NFL notes

COWBOYS Ratliff out several games

IRVING, Texas - Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Jay Ratliff will miss at least the first six games of the season after being placed on the physically unable to perform list with hamstring and groin injuries.

The Cowboys made the move Tuesday as part of getting their active roster down to 75 players.

Ratliff missed off season workouts and training camp after sports hernia surgery late last season. He missed 10 games in 2012 with ankle and groin problems.

The Cowboys also placed defensive end Tyrone Crawford and lineman Ryan Cook on season-ending injured reserve.

Dallas cut nine players. They were receivers Anthony Amos, Jared Green and Eric Rogers, quarterback Nick Stephens, tight end Colin Cochart, guard Dennis Godfrey, linebacker Deon Lacey, cornerback Brandon Underwood and kicker Brett Maher.

PANTHERS Stewart out; Adams cut

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart will miss the first six weeks of the season while he recovers from any ankle injury.

Coach Ron Rivera said after practice Tuesday that Stewart was placed on the physically unable to perform list.

The team also put guard Edmund Kugbila, the team’s fourth-round draft pick, on injured reserve with a knee injury and waived injured defensive tackle Frank Kearse and wide receiver Joe Adams (Central Arkansas Christian, Arkansas Razorbacks), Carolina’s fourth-round pick in 2012. Adams and Kearse will go back on injured reserve if they clear waivers.

NFL rules stipulate Stewart can’t practice or play for six weeks.

Since the Panthers have a bye in Week 4, Stewart is eligible to play Oct. 20 against the St. Louis Rams, which would be Week 7 on the NFL calendar but would be Carolina’s sixth game of the season.

Rivera is “very optimistic” Stewart could make it back for St. Louis game.

“Some real good things have happened but they aren’t going to happen soon enough,” Rivera said, adding doctors now believe the right ankle will take longer to heal. Rivera classified the injury as a sprain. Stewart hasn’t practiced since off season surgery on both ankles.

The decision likely means more playing time for DeAngelo Williams (Wynne), the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, and opens a roster spot for young running backs in Tauren Poole and Armond Smith. Carolina also drafted Kenjon Barner from Oregon in the sixth round and he’s expected to contribute as a scat back.

49ERS/SAINTS Haralson acquired

METAIRIE, La. - The San Francisco 49ers have confirmed they have traded outside linebacker Parys Haralson to the New Orleans Saints and will receiver an undisclosed 2014 draft pick in return.

Haralson must pass a physical in New Orleans for the trade to become official.

A fifth-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2006, Haralson has played in 86 games with 68 starts. He’s been credited with 295 tackles, 21.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.

The Saints, who run a 3-4 defense, have lost both projected starting outside linebackers to knee injuries. Will Smith is out for the year, while Victor Butler will miss most or all of the season.

CHARGERS Three placed on IR

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Chargers have placed wide receiver Dan De-Palma, fullback Chris Gronkowski and wide receiver Mike Willie on injured reserve to reach the roster limit of 75.

DePalma and Willie were hurt in Saturday night’s exhibition victory against Arizona. Gronkowski had been out with an ankle injury.

Also Tuesday, Manti Te’o was out of the walking boot that has protected his sprained right foot since he was injured in the exhibition opener Aug. 8. Te’o did not practice, and Coach Mike McCoy said the rookie linebacker was “just kind of really getting a good feel without the boot.”

PACKERS

Harris out for the year

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Green Bay Packers starting running back DuJuan Harrisis out for the year after injuring his right knee last week in an exhibition game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Harris said Tuesday he hurt the patella tendon and hoped to have surgery soon. He hurt the same knee during the off season.

The knee appeared to bother Harris after he was flipped over near the sideline by a defender during the 17-10 exhibition loss Friday night to Seattle.

Coach Mike McCarthy was a big supporter after the running back secured the starting job down the stretch last season with 157 yards and two touchdowns in four games. Harris was signed to the practice squad in October and joined the active roster in December following a slew of injuries in the backfield.

BRONCOS

Safety placed on IR

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Denver safety Quinton Carter has landed on season-ending injured reserve for the second consecutive year.

Carter started 10 games as a rookie in 2011 and had interceptions in consecutive playoff games that year. But a torn right hamstring at an indoor practice the following summer led doctors to discover he needed surgery on his left knee. He played in just three games in 2012 before aggravating his surgically repaired knee and going on IR.

Also on Tuesday, Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe practiced for the first time since his arms and legs went numb following a frightening hit in an exhibition game at Seattle 10 days earlier. After the hit, he was strapped to a backboard and taken off the field in an ambulance amid fears he had a cervical spine injury.

Wolfe said Tuesday he would not play in the Broncos’ exhibition finale against Arizona on Thursday night.

LIONS ‘Kickalicious’ cut

ALLEN PARK, Mich. - The Detroit Lions released kicker Havard Rugland, cornerback Dequan Menzie and wide receiver Terrance Austin on Tuesday.

A year ago, Rugland was working at a child protective services facility in Norway. The 28-year-old Norwegian dubbed “Kickalicious” became an Internet sensation after producing a YouTube video highlighted by quirky trick shots.

