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PITTSBURGH STEELERS at BALTIMORE RAVENS
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GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 9/11/11
SURFACE: FieldTurf
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Phil Simms)
PREDICTION: Steelers 19-17
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Ravens insist their game is power football, even if RB Ray Rice isn't exactly built for pushing the pile. The approach decreases the pressure on the reformed offensive line to keep QB Joe Flacco's jersey clean in the face of the Steelers' zone blitz. Flacco has a tendency to wait for receivers to uncover before he lets the ball fly, but he'll have to trust his newest weapons- vertical threat WR Lee Evans outside and second-year TE Ed Dickson- in addition to Rice, a slippery outlet receiver who is dangerous in the open field. Reading the intentions of All-Pro S Troy Polamalu is vital to Flacco sustaining drives. He was sacked four times by the Steelers in a 13-10 loss in December and five more in the postseason loss. In the playoffs, three sacks were credited to OLB James Harrison, who'll line up over newcomer Bryant McKinnie at left tackle. Expect FB Vonta Leach and the tight ends to offer Flacco added protection by chipping in blitz pickup.
Steelers coaches heaped praise on Roethlisberger for his precision in the preseason, and he has evolving options alongside big-play WR Mike Wallace. The Ravens have been able to heat up the pocket and tally hurries and hits against the Steelers, sacking Roethlisberger six times and forcing a fumble in their Jan. 15 playoff meeting. But Roethlisberger excels delivering in unrehearsed situations and the Ravens' cornerback group inspires minimal confidence. SS Ed Reed can camouflage shortcomings to an extent, but rookie LCB Jimmy Smith draws spotlight attention in the matchup against Wallace, Brown, Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery.
FAST FACTS: The Steelers rallied from a 21-7 deficit and won a rare shootout with the Ravens, 31-24, to advance to the AFC Championship Game in January thanks to a 58-yard pass play to WR Antonio Brown on 3rd-and-18 that set up Rashard Mendenhall's 2-yard game-winning plunge. … Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has gone 158 consecutive pass attempts without an interception in the regular season. … Rice had 17 carries for 52 yards against the Steelers in two games last season. … The last seven regular-season meetings have been decided by no more than six points.
INSIDE THE CAMPS
STEELERS
Pittsburgh has one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the conference's best deep threat along with a group of good, fast, young receivers. But none of those will take center stage on offense when they open the season in Baltimore.
Running back Rashard Mendenhall will be that player.
"He came back in fabulous condition," said Bruce Arians, the Steelers' offensive coordinator. "He has been everything we hoped he would be in the preseason and in training camp. I thought he's as good as he's ever been right now in the running game and the passing game.
"That's our lead dog. Everybody wants to talk about the wideouts and everybody else. Our lead dog is Rashard. We're going into the game with Rashard as the lead dog and everybody else feeds off of him."
Some may believe that Arians is merely towing the line after team president Art Rooney said in January 2010 that he would like to see his offense run the ball better. The Steelers ran the ball 47.4 percent of the time in 2010 after doing so 42.2 percent in 2009.
And while Mendenhall may be the "lead dog," he might not log as many miles this season. Arians said backup Isaac Redman will cut into the 324 carries Mendenhall had last season as well as split the third-down duties with Mewelde Moore.
"We have a nice, quality rotation there to where Rashard's not going to be out there 50-60 plays, he should be in the game 35, 45 and everyone else will share the rest," Arians said.
"There are times he needs to rest and that's a good place (on third downs). We have quality to give him his rest."
RAVENS
Terrell Suggs has sacked Ben Roethlisberger 12.5 times in his career, the most the Pittsburgh quarterback has ever been dropped by a defender.
So, the Ravens linebacker knows he will be a marked man in Sunday's season opener between the AFC North rivals.
"I won't be one-on-one with them because they remember the playoff game, they remember all the games I had," Suggs said." I think the game here, I hit Roethlisberger something like six or seven times. So like I said, they're doing everything right now possible to make sure that I don't have a good game."
Suggs has collected 10.5 sacks against the Steelers in the regular season. That's the most sacks any active player has recorded against Pittsburgh and the second-most Suggs has posted against a single team. (He has sacked Cleveland quarterbacks 12 times in the regular season.)
Roethlisberger laughed when asked to describe Suggs' strengths as a pass rusher.
