HOUSTON – Rudy Carpenter hopes he showed Tampa Bay's coaches what they needed to see. So did several young receivers hoping to make the team.

Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee three weeks ago, has begun participating in some practice drills and could well be ready to play in the Sept. 12 opener. Playing against the Houston Texans is not a given, but he's getting closer. "Obviously, my hope would be Week 1," Saturday told The Indianapolis Star. "But I'm definitely not in a position that I can say that's for sure.

The worst mistake an NFL franchise can make is to perpetuate an error. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t take…

After last season when the Texans finished 9-7 and lost a playoff berth to the New York Jets on the last day of the season, coach Gary Kubiak said one objective would be to get more physical on both sides of the ball.

By the time the Texans got to training camp, Kubiak was ready for his players to take the next step toward meeting his goal.

“Our No. 1 focus in camp was to get more physical,” said Kubiak, who enters his fifth season. “We hit in camp more than any time since I’ve been here. We tried to create a tougher environment. We want to be more physical on both sides of the ball because we think that’ll help us finish (games) better.

“I’m very pleased with the results.

With 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the league’s steroid policy, third-year linebacker Xavier Adibi will likely see increased playing time to start the season.

Adibi returned to practice Monday after missing time with a groin injury and will definitely play in the preseason finale against Tampa Bay.

“Oh yeah,” head coach Gary Kubiak said. “He needs to play…He took the whole practice and looked good moving around, so hopefully we keep going. That’d be a big plus if he’s at 100 percent by the end of the week.”

The 6’2’’, 242-pound linebacker out of Virginia Tech has played primarily on special teams and sporadically as a backup linebacker in his two seasons in Houston.

He’s not only exited to be back on the practice field, but for his expended role to start the season.

“That’s exactly what it is, an opportunity,” said Adibi. “That’s the NFL. You know, sometimes people go down and others have to step up. I’ve got an opportunity right now and just everybody what I can do.”

Adibi could have returned for the third preseason game against the Cowboys, but head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan and Kubiak decided not to rush him back, given Cushing’s unavailability.

A healthy Adibi will see plenty of time Thursday night to ensure his readiness for the regular season.

“I’ve worked hard, worked hard all season,” said Adibi. “I’m very confident in my ability and I’m ready to go out there and play.”

This article can also be found at:http://www.footballnewsnow.com/2010/adibi-embracing-opportunity-will-play-in-preseason-finale/

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Once again, Brett Favre has stolen the show — and all the playing time — in Minnesota and relegated the backup quarterbacks to irrelevance. So Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels try to take advantage of every throw in practice and preseason games, soaking up as much of the playbook as they can in case Favre's record-setting consecutive-games streak suddenly ends.

Houston coach Gary Kubiak worried that he'd be cut before the 1983 regular season, when he was a rookie quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The eighth-round draft pick remembers throwing two passes in the preseason — one of them intercepted — and dreading the day when the team had to trim its roster.

Jacoby Jones is often an overlooked receiving option, playing second fiddle to Andre Johnson. However, dismissing him would be a mistake for fantasy owners.

He currently has an ADP of 172.25, meaning he’s going in the fourteenth round. In fact, in many leagues, he’s going undrafted completely. The real question is, why? He certainly has the makings of a great sleeper for those in formats that require three wide receivers.

Last season, while he managed only 27 catches, he made the most of those opportunities. He averaged 16.2 yards per reception (437 yards), as well as catching six TD passes. Considering he was sixth on the team in receptions, it says a lot that he was second in TD (behind only Andre Johnson’s nine).

While Kevin Walter may still be listed as the starter opposite Johnson, Jones has made his presence felt in the preseason. He has 12 receptions for 131 yards and one TD, tied with Johnson in receptions while being second in yards. Walter has just three catches for 65 yards.

We all know that preseason statistics don’t mean too much. Still, the fact that the fourth year receiver has come on so strong has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff. Coach Gary Kubiak was quoted as saying:

“He’s been competing with Kevin and has been very competitive, but they’ve both done their job, and I think we have three starters, in my opinion.”

In other words, we can expect to see a lot of three-receiver sets. With Arian Foster running wild in the backfield (his performance in the third preseason game opened the door for a play action pass for a TD to Jones), the trio has the chance to really shine.

Considering his performance and the rapport he seems to have developed with Matt Schaub, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jones emerge as the second best receiver in Houston. That is an enviable spot to be in, as the offense has the chance to accumulate plenty of points.

Drafting him in the late rounds certainly seems to be worth the gamble, doesn’t it?

What are your thoughts on Jones? How good can he be? Will he outperform Walter?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s 2010 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers

Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:

• Top 5 Rookie RB
• Top 5 Rookie QB
• Top 5 Rookie WR
• Top 3 Rookie TE

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM/FOOTBALL

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The San Diego Chargers claimed cornerback Fred Bennett off waivers from the Houston Texans.

The San Diego Chargers claimed cornerback Fred Bennett off waivers from the Houston Texans.