SAN ANTONIO — Dallas Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant could miss the rest of training camp after the firstround draft pick suffered a high right ankle sprain near the end of practice Friday. The team said he will be out four to six weeks.
Bryant became entangled with cornerback Orlando Scandrick while trying to catch a pass that was thrown behind him on the next-to-last play of the day. It quickly became apparent that something was wrong.
Bryant didn’t immediately get up, and when he finally did gingerly get to his feet while taking his helmet off, he took only a step before falling back to the turf. Bryant was reaching for his ankle and grimacing in obvious pain. Two trainers who checked on him helped him off the field.
Though the Cowboys have an extended camp with five preseason games because of their game in Canton, Ohio, next weekend, the injury could keep Bryant from playing until the regular season. The last preseason game is at home Sept. 2, which is five weeks away. The season opener is Sept. 12 at Washington.
After Bryant had been evaluated by doctors, the team announced in a camp update more than two hours after practice that he would be out the extended time.
Scandrick said right after practice that he initially thought Bryant was OK because the receiver “started to get up.”
While Scandrick then said Bryant had tweaked an ankle a couple of days ago, Coach Wade Phillips said the rookie receiver wasn’t being bothered by any ankle issues before practice Friday.
Phillips said Scandrick did nothing wrong on the play that Bryant got hurt on while trying to catch a pass from backup quarterback Jon Kitna.
“[Scandrick] made a play on the ball. That’s what we expect,” Phillips said. “The ball was thrown behind the guy.”
The Cowboys have two practices scheduled today and two more Sunday, a week before their preseason opener against Cincinnati as part of Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend.
RAMS
Bradford agrees to terms
ST. LOUIS - No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford agreed to a sixyear, $78 million contract with the St. Louis Rams on Friday night, with $50 million in guaranteed money.
The Rams and the former Oklahoma quarterback concluded negotiations in time for the first fullsquad workout set for today. The guaranteed money is the highest ever in the NFL.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 pick last year, got $41.7million in guaranteed money on a six-year, $72 million deal with the Detroit Lions last year.
Bradford is the centerpiece of a rebuilding effort for the Rams, who were 1-15 last year in the first season under Coach Steve Spagnuolo and are 6-42 the past three seasons.
Spagnuolo reiterated earlier this week that veteran backup Jay Feeley is the starter entering training camp. But Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, shouldn’t be on the bench for long.
Marc Bulger, rookie Keith Null and Kyle Boller threw a combined 12 touchdown passes all last year. St. Louis trailed the NFL with a 10.9-point scoring average, leaning heavily on Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson.
Bradford led the nation with 48 touchdown passes in 2008. He played in only three games in 2009 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
BRONCOS
Tebow ready to go
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Tim Tebow, the two-time nationalchampion from Florida, practiced with other rookies in advance of the start of the Denver Broncos’ training camp and said he couldn’t wait for the hard hits.
Tebow, the 25th pick in the NFL Draft, is fresh off putting his signature on two contracts, one of them a five-year deal to play for the Broncos and the other a multiyear deal to serve as a pitchman for Jockey underwear.
Beyond the usual rookie ritual of carrying veterans’ shoulder pads and maybe grabbing them a cup of coffee or a sandwich, Tebow knows he’ll be catching a good amount of grief for his endorsement of the tighty whities.
“A few people have said a few things to me about it,” Tebow said with a hearty chuckle. “Actually, Coach [Josh] McDaniels was the first one to say something to me. But, you know, I’m sure I’ll get some [more] of it, but it’s all in good fun.”
Tebow said it felt good to work up a sweat again during the one-hour workout at Dove Valley but what he was really looking forward to wasgetting hit again.
“It may be a negative of mine, that I look forward to that and I’m a quarterback, so you kind of have to stay calm,” Tebow said. “But it is fun once Sunday gets out here and everybody is hitting. I’ll get excited too.” REDSKINS
Haynesworth fails again
ASHBURN, Va. - Early Friday morning, the cones were lined up 25 yards apart on the field for Albert Haynesworth’s conditioning test. He needed to complete the first part in 70 seconds or less to have a chance to pass.
He clocked 71.
Another failed effort. Once again, the two-time All-Pro defensive tackle was not allowed to participate in practice at Washington Redskins training camp.
So, for Haynesworth, the second day of training camp was much like the first. After failing the test, he wassent inside to do treadmill and agility work while the rest of the team practiced. After practice, Haynesworth emerged in a long-sleeved gray T-shirt and burgundy shorts and spent about 15 minutes walking through some plays with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett in order to learn the playbook.
The test consists of 300 yards of sprints - called a “shuttle” - back and forth 25 yards at a time. It has to be run twice, with only a 3 1 /2-minute break in between. The short break demonstrates that the player can recover quickly. Linemen have to run the first shuttle in 70 seconds, the second one in 73 seconds.
Haynesworth clocked 70 seconds on the first shuttle when he tried to pass the test Friday - but he then violated the test’s rules by taking an extended bathroom break.
VIKINGS
Peterson returns to field
MANKATO, Minn.- Adrian Peterson is back on the field for the Minnesota Vikings, working to shore up his fumbling problems and please a head coach who was angered when he skipped a mandatory minicamp in June.
Peterson reported to camp on time and took the field with the rest of his teammates for the first day of camp. The star running back got on Coach Brad Childress’ bad side in June when he skipped the camp to attend an Adrian Peterson Day celebration in his hometown of Palestine, Texas.
Childress said the two spoke and cleared the air. He called the issue “water under the bridge.” CHIEFS
Hunt statue unveiled
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - At the unveiling Friday of a 9-foot statue ofLamar Hunt, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised the founder of the American Football League and Kansas City Chiefs as a humble leader and farsighted visionary who helped shape the modern game.
“Lamar’s role in pro football history is unparalleled,” Goodell told several hundred invited guests as Hunt’s widow and four children sat on the stage behind him. “He was one of the finest men and innovators in the entire history of sports. His vision of the AFL 50 years ago transformed pro football from a regional sport to a national passion.”
Hunt, who died in 2006, was the 27-year-old son of oil billionaire H.L. Hunt when he talked several other wealthy sportsmen into forming the AFL in 1959 and challenging the established NFL. He had been rebuffed several times in an effort to buy an NFL team, so he decided to form his own league.
After a rocky beginning, the new league became a huge success and finally forced a merger with the NFL. The Founder’s Plaza on the north side of the renovated Arrowhead Stadium is dedicated to Hunt and the AFL.
Hunt, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, gave the Super Bowl its name and was the first to suggest the games be given Roman numerals.
NFL
Lewand suspended, fined
DETROIT - Detroit Lions President Tom Lewand will be suspended for 30 days and fined $100,000 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following his guilty plea to driving while impaired, the league announced Friday.
The suspension begins Aug. 25 and Lewand will be permitted back at work Sept. 24. Lewand, who met in New York at the league office July 16 with Commissioner Roger Goodell, also will do community service.
Lewand pleaded guilty July 9 and was sentenced to six months of probation with $870 in fines and costs. He was arrested June 25 after his car was seen crossing from one lane to another after leaving a bar parking lot.
Police say his blood-alcohol level was 0.21 percent, more than twice the state’s legal limit for driving.
Sports, Pages 24 on 07/31/2010