Tulsa World: NFL Notebook: Colts put CB Jackson, S Sanders on IR

TULSA WORLD HOMEPAGE | Saturday, November 21, 2009 | WIRELESS

OU | OSU | TU | ORU | HIGH SCHOOLS | COLLEGE FOOTBALL | COLLEGE BASKETBALL | NFL | FANTASY | OUTDOORS | GOLF | PROS | ALL

HOMEPAGES

SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

		Sports Editor Mike Strain
		Sports Columnist Dave Sittler
		The Picker Entertaining & Infuriating

LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

Search the World's archives

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US

BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

Buy a published photo by clicking the "Order this Picture" link on the photo. For a full-color page reprint, call 732-8198 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or order online.

TULSA WORLD

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA

Learn more about the site.

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

NFL Notebook: Colts put CB Jackson, S Sanders on IR

OUT AGAIN
Bob Sanders: Placed on IR with torn biceps and out for year.

By Associated Press
Published: 11/7/2009 2:26 AM
Last Modified: 11/8/2009 9:00 AM

The Indianapolis Colts suddenly have some serious holes in the secondary: Cornerback Marlin Jackson and strong safety Bob Sanders are both gone for the season.

The team said Friday that Jackson (left knee) and Sanders (left elbow) have both been placed on injured reserve.

Sanders will undergo surgery for a torn biceps.

Veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden is also expected to be sidelined for the next three to four weeks with a knee sprain.

The Colts (7-0) host Houston (5-3) this Sunday in an AFC South clash. Houston quarterback Matt Schaub comes into the game with 16 touchdown passes so far this year and a red-hot receiver in Andre Johnson (697 yards receiving). The Texans, however, lost tight end Owen Daniels to a season-ending right knee injury this week.

The Colts placed Jackson on injured reserve after tearing his ACL on Wednesday during a non-contact drill. He had been rehabbing the knee after he was hurt against Seattle on Oct. 4.

Sanders, the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year, had just returned to the team. He missed all of training camp, all the preseason and the first month of the regular season after surgery on his right knee. He is expected to have elbow surgery on an unspecified date.

Roethlisberger's accuser in suit quits casino job: The woman who filed a lawsuit accusing Ben Roethlisberger of raping her has quit her job at the Lake Tahoe hotel-casino where she claims the assault occurred in the NFL quarterback's penthouse room more than a

year ago.

The woman had been working as a VIP host at Harrah's Lake Tahoe in July 2008 when she alleges the two-time Super Bowl champ for the Pittsburgh Steelers lured her to his room under false pretenses and forced himself on her. He was in town playing in a celebrity golf tournament.

Her lawyer, Cal Dunlap, said Friday she quit "because of the way Harrah's was treating her." He told The Associated Press he can't go into detail.

Dunlap said the woman took several leaves of absence for medical reasons in the months after the alleged incident, but returned to work in March and had been there since.

Harrah's officials did not immediately return a telephone call or e-mail seeking comment.

The woman filed the suit in Washoe District Court in Reno last July.

Tomlin motivates with Denver's No. 1 message: The more coach Mike Tomlin keeps talking about it, the more agitated his players get.

Exactly the response Tomlin wants from his Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tomlin keeps referring to the Broncos as having "the world's best defense," a reference to Denver's spot atop the NFL team yardage statistics. He mentioned it during the weekly team meeting. Before practice on Wednesday. Before practice on Thursday. And he'll likely keep saying it until game time Monday.

"We've heard coach Tomlin say it 1,000 times already this week," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "They're a great defense, a big challenge for us ... an awesome challenge."

By constantly reminding that the Broncos (6-1) are playing better statistically than the Steelers (5-2), Tomlin is trying to motivate both his offense and his defense. He wants his offense determined to prove it can move the ball in Denver, and his defense mad that it's no longer No. 1.

"They've put in a very aggressive style of defense," Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "They changed to a system very much like ours and Baltimore's. They've got the personnel to run it right now."

Rouse replacing Brown as Giants safety: Riding a three-game losing streak, the New York Giants decided Friday to insert Aaron Rouse into the starting lineup at safety for Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

Rouse will replace beleaguered veteran C.C. Brown, who has been beaten twice on deep passes for touchdowns during the losing streak.

Brown missed a defensive audible in last Sunday's 40-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing DeSean Jackson to score on a 54-yard pass play late in the first half.

"This is the NFL, pressure comes week in and week out," Rouse said. "As a team and as a member of this team, everybody has to be prepared to play whether you are a starter or not. We look at it as if you are first- or second-string you are going to be a starter because it only takes one play for you to come up in that starting 11. Regardless whether or not I was starting this week, that is how I practice. I'm looking forward to the opportunity."

Ryan mired in a bit of a slump: Psst, did you hear the news? This one's a stunner, so brace yourself.

Matt Ryan is NOT perfect.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback has shown his human side over the last three weeks, throwing seven interceptions after being picked off just 13 times in his first 20 regular-season games.

Not all were his fault, of course. There were protection issues and tipped balls and receivers not always running the proper route. But it all comes back to the quarterback, the guy known as Matty Ice.

"You've got to ride the ebb and flow of a season," Ryan said. "There's going to be ups and downs. It's a long, long year. At the end of it, you look back and kind of judge how you did. Right now, we're just grinding. We're going to continue to prepare during the week like we always do, trust that what we are doing is right and stay the course."

Still, Ryan's play in the last three games — two of them losses — has raised at least a bit of concern in Atlanta, if for no other reason than it's the first significant bit of adversity to crop up in what has largely been a charmed start to his career.

After being drafted No. 3 overall out of Boston College in 2008, Ryan won the quarterback job in training camp, threw for a touchdown on his very first NFL pass, led a team that was expected to struggle to an unexpected playoff berth and was named offensive rookie of the year.

Now, the Falcons (4-3) are trying to snap their first losing streak of the Ryan era when they go up against one of the league's top defensive teams, the Washington Redskins, on Sunday. By Associated Press

Newspaper View Print this story

Bookmark

COMMENTS

Add your comment

Show: Most Recent Comment First

0 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.