destined for greatness. It's one of the few things - aside from believing Mets fans should be tarred, sprinkled with Phanatic feathers, and made to dance for our amusement - that we can all agree on. Regardless of the fact that he has yet to catch a pass that matters, Jackson's legend grows bigger each day."

"'I am certainly ready to play,' [Peyton Manning] said this morning in a conference call with Chicago media. 'I can't give myself a percentage, I guess. It's kind of been uncharted territory for me, it's been a different challenge for me. But I've worked hard to get prepared to play this game and hopefully can have a good week of practice, this week of preparation and I'll go out and hopefully play at a high level.'"

"The Dallas Cowboys signed free agent safety Keith Davis on Wednesday. Davis, who was signed by Miami in the offseason and released last week, will be entering his sixth season in the NFL, all with Dallas."

"A source said the Bears' medical staff has expressed concern Harris' knee injury might be more serious than the team first thought, but team officials rejected that idea Tuesday night. It was pointed out that similar concerns were raised last season about Harris' health after he sprained his left knee against Dallas, but he was in action for the next game Sept. 30 at Detroit. If Harris is limited or doesn't play against the Colts, he likely would be replaced in the lineup by a group including Anthony Adams, Dusty Dvoracek and promising rookie Marcus Harrison."

"Former Lions running back Tatum Bell flew to Houston to try out with the Texans. The attraction is that his former line coach with the Denver Broncos, Alex Gibbs , is now an assistant head coach in charge of offense with the Texans."

"Antonio Bryant spent the NFL season last year on his couch. But he will begin the regular season Sunday in New Orleans in the Bucs' starting lineup opposite Joey Galloway."

"Rookie Rashard Mendenhall will return kickoffs, but Tomlin still is not sure how much he will play at halfback. Mendenhall did not help his case when he lost three fumbles in the final two preseason games. 'We're looking at his preparation this week, his attention to detail in terms of how he executes his assignments, and his level of ball security,' Tomlin said. 'That process will be ongoing. That's what it's about. We'll see as we get closer to game time.'"

WEEI is reporting that they are hearing unconfirmed rumors that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may have a cracked bone in his foot. Audio link here.

"Cornerback Eugene Wilson, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, is expected to sign with the Texans today. Wilson, who also can play safety, was placed on waivers by Tampa Bay. He’s a six-year veteran who started six games for the Patriots last season. He left New England as a free agent and signed with the Buccaneers."

"Marcus McNeill got good news yesterday after an MRI and expects to be cleared to return to practice this week, but it appears it will be too late for him to start against the Carolina Panthers and Julius Peppers on Sunday. Asked yesterday if L.J. Shelton would most likely start at left tackle in the season opener, head coach Norv Turner said, 'Yeah, I hate to get into those most likelys, but that's probably correct.'"

"[Kenny] Phillips excelled in training camp and early in the preseason before his playing time decreased noticeably. It once appeared as if he was destined to breeze past second-year Michael Johnson and into the starting free safety spot but that won't happen, at least not in tomorrow night's season opener against the Redskins. Johnson will start but that doesn't mean Phillips will sit. He's a member of the nickel package and as such will see plenty of time on defense, as well as numerous special teams duties."

"'At least one team has made a recent trade proposal to the Eagles,' [Drew] Rosenhaus wrote in an email to the Daily News. 'The Eagles didn't like the compensation and turned it down. I will not identify the team at this time. I think there is a very good chance Lito [Sheppard] gets traded in the next few weeks.'"

"The Cowboys aren't expected to sign another quarterback until next week. But they've already begun the interview process. Former Minnesota quarterback Brooks Bollinger visited Valley Ranch for a workout this week. Bollinger, 28, is entering his sixth season and has a career 2-8 record as a starter."

"[Roddy] White salvaged his career with the mega-season and appeared to put the issue of dropped passes in his rearview mirror. Now, with rookie quarterback Matt Ryan at the helm, White is expecting to continue his ascent in the league. 'Last year we made a lot of plays, and I expect the same this year,' White said."

"Wide receiver Anquan Boldin isn't as mad as hell anymore. He looks happy. He's laughing. He's saying all the right things. He wants to be a team player. He wants to smooth things over. He just wants to win. He said he never considered not reporting to camp and holding the team hostage. 'It ain't worth it, man,' Boldin said. 'My teammates work too hard, and I know I'm a big part of the process with this program. If I held out or did anything like that, I'd be letting them down.' That's right, the man who stoked the most controversy in training camp with suggestions of a holdout, who then demanded a trade and went so far as to say he would never sign another deal with the franchise - and that he has absolutely no communication with his coach - doesn't seem so sour after all."

"I asked Johnson how quickly a back can figure things out in the NFL, hoping he'd say, hey, you give a good runner a football, he'll find daylight, even if his new uniform says 'Nagasaki Dragons.' 'I wish,' Johnson said, laughing. 'But not at this level. It's very complicated. It's very complex. It's very ...' He then listed a whole litany of things: running plays, pass protection plays, offensive line schemes, fullback blocking. There was more, but I ran out of paper. 'I'm looking forward to it,' Johnson said, adding, 'I got the next six or seven months to put my focus into that.' Somebody should tell Johnson the Lions' season is only four months -- it just feels like six or seven."

"On the two second-round WRs not making an impact so far: 'I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed about that,' [Jason Campbell] said about Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. 'We had so much expectation for those guys contributing to our offense. I thought we'd grow together quickly. I went over to their place and visited with them about everything. I told them this was the real deal. They needed to show up on time for meetings and to study. We need them out there.'"

"I’m not thinking about it [signing a veteran quarterback]. I’m thinking about getting these two young men ready to play. I’m excited about both of them. I think they’re two excellent prospects. As a coach, that’ s all you can ask for. Give me prospects and it’s our job to do the best we can with them and make sure they are able to perform at a high level." -- Mike McCarthy

"Free agent WR Chad Jackson worked out for the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday as expected, Scout Rumor Central has confirmed. Oakland wanted to sign Jackson after week one but he has decided to visit the Cincinnati Bengals instead for a workout on Wednesday."