TEXANS’ WATT NOT WORRIED ABOUT FINGER
HOUSTON» J.J. Watt brushed off the fact that he’ll be playing against the Patriots on Sunday with a broken left ring finger.
“It’s not going to bother me too much. It’s broken but not bad,” he said wiggling the bandaged digit. “It’s just a finger, if it was anything else it would be a problem.”
Some might cringe at the thought of playing football with a broken finger, but after missing 13 games last season following his second back surgery, this injury doesn’t seem as if it’s a big deal to Houston’s star defensive end.
He noted that the break hasn’t really made that much of a difference because he already had a problem with that finger before he broke it.
Pats looking better.
New England’s Dont’a Hightower (knee) and Danny Amendola (concussion, knee), who both missed Sunday’s win at New Orleans, and Philip Dorsett (knee), Chris Hogan (knee) and Eric Rowe (groin) — injured against the Saints — were back at practice.
Rob Gronkowski, who had a groin injury Sunday, was spotted at practice but listed as not participating. On Monday, he said he didn’t think his injury was serious. Rex Burkhead (ribs) and offensive tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle/concussion) were also out.
• Quarterback Tom Brady donated $100,000 to the Hurricane Harvey relief fund started by the Texans’ Watt, and New England coach Bill Belichick pitched in $50,000.
Packers hurting.
The banged-up Packers are starting practice this week with about a dozen players on the injury report.
Receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, along with defensive lineman Mike Daniels, were among the notable Packers who left last week’s 34-23 loss to Atlanta with injuries.
The Packers were already without starting offensive tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga.
Footnotes.
Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford said his left knee is feeling better, raising the possibility he’ll return from injury after only one game. … DeMaurice Smith was re-elected as executive director of the players’ union in a special committee vote. Under guidelines passed since his last election as NFL Players Association head in 2015, a 14-player selection committee could bypass a full membership election with a unanimous vote.