Arizona cardinals

Fullback Lawrence Vickers left Sunday's game with an ankle injury but returned. He should play this week. ...

One last note. ... ESPN.com's James Walker reports that Joe Jurevicius will be out for the remainder of the 2008 season. Crennel said during his weekly news conference that the team is preparing to make an announcement on Jurevicius soon, and the coach hinted that it was "generally not good."

The Browns have until Tuesday to take Jurevicius off the physically-unable-to-perform list or deactivate him for the season. Jurevicius had routine knee surgery in the offseason but contracted a staph infection that set back his timetable to return.

"It's 99 percent sure that he is done for the season," a source told Walker.

It is unknown if Jurevicius will retire or attempt a comeback next year. The 11-year veteran said this would be his final season, but he still has one year remaining on his contract.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  

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As the Associated Press reported, head coach Wade Phillips opened the door by hesitating on whether backup Brad Johnson will remain the starter Sunday against the New York Giants in what should be the final game Tony Romo misses because of a broken pinkie finger on his throwing hand.

The only other quarterback on the roster is Brooks Bollinger.

How could Johnson lose the job despite guiding Dallas to a win over division-leading Tampa Bay?

Well, he guided the offense to only 172 yards, the fewest ever in a game the Cowboys won, and he wasn't even close on some throws to open receivers.

A high-ranking team source told ESPN's Ed Werder the Cowboys will "probably" have Johnson start against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Sunday. But the same source told Werder that Johnson's obvious limitations within the offense might prompt Phillips and his staff to consider other options, including Bollinger.

In the two games with Johnson starting for Romo, none of the Cowboys' top three wide receivers or tight end Jason Witten has a reception for 20 or more yards. With Johnson in the lineup, Owens has just seven catches for 64 yards, Patrick Crayton four for 43 and newly acquired Roy Williams two for 10 yards. Witten has seven receptions for 52 yards. Williams is the only player among those mentioned with a touchdown catch (which he pulled in against the Bucs).

When asked at his Monday news conference if Johnson would remain the starting quarterback for the Giants game, Phillips said, "I would expect that." Moments earlier the coach said, "Brad won the game [Sunday] and that's the most important thing."

Johnson is the only Cowboys player with a Super Bowl ring and the Cowboys were attracted to his experience, intelligence and reputation for being someone who could manage the game and avoid sacks and turnovers. Johnson has three interceptions and been sacked six times in his two starts.

The daunting challenge of playing the Giants' defense on the road is another reason for the Cowboys to discuss replacing Johnson. With the Giants leading the NFL in sacks, Johnson's inability to escape the pass rush becomes an additional liability.

Bollinger's mobility could be important against the Giants, who sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger five times and intercepted four of his passes in Sunday's 21-14 victory. The Giants have a league-high 26 sacks.

It might be worth noting at this point owner Jerry Jones suggested on his weekly radio show that Johnson's ability to protect the ball and manage the game trumps Bollinger's mobility.

"Even in this day and time, you can win games with field position and no turnovers," Jones said. "You trade that off against being really limited in what you can do downfield, being maybe limited in your accuracy and certainly limited in your mobility. Then you've got to pick your poison.

"So I think the real question here is what is our best way to win. My gut is our best way to win is to not turn the ball over, as opposed to go out there and try to create more offense."

Nonetheless, SI.com insider Peter King wrote on Monday: "If Bollinger doesn't get into the game against the Giants, I'll be surprised. Johnson's trying like heck, but he doesn't have much left. ..."

For the record: Bollinger has started 10 games in his six-year career, nine with the New York Jets in 2005 and one last year for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings cut him after he went 6-of-18 for 62 yards in a loss to Dallas in the preseason finale, and the Cowboys signed him a few weeks later.

He was the emergency quarterback the first seven games, moving up to No. 2 on Sunday, but has yet to take the field.

Other notes of interest. ... According to the Dallas Morning News, Witten has a broken rib but he hopes to play Sunday against the Giants.

Phillips said on Monday he did not know the full extent of Witten's injury but he was told there is a chance Witten could play against the Giants.

Witten suffered the injury Sunday against Tampa Bay and attempted to return to the game in the second half but played only one series. If Witten cannot play, it would be just the second game he has missed because of injury in his career. He missed one game as a rookie because of a broken jaw.