"How long do you have?" he asked. "He's such a ferocious player. He's got really long arms and legs and he uses his arms real well. Super athletic, fast, strong, ferocious. I think even something that people don't write about, (there's his) intimidation factor alone. I think a lot of linemen and running backs and tight ends - before the play even starts - are a little intimidated because of his reputation of being a such a good, ferocious player. So I'm still looking for a weakness in his game. He's pretty doggone good."
Suggs said he doesn't think he truly scares the Steelers despite his success.
"I assure you that (left guard Chris) Kemoeatu is not rattled," Suggs continued. "And last year, they had big Flozell (Adams), and I've always respected Flozell Adams as a good player in this league. Max Starks, they released him, but he was one of the few tackles that has given me problems. If you look at the games, we usually have good battles against each other. But I don't think they're rattled (about) me at all, and I guarantee you that they've got something in store where I won't be one-on-one with any of their tackles."
The 28-year-old Suggs is already the franchise leader in sack yards (519) and forced fumbles (22), and he is second in fumble recoveries (11). He has led the team in sacks in five of eight seasons since being selected with the 10th overall pick in 2003, including 11 of the Ravens' 27 sacks last season.
Suggs has especially excelled against Pittsburgh. Last season alone, he accrued 15 tackles and 5.5 sacks in three games.
In a 13-10 loss at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 5, Suggs sacked Roethlisberger 1.5 times and hit him five times. In their last meeting, he sacked the Steelers' quarterback three times in a 31-24 playoff loss on Jan. 15.
Suggs attributed his success to his hatred of losing.
"I'm pretty sure that they've beaten us more than any other team in the NFL because we play each other the most. I just don't want to lose," he said. "So every time I play them, I try to crank it up some more. So that can explain it. But what does it matter if they still end up winning the game?"
PERSONNEL NEWS
STEELERS
- WR Jerricho Cotchery had an MRI and did not practice Thursday because of a hamstring injury. If he cannot play, Arnaz Battle will serve as the No. 5 wide receiver.
- C Maurkice Pouncey has not missed practice, but he continues to wear a stiff brace on his injured left ankle. If something were to happen to him, starting RG Doug Legursky would play center and either Ramon Foster or Trai Essex would play guard, coordinator Bruce Arians said.
- OT Marcus Gilbert, a rookie and second-round draft pick, will be the No. 3 tackle, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said on Thursday.
- LB Lawrence Timmons would like move to play on the outside if something were to happen to James Harrison, coach Mike Tomlin said. Harrison had two back surgeries in March and has expressed some discomfort with it this summer. Larry Foote would then likely move inside to replace Timmons.
- TE David Johnson will replace Matt Spaeth as No. 2 behind Heath Miller, but both will also line up in the backfield on occasion. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said that will not allow a defense to key if they are playing as "backs" or tight ends.
RAVENS
- LB Jason Phillips was added to the injury report after not practicing Thursday. He is suffering effects from a concussion.
- SS Tom Zbikowski is expected to start at strong safety Sunday against the Steelers, beating out Bernard Pollard this preseason. This will be the first time he will start next to Ed Reed.
- SS Bernard Pollard said he won't start Sunday, which means Tom Zbikowski has beaten him out for the job. Pollard is expected to be on the field in certain blitzing packages.
- WR Lee Evans had back-to-back full practices after sitting out last week with a protective boot on his left foot. He is showing no effects from the ankle injury.
- C Matt Birk has had full participation in consecutive practices after being limited last week with a knee injury. He is expected to start.
- WR LaQuan Williams is expected to be the primary punt returner in Sunday's season opener. The undrafted rookie averaged 35.5 yards on two punts in the preseason.
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ATLANTA FALCONS at CHICAGO BEARS
__________________
GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 9/11/11
SURFACE: Natural grass
TV: FOX (Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa)
PREDICTION: Falcons 23-17
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Bears have a different look on offense, but the chief objectives are the same- protect QB Jay Cutler (sacked 52 times last season) and feed RB Matt Forte early and often. Protection was solid in the preseason and Forte and backup Marion Barber are sure to get plenty of chances against a defense that allowed 4.6 yards per rush last season. The Falcons added a big outside target- rookie Julio Jones- in the offseason to complement Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. QB Matt Ryan believes the offense has the big-play potential it lacked in 2010 to keep pace when the secondary has an off day.
