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| Sunday, August 10 Stai surprises Patriots with retirement Associated Press |
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Stai, who's 31 and a veteran of eight NFL seasons, told coach Bill Belichick of his decision. "That one took me by surprise," Belichick said. "I definitely didn't see it coming. It was obviously a personal decision. I can't give you an explanation for it." Originally a third-round draft pick from Nebraska in 1995, Stai was a rookie starter at right guard in the Super Bowl for the Steelers against Dallas. He spent five seasons with Pittsburgh and also played for four other teams. The 6-foot-4, 318-pound guard played in five games with the Redskins last year before injuring his knee. He had started 96 of 105 games and had a streak of 77 straight starts.
Schulters sat out the Titans' exhibition opener Saturday night, forcing the team to replace him with rookie Donnie Nickey. But coach Jeff Fisher said Schulters has been cleared to practice and play.
"This is one of those situations we're going to leave up to him. As an organization and a staff, we're not going to say 'you're cleared to play,''' Fisher said. "We're hoping we can work him back into practice to where he's comfortable practicing.''
Schulters, who was not available for comment Sunday on the players' day off, originally thought he had an earache last weekend. Trainers found no evidence, so Schulters went to a dentist where he had an emergency root canal for an abscessed tooth.
Numbness that affected his eyelid and the left side of his mouth did not go away, so doctors ran more tests. Trainer Brad Brown said Schulters was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy on Saturday.
Brown said that 85 percent of people affected by Bell's Palsy recover completely, but it can take three weeks for symptoms to reach their worst. Recovery can take anywhere from three weeks to six months.
Schulters is being treated with steroids and other medicine. He also must wear an eye patch to help him sleep and keep his eye from drying out. Brown said Schulters' symptoms have not worsened and that he is not suffering a complete paralysis of the muscles in his face.
Chris Redman was relaxed, poised and free of pain. Kyle Boller directed two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, nearly pulling out a victory in the closing seconds. Anthony Wright wasn't great, but not awful enough to be eliminated. And so, the duel continues. All three candidates for the starting job now have something to build on after uneven performances Saturday night in the Ravens' 20-19 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Redman is the heavy favorite to win the competition -- he's the only one of the three to have already started at quarterback for the Ravens. The fourth-year pro went 5-for-8 for 55 yards and one interception in one quarter of work. Boller, the highly acclaimed first-round draft pick, went 10-for-21 for 124 yards in his professional debut. Playing against the Buffalo reserves, he struggled in the third quarter but produced two touchdowns in the final eight minutes to put the Ravens in position to win. Wright, the long shot in the competition, went 7-for-11 for 75 yards and one interception. The Ravens did not score while he was in the game.
Smith, in his first professional game, rushed 12 times for 33 yards and a touchdown Saturday night in a 16-14 preseason loss to Jacksonville and elevated himself to No. 2 on the depth chart at running back. "I got the butterflies out of me, and I settled down a little bit," Smith said. "Hopefully I'll be a little bit calmer next time. ... I came out and was able to prove myself tonight and was able to separate myself from the pack." Moe Williams will be the short-yardage man as the Vikings divvy up the carries in the absence of Michael Bennett, who's out until at least mid-October with a stress fracture in his foot. Doug Chapman, still listed as the No. 1 back, had 16 yards on four carries. The Vikings were cautious with him, since he's been bothered by a hamstring strain during training camp.
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