Carter halts retirement, signs with Dolphins

Miami Cris Carter ended his retirement and joined the Dolphins on Monday, leaving the broadcast booth in hopes of bolstering Miami’s injury-depleted receiving corps.

The 36-year-old Carter agreed to a one-year contract with $550,000 guaranteed and $700,000 in incentives.

“I really missed playing,” he said. “When the call came, I initially said no. Then I began to think about it.”

Carter, the NFL’s second all-time leading receiver with 1,093 catches for 13,833 yards and 129 touchdowns, retired in May and had been working on HBO’s “Inside the NFL.” He will have two weeks to get ready for Miami’s next game at Green Bay on Nov. 4.

Titans’ cornerback fined $7,500 for hit

Nashville, Tenn. Cornerback Samari Rolle was fined $7,500 by the NFL on Monday for a helmet-to-helmet hit that left Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell with a concussion.

Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin complained almost immediately to the NFL about the play, in which Rolle hit Brunell at the sideline on the first series of the Oct. 13 game. Brunell played one more series, then left with a headache.

No penalty was called, and the Titans won 23-14.

NFL spokesman Steve Alic confirmed that the fine was for unnecessary roughness, specifically Rolle’s helmet-to-helmet contact.

Spurrier switches quarterbacks again

Ashburn, Va. Steve Spurrier switched starting quarterbacks Monday for the third time this season, promoting Shane Matthews and benching rookie Patrick Ramsey for the Washington Redskins’ game against Indianapolis.

“Patrick had three games, playing very well the first game, and since then it hasn’t worked out,” Spurrier said. “He’s obviously not as prepared as he should be.”

Spurrier said he expects Matthews to finish the season, although he said the same thing about Ramsey two weeks ago.

Raiders’ Buchanon out

Alameda, Calif. Rookie cornerback and punt returner Phillip Buchanon will miss two months with a broken left wrist. Buchanon, the team’s top draft pick out of Miami, was hurt in the second quarter of Sunday’s 27-21 overtime loss to San Diego and did not return.

Packers’ signal-caller won’t need surgery

Green Bay, Wis. Brett Favre won’t need surgery on his sprained left knee, and the Packers are optimistic he won’t miss any games.

An MRI on Monday confirmed the team’s original diagnosis of a sprained lateral collateral ligament and showed no structural damage to the quarterback’s knee.

“Ice and rehab will be what’s going on with him this week as he prepares for the Monday night Miami game,” coach Mike Sherman said Monday.

The Packers are idle this week.

Williams has surgery

St. Louis Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams will miss the rest of the season after surgery to stabilize torn ligaments in his badly sprained left ankle.

Broncos’ center out

Denver Center Tom Nalen will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Kansas City.

Bucs’ Johnson doubtful

Tampa, Fla. Quarterback Brad Johnson has a fractured left rib and is doubtful for this week’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

Weinke has concussion

Charlotte, N.C. Quarterback Chris Weinke spent the night in the hospital with a concussion, leaving the Panthers with rookie Randy Fasani as their only healthy option for this week’s game against Tampa Bay. Weinke was knocked out of Sunday’s loss to Atlanta.

Cowboys switch QBs

Irving, Texas Quincy Carter is out and Chad Hutchinson is in as the starting quarterback. The Cowboys made the surprising switch Monday, one day after Carter threw four interceptions two around the end zone in a 9-6 overtime loss at Arizona.

Lewis to return?

Owings Mills, Md. Ray Lewis hopes to practice this week, and the Ravens expect to have a healthy offensive line for Sunday’s showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Lewis, who has missed two straight games, lifted weights at the team training complex Monday. The five-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker plans to practice Wednesday for the first time since he partially separated his left shoulder against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 6.