FAST FACTS: Ryan has 33 wins as a starter, tied with Dan Marino for most in the first three seasons of a career since 1970. … The Bears' 51 victories on opening weekend are tied with Green Bay for the most in the NFL.
INSIDE THE CAMPS
FALCONS
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has guided the team to two victories over the Chicago Bears.
During his rookie season, he drove the Falcons down into field-goal range with just 11 seconds remaining to help pull out a 22-20 victory.
In 2009, the Falcons beat the Bears 21-14.
Both of those games were at the Georgia Dome. This will be his first trip to historic Soldier Field.
"They're never easy," Ryan said. "Chicago is a very good football team. It's going to be a difficult place to go in and play. It's a storied franchise and a great stadium to play in. It's going to be a lot of fun."
Ryan and the Falcons have been monitoring the field conditions, but they are not overly concerned.
"It's something you can't really worry about too much," Ryan said. "Our equipment staff here does a great job of having everything at our disposal up there. I know (equipment manager) Brian Boigner and his staff will have all of the equipment that we need up there and we'll be ready to play under whatever circumstances there are."
Ryan has a little more firepower in the form of rookie Julio Jones to go with All-Pro Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez.
"Our expectation is pretty simple and it's to play well every week and give ourselves a chance to win," Ryan said. "It doesn't go any further than that for me. I think we have to take it one week at a time, focus on that game plan and what we need to execute well that week and try to do everything we can during the course of the week through practice to prepare ourselves to do that on Sunday."
Ryan knows that the Bears' defense has upgraded since he last saw them. He has not played them since Julius Peppers joined the unit. However, he saw Peppers in his final two seasons in Carolina.
"You have a lot of tape on guys that have been in the league for a long time, but there's also a reason they've been in the league for a long time because they're very good players," Ryan said. "Certainly, when you look at this Chicago defense, they've got some talented guys; some perennial Pro Bowlers, especially at the linebacker position and really in the front four as well.
"We're going to have our work cut out for us."
This one could go down to the wire also.
"It's been tight games every time we've played them, come down to the wire and we're going to need to prepare well all week and do what we can during the week to give ourselves the chance to play well on Sunday," Ryan said.
Ryan will be without his security blanket. Center Todd McClure, who has started a franchise-record 144 straight games, will not play against the Bears because he's recovering from right knee surgery.
Second-year man Joe Hawley will take over for McClure.
"I think Joe will do a good job," Ryan said. "Joe has been here, preparing hard for the last couple of seasons. He has put in his time and I think has studied the way you need to study so when this opportunity presents itself, I think Joe will do a good job. Obviously, you'd love to have Todd (McClure) out there, there's no question about that. He's a veteran guy, but I think Joe steps in and does what he needs to do."
BEARS
When it comes to confidence, wide receiver Roy Williams has an abundance, and he believes everyone else should have confidence in him as well.
"Expectations should be high," he said. "I want them high. Talk bad about me. I appreciate it. But if I do well, please write that you're sorry."
Sorry might describe Williams' preseason, when he had at least as many drops as catches (two for 33 yards) and rarely seemed to be in sync with quarterback Jay Cutler. Yet Williams remains in the starting lineup, with the assumption that, when the lights come on, the nine-year veteran will make his presence felt.
Williams has had to relearn the offense of Mike Martz, the one in which he flourished with the Lions in 2006-07 under Martz. But he says that's already a done deal.
"I'm fine. I've already been through that transition stage with Martz, and I know what he was talking about," the 6-3, 215-pound Williams said. "And it does take a while, but once you get it, it's pretty much etched in stone. I've been away from him for a while, but it's all the same. It's no different for me in that respect."
In his two previous seasons with Martz, Williams had 82 catches for 1,310 yards in '06 and 64 catches for 838 yards in '07, despite missing four games with a sprained knee.
Midway through the 2008 season, the Lions traded Williams to the Cowboys, who gave up first-, third- and sixth-round picks to get him and then gave him a six-year contract worth $54 million that included $26 million in guaranteed money.
But Williams was a colossal bust in Dallas. In the previous three seasons, he averaged 37 catches and 519 yards, which has led critics to question how much he has left. While others may be uncertain of how productive he can be at age 29, Williams is not.