It would also severely hurt an offense that has struggled the last two weeks. Without Witten, rookie Martellus Bennett and Tony Curtis would have to fill in.

According to DallasCowboys.com insider Mickey Spagnola, Witten said it hurts to even breath and he sounded doubtful he would even try to practice, saying he would probably "take it easy" on Wednesday.

"We'll see today, I don't know if I can practice or not, we'll just try and see where we're at, at the end of the week," Witten said before the team heads out to practice later this afternoon. "Every time you breathe you feel it, I've never had anything like this before."

There will be some suggesting Witten can wear a flak jacket or place a rib pad on the spot where his ribs is cracked, but as Witten says, "The damage already is done," and while the padding might protect him from further damage, there is little the trainers can do other than, as he says, "doctor it up" to alleviate the pain.

According to Spagnola, it was obvious while walking down the hallway with Witten the simple act of turning his head to talk, or any time he had to turn his torso was causing him some discomfort.

"We'll just try to let it calm down a little bit and see if we can rally it up later in the week," Witten said.

Stay tuned. I'll have more on Witten's status as the week progresses (keep an eye on the Late-Breaking Updates section starting early Thursday). ...

Meanwhile, Bennett had a season-high three catches for 21 yards against the Buccaneers.

"Martellus did some things in the game," Phillips said. "He's a talented player that made a big first down for us and blocked pretty well. He's utilizing his athletic ability and that's important."

Witten owners might want to keep Bennett in mind if it comes down to an emergency roster move later this week. ...

Halfway through his first season as a starting tailback, Marion Barber is on pace for more than 1,200 yards, which would be the most by a Cowboy since Emmitt Smith had 1,203 yards in 2000.

On Sunday, he carried 25 times for 71 yards, the second-most allowed by Tampa Bay this season.

"Marion Barber is a terrific player with terrific heart," Phillips said. "He personifies our team, I think. He's a great example of that."

Barber has 153 carries for 611 yards in eight games, which is already the second-most carries and third-most yards that he has had in a season. On Sunday, he came up with two fourth-down conversions while lined up as a fullback in front of rookie Tashard Choice.

Barber also led the Cowboys with six catches for 29 yards, marking the second time in three games he has led the team as a pass catcher. ...

Williams' touchdown catch was his first contribution to the Cowboys. He did not have a catch last week in his first game since being acquired in a deadline-day trade Oct. 14.

"I felt a difference in pre-game, and all the way throughout the week," Williams said. "Coach took care of us in practice. The captains came up to the team and said, 'Play with energy.' Playing in St. Louis, it was kind of dull, a false chattering in the locker room. Today, it was legit."

Williams caught two passes. His first catch, on the first play of the second quarter, went for 8 yards. He had another catch later that would have been for 7 but was nullified because the Cowboys accepted a defensive pass-interference penalty.

But the penalty set up the field position that led to Williams' touchdown catch and, ultimately, to his first win of the season. The Lions were 0-5 when he was traded.

"This is our fifth win here, but it's my first win in 2008," he said. "It's just a great feeling to get it here, at Texas Stadium, in front of the home crowd."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  

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Meanwhile, linebacker Boss Bailey will miss the remainder of the season and cornerback Champ Bailey will miss at least a month and likely more because of a groin injury head coach Mike Shanahan has termed "severe."

According to Rocky Mountain News beat writer Jeff Legwold, those injuries might force the offense to fuel whatever the team can do during the final nine weeks of the regular season.

"We know it's going to be important for us to produce," tight end Daniel Graham said.

"Whether it's offense or defense, you have to pick the team up when you have the chance or when it's needed."

Jay Cutler, even as the Broncos were roaring down the fast lane to start the season, predicted defenses would adjust some, offering, "We're going to get game planned pretty hard," even before the team's rough stretch began.

For the most part, Legwold notes that defenses have gone to an approach that puts more players in coverage, backing away from the line of scrimmage.

It has forced Cutler to be patient, the kind of challenge most defensive coordinators like to give a young quarterback as the short, underneath routes are what have been most available.

