Friday, Sept. 7
!**Roethlisberger Says He Would Miss Game For Child's Birth**The wife of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is set to have the couple's first child sometime this fall, and Roethlisberger said he's not going to miss the birth of his child. "There's no chance," Roethlisberger said. "I know some fans probably don't want to hear that, but there's no chance." [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
!**Rookie Gordon Leaning On Little**
Rookie wide receiver Josh Gordon is finding himself leaning on fellow wideout Greg Little. Gordon joined the Browns in the supplemental draft after not playing college football last season, similar to Little's situation when he was suspended for his final college season at North Carolina. [ESPN.com]
!Bengals Tied To Modell's Legacy
Art Modell owned the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, but the Cincinnati Bengals are also tied into his legacy. Modell fired coach Paul Brown in 1962 and Brown went on to found the expansion Cincinnati Bengals. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
!**Johnson Says Jets Are 'Deadly Serious'**
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson says that his team doesn't deserve the "circus" label some have given them and that "we're deadly serious here." Johnson also expressed confidence in Head Coach Rex Ryan and General Manager Mike Tannenbaum heading into the season. [SI.com]
Wednesday, Sept. 5
!**Harrison Expects To Play In Opener**Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison signaled that he is ready to play in this weekend's regular-season opener after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery last month. Harrison gave the "OK" sign when asked how his knee reacted to Monday's practice. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
!**Haden Has Appeal Hearing**
Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden is awaiting word on his possible suspension to see if he will be able to play against the Eagles in the opening week of the season. Since the NFL has not ruled him out yet for the opener, it appears he will be able to play Week 1. [ESPN.com]
!Burfict Relieved To Make Active Roster
Undrafted free-agent linebacker Vontaze Burfict was "relieved" to find out that he had made the Cincinnati Bengals' active roster. Burfict signed with the Bengals after his draft stock plummeted, but now he looks poised to make an impact this season. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
!**Dolphins Cut QB Garrard**
Veteran quarterback David Garrard was the Dolphins No. 1 quarterback at the start of training camp, but the team decided to part ways with him yesterday. He suffered a knee injury during camp, which held him out of the preseason, and rookie Ryan Tannehill eventually won the starting job. [SI.com]
Tuesday, Sept. 4
!**Wallace Works With First Team**Wide receiver Mike Wallace worked with the first-team offense on Monday during his first practice with his Steelers teammates. Wallace held out of the start of training camp in an effort to get a new contract, but the strategy didn't work and he will play this season under the restricted free-agent tender. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
!**Haden Has Appeal Hearing**
Cleveland Browns top cornerback Joe Haden has been suspended by the NFL for reportedly violating the league's substance-abuse policy and has also had an appeal hearing on the matter, President Mike Holmgren said in a radio interview. It's unknown if Haden will be available for the regular-season opener. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
!Faine Adjusts To Life With Bengals
Recently-acquired center Jeff Faine was on the practice field Monday working on the first team. The Bengals signed Faine after starting center Kyle Cook went down with an injury that placed him on injured reserve. Faine is expected to start against the Ravens. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
!**Jets To Use Tebow In Wildcat Against Bills**
New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan said that he plans to use quarterback Tim Tebow in the wildcat formation in the regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Mark Sanchez will still be the starting quarterback, but the expectation is for Tebow to see some playing time in that wildcat look. [SI.com]
Monday, Sept. 3
!**Steelers Counting On Colon**Offensive lineman Willie Colon will be the Steelers starting left guard when they open the season Sunday night in Denver, and the team is counting on a big year from him. He has missed nearly all of the last two seasons with injuries and is looking to rebound this year. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
!**Richardson Returns To Practice**
Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson returned to the practice field Monday less than a month after getting a scope surgery on his left knee. The hope is that Richardson will be ready to play in Week 1, and Head Coach Pat Shurmur said that he will be the starter if he's able to play. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
!Collinsworth Sees Bright Season For Bengals
Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and current NBC Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth says the he sees a bright season in store for the Bengals this year. With some of the injuries suffered by the Ravens and Steelers, Collinsworth could see the Bengals capitalizing. [Cincinnati Enquirer]
!**No Talks Between NFL, Union**
With two days left before the 2012 regular season opens, there are no talks scheduled between the NFL and the locked-out officials. The two sides met for three days last week, but were not able to come to an agreement. The NFL is currently using replacement officials and plans to do so until a new deal is in place. [SI.com]