"Am I unsure?" he said. "Heck no I'm not. I'm good. I'm comfortable. I'm going to be ready to play, ready to make plays. I know that if I mess up or anything I know that it's going to get blown out of proportion. But I'm not the perfect player. I'm going to mess up. But other than that I'm ready to go."
Williams says he always has been sure of himself, ever since he started playing.
"I've been sure since the third grade, my first year of football," he said. "I've never been unsure about myself."
Martz was instrumental in bringing Williams in on a one-year, make-good contract for $1.5 million that also includes an additional $960,000 that can be earned if he reaches certain incentives.
"He's ready," Martz said. "He's in real good shape. He's back into what we do, offensively, the terminology, how we run the routes, all those things, and I think he and Jay have got a nice feel there."
There hasn't been much evidence of that yet, but the Bears hope it's a different story starting Sunday. Williams, who threw Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo under the bus when he was in Dallas, has been impressed with Cutler so far.
"He makes throws that I haven't seen in a long time," Williams said. "Impressive. The ball that I dropped in Tennessee (which wound up being intercepted), he done whipped that thing in between I don't know how many people. I was surprised that it got through all that. I asked him the other day, 'Man, what is your most impressive throw ever?' He was like, 'Man, I've had a bunch of those.'
"That's a guy that you want to play for. That's a guy that you know is going to have your back and I have his."
Time will tell.
PERSONNEL NEWS
FALCONS
- DT Corey Peters (knee) is not likely to play against the Bears, according to head coach Mike Smith.
- DT Peria Jerry, the first-round pick in 2009, will start for Corey Peters (knee). Peters has been stout against the run, but didn't provide much in the pass rush. Jerry, who only played in passing situations while coming back from knee surgery last year, could provide more explosiveness playing alongside Jonathan Babineaux.
- CB Kelvin Hayden will be active against the Bears and will likely see some action on special teams and in the nickel package.
- S James Sanders will be active for the Bears game. He will likely play on special teams and be available to come on in reserve at safety.
- RB Michael Turner led the league in carries two of the past three seasons and is ready for another heavy load.
- RG Garrett Reynolds, the nephew of Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds, is set to make his first NFL start.
- C Joe Hawley, a fourth-round pick in 2010, is set to make his first start for the injured Todd McClure (knee).
BEARS
- RB Marion Barber (calf) did not practice Thursday and has yet to be ruled out, but he will not play Sunday.
- DE Corey Wootton (knee) was limited at Thursday's practice and will not play Sunday.
- NT Anthony Adams (calf) was full participant in Thursday's practice and said he will play Sunday.
- WR Sam Hurd (ankle) made it through a full practice on Thursday and is expected to play Sunday.
- S Brandon Meriweather, whose one-year contract with the Bears came with a $1 million signing bonus and has a base salary of $2.25 million, is expected to replace FS Major Wright in the next few weeks.
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CINCINNATI BENGALS at CLEVELAND BROWNS
__________________
GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 9/11/11
SURFACE: Natural grass
TV: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots)
PREDICTION: Bengals 24-20
KEYS TO THE GAME: Browns QB Colt McCoy put together a veritable highlight tape against the Bengals in December (19-of-25, two touchdowns). Cleveland hopes to protect McCoy with a powerful backfield combo- Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty- that opens the field for TE Ben Watson underneath. The Browns' defensive strength is up the middle with NT Ahtyba Rubin and rookie Phil Taylor, which adds intrigue against the Bengals' run-first offense. Rookie QB Andy Dalton cannot win games by himself in long-yardage situations, underlining the importance of hitting high-percentage passes between the hashes.
FAST FACTS: The Bengals have won 10 of the past 13 meetings. … Dalton (TCU) and McCoy (Texas) started against each other in Sept. 2007, a 34-13 Longhorns win. It was Dalton's second career college start.
INSIDE THE CAMPS
BENGALS
Clint Boling's first start at the University of Georgia was as a true freshman and came in a prime-time game at Alabama. His first NFL game should be just as formidable.
With Bobbie Williams serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing substances, Boling gets the start at right guard for the Bengals in Sunday's opener against the Browns.
Boling will be matched up against Browns' first-round pick Phil Taylor.
