Wildfires leave Chargers in limbo

The San Diego Chargers don't know where or when they'll play their next game.

While they spent Monday taking care of their families and trying to find out if their homes survived the wildfires sweeping Southern California, the Chargers were busy yesterday preparing to fly to Phoenix to practice at the Arizona Cardinals' suburban headquarters.

That means three days of hotels and bus rides and an unfamiliar workplace while wondering what's going on back home.

"How we handle that will have an impact on how it turns out on Sunday," quarterback Philip Rivers said.

It's a drill familiar to some Chargers.

Four years ago to the week, the Chargers were forced to move a Monday night game to Tempe, Ariz., on short notice because of deadly wildfires.

The Chargers are scheduled to host the Houston Texans Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium. But, as it was four years ago, the stadium is being used as an evacuation center. Yesterday morning, there were about 10,000 evacuees at Qualcomm, and smoke hovered over the stadium early in the afternoon.

Qualcomm is in Mission Valley, northeast of downtown and out of harm's way. The league, which is holding owners meetings in Philadelphia, is debating what to do.

The Cardinals have a bye Sunday, and their stadium, located in Glendale, is scheduled to host a motorcycle show Friday through Sunday afternoon.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the options include playing the game in Los Angeles, at Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium - the Cardinals' former home - at Texas Stadium in Dallas, or Reliant Stadium, the Texans' home field.

Draft time-saver

The league cut from 15 minutes to 10 the time between picks in the first round of the draft after a 2007 record round of 6 hours 8 minutes.

It also moved the starting time of the draft from noon to 3 p.m. and limited the first day to two rounds instead of three.

"We believe this will make for a more streamlined and efficient draft," Goodell said in a statement.

The change also applied to the second round, which will go from 10 minutes to seven between choices for next year's draft, which will be held April 26-27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

The time between picks will stay at five minutes for the last five rounds, which will take place Sunday.

Bills run for the border

Bills owner Ralph Wilson made his case for Buffalo to play an annual regular-season home game in Toronto, and now it's up to NFL owners to determine whether there's potential north of the border.

The plan is for the Bills to annually play one regular-season and one preseason game in Toronto starting in 2008 and lasting through 2012, which is the duration of the franchise's lease at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The Bills' proposal is the franchise's most ambitious bid to secure its long-term future in Buffalo by tapping into the vast corporate base of Canada's largest city and financial capital.

Toronto is a 90-mile drive from Buffalo and is counted as part of the Bills' home territory.

Edwards takes reins

Two wins in three games earned Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards the starting job, and sent J.P. Losman to the bench. Coach Dick Jauron made the announcement in a two-paragraph statement issued by the team as the Bills (2-4) prepare to travel to play the New York Jets. "We are naming Trent Edwards as our starting quarterback," Jauron said.

The statement was a departure from what Jauron said last week, when he declined to name a full-time starter beyond giving Edwards one more start - against Baltimore last weekend - because Losman had looked rusty since recovering from a sprained left knee.

Edwards delivered on the coach's faith, helping the Bills to a 19-14 victory. The win improved the third-round pick's record to 2-1 in three consecutive starts since Losman was hurt during the first series of Buffalo's 38-7 loss against New England in Week 3.

Garrard likely to sit

Jaguars quarterback David Garrard had an MRI to determine the extent of his sprained left ankle, and coach Jack Del Rio said Garrard likely would miss at least one game.

Garrard injured his ankle in Monday night's 29-7 loss to Indianapolis. He limped into the locker room following the second-quarter sack by Ed Johnson, got his ankle retaped, and returned to the game. However, swelling increased during halftime, forcing Garrard back to the bench. He finished 8 of 12 for 72 yards.

The Jaguars (4-2) open a three-game road trip Sunday at Tampa Bay. Quinn Gray is expected to make his first career start. Gray was 9 of 24 for 56 yards with two interceptions.

Terrell cut after arrest

The St. Louis Rams released offensive guard Claude Terrell after he was arrested early yesterday and charged with assaulting his wife at a suburban Houston hotel. Police in the Houston suburb of Webster said they found a woman with "obvious signs of physical injury" after responding to a disturbance at a Hampton Inn. The woman said she was Terrell's wife and told police he had assaulted her. The 6-foot-2-inch, 330-pound Terrell was found at a nearby hotel, where he was arrested and charged with assault-family violence, police said.

Baxter placed on IR

Gary Baxter's unexpected comeback from two serious knee injuries ended for this season when the cornerback was placed on injured reserve by the Cleveland Browns. Baxter tore both patellar tendons on the same play last season. He was given long odds of getting back on the field - no player in the NFL has ever come back and been productive after tearing the tendons - but the 29-year-old startled doctors and made Cleveland's roster this summer. However, Baxter was not activated for any of the Browns' first six games, and when he failed to make enough significant progress to help them this season, the Browns finally decided to place him on IR . . . In a surprising move announced without comment from coach Bobby Petrino or general manager Rich McKay, the Falcons cut starting defensive tackle Grady Jackson. Team spokesman Reggie Roberts said Petrino would address the move today. The 11-year veteran had 21 tackles, including 5 1/2 for losses, and one sack this year. The Falcons also put starting offensive tackle Renardo Foster on injured reserve. Foster tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to New Orleans . . . The Texans released running back Samkon Gado and signed Adimchinobe Echemandu from the practice squad to fill his roster spot . . . Steelers safety Ryan Clark did not return with the team from Denver late Sunday night because of a spleen inflammation that occurred during the 31-28 loss to the Broncos. Coach Mike Tomlin said that Clark was not injured during the game, but had a preexisting blood condition aggravated by dehydration and Denver's high altitude.