Goodell: 18 games being discussed

New York — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the union has made its counter proposal to the owners’ plan for an 18-game regular season.

“We continue to have dialogue,” he said Tuesday before a special performance of the play “Lombardi” to benefit the NFL Player Care Foundation. “I think that’s a positive thing.”

The owners want to play 18 regular-season and two preseason games instead of the current breakdown of 16 and four. That’s one issue to be hashed out during the collective bargaining negotiations between the league and NFL Players Association. The current agreement expires in March, raising fears of a potential lockout.

Redskins’ McNabb ready to move on

Washington — Donovan McNabb says it’s “hilarious” to think that he doesn’t know the Washington Redskins’ offensive play book. Or that he has trouble calling plays in the huddle.

“That is hilarious to me. That is really funny to me,” McNabb said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on ESPN980. “For everyone who may not have heard any of this, it’s probably a shock to them.”

Those words aside, the six-time Pro Bowl quarterback spent most of his radio time trying to downplay the fallout from his benching in the final minutes of a loss to the Detroit Lions. Not surprisingly, McNabb said he was tired of the whole thing.

“It’s over to me, and I just look to move on,” he said.

Coach Mike Shanahan has offered varying explanations of the decision to bench McNabb, initially saying that backup Rex Grossman had a better grasp of the team’s two-minute offense. Shanahan later said McNabb’s sore hamstrings had kept the team from practicing the hurry-up attack and that he was concerned McNabb didn’t have the “cardiovascular endurance” to run it as effectively as Grossman.

Three Steelers sustain concussions

Pittsburgh — Steelers safety Will Allen and running backs Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman sustained concussions during Monday night’s game in Cincinnati and must pass post-concussion tests before being cleared to play.

The Steelers (6-2) had numerous injuries during their 27-21 victory in Cincinnati, with left guard Chris Kemoeatu’s sprained right knee apparently the most serious. He could be limited in practice.

NFL shares what players were told

New York — The NFL wants everyone to know what it told players months ago about illegal hits and how the disciplinary process works.

The league released Tuesday an 11-page guide that details rules and includes black-and-white drawings of players delivering hits that aren’t allowed. That information was included in the 2010 League Policies for Players manual, distributed to players and coaches at the start of training camp.

The league repeatedly has pointed out that its recent stepped-up fines and threats of suspensions after a series of helmet hits in games were not changes in rules but rather stricter enforcement of existing rules.