Said Boling of Taylor: "Obviously he's their first-round pick and he's a huge presence in the middle. He plays hard, is active and is a big guy."
On some matchups, Boling should be able to get some help from center Kyle Cook, but for the most part the Bengals are hoping he can hold his own.
"He's a guy that's not very easily rattled, you can't rattle him," said left tackle Andrew Whitworth of Boling. "He knows what he's doing. He'll play effectively. He's a young player, just like the Taylor kid on the other side. They're rookies and they're going to make rookie mistakes. But I think he's going to have a challenge."
BROWNS
The defensive player with the best hands in training camp was Sheldon Brown, who not coincidentally is the defensive back who has been playing the longest.
He will be anchored at his familiar spot at right cornerback Sunday when the Browns open their season Sunday against the Bengals in Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns are looking to go 1-0 for the first time since 2002.
The Browns need the stability Brown adds to the defense as they play their first regular season game in a 3-4 defense.
Brown has played in 144 straight regular-season games plus all 13 playoff games the Eagles were in when he played in Philadelphia. The NFL does not count playoff games as part of a games-played streak, but Brown's durable body does.
Brown said he never thought he might not be ready for training camp this summer after undergoing rotator cuff surgery in the offseason. Good thing for the rest of the secondary he was available, because Brown is like a coach on the field. He is still helping left cornerback Joe Haden, the Browns' first-round draft choice last year, and now he is helping rookie defensive back James Dockery and rookie corner Buster Skrine.
Safety T.J. Ward calls the signals to the secondary on a given play because he plays the best position to see what's going on, but Brown is the undisputed leader in the defensive backs meeting room.
"Sheldon's a pro," coach Pat Shurmur said. "What I appreciate about him is he comes out here and works every day. I really appreciate his leadership in the back end. I think you need that. It gets crazy back there sometimes. It's win or lose on every play if you're in the secondary. He has a stabilizing personality for the guys."
Brown said when he was a rookie he gained wisdom by listening to Troy Vincent, who by 2002 was in his 11th NFL season and seventh with the Eagles. Vincent played four more seasons before finally retiring.
Brown hopes that 10 years from now Haden will be telling reporters how he learned from Brown and that by then Haden will be helping some young cornerback who right now is in junior high school.
"My biggest thing is not how athletically gifted you are, it's how to be a pro on and off the field," Brown said. "If in 10 years Joe Haden is speaking the same language I'm speaking today, I've done my job.
"Troy Vincent and Brian Dawkins did their job to me, and I have to pay it forward and pass it down to Joe Haden."
Brown can rest easy. Haden already praised Brown for the success he had as a rookie and the direction his career is headed.
"Sheldon knows so much - I'm trying to learn off him," Haden said. "He knows a lot of concepts. He knows if they line up in certain formations, they're going to run certain routes. I'm starting to get that.
"Natural ability will make up for a lot of stuff, but if you want to be great, if you want to be lock-down - if you have all the ability and you know what's going to happen before it does - you put both those together and it's going to be like Deion (Sanders) had it. If a guy can get that in his second year, he's going to have it a long time."
PERSONNEL NEWS
BENGALS
BROWNS
- RT Tony Pashos is out of his walking boot and practiced on a limited basis Thursday.
- G Jason Pinkston, a rookie, has almost locked up the starting job at left guard. Artis Hicks and John Greco are also working at guard.
- S Usama Young practiced without limitation Thursday, but coach Pat Shurmur won't say whether Young or Mike Adams is starting at free safety. Young missed all preseason with a hamstring injury.
- LB Chris Gocong was limited again because of a neck stinger that kept him out all preseason, but coach Pat Shurmur expects him to start Sunday.
- LB Titus Brown (ankle) did not practice. He will not play against the Bengals.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS at HOUSTON TEXANS
GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 9/11/11
SURFACE: Natural grass
TV: CBS (Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf)
PREDICTION: Texans 31-22
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Texans debut Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense under ideal circumstances- a starter (Kerry Collins) in new surroundings in an offense likely to err on the conservative side. Colts rookie LT Anthony Castonzo draws OLB Mario Williams in his debut. That lends Indy to a more run-centric approach with a deep backfield rotation, but the Colts must attack downfield given the Texans' porous pass defense last season. Texans RB Arian Foster (hamstring) might beg into the lineup considering his 231-yard, three-touchdown game vs. Indy last season; if not Derrick Ward and rookie Ben Tate will shoulder the load.
