The Facts:
Williams was held out of Saturday night's exhibition game against the Giants after telling coaches he his ankle was stiff in pre-game warmups. 

Diehards Line:
According to Herald staffer Darin Gantt, the problem doesn't sound like anything major. At this point it would appear the team is simply exercising an abundance of caution. Meanwhile, Gantt reports that DeShaun Foster and Nick Goings have looked good in Williams' absence and the Panthers rushing game was providing what coaches hoped for.

The Facts:
According to NFL Network insider Adam Schefter, the Chiefs and Johnson have made strides towards reaching agreement on a contract extension in recent days. 

Diehards Line:
That the two sides are even talking is a positive development; the most recent reports prior to tonight suggested the two sides hadn't taken part in substantive discussions since early in June. And while we've expected a deal to be struck at some point, Johnson's stubborn nature and the Chiefs' history of dragging out similar negotiations until the last possible moment led us to believe that would be the case again this time. Schefter's report changes that. ... We will, of course, have more on this as further details come to light.

The Facts:
Young will not play in tonight's game against the Washington Redskins at LP Field after violating a team rule. Veteran Kerry Collins will start for the Titans. 

Diehards Line:
HC Jeff Fisher would not reveal the rule Young violated. "[Young] will be on the sidelines tonight, and will practice this week and play next weekend at New England," the coach said in announcing the benching. ... While the missed time certainly isn't a major story, that the team's acknowledged leaders has broken a rule resulting in his benching is interesting. ... Stay tuned. We'll have more as further details come to light.

The Facts:
Henderson injured a hamstring in Friday night's exhibition game when Buffalo safety Ko Simpson leveled his shoulder into Henderson’s head as the receiver lunged for a pass from Drew Brees late in the first quarter. The pass fell incomplete and Henderson walked slowly to the sideline and didn’t return. HC Sean Payton said it was too soon to know Henderson’s prognosis. 

Diehards Line:
At this point, there's no indication the injury is serious, but we'll continue to monitor and report back as further details come to light. Meanwhile, as noted in the AugustUpdate News & Notes, Henderson has made great strides in eliminating the inconsistencies he exhibited a year ago so far this summer. Indeed, Henderson has drawn praise from Payton ("He's becoming more consistent") and WRs coach Curtis Johnson, who said it is hard to overlook the fact the Henderson led the NFL last season in yards per catch (23.3). ... Johnson is right. Henderson's continued development could result in major value -- assuming the injury isn't an issue.

The Facts:
Though the NFL and the media haven't had much to say about the gambling aspects of Vick's indictment on federal conspiracy charges, that all could be changing. Asked whether the details of the dog-fighting operation has overshadowed the fact that it was, in essence, a gambling enterprise, commissioner Roger Goodell told USA Today, "Not from our standpoint." 

Diehards Line:
As PFT editor Mike Florio noted, the league's gambling policy is a stand-alone document, and its principles pop up in the Standard Player Contract. Knowingly associating with gamblers or with gambling activity is enough to get a player in serious trouble, including banned for life. Vick currently is accused of funding a dog-fighting operation in which the owners of the two canines put up an equal amount of money, and the winner took the pot. ... And as Florio further noted, the commissioner isn't bound by the notions of due process; the NFLPA already has bargained away any such rights. Thus, Goodell can conduct his own investigation, make his own determination, impose discipline, and then review the decision on appeal. ... Stay tuned.

The Facts:
A report published today and repeated on local radio said Jones will miss the Lions' first six regular-season games because of his foot injury. But the team says it's too early to declare that. "That is absolutely untrue," Lions spokesman Bill Keenist said today. "That's premature. No decision has been made. He continues to rehab and make good progress." 

Diehards Line:
The report said the Lions had not made an official decision but were planning to keep Jones on the physically unable to perform list heading into the regular season. If the Lions keep Jones on the PUP list, he would miss the first six weeks of the regular season. Then the Lions would have a three-week window to put him on the active roster or on injured reserve. Remember: Jones said Tuesday he still hopes to return for the regular-season opener -- and that he would reclaim his starting spot from Tatum Bell when healthy. But the question as to exactly when Jones will be healthy remains wide open. Stay tuned.

The Facts:
Marshall was back at practice -- and it was under the coach's orders. Friday morning HC Mike Shanahan told the injured WR that he would be donning the shoulder pads and going through the full morning's work. "He said it was just to challenge me, to see if I was mentally strong," Marshall said. "I was shocked. I was scared. But I guess that's what it takes. Coach has 30 years of experience, and this is my second year, so of course I've just got to sit back and listen and go with the process. ..." 

Diehards Line:
The process originally called for Marshall to work through the individual and installation drills at the start of practice and then watch the remainder of the periods from the sidelines, but he continued working. According to DenverBroncos.com staffer Andrew Mason, Marshall seemed to emerge none the worse for the wear, and even made a grab at Champ Bailey's expense during the final period of practice, while looking crisp as he ran his first pass routes since the second day of mini-camp exactly one month ago.

The Facts:
The Bengals' worst fears were realized Friday when an MRI revealed that rookie running back Kenny Irons is lost for the season with a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The club said in a news release that a full recovery is expected and that Irons should be ready to participate in next spring's workouts. 

Diehards Line:
Irons, a second-rounder out of Auburn, had been one of the stars of the preseason. He was delivering what 2004 first-rounder Chris Perry hasn't been able to give them because of his own injury problems. Perry plans to start his second straight season on the physically unable to perform list. The PUP takes him out of practice for the first five games and six weeks of the regular-season. Veteran Kenny Watson becomes the most likely candidate to fill the team's needs for a change-of-pace option behind Rudi Johnson.

The Facts:
HC Andy Reid said Smith suffered a groin injury that was unrelated to his sports hernia, but was suffered in the same area. The seriousness was not elaborated on, and his condition will be closely looked at. 

Diehards Line:
While Reid wouldn't commit to a timetable, it looks like Smith is facing a significant layoff. How long? Reid advised reporters that its' impossible right now to speculate how much time he'll miss. "It's too early to tell," Reid said. "We'll take it slow and see how he does. It's still pretty tender. ..." Stay tuned.

The Facts:
Parker participated in light drills yesterday afternoon, his first work since HC Mike Tomlin surprisingly held him out of practice July 31. But Parker said he is in no hurry to get back on the field because he wants to be sure he does not aggravate the injury. "I'm all right; I'm not concerned," Parker said. "I overworked [the knee] a little bit, went too hard in the offseason, and, when I got here, my body slowed down because I went so hard. I was overdoing it on the practice field and I needed some rest, some preseason time, to get better." 

Diehards Line:
Parker will not play in the pre-season game against the Green Bay Packers tomorrow night and said he might not play next week in Washington, either. "I'm in no rush to play the next game, either," said Parker, referring to the Aug. 18 contest against the Redskins. "I feel real good, but I'm not going to be stupid or re-aggravate it. ..." Tomlin said Parker will be replaced as the starter for the second consecutive game by Najeh Davenport. Neither Tomlin nor Parker has described the exact nature of the knee injury.