FWST: Ricky Would Play for Raiders

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Posted on Fri, Aug. 06, 2004



I M A G E S

THE ATLANTA JOURNAL & CONSTITUTION/CURTIS COMPTON VIA AP
Falcons quarterback Michael Vick said he does not expect to miss any time despite requiring attention from team trainers after he pulled up limping during a practice against the Titans.





NFL Notes

Williams says Oakland only team he'd consider

Wire Reports


Former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, who filed retirement papers with the NFL this week, told Sports Illustrated that he'd only consider a comeback with the Oakland Raiders.

Williams, the NFL's leading rusher in 2002, told the magazine he might be interested in playing for the Raiders as early as 2005. Raiders coach Norv Turner was Williams's offensive coordinator in Miami the past two seasons.

Williams was in Oakland over the weekend visiting his twin sister, SI said.

Williams, 27, told the Dolphins he was quitting because he's tired of the demands of professional football. Because the Dolphins retain his rights for the next two seasons, the team would have to trade or release Williams for him to play elsewhere.

If he returns to the NFL, Williams also would face a four-game suspension because he failed a third drug test for marijuana before retiring, The Miami Herald said.

The Raiders aren't permitted to talk about a player under contract with another team, according to NFL rules.

Bears: Pro Bowl kick returner and starting cornerback Jerry Azumah will undergo neck surgery for a disk problem and will be sidelined three to four months, the team said. Azumah led the NFL in kickoff return average last season and ran two back for touchdowns.

Chargers: Backup quarterback Doug Flutie, 41, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss about two weeks. The Chargers are low on arms in camp, down to starter Drew Brees and Cleo Lemon, a member of the practice squad last year. First-round draft pick Philip Rivers remains a holdout. Coach Marty Schottenheimer said the team has discussed bringing in another quarterback but wouldn't sign Quincy Carter, who was released Wednesday by the Cowboys. He didn't elaborate.

Dolphins: Chris Chambers signed a contract extension that keeps the team's top wide receiver under contract through the 2009 season. Terms were not disclosed. Chambers caught 64 passes for 963 yards and had an AFC-leading 11 touchdowns last season.

Falcons: Quarterback Michael Vick tweaked his right hamstring and pulled up limping during a team drill in the first of four practices between Atlanta and the Tennessee Titans. He lay on the ground, and trainers immediately worked to stretch his hamstring. Vick said he was all right and doesn't expect to miss any time.

Lions: Cornerback Fernando Bryant strained his right hamstring, but coach Steve Mariucci said he hoped Bryant would miss only a few days.

Panthers: Carolina waived former first-round draft pick Rashard Anderson hours after the defensive back was reinstated by the NFL following a suspension of more than two years for violating the league's substance abuse policy. ... Wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad dislocated a finger and was forced to leave practice early. Muhammad will be listed as day-to-day.

Patriots: Defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, the 1997 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, signed. Last month, Stubblefield was one of three players fined three games' salary for testing positive for the steroid THG while with the Oakland Raiders in 2003.

Seahawks: Center Robbie Tobeck missed practice after straining his right calf the previous day, and trainers initially said he could miss up to two weeks.

Titans: Starting defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth sprained the plantar fascia, a tight band of muscle just below the arch, on his right foot, an injury coach Jeff Fisher said will keep him out at least a week or two. ... Prosecutors in Nashville, Tenn., said they will seek to drop drunken driving and gun charges against quarterback Steve McNair because a judge ruled two weeks ago that police didn't have sufficient cause to stop him.
 
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