Notes

RAMS St. Louis brings in 2 QBs

ST. LOUIS - Kellen Clemens joked he might be getting more than the usual allotment of practice snaps this week.

The former backup quarterback got a lot more work Wednesday when the St. Louis Rams practiced for the first time since Sam Bradford’s season-ending knee injury. Now it’s the new backups, Brady Quinn and Austin Davis, who’ll be getting limited reps while the Rams (3-4) prepare for their Monday night game against the Seahawks.

Two days after getting cut by the Jets, Quinn was signed in time for what the team referred to as a walk through.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of things that are out of your control in life, not only in football,” Quinn said. “It’s been a little bit crazy but that’s kind of the world we live in, in the NFL.”

Davis was among the final roster cuts before the opener, and stayed sharp throwing to high school wide receivers as a volunteer coach at Westminster Christian Academy in suburban St. Louis. The first few weeks, he said the kids didn’t know who he was.

“Throwing the ball around with those guys and getting in their weight room and just staying ready, it’s a difficult thing to do,” Davis said. “But you have to do it.”

For now they are emergency options behind Clemens, who’ll be making his first start since 2011, and they’re side by side in lockers, with offensive linemen on one side and linebackers on the other.

“We’ve got an extra day to prepare,” Clemens said on Monday. “We’ll be ready to rock and roll Monday night.”

Quinn was a first-round pick by the Browns in 2007 and has bounced around. He didn’t think picking up the system would be a chore, describing it as “like learning a different language, maybe Spanish and Portuguese where some things are similar and some aren’t.”

Since getting cut by the Rams, Davis spent one week with the Dolphins. He said he wasn’t there long enough to confuse that playbook with the St. Louis system.

Davis was the third-stringer for St. Louis last year and did not play, and was on the Dolphins practice squad for one week earlier this fall.

REDSKINS

Suspension cut in half

NEW YORK - Washington Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather has had his two game suspension cut in half by an appeals officer.

Meriweather was suspended Monday by the NFL for repeated violations of player safety rules. But hearing officer Ted Cottrell reduced the fine to one game Wednesday.

Cottrell is jointly appointed to the position by the league and the players union.

Meriweather’s suspension by NFL vice president of football operations Merton Hanks came for repeated hits to the head and neck area of defenseless players, including two in Sunday’s Washington-Chicago game.

He was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit when tackling receiver Alshon Jeffery on a 28-yard completion with about two minutes left in the third quarter. He also was flagged for a helmet-first hit on a defenseless receiver when he connected with Brandon Marshall in the end zone on an incomplete pass with a little more than four minutes remaining in the game.

He was fined $42,000 for a helmet-first hit on Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy in Week 2, forcing Lacy out of the game with a concussion. Later in that same game, another helmet-first hit left Meriweather with a concussion, knocking him out of the game.

Meriweather will lose about $70,000 in salary as he sits out Sunday’s game at Denver. He is not allowed to participate in any football activities with the team during the suspension.

PACKERS

TE making progress

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Packers Coach Mike McCarthy says injured tight end Jermichael Finley is making progress in recuperating from a serious neck injury but is seeking more opinions from specialists.

Finley remained in a hospital Wednesday after getting hurt in last week’s 31-13 victory over the Browns.

Finley posted Tuesday night on Twitter a brief video of him walking down a hospital hall accompanied by three others. His neck appeared to be in a brace.

He was officially ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, along with linebacker Clay Matthews (thumb).

BROWNS Campbell to start at QB

BEREA, Ohio - Jason Campbell didn’t get passed over a second time. He’s all Cleveland has left.

Campbell is finally getting a chance to start at quarterback for the reeling Browns, who are turning to the veteran to settle things down and save a season that’s beginning to spin out of control.

Coach Rob Chudzinski benched ineffective starter Brandon Weeden and will go with Campbell on Sunday against the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs. Campbell is the third QB to start for Cleveland (3-4) already this season and the 20th - the most in the NFL - since 1999 for the Browns, who have spent their entire expansion era searching for an on-field leader.

Campbell started just one game last season and knows he may have some rust to knock off.

“Go get some 40-W, EW-40 or something like that,” Campbell joked, searching for the name of the well-known lubricant. “I just want to go have fun and play, and we’ll see what happens.”

With Weeden coming off poor performances in losses to Detroit and Green Bay, Chudzinski decided to switch to Campbell, who was leapfrogged earlier this season by Brian Hoyer. When Weeden sprained his right thumb in Week 2 against Baltimore, Chudzinski picked Hoyer, who was No. 3 on Cleveland’s depth chart, over Campbell to start against Minnesota.

ODDS & ENDS

Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick went through a second consecutive practice with no setbacks Wednesday. But the injured veteran said he still needs to test out his injured hamstring and won’t know more until Friday, as Philadelphia (3-4) continues preparations for the New York Giants (1-6) on Sunday. Vick, who has missed the Eagles’ last two games after injuring his hamstring in the first half of an Oct. 6 game against the Giants, practiced with the first team. … San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Nick Moody returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since Week 1, when he went on injured reserve with the designation to return after breaking his hand. Moody posted on his Twitter account, “Felt great to be back practicing.” The 49ers (5-2) have won four in a row heading into Sunday’s game against the winless Jaguars (0-7) at Wembley Stadium.

TONIGHT’S GAME

Panthers at Buccaneers

7:25 p.m. Central, NFL LINE - Panthers by 6

LAST MEETING Buccaneers won 27-21 OT, Nov. 18, 2012 LAST WEEK Panthers beat Rams 30-15; Buccaneers lost to Falcons 31-23 RANKINGS Panthers: offense (24), defense (3); Buccaneers: offense (31), defense (13)

NOTES Carolina 7-5 all-time at Tampa Bay. ... Carolina’s Cam Newton has 105 QB rating in four career starts vs. Tampa Bay, while also rushing for 163 yards and four touchdowns and scoring on a pass reception. ... In past two games vs. Vikings and Rams, Newton completed 81.4 percent of passes with four TDs, no interceptions. ... Panthers have run ball effectively, making Newton even more dangerous passer. ... WR Steve Smith has reception in 97 consecutive games and became 29th player in NFL history with 800 career receptions last week. ... WR Brandon LaFell has been especially productive against Tampa Bay, averaging 47.3 yards on 3 TD receptions in past 3 games. ... Tampa Bay rookie QB Mike Glennon makes fourth start for Bucs. Attempted league-record 130 passes over first three starts. His 76 completions also most through three games. ... Tampa Bay WR Vincent Jackson has 19 receptions for 252 yards, 4 TDs past two weeks. ... Bucs leading rusher Doug Martin (454 yards) unlikely to play after injuring left shoulder last week. Rookie Mike James (57 yards, 17 carries) figures to make first start in his absence. ... Tampa Bay cornerback Darrelle Revis has faced Carolina once, returning one of his two interceptions 67 yards for TD for New York Jets in 2009. When Revis has interception, his teams are 16-3 (including playoffs).

TONIGHT’S GAME

Carolina at Tampa Bay, 7:25 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Cleveland at Kansas City, noon Buffalo at New Orleans, noon Miami at New England, noon Dallas at Detroit, noon NY Giants at Philadelphia, noon San Francisco vs. Jacksonville at London, noon Pittsburgh at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

N.Y. Jets at Cincinnati, 3:05 p.m.

Atlanta at Arizona, 3:25 p.m.

Washington at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Green Bay at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.

OPEN Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, San Diego, Tennessee

MONDAY’S GAME Seattle at St. Louis, 7:40 p.m.