Parcells not ready to play Owens
Terrell Owens is going to have to practice more before he plays for Bill Parcells.
Parcells said the receiver won’t play in the Dallas Cowboys’ second preseason game Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.
Owens went through his fifth straight practice Saturday since missing 14 in a row because of hamstring problems.
“He’s gotten some pretty good work in this week, and I just don’t want to start over next week,” Parcells said. “Hopefully, he’ll get his first real game action next weekend.”
Owens didn’t talk to reporters after the morning practice, the first of two for the Cowboys on their final full day of workouts at their California camp in Oxnard.
Since returning to practice Wednesday afternoon, Owens has gone through individual and team drills. He has run routes at full speed, making hard cuts without any apparent problems.
After the team’s only workout Friday, Owens said he was “a little bit sorer than usual” but was still day to day. He wasn’t sure if he would play Monday night.
Parcells said the decision to hold Owens out was final.
Lewis out two weeks
Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis will sit out the next two weeks because of a nagging hip injury.
Lewis has been bothered by a strained left hip flexor. He began training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list after injuring himself running sprints in late July, but played in the first two preseason games.
But the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year continued to complain about recurring soreness in his hip and quadriceps. Now, he’ll be sidelined until the practice week heading into the Ravens’ Sept. 10 season opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coach Brian Billick said.
Smith still out of lineup
Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith sat out the preseason game at Jacksonville because of a strained left hamstring.
Smith missed 17 days of practice after hurting his leg on the first day of training camp. The injury sidelined him for last week’s preseason opener against Buffalo.
He returned to practice Tuesday and has looked sharp since. But coach John Fox held him out for precautionary reasons.
Smith led the league in receiving last season with 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Rice retiring as 49er
Receiver Jerry Rice will retire as a member of the San Francisco 49ers next week.
Rice, who holds most of the significant NFL receiving records, won three Super Bowls during 16 years with the 49ers. He will sign a contract Thursday at the 49ers’ training complex before making his retirement official, the club officially announced.
Saturday’s games
Panthers 17, Jaguars 10: At Jacksonville, Fla., Nick Goings had a 1-yard touchdown run and Mike Rucker had a 31-yard fumble return for a touchdown as Carolina beat Jacksonville.
Dolphins 13, Buccaneers 10: At Tampa, Fla., Daunte Culpepper shrugged off the first real hits he’s taken since undergoing knee surgery and helped Miami to a preseason victory over Tampa Bay. Culpepper played into the second quarter, completing 7 of 9 passes for 86 yards and leading a nine-minute touchdown drive.
Patriots 30, Cardinals 3: At Foxborough, Mass., Tom Brady played most of the first half and completed 15 of 20 passes for 149 yards as the Patriots routed Arizona. Cardinals rookie QB Matt Leinert was 4 of 11 for 49 yards during his first taste of NFL action.
Packers 38, Falcons 10: At Green Bay, Wis., Brett Favre led the Packers on their first two touchdown drives of the preseason in the first half, and Green Bay beat Atlanta one week after being held to a field goal in San Diego.
Texans 27, Rams 20: At St. Louis, Mario Williams drew the Rams into a pair of penalties, batted down a pass to force a punt and tackled running back Tony Fisher for a 3-yard loss to make up for a lackluster performance in his first preseason game as Houston beat St. Louis.
Jets 27, Redskins 14: At Landover, Md., Brad Smith ran 61 yards for a touchdown on a double reverse, Leon Washington returned a kickoff 87 yards for a score and Reggie Newhouse added a fourth-quarter touchdown catch as New York showed some all-around improvement in a victory over Washington.
Vikings 17, Steelers 10: At Pittsburgh, Brad Johnson and rookie Tarvaris Jackson each threw for a touchdown and Minnesota got production from starters and backups alike in a victory over Pittsburgh.
Broncos 35, Titans 10: At Denver, Mike Bell atoned for his rookie mistake by scoring two touchdowns in Denver’s rout of Tennessee. Bell scored on two 1-yard runs to make up for fumbling last week.