Steelers’ LB out 4 weeks

Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005 | 9:25 a.m.

SUN WIRE SERVICES

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter underwent surgery Wednesday to remove loose cartilage from his knee and is expected to miss four weeks.

If Porter sits out for the full four weeks, he'll miss the Steelers' four preseason games, but will be back in time for Pittsburgh's Sept. 11 season opener against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.

"We expect to have him for the opener," coach Bill Cowher said.

Alstott was held out of the afternoon session for precautionary reasons.

The 10th-year veteran jogged to the locker room and coach Jon Gruden said he did not think the injury was serious.

Alstott had surgery before last season to repair a herniated disc in his neck by fusing a vertebra from a cadaver with his.

Lewis reported to training camp Monday. On Wednesday, he took part in a few team drills, but didn't participate in full-contact practice.

"He looked fresh, which is what you would expect after not being here for the first week," Ravens coach Brian Billick said of Lewis, limited to a career-low 1,006 yards last season as he dealt with his legal problems and injuries. "We'll just continue to push him through it, put him through his paces and see if we can get him to that next level of conditioning."

The 2003 NFL Offensive Player of the Year served four months in federal prison and two months in a halfway house after pleading guilty to using a cell phone to arrange a cocaine deal.

Seau was back on Miami's practice field, apparently recovered from a calf injury that kept him sidelined for the first 2 1/2 weeks of training camp.

The 36-year-old linebacker, with whom the Dolphins will be cautious, took part in the team's only full-pads workout of the week, one that will be capped Saturday night in a preseason game at Jacksonville. Seau hurt the calf while conditioning in San Diego on July 22.

Edwards, the No. 3 overall pick, will sign his contract today and practice with the Browns for the first time, a league source said on the condition of anonymity. The source asked to remain unidentified due to the sensitivity of the negotiations between the Browns and agent Lamont Smith.

It appeared Edwards would sign his deal hours earlier after arriving at the team's headquarters, but things took a strange turn as he and Smith bolted after negotiations with the Browns hit a snag.

They didn't get far. Smith stayed in touch with the club and was able to complete a deal that could pay Edwards nearly $20 million in guaranteed money.

The extent of the injury was not immediately known, but it could be a blow for the Bills, who had been impressed by the second-round draft pick's performance since camp opened July 30.

A day after the cornerback signed a six-year, $43 million contract that includes $13.6 million in guaranteed money, coach Dennis Green said Rolle would play Saturday in the exhibition opener against Dallas -- possibly in more formations than at first anticipated.