Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford was scheduled to have surgery on his left foot Tuesday afternoon in North Carolina and will miss a number of games, head coach Dennis Allen said during his weekly media conference on Tuesday.
It’s uncertain whether Ford is out for the season.
“Basically, it’s the same injury he had last year. He re-injured it this season … After visiting with the foot specialist in Carolina, everybody thought that given a little bit of time that he could come back from it,” Allen said.
Ford injured his foot in the Raiders’ second preseason game Aug. 17.
He missed eight games last season dealing with the same foot problem. He had 19 catches for 279 yards in his eight games last season, and he has returned four kickoffs for touchdowns in his two pro seasons.
“After giving it some time and re-evaluating, the medical people felt like this was probably the best thing for him.,” Allen said. “It didn’t respond like everybody was kinda hoping it would … he will be out a significant amount of time.”
–Kevin Kolb is back as the Cardinals starting quarterback, at least for the next two weeks, with John Skelton sidelined by a severely sprained ankle.
ProFootballTalk.com reported, citing sources close to Skelton, he would miss 2-4 weeks. Kolb will start Sunday at New England and in Week 3, when the Philadelphia Eagles are at Arizona.
Skelton earned the starting job over Kolb in a stagnant quarterback competition in training camp.
–Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked three times and intercepted three times. The rookie starter produced a 39.0 passer rating.
It’s not a surprise to hear offensive coordinator Mike Sherman say Tannehill has to get better if the Dolphins are to compete in the AFC East. Sherman coached Tannehill for each of this 19 career starts at Texas A&M.
“He’s got to find the passing lane. Guys (are) a little taller, a little bigger at this level,” Sherman said. “The window is a little bit smaller, and these guys have a lot of range. He hasn’t had a problem with it in practice. It has not been an issue, and (if it was a problem) you would think it would be a recurring issue in practice.”
–Brandon Weeden’s 5.1 passer rating in his first start was the worst opening-day rating for a rookie since 1960 among players who had thrown at least 15 passes.
Weeden’s ranked as the sixth-worst opening-day rating in the past 52 years.
It was that kind of day for the Cleveland Browns, as the quarterback of the future completed 34 percent and had four interceptions — including one on his last throws of the day.
But it will not make the Browns change their plan or lose faith in the guy they drafted to take over the spot. Weeden is the team’s starter, and they will work through the tough opener.
–The Colts signed rookie offensive tackle Bradley Sowell to their 53-man roster from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Sowell signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent on April 30. He played in 49 games (36 starts) at the University of Mississippi and was named an All-SEC second-team selection in 2011.
–The Steelers are hopeful right outside linebacker James Harrison will be on the field Sunday against the Jets.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Harrison (knee) was able to work out Monday.
“He will run (Wednesday) and see where he is,” Tomlin said. “We’ll work him up to activity and let that be our guide.”
–The Sunday night game at Denver between the Steelers and Broncos game was the highest-rated “Sunday Night Football” game ever and tied the 2010 NFL Kickoff opener as the highest-rated regular-season NFL game ever on NBC.
NBC drew its highest-ever regular-season primetime rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Neilsen data.
–The Detroit Lions travel to San Francisco for “Sunday Night Football” against the 49ers, and coach Jim Schwartz is hopeful the focus for his team will be on the game and opponent and not on the postgame handshake incident with 49ers’ coach Jim Harbaugh last October.
“It happened so long ago that that occurred,” he said. “When these two teams take the field on Sunday, that won’t be on one player’s mind.”
He said he and Harbaugh have made the rounds at the combine and NFL meetings together and have talked.
“Yes, we have shaken hands,” he said. “Without incident.”
–Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma sent notice through his legal team that he’s willing to sit down for a formal meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell.
Vilma and attorney Peter Ginsberg walked out of a joint appeal hearing June 18. That meeting started with all four suspended players — Saints defensive end Will Smith, free agent Anthony Hargrove and Browns linebacker Scott Fujita — before it was delayed and then re-started without Vilma hours later.
ESPN reported that Goodell will meet with all four players whose suspensions were overturned on Friday — Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove.
The dates of those meetings not immediately known.
–Fullback Marcel Reece agreed to a contract extension with the Raiders on Monday, the team announced.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Reece finally received the multi-year deal he has been seeking. He waited until the final organized team activity of the offseason program before signing his one-year, $540,000 exclusive rights free agent tender in June.
–The Steelers are planning to give running back Jonathan Dwyer more chances in Sunday’s game against the Jets.
Dwyer was the only back who ran effectively at Denver in Week 1. The backup to Isaac Redman with Rashard Mendenhall out, Dwyer ran nine times for 43 yards.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Dwyer earned “increased opportunity” with his effort against the Broncos.
Redman had one good short-yardage run for a first down but not much more as he finished with 20 yards on 11 carries.
All in all the Steelers ran 26 times for 75 yards and a 2.9-yard average with no touchdowns. Dwyer had the team’s longest run, 11 yards.
—The Washington Redskins will sign former Indianapolis Colts long snapper Justin Snow to replace injured Nick Sundberg.
Sundberg suffered a broken left arm in the first half of Sunday’s game against New Orleans during a blocked punt, but he continued to play in the second half. The Redskins haven’t announced whether Sundberg, whose arm was placed in a cast, will be put on injured reserve, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
—The NFL Network is working on providing viewers a goal-line shot of the action.
The network is planning to put tiny cameras in the pylons on each side of the field to provide a bird’s eye view of scoring plays, ProFootballTalk reported. The cameras could be installed and ready to go in time for the Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers game on Thursday night.
Having a shot of the goal could aid referees in determining whether the plane is broken or when a runner’s knee hits the ground.
—Wide receiver Patrick Turner was waived by the Jets.
A third-round pick by Miami in 2009, the Jets claimed him off waivers in 2010. Turner caught 10 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown in 20 games with the team.
Linebacker Ricky Sapp was re-signed to the practice squad after being released last week. Cornerback LeQuan Lewis was released from the practice squad.
—Linebacker Sammy Brown was waived by the Dolphins, who also signed defensive tackle Chas Alecxih and wide receiver Brian Tyms to their practice squad.
Wide receiver Chris Hogan had his practice squad contract terminated.
—Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes was placed on injured reserve with the Achilles tendon injury he suffered in Sunday’s season opener.
Cornerback Terrance Johnson was signed by Atlanta to fill Grimes’ roster spot.
—The Eagles took a calculated gamble earlier this month when they opted to keep just five wide receivers on their 53-man roster, including injured Riley Cooper.
Cooper is recovering from a broken collarbone suffered in training camp. He missed Sunday’s season-opening 17-16 win over the Cleveland Browns and already has been scratched from this week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
That still left the Eagles with four wideouts. Only problem is one of them — starter Jeremy Maclin — also might not be able to play against the Ravens.
The Eagles acted Tuesday, signing Mardy Gilyard and releasing safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, a second-round pick in 2011.
—Wide receiver Greg Jennings (groin) was held out of practice Tuesday, two days before the Packers host the Bears in a night game at Lambeau Field.
Jennings took himself out of Sunday’s loss to the 49ers on the final drive of the game and hasn’t discussed his injury with reporters.
Coach Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that Jennings has improved, but a determination would not be made on his availability until the Packers see how he responds to a light workout and treatment on Wednesday.