Steelers kicker Jeff Reed is saying he’s sorry. Again.

The question is whether Pittsburgh will tire of a dependable but distraction-causing player who constantly keeps needing to apologize.

Reed said he’s unhappy at focusing unwanted attention on the organization by becoming involved in a run-in with Pittsburgh police, several hours after kicking two field goals during a 27-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

“I apologize for being a distraction to this team,” Reed said. “For me, now I can move on. There are other players that have done this and played well, so it’s not an excuse.”

The incident was the second involving Reed this year and led to talks with Steelers president Art Rooney II, director of football operations Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin, none of whom was pleased with the kicker’s actions.

Earlier this year, Reed paid $543 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and criminal mischief for damaging a paper towel dispenser in a Pittsburgh-area convenience store bathroom in February, a few weeks after the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII.

The NFL is investigating Reed’s latest off-field problem, in which he was cited for simple assault, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after allegedly scuffling with police officers outside a bar near Heinz Field.

Reed will play Sunday against the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings, but Tomlin had no options other than bringing in an unfamiliar kicker for his team’s biggest game of the season so far.

“When you’re talking about pulling people out of lineups and so forth, it’s not conducive to winning,” Tomlin said.(source)

Now Green is back with the Green Bay Packers, volunteering to take a reduced role in exchange for the chance to write a new ending to what had been a standout career until he left the team as a free agent in 2007.

Green, who has been out of football since the Texans cut him in February, signed a deal Wednesday to return to the Packers after working out for the team earlier this week.

“If I knew I was done with this sport, it’d have been over,” Green said. “No debating, no arguing, no mulling over, thinking about it. I probably would have come here and signed a one-day contract to retire as a Packer, call it quits. But just something was missing after these past two years that I didn’t want to quite finish that way. The way my career was in Houston, I didn’t want that to basically become my legacy.”

Before signing a four-year, $23 million deal with the Texans in 2007, Green played seven seasons in Green Bay and made four consecutive Pro Bowl appearances between 2001 and 2004. With 8,162 rushing yards with the Packers, the former Nebraska college star needs 46 more to surpass Jim Taylor and become the franchise’s all-time leading rusher.

It’s the second time in a week that the Packers have reached into their past to add a veteran presence to their team after signing veteran right tackle Mark Tauscher last week.

The moves make it seem like the Packers are loading up for a run at the Super Bowl — the 2004 Super Bowl.

But Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the team believes Green and Tauscher still can be productive players.

“The starting point of bringing both Mark and Ahman back was they’re good football players, and that’s something we like to think we never lose sight of,” McCarthy said. “We’re very fortunate that they also have history here, so you feel good about that.”

Ryan Grant remains Green Bay’s starting running back.

“I’m coming here to be that guy like I’ve always been, but now kind of in a secondary role,” Green said. “Which I have no problem with.”(source)

Buffalo Bills coach Dick Jauron couldn’t resist cracking a joke when asked about sharing an Ivy League background with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“Let me think if I understand this question,” Jauron said with a grin after practice Wednesday, when reminded that he attended Yale and Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. “Are we kindred souls? Do we have a secret handshake? No.”

Maybe not, but it’s no secret that both of their immediate futures are suddenly connected if the Bills (2-4) and their still-sputtering offense intend to mount any type of midseason turnaround.

With starter Trent Edwards unable to practice or attend team meetings after sustaining a concussion last weekend, Fitzpatrick is expected to make his first start of the season Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (2-3).

Though Jauron wouldn’t rule out Edwards, the coach certainly didn’t hide how impressed he was with the job that Fitzpatrick did in stepping in and overcoming a 10-point deficit to produce a 16-13 overtime victory over the New York Jets last weekend.

“It was really an outstanding job,” Jauron said. “I like him because he can throw it, he can direct it and hopefully he can get us another win.”

A victory would be a boost for Jauron, who’s under heavy criticism less than two months into his fourth season as the Bills’ coach.

For Fitzpatrick, he prepares to take over at a time when Edwards’ job also was being questioned because of a Bills offense that lacked efficiency or identity and for his inability to effectively involve his two deep threats, wide receivers Terrell Owens and Lee Evans.

Evans sidestepped a question when asked if Fitzpatrick had the potential to seize the starting job even when Edwards is healthy.

“You know, we’ll see,” Evans said. “It’s kind of hard to speculate on him right now. But we just hope Trent gets back healthy, gets himself together, and we’ll move forward with that situation.”

Signed in free agency, Fitzpatrick is in his fifth year and coming off a season in which he gained plenty of experience with the Cincinnati Bengals, with whom he closed the season making 12 consecutive starts after Carson Palmer was hurt. After a shaky start, Fitzpatrick helped the Bengals go 4-3-1 down the stretch, including wins in his last three games.

Though Edwards’ injury isn’t season-ending, Fitzpatrick finds himself in a familiar position.

“I felt really comfortable out there on Sunday, and even today in practice,” Fitzpatrick said. “The best part of being in this offense is the weapons. And we just have to find a way to get the ball in Terrell’s hands and Lee’s hands.”

What was additionally important is Fitzpatrick finally having an opportunity to work with Owens and Evans in practice Wednesday after spending most of the year primarily running the Bills’ second unit.

“It was really the first time I’ve thrown to them,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s the role of a backup, though. You have to be ready to go at any time. But it certainly helps to have a week’s worth of preparation.”