FAST FACTS: Foster rushed for 333 yards and four TDs against the Colts last season. … Collins (40,441) needs 111 passing yards to pass Joe Montana for 10th-most in NFL history.
INSIDE THE CAMPS:
COLTS
Peyton Manning will be sidelined indefinitely after the Indianapolis Colts quarterback underwent his third neck surgery in the last 19 months Thursday.
According to a statement released by the team, doctors performed a single-level anterior fusion on the four-time National Football League MVP. It's not known where the surgical procedure was performed or who performed it.
"Peyton Manning (underwent) further testing and consultation with several specialists regarding his rehabilitation. The results of these tests and the consensus of the consultations was that further surgery was warranted. Peyton has undergone this surgery (Thursday) by having a single level anterior fusion. The surgery was uneventful," the statement read.
"Rehabilitation from such surgery is typically an involved process. Therefore, there will be no estimation of a return date at this time. We will keep Peyton on the active roster until we have a clearer picture of his recovery process. Peyton will immediately begin the rehabilitation regimen mapped out by the surgeon. We anticipate no further updates or availabilities beyond those required by the NFL Media Policy for the immediate future."
With quarterback Kerry Collins now taking over for the immediate future, the Colts will most likely tweak a few things on offense heading into the Texans game on Sunday.
"We give (Manning) a lot more latitude, because he's been in (the offense) so long and he understands it so well. The great majority of it, he was present at its inception. So he has a better working knowledge than maybe anybody that's ever run this particular scheme," coach Jim Caldwell explained.
"We will not, we certainly have not given anybody the kind of latitude that we've given him. So (the offensive game plan this week) will be somewhat reduced."
So will Collins be a caretaker of the offense, a game manager? Or will he be allowed to run the full playbook?
"The thing that we had to look (are) things that kind of fit (Collins') skill set. The guy has thrown for 40,000 yards. He can throw the ball, and he does a nice job within his offensive scheme," the Colts' coach said.
"So what we have to do is look at some of the things that we do, and see if we can match with things that he is very familiar with and make adjustments accordingly within the construct of our scheme. So that's something that we've been working on, and something that we've been putting in place. We think that will help."
Tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Reggie Wayne have joked about how well Collins has acclimated himself to the Colts offense.
"It took me about three years to learn this offense and (Collins) has somehow learned it in about three weeks," Clark said.
TEXANS
Even though the Texans won't be playing against quarterback Peyton Manning on Sunday, they will have to contend with his replacement, Kerry Collins.
Like Manning, Collins knows the Texans well. He spent the last five years at Tennessee. Pressed into starting duty when Vince Young was injured, Collins compiled a 3-2 record against the Texans.
But when watching tape this week of the Texans in preseason, he saw a lot of the same players on defense but a different system.
Since Wade Phillips was hired as defensive coordinator, the Texans have been playing a 3-4. Of the starters Collins played against last season when he helped the Titans win 31-17, only cornerback Kareem Jackson is playing the same position.
Of the other 10 starters, four are new: cornerback Johnathan Joseph, free safety Danieal Manning, outside linebacker Connor Barwin and defensive end J.J. Manning.
Two players - Mario Williams and Glover Quin - are playing different positions. Williams, who has led the team in sacks in each of his five seasons, has moved from end to outside linebacker in the base 3-4. Quin, who was their best cornerback last season, has moved to strong safety.
Defensive end Antonio Smith, nose tackle Shaun Cody and inside linebackers DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing round out the starting defense.
With Phillips making the calls and Collins at quarterback, expect the Texans to blitz more than they would have if Manning were still in the lineup.
PERSONNEL NEWS
COLTS
- C Jeff Saturday is the lone holdover from last year's starting offensive line. That is, Saturday is the only one playing the same position. Veteran RT Ryan Diem, a starter since 2001, has slid inside to right guard. The last time the Colts had new starters at four spots, as they do this year, was in 1997.
- LT Anthony Castonzo will be the sixth rookie offensive lineman to start a regular-season opening game for the Colts since 1996. Castonzo was preceded by LT Tony Ugoh in 2007, OG Steve Sciullo in 2003, OG Steve McKinney in 1998 as well as OTs Adam Meadows and Tarik Glenn in 1997.
