Colts’ Stokley could be done for year
Indianapolis Colts receiver Brandon Stokley may be lost for the season with an injured right Achilles’ tendon.
Coach Tony Dungy said he did not know the severity of the injury, but recently signed receiver Ricky Proehl acknowledged he expected to get more playing time after Stokley apparently ruptured the tendon.
“Sometimes things happen for a reason,” Proehl said. “He’ll be back. He’s a tremendous player and a tremendous athlete, and I just hated for this to happen.”
Stokley has missed most of the season because of a series of injuries. He sprained his left ankle in training camp and was out of action for nearly a month before returning Sept. 17 against Houston.
He aggravated the ankle injury on a touchdown catch against the Texans and did not play again until Oct. 8 against Tennessee. Against the Titans, Stokley sprained his left knee and missed the next six games before returning for the rematch at Tennessee on Dec. 3.
Stokley, part of the first receiving trio in league history with 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns each in 2004, has eight catches for 85 yards and one touchdown this season.
Lions back out indefinitely
Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones will not play at Green Bay on Sunday, and team officials are concerned his foot injury could keep him out a lot longer.
Jones injured his left foot late in Sunday’s 30-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and was undergoing testing in Allen Park, Mich. He may have a fracture/dislocation of the foot, an injury that kept linebacker Teddy Lehman on the sidelines for nearly 12 months.
Jones has blossomed in Mike Martz’s offense, rushing for 689 yards and catching a career-high 61 passes for 520 yards.
“He’s a tremendous player,” Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. “If he’s going to be out for an extended period, we would obviously have to alter our plans for the future.”
Brown deals with staph
Brian Russell’s staph scare isn’t over. His season has ended, though.
Cleveland’s safety remained hospitalized in Berea, Ohio, with an elbow injury, a likely recurrence of a skin staph infection that doctors believed they had removed from his arm during surgery more than three months ago. The team said Monday evening that Russell was placed on injured reserve, ending his 2006 season.
The Browns have posted signs throughout their facility advising players on how to avoid skin infections, particularly methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a highly virulent form of staph.
Moss questionable
Oakland receiver Randy Moss is questionable for the Raiders’ game against St. Louis after twisting his ankle.
Moss injured the ankle after a 16-yard catch on the second play of the second quarter in Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Moss limped off the field and did not return.
Moss’ injury gave Ronald Curry a chance to play regularly. Curry responded with eight catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. Coach Art Shell said Curry would start if Moss can’t go against the Rams on Sunday.