Fitzpatrick’s performance wasn’t exactly stellar against the Jets. Battling gusting winds, he completed 10 of 25 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown with an interception.

Taking advantage of the Bills’ defense generating six interceptions, Fitzpatrick and the offense produced 13 points in four quarters. That’s exactly the number of points the Edwards-led offense had produced in losing its previous three games.

Just as important, Fitzpatrick made a clear attempt to get Owens and Evans involved by targeting them a combined 15 times, including hitting Evans on a slant that produced a 37-yard touchdown to tie the score at 13. It was Evans’ longest reception in 12 games.

“Well, I don’t know why it hadn’t been happening,” Evans said.

Evans expressed his respect for Fitzpatrick and, on three occasions, said he has trust in the backup.

“He knows what he’s seeing. And he’s a pretty savvy quarterback,” Evans said. “He takes advantage of what he’s seeing. You just trust the guy. That’s really what it just boils down to.”

Owens also has confidence in Fitzpatrick.

“We know that Ryan has that experience,” Owens said. “He’ll put us in the right situations, and it’s up to us to kind of make those plays materialize once he gets the ball in our hands.”(source)

It took Jay Cutler just five games to decide that he wants to stay in Chicago.

The Pro Bowl quarterback signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears on Tuesday. The deal, which runs through the 2013 season, includes about $20 million guaranteed and roughly $30 million in new money, a league source told NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora.

Acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Denver Broncos during the offseason, Cutler has completed 110 of 172 passes for 1,201 yards and 10 touchdowns with seven interceptions this season while leading the Bears to a 3-2 record. With a 64.0 completion rate and 240.2 passing yards per game, he’s on pace to set franchise single-season records in each category.

Drafted 11th overall by the Broncos in 2006, Cutler has thrown for 10,225 yards and 64 touchdowns with 44 interceptions while completing 872 of 1,392 passes in his NFL career.

Cutler made his first Pro Bowl last season while setting a Broncos record with 4,526 passing yards, but a falling out with new coach Josh McDaniels ultimately led to the trade to Chicago. In return, the Broncos acquired quarterback Kyle Orton, who has led Denver to a 6-0 start, along with two first-round picks and a third-rounder.

Cutler’s relationship with the Broncos started to sour when they fired coach Mike Shanahan, and the quarterback wasn’t happy when his position coach, Jeremy Bates, left for USC.

Just when things were starting to smooth out, Cutler found out in late February that the Broncos were trying to trade him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a three-way deal that would have sent Matt Cassel from New England to Denver.

Cutler and his agent didn’t believe McDaniels was up front with them about the trade talks and asked to be dealt. McDaniels, however, insisted that he informed Cutler the morning of those discussions.

Either way, the ill will escalated. Cutler stopped returning calls from the Broncos, and they eventually dealt him to the Bears in April.

In Chicago, there have been some rough moments despite the warm welcome from the fan base. When he reported to training camp, Cutler and linebacker Brian Urlacher found themselves denying reports of a rift. Devin Hester also was offended by comments that Cutler made after the first preseason game, when the receiver failed to break up an interception against the Buffalo Bills.

Otherwise, Bears teammates and coaches have staunchly defended Cutler.(source)

The Philadelphia Eagles addressed their need for linebacker depth Tuesday by acquiring Will Witherspoon from the St. Louis Rams in exchange for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a 2010 fifth-round draft pick.

“He’s a three-down linebacker, and he can play both the mike position and the will linebacker position,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Witherspoon, who will play the middle in Philadelphia. “He’s very good at both of them. He’s a good cover linebacker. He has the flexibility to cover tight ends and running backs and that type of thing, which is a plus.”

The Rams moved Witherspoon from the middle to his more natural weakside position this season to make room for James Laurinaitis, whom St. Louis selected with the 35th overall pick in last April’s draft.

“I’m definitely comfortable doing it,” Witherspoon said. “It’s never bothered me one way or another, when I was lighter or heavier, one side of the ball or the other. I’m a guy who just wants to be out on the field and have an opportunity to make plays.”

Witherspoon played this season under new Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, a disciple of late Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, so he’s already familiar with the Philadelphia system.

“I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with it,” Witherspoon said. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job of what he asked of me and what was asked of me in the defense and how the other guys around me need to perform and try to maintain my role.

“Overall, there is a lot of similarity, and that will kind of be the good thing about it.”

Witherspoon, an eight-year NFL veteran who spent his first four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, has 33 tackles and one forced fumble this season. He has recorded more than 100 tackles in a season three times in his career (2004, 2006, 2007) and has missed just two games because of injury.

The Eagles have struggled with middle linebackers since projected starter Stewart Bradley tore a knee ligament during a preseason scrimmage in August.

Second-year pro Joe Mays was handed the job, but he failed to impress. Omar Gaither, liked by the Eagles as a coverage linebacker, was next. He was replaced by recently re-signed Jeremiah Trotter, who had been out of football for over a year.

Trotter was exposed in coverage during last week’s 13-9 road loss to the Oakland Raiders, and he doesn’t appear to be the answer. Gaither injured a foot during the game and could be out of practice this week.

Witherspoon now is joining a team with serious playoff hopes, leaving the 0-6 Rams behind.

“It means a lot to go to a team that has the opportunity to be a contender,” he said. “That’s what you have to look at. You have to sit there and say, ‘OK, take the positives out of everything.’

“I know I’m leaving kind of a comfort zone here, being that I’ve been here for almost the last four years, but I’m moving into another situation.”(source)