Eli Manning will miss the New York Giants' next exhibition game, although the sprain to the quarterback's right elbow doesn't appear to be serious enough for him to miss any regular-season contests.
Further examination Monday by Dr. Russell Warren, the team doctor, confirmed Manning has a sprain and a bruise of his elbow, injured when he was stripped of the ball by Carolina's Julius Peppers during New York's 27-21 victory Saturday night.
Manning will miss Friday night's game with the New York Jets although he said Monday that if it were a regular-season game, he might try to play.
"I think that if it was the first game of a long season, you wouldn't want to risk anything worse," he said. "But if it was an important game, then I can still throw the football if I wanted to go."
Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Manning was "week to week," as is starting cornerback Will Peterson, who sprained a knee during the game.
Tim Hasselbeck will replace Manning.
Titans
Top draft pick Adam "Pacman" Jones finally signed his five-year contract and joined Tennessee's practice after a holdout caused him to miss 31 sessions.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning follows through after having the ball stripped by Carolina's Julius Peppers during their exhibition game. Manning suffered a sprained elbow in the game Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J.
Jones had hoped to practice Sunday after agreeing in principle to a deal Wednesday, but the complicated contract had to be approved by the NFL and the players' association. His agent, Michael Huyghue, arrived Sunday in Nashville to help work through the final details.
Chargers
All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates was placed on the Roster Exempt List on Monday, meaning he'll have to sit out San Diego's final two exhibition games and the season opener against Dallas on Sept. 11. He can be added to the activer roster on Sept. 12.
"I tried to come in Saturday but I couldn't get a flight," Gates said Monday. "It wasn't my intention to actually miss the deadline."
That was news to the Chargers, who despite 10 months of talks have been unable to agree with Gates' agent on terms of a long-term contract.
The team never mentioned Gates' failure to get a flight, either in a statement Saturday afternoon announcing that Gates had missed the deadline for reporting, or on Sunday when general manager A.J. Smith held a news conference at halftime of a 36-21 exhibition win over St. Louis.
"As you know, all the rumors were that he was on his way," Smith said Sunday. "We had not officially heard that. But we got a phone call before we kicked off. He is on his way. He is going to sign the tender this evening."
Gates, an exclusive-rights free agent, reported Sunday night and signed a $380,000, one-year contract, the minimum for a third-year player.
Eagles
Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens aren't talking - off the field.
But McNabb says he needs some time working with his favorite receiver in exhibition games.
Owens returned to practice Monday afternoon and did not appear limited by the injury. The Eagles' next preseason game is Friday at home against Cincinnati.
"It's very important that we be able to get some work," McNabb said. "It's valuable time right now, what we're doing on the practice field. But once we get out on the playing field, we want to keep that same mentality - what we've done in practice is the same thing we've done in a game."
Owens is in the second year of a seven-year contract worth nearly $49 million, and he has demanded that the team redo his deal. He and McNabb have sparred in public, with Owens calling McNabb a "hypocrite" and with McNabb saying he doesn't need to talk to Owens to be successful on the field.
Panthers
Running back Stephen Davis was on the field Monday for the first time this training camp, participating in a few individual drills.
Davis had microfracture surgery on his right knee last November, and the Panthers have been hesitant to allow him to practice. He opened training camp on the physically unable-to-perform list, but said he believed he would be back in action before the end of the preseason.
All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers missed practice to rest a sore right ankle.
The Panthers also said that rookie Thomas Davis was being switched back to safety to replace Colin Branch, lost for the season because of a knee injury. Davis had been moved to linebacker to help shore up that position.
Vikings
Running back Michael Bennett didn't practice Monday because of a sore neck, and the Vikings might keep him out of this week's preseason game as a precaution.
Mewelde Moore will be the starter Friday night against the San Diego Chargers. Bennett will be evaluated daily, but coach Mike Tice said he didn't want to risk further injury for an exhibition game.
Cornerback Fred Smoot and guard Chris Liwienski each returned to practice Monday after injuries. But center Matt Birk's recovery from offseason surgery on his right hip is going slower than anticipated, which has put his status for the regular-season opener in question.
Ravens
Tight end Todd Heap was activated off the physically unable-to-perform list, but will not play in the team's preseason game Friday night in New Orleans.
The two-time Pro Bowl pick, slowed by ankle and shoulder surgeries, did not participate in any training-camp practices, but he will be on the field this week at the team's training facility and could be ready for the final exhibition game Sept. 1 against Washington.
Browns
Cleveland cornerback Gary Baxter did not practice Monday, two days after sustaining a concussion on a hard hit in an exhibition game against Detroit.
Also, running back Lee Suggs remained sidelined because of a sprained left ankle.
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