HOUSTON — Texans all-pro receiver Andre Johnson will miss Sunday’s game against Oakland and an unspecified amount of additional time after a minor procedure to repair a right hamstring injury.
Coach Gary Kubiak said the Texans will be “missing a heck of a player” against the Raiders, but he is confident there is enough offensive firepower to make due.
“When Andre’s on your team, everybody tries to take him away,” Kubiak said Wednesday. “Like I said, we can’t replace Andre. We’ve got to, as a group, try to replace all the production that he adds on the field. That means everybody’s got to pick it up, and we’ll have a chance to prove it.”
Johnson was hurt in the second quarter of Sunday’s 17-10 win over Pittsburgh. Kubiak he would not put a timetable on Johnson’s return after Tuesday’s procedure.
“All the information we’re getting moving forward is very positive,” Kubiak said. “We’re not putting any timeline on anything right now. We just know everything went well. Andre feels good about it.”
Rodgers downplays comments by Favre
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers is shrugging off Brett Favre’s assessment of his success.
In a radio interview with Atlanta’s 790 The Zone, Favre said he wasn’t surprised Rodgers won a Super Bowl, saying “the biggest surprise to me would be that he didn’t do it sooner” and that Rodgers “just kind of fell into a good situation.”
The reigning Super Bowl MVP took the high road, saying: “I’m just going to say that I was really proud of our team. It takes 53 guys to win a championship, and we had the right recipe last year.”
Public can attend media day
INDIANAPOLIS — For the first time, fans will be allowed to attend Super Bowl media day.
The NFL announced that 5,000 people will be allowed into Lucas Oil Stadium on Jan. 31, when reporters interview players from the two teams. They will join roughly 3,000 accredited media members in an event that usually has comedy mixed in with traditional interviews.
Footnotes.
Fearing Peyton Hillis was weakened from strep throat and could risk injury, his agent had advised Cleveland’s bruising back not to play Sept. 25 against Miami.
• Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey was held out of practice, and coach Ron Rivera said he could miss Sunday’s game because of a concussion.
• The Giants signed cornerback Justin Tryon and released cornerback Brian Williams.
• The Colts placed defensive tackle Eric Foster (dislocated right ankle) and rookie offensive tackle Ben Ijalana (torn ACL) on injured reserve.
• Redskins rookie receiver Niles Paul said he was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit while covering a punt against the Rams.
• Plaxico Burress insists his swollen left elbow won’t keep him out of his first game in the Jets-Patriots rivalry.
• Browns Pro Bowl center Alex Mack is out of the hospital after having an appendectomy.
The Associated Press
