Roethlisberger sits after knee surgery
Ben Roethlisberger is out for the second time in a month with an injured knee.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback had arthroscopic surgery yesterday to remove a damaged piece of cartilage from his right knee and will miss Sunday's game at Green Bay and, possibly, the Nov. 13 game against Cleveland. Coach Bill Cowher said the normal recovery time is 10-14 days, and his status will be evaluated next week.
Cowher said Roethlisberger wanted to keep playing, but the Steelers (5-2) -- only a half-game out of the AFC North lead -- didn't want to risk losing him for 4-6 weeks if the injury worsened. Roethlisberger initially hurt the knee during the season opener Sept. 11 against Tennessee, but didn't miss any playing time. Later, he hyperextended his left knee against San Diego Oct. 10, forcing him to sit out a 23-17 overtime loss to Jacksonville in which backup Tommy Maddox had four turnovers.
Charlie Batch, a former Lions starter who has thrown only eight passes in four seasons, will start Sunday.
Harrington resurfaces for Lions
Joey Harrington wasn't benched for long. The Detroit Lions quarterback, who sat out the previous two games in favor of Jeff Garcia, will start Sunday at Minnesota, coach Steve Mariucci said. Garcia missed the first five games because of a broken left leg suffered in Detroit's final preseason game. He led Detroit to a 13-10 win at Cleveland two weeks ago, but is questionable after taking several hard hits in a 19-13 overtime loss to the division-leading Bears . . . Terrell Owens returned to practice a day after he was listed as doubtful for Philadelphia's game at Washington Sunday. Owens sprained the same ankle he had surgery on last year in last Sunday's loss to Denver . . . Bears defensive lineman Terry Johnson was placed on probation for 18 months after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in Berea, Ohio . . . The Jaguars will stay in Jacksonville until 2029 after getting an $8.6 million rent cut at
