BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — One game into the preseason and already Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has had to smooth things out with one of his wide receivers.
Cutler commented to reporters about Devin Hester’s failure to break up an interception on a pass that fell short Saturday night following the team’s 27-20 preseason loss to Buffalo. His remark seemed to rub some people the wrong way.
“Devin is more of a go-get- it guy; he is not really a back shoulder or jump-up-and- get-it (guy),” Cutler said Saturday. “You learn from it. We made some mistakes.”
Hester admitted Monday that Cutler’s comment upset him at first.
“But then he (Cutler) said he didn’t say it,” Hester said. “It wasn’t criticism or anything like that. He was saying, you are not a 6-8 receiver. You can’t go up and get everything.”
Raiders mum on fight
NAPA, Calif. — Raiders coach Tom Cable isn’t talking about reports he punched defensive assistant Randy Hanson in the jaw and caused injuries that required treatment at a hospital.
According to AOL Fanhouse, Cable hit Hanson on Aug. 5 for unknown reasons. A report filed with the Napa Police Department describes an unnamed 41-year-old assistant coach being treated at the Queen of the Valley Hospital for a jaw injury, which the victim alleges was caused by an unidentified member of the Raiders coaching staff.
Footnotes.
Bills receiver Terrell Owens made a brief return to practice to test his sprained toe that is getting better but not fully healed.
• Nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones left Seahawks practice early with an apparent back injury.
• Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis was suspended without pay for the team’s regular- season opener and fined $100,000 by the NFL for violating the league’s substance- abuse policy.
• Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said he wouldn’t mind if Michael Vick took some of his snaps “if it’s helping us win.”
• Rams quarterback Marc Bulger has fractured the pinkie finger of his throwing hand and could be out for at least two weeks.
• The Browns released linebacker Bo Ruud.
• Buccaneers punter Josh Bidwell is out for the year with a right hip injury.
• Burl Toler, the first African-American official in NFL history who went on to work one Super Bowl, died Sunday in Castro Valley, Calif. He was 81.
