Roethlisberger expects to face Panthers Thursday
PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat out practice on Tuesday to give his broken left index finger a rest but he is expected to play on Thursday night when Carolina visits Heinz Field.
Roethlisberger said the finger was “fine” after he threw the ball 47 times in last Sunday’s victory over Baltimore.
He did leave the game briefly in the third quarter after getting the wind knocked out of him, but he returned after missing just one snap.
The 36-year-old is on pace to top 5,000 yards passing for the first time in his career. He came close in 2014 when he tied Drew Brees for the league lead with 4,952.
QB Nick Mullens to get 2nd start for 49ers: The San Francisco 49ers are sticking with Nick Mullens as their starting quarterback after his spectacular debut performance.
Mullens said coach Kyle Shanahan told him Tuesday that he will remain the starter for the upcoming game against the New York Giants.
Mullens worked with the starters during a limited practice as the 49ers (2-7) prepare for the Monday night game against New York. C.J. Beathard remains in the backup role.
The 49ers decided to stick with Mullens after he joined Hall of Famers Jim Kelly (1986) and Fran Tarkenton (1961) as the only QBs to throw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception in their NFL debuts.
Giants rookie QB Lauletta apologizes after traffic arrest: Giants rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta apologized Tuesday morning, a week after he was arrested for motor vehicle violations near his home in Weehawken, N.J.
“First things first, I want to apologize to the New York Giants organization, my teammates, the fans and my family,” Lauletta said. “The incident that happened last week is a terrible representation of who I am and what I stand for. Right is right and wrong is wrong. My parents raised me better than that.”
According to Weehawken police accounts, Lauletta, the Giants’ fourthround pick from Richmond, was driving his 2017 Jaguar on Oct. 30 when he was stopped for failing to obey a police officer’s order to continue driving straight.
The report says Lauletta almost hit a police officer while making an illegal turn. He was stopped by a second police officer and refused to produce a driver’s license or exit the car.