NFL roundup: Ponder to start for Vikings Sunday
Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Friday that Christian Ponder will be the Vikings' starting quarterback on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.
Josh Freeman, meanwhile, will not play because of a concussion he sustained in his first start with the team Monday against the New York Giants.
Freeman has passed some of the NFL's concussion tests, but has not been cleared to play. Former NFL player and current NBC analyst Rodney Harrison questioned Freeman's injury on Thursday, implying that he is faking. Freeman responded to Harrison's claims