- WR Austin Collie on returning to the starting lineup after last year's injury and concussion issues: "That's kind of what was so disappointing. I was in the zone (in 2010). I was really feeling it, everything was kind of slowing down for me." Last year, Collie suffered ligament damage to his right thumb that required surgery and then was sidelined with concussion issues. He also incurred the effects of a serious burn to his right foot that occurred during acupuncture treatment. Collie practiced Wednesday and Thursday.
- S DeAndre McDaniel was signed to the Colts' practice squad. McDaniel, 6-0, 213 pounds, was originally signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in July.
- RB Chad Spann (hamstring) was waived/injured earlier in the week. Indianapolis officials reached an injury settlement with Spann.
- LB Gary Brackett (personal) sat out a second day of practice on Thursday. Brackett's wife had a baby early Thursday morning. He is expected to start Sunday at Houston.
- WR Anthony Gonzalez (hamstring) saw limited practice time for a second straight day on Thursday. Gonzalez remains hopeful of playing against the Texans on Sunday. He missed most of the Colts' preseason schedule with the injury.
- WR Blair White (back) had limited work in practice Wednesday and Thursday. White tweaked his back while working out during the NFL lockout. He spent all of training camp and the preseason on the Colts' PUP list.
- S Antoine Bethea (hamstring) fully participated in practice for a second straight day on Thursday. Bethea, who was hurt in the Colts' second preseason game, should be in the starting lineup Sunday at Houston.
TEXANS
- RB Arian Foster (hamstring) didn't participate in practice for the second day in a row. Coach Gary Kubiak said Foster could be a game-time decision.
- RB Steve Slaton, entering his fourth season, is fourth on the depth chart. He didn't carry in preseason because of a hamstring injury but might touch the ball a few times if Arian Foster is unable to play.
- RB Ben Tate didn't play last season because of injuries. He averaged 7.4 yards a carry in two preseason games. He also has had a hamstring issue. How much Tate plays against Indianapolis has more to do with the way he blocks on blitz pickup rather than how he runs.
- CB Roc Carmichael (shoulder) won't play against the Colts. He's on the active roster but hasn't practiced since early in camp when he was injured.
- P Brett Hartmann, who also kicks off, has looked good in practice after being re-signed. He was waived for veteran Brad Maynard, who was then released after he punted poorly in the last preseason game. Hartmann is an undrafted rookie free agent.
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TENNESSEE TITANS at JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
__________________
GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
GAMEDATE: 9/11/11
SURFACE: Natural grass
TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts)
PREDICTION: Titans 23-14
KEYS TO THE GAME: Uncertainty permeates both offenses. With Luke McCown named the Jaguars' starting quarterback five days before the season opener and Matt Hasselbeck still getting a grasp on the Titans' playbook, both teams would typically turn the keys over to their elite running backs. Problem is, Maurice Jones-Drew had five preseason carries for Jacksonville while rehabbing a knee injury and Tennessee's Chris Johnson missed the entire exhibition slate in a holdout.
FAST FACTS: The Titans' Mike Munchak is the 12th Hall of Fame player since 1970 to serve as a head coach. … Jack Del Rio is the first coach in NFL history to enter his ninth season without a division title on his resume.
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TITANS
The Tennessee Titans could find themselves short-handed at a couple of positions heading into the opening weekend of the NFL season.
No sooner do the Titans get running back Chris Johnson back into the fold, than his backup Javon Ringer looks like a potential no-go for the game in Jacksonville. Ringer has been out since the preseason game in St. Louis with a hip pointer, an issue that the Titans thought would have been over long ago. But after returning to practice over the weekend, Ringer has developed a back issue that threatens to sideline him for the opener.
"I don't know if it's from favoring the hip that's going to the back. You're hoping it's that, so it's not really long term and it's something that he bounces back pretty quickly after he gets some treatment," coach Mike Munchak said.
If Ringer is unable to go, it is unlikely the Titans would make a roster move immediately. They would fold the handful of carries Ringer would get into more for Johnson and/or rookie Jamie Harper.
The other issue is at defensive end where Jason Jones played only in limited fashion as he tries to make his way back from a knee sprain. With Derrick Morgan already out with a knee injury, the Titans have only