He had tryouts with the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Detroit, and the Lions were the only team to offer him a contract. He was signed April 11 to give kicker David Akers some competition, and Rugland made each of his three field-goal attempts in exhibition games.

“Exposure means a lot in this league,” Akers said. “If he can catch on to gain experience, the sky’s the limit.”

NFLPA

Hernandez seeks pay

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The NFL Players Association has filed a grievance to help former New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez collect an $82,000 workout bonus.

Hernandez’s contract provided for him to receive that amount if he participated in 90 percent of the team’s voluntary off season workouts.

“On behalf of all players, it is our responsibility to protect the rights in the collective bargaining agreement,” the union said in a statement. “We are not tone-deaf to what the allegations are in this case, but for the benefit of all players, there are important precedents here we must protect.”

The Patriots cut Hernandez after he was arrested June 26 and before he was charged with murder later that day. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd, a friend whose body was found June 17 near Hernandez’s house. The union believes Hernandez earned the bonus before his arrest.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft indicated he disagreed.

“It’s simple,” he said Tuesday. “You can look at our history. We honor all our contracts and we expect the people who sign them to honor their part of the contract.”

Last year, Hernandez signed a five year, $40 million contract extension through the 2018 season. The contract, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, includes an $82,000 bonus if Hernandez “successfully completes” at least 90 percent the possible off season workouts at the team’s facility. The bonus would have been paid “on or about” Aug. 1.

ODDS & ENDS

The Minnesota Vikings placed wide receiver Greg Childs (Warren, Razorbacks) on the reserve/physically unable to perform list Tuesday as part of the team’s effort to reach the 75-man roster limit. All NFL teams must reduce their rosters Saturday to the regular-season limit of 53. … Third-string quarterback Tim Tebow survived the New England Patriots’ mandatory roster cut to 75 players The Patriots released tight end Evan Landi and defensive lineman Anthony Rashad White, both rookies, on Tuesday. … The Arizona Cardinals have signed tight end Richard Quinn and released safety Javon Harris and tight end Mickey Shuler. Quinn was released by the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Entering his fifth NFL season, Quinn has played in 30 career games, four of them as starter. … The Bengals placed fullback Chris Pressley and quarterback Zac Robinson on the PUP list Tuesday, part of getting down to the 75-man roster limit. Pressley has a knee injury and Robinson a sore passing elbow that sidelined them for training camp. They could be activated after the sixth week of the season if they’re medically cleared. The Bengals also put rookie linebacker Sean Porter on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, ending his season. … Tennessee Titans veteran receiver Kevin Walter will miss the first six weeks of the season recovering from back surgery. The Titans moved the receiver to the PUP list Tuesday to trim the roster to 75. … The New York Jets have signed kicker Dan Carpenter to compete with incumbent Nick Folk, and released Billy Cundiff. Carpenter was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, four days after he was signed to compete with Jay Feely. Carpenter attempted one field goal, a 26-yarder that was blocked in the Cardinals’ 24-7 exhibition loss to the San Diego Chargers on Saturday night. Cundiff kicked a 32-yard field goal in overtime Saturday night to lead the Jets past the New York Giants 24-21. That came after Folk, the Jets’ kicker the past three seasons, missed a 39-yard attempt early in the overtime period. … The Indianapolis Colts got down to the league’s 75-man roster limit by putting receiver Nathan Palmer on waivers, linebacker Josh McNary on an exemption list and rookie safety John Boyett on the nonfootball injury list. Palmer was expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament and will go on injured reserve if he clears waivers. … The Cleveland Browns have placed running back Montario Hardesty on injured reserve with a knee injury, ending his season. Hardesty, whose NFL career has been slowed by injuries, underwent knee surgery earlier this month. Hardesty is the second Cleveland back to go on IR, joining Dion Lewis, who was placed there Monday with a surgically repaired left leg. Also, the Browns released fullback Owen Marecic, a fourth-round pick in 2011. … With Blaine Gabbert sidelined because of a broken thumb, the Jacksonville Jaguars have added quarterback Ricky Stanzi. The Jaguars were awarded Stanzi and linebacker Kyle Knox off waivers Tuesday. The team waived running back De’Leon Eskridge and tight end Isaiah Stanback to make room on the 75-man roster. Stanzi was a fifth-round pick out of Iowa in 2011. He spent two seasons on Kansas City’s active roster, but did not play in a regular-season game. … The Philadelphia Eagles have waived injured linebacker Phillip Hunt, trimming Philadelphia’s roster to 75 players as the preseason finale nears. Hunt suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear during training camp at the team’s headquarters. If he clears waivers today, he will return to the Eagles and be placed on injured reserve.

At a glance

NFL EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

THURSDAY’S GAMES All times Central

Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 6 p.m.

Detroit at Buffalo, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at NY Jets, 6 p.m.

New Orleans at Miami, 6:30 p.m.

Washington at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m.

Jacksonville at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m.

NY Giants at New England, 6:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Carolina, 6:30 p.m.

Tennessee at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m.

Green Bay at Kansas City, 7 p.m.

Houston at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Baltimore at St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Arizona at Denver, 8 p.m.

Oakland at Seattle, 9 p.m.

San Francisco at San Diego, 9 p.m.

Sports, Pages 24 on 08/28/2013

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