Those defenses also have formed a crowd around receiver Brandon Marshall, Cutler's favorite target, and with injuries to receiver Brandon Stokley (concussion) and tight end Tony Scheffler (groin), those defenses have had little reasons to change their tactics.

"(Marshall) is our playmaker," Stokley said. "We have to get him the ball as much as we can.

"But we also have to be able to move it around some, too, so (defenses) have to play us honest. They're not always playing us honest right now."

Scheffler has not played the past two games, and Stokley left the game against Jacksonville in the second quarter and did not play last week in New England.

As a result, Marshall doesn't have a touchdown catch in the past three games and has not had a third-down reception in the slightly more than six quarters since Stokley was injured.

The Broncos also have turned over the ball 13 times in the past four games, with eight lost fumbles and five interceptions from Cutler.

"It's just a challenge each week," Cutler said. "We go in with a lot of things, a lot of plays, a lot of different situations each week so we can try to adjust in a hurry if we have to.

"We know we have to get the points every time we have a chance, especially early in games; our mistakes are hurting us."

The Broncos have run the ball more than 26 times in only one game this season, the regular-season opener in Oakland, and do not have a rushing touchdown in the past four games.

Torain figures to play Sunday against Miami and likely will get increasingly more carries as the second half of the season progresses.

As News staffer Lee Rasizer notes, there are expectations galore for Torain as he prepares for his possible NFL debut on Nov. 2.

That's to be expected after his head coach favorably compared him in training camp to Terrell Davis' and called him "one of the most gifted running backs I've been around for a long time."

But consider this: Torain has yet to participate in even a pre-season contest. And there's a huge difference in the speed of the game from training camp practices, where the fifth-round pick did look like a possible starter, to a real NFL Sunday.

Whatever the case, running more effectively is vital.

"We have to run the ball better no matter how we line up," Pittman said. "You run the ball, they can't come after your quarterback and they can't drop everybody in coverage. So no matter how we do it, we have to run it."

Added Cutler: "I feel good about the adjustments we can make once we see what we're going to get. (Quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates) has done a great job with that. We can do the things we need to, it's just about seeing how they line up against us and dealing with it without making mistakes.

"We have to be more sound, me included. The points are there. We have to just go get them."

Other notes of interest. ... Stokley came back to practice Monday after the bye week. He could return this week. The same goes for Scheffler and Young -- although you'll want to watch for more in coming days before making any final decisions on any of the team's walking wounded, including Pittman and Torain.

The Broncos on Monday signed three players, including free-agent wide receiver Chad Jackson. The Broncos also signed offensive tackle Matt Murphy and elevated cornerback Josh Bell to the active roster off their practice squad.

Jackson was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2006 whose career was plagued by injuries. He was waived by team at the end of preseason.

In 14 career games with the Patriots, Jackson had 13 receptions for 152 yards and three touchdowns.

Also. ... Darrell Hackney was moved up from the practice squad to replace No. 2 QB Patrick Ramsey, who was placed on IR after injuring an elbow against New England.

According to Pro Football Weekly, Hackney, a second-year veteran, may have a good arm, but he's not prepared to lead the offense -- a worrisome prospect given the Broncos' habit of carrying just two QBs on their active roster.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  

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Still, Johnson finished with four catches for 57 yards, hounded by cornerback Carlos Rogers, with help from safety LaRon Landry. He also ran a reverse for 7 yards.

"We were very conscious trying to move him around and get him away from certain coverages," head coach Rod Marinelli said. "We did some things with him, hopefully to try to get him the ball and try to create some matchups for him."

Johnson lined up in the backfield twice. The second time, in the fourth quarter, Johnson ran left, caught the ball, eluded three Redskins and dove for a 17-yard touchdown.

"That second time we ran it, it allowed me to get outside the linebacker to catch the ball and make my way into the end zone," Johnson said.

The failure to better utilize Johnson has the locals in a bit of an uproar.

"Is it really too much to ask for a game plan that better incorporates Calvin Johnson? It's inexcusable that he only touched the ball five times. ..."

"It doesn't make sense almost exclusively using Johnson as a downfield threat when you have a novice quarterback executing a low-risk game plan of mostly safe, short passes underneath the coverage.

"A masters' degree from Lombardi College isn't required to figure out that Colletto should make it easier for Dan Orlovsky to get the ball into Johnson's hands as much as possible. Let him use his size and speed in creating space and -- yes, making positive plays. ..."

Like the above-mentioned touchdown scored while lined up in the backfield. Sharp wondered why Detroit used that formation only twice.

"That's dumb coaching," Sharp wrote.

Sharp went on suggest that Colletto must do everything that forces defenses to pay more attention to Johnson, the only serious threat in the Lions' arsenal, while still not putting Orlovsky in situations over his head.

Instead, Colletto has only made it easier for the opposition in the absence of Roy Williams.

According to Sharp, some Washington players were overheard after the game commenting about the ease with which they neutralized the Lions' offense.

"It's real frustrating because we got ourselves in a good situation today and just failed to execute in the second half," Johnson said. "I had a penalty there and we just some mishaps in the second half and weren't able to get the ball down the field. ..."

That apparently won't change any time soon.

With the Lions 0-7, people are clamoring for quarterback Drew Stanton, hoping to see what the local kid can do. Stanton went to a suburban Detroit high school and Michigan State. The Lions drafted him in the second round last year.

But Marinelli said he would not play Stanton just so the Lions can evaluate him for the future. He said he would play him only if Orlovsky is injured or if he feels Stanton is better than Orlovsky, based on practices and games.

As the Sports Xchange noted, Marinelli doesn't believe in giving out playing time based on draft status and Stanton is still getting up to speed.

Stanton went on injured reserve after only three days of training camp last year, had his mechanics altered for the second time in two years in the offseason, and played only two exhibitions this year before suffering a thumb injury. He went through his first regular-season NFL practice only about a month ago and has gotten only about 20 percent of the reps the past two weeks.

Asked if he was confident Stanton would start a game this season, Marinelli said: "I couldn't say that right now, sometime during the season. It's this week. We're working on this week."

Orlovsky, a fifth-round pick in 2005, is coming off his first three NFL starts. He did not turn over the ball in those games, and the Lions had a chance to win each. But there is plenty of room for improvement.

If Orlovsky improves and the Lions win, Marinelli likely will stick with him. But if Orlovsky doesn't improve and the Lions continue to lose, that could give him reason to turn to Stanton, who will have had more practice time by then. ...

Or. ... Daunte Culpepper visited the Lions Tuesday morning and has initiated contract negotiations following a workout. According to ESPN.com insider John Clayton, talks are in the beginning stage and Culpepper has not made any salary demands.

Culpepper left the Lions' facility without agreeing to a contract, but he indicated that he will stay in contact with the team. In case you haven't been following along, Culpepper, who announced last week he was coming out of retirement, cancelled a visit with the Chiefs on Tuesday. He apparently views the situation in Detroit as being a better opportunity.

Culpepper labeled his workout with the Lions a good one.

In an article published Wednesday, MLive.com's Tom Kowalski suggested the interest in Culpepper might make sense if coaches plan work Stanton into the mix slowly. Rather than throwing him immediately into the fray, Kowalski suggests it might make more sense for Stanton, who has missed the majority of time over the last two training camps, to come in for a series or two in the second half and see how he does.

If Stanton comes in and plays well -- Kowalski believes it could even happen this week in Chicago -- then you give him another couple of series in the next game. That progression could continue until the coaches believe he's ready to start.

And if Stanton comes in and it's clear that he's not ready to start? If it's obvious that he either hasn't had enough preparation yet -- or that the coaches don't think he's talented enough?

That's where Culpepper might come in. ... It's certainly a viable theory. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Running back Rudi Johnson started and scored an 11-yard touchdown against Washington, but he had only 10 yards on seven carries otherwise.

Rookie Kevin Smith had only four carries for 12 yards, though he also caught seven passes for 50 yards. The Lions' second-longest run was a 10-yard broken-play scramble by Orlovsky. ...

Tight end Casey Fitzsimmons suffered bruised organs and damaged cartilage when he took a knee in the ribs Sunday against Washington. He couldn't breathe without pain Monday, but he still hopes to protect his ribs and play Sunday at Chicago.

Starting fullback Jerome Felton suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday. He could miss this week and maybe one more.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT