Cowher delays decision
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher may not decide until this weekend if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will start Monday night in Jacksonville, even if Roethlisberger already seems to have decided he is playing.
Roethlisberger missed the Steelers’ opening 28-17 victory over Miami on Thursday after having an appendectomy on Sept. 3.
He is listed as questionable, meaning there is a 50-50 chance he will play against the Jaguars.
The quarterback is convinced he will be ready for the only Monday night game this season for the Super Bowl champions. He threw to some receivers Tuesday, a day the team otherwise did not work out, and has told Cowher he wants to play.
Monday Night Football draws record numbers
ESPN’s first regular-season Monday night NFL game under the new contract drew the cable network’s biggest audience.
The game between the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins, won 19-16 by Minnesota, drew a 9.9 rating, representing an average of between nearly 9.2 million and 12.57 million households, the network said. The previous record was 8.9 million households on Christmas Day 1994 for a game between Detroit and Miami.
ESPN’s second Monday night game, San Diego’s 27-0 win over Oakland, received a rating of 8.5 and was seen in an average of 7.87 million households.
An estimated 22.6 million viewers watched Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts beat younger brother Eli’s New York Giants in NBC’s prime-time game on Sunday night.
Jansen will address drug allegations
Washington Redskins offensive tackle Jon Jansen will meet soon with NFL officials to discuss his allegations that a number of NFL players use human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing substances.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in New York that a date for the meeting had not been set. He said the meeting would not involve commissioner Roger Goodell, but would be with those involved with the league’s drug-testing program.
Jansen said last week on HBO’s “Costas Now” that “maybe 15, 20 percent” of the league’s players use illegal performance-enhancers. He later backed down a bit, saying: “What I meant by it was a small number of players. Being a football player, I’m not real good at math. When you do the numbers, it sounds like a bigger percentage than it really is. I meant it was a small percentage of guys.”
Around the league
The three shutouts on the NFL’s opening weekend marked the first time in 15 years that three teams went scoreless in a single weekend. Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 27-0, Chicago beat Green Bay 26-0 and San Diego capped the opening weekend with a 27-0 blanking of Oakland on Monday night. … Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry avoided jail time by pleading guilty to a concealed weapon charge. In exchange for the plea, Henry will be on probation for two years, serve 100 hours of community service, attend a firearms safety class and forfeit the 9 mm gun he pulled during a skirmish in downtown Orlando. … Washington Redskins signed veteran tight end Todd Yoder and released fullback Nehemiah Broughton. … The Philadelphia Eagles signed cornerback Dexter Wynn and released running back Bruce Perry. … The Green Bay Packers released fullback Vonta Leach, opening up a roster spot for new receiver Koren Robinson. … The Detroit Lions signed free agent wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim to a one-year contract. … The Jacksonville Jaguars placed defensive end Reggie Hayward on injured reserve, two days after he ruptured his left Achilles tendon. … The Houston Texans placed cornerback Roc Alexander on injured reserve, ending his season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. … The Carolina Panthers placed left tackle Travelle Wharton on injured reserve and signed offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges. … Pierson Prioleau, a key special teams player and backup safety for the Washington Redskins, tore the ACL in his right knee Monday night and is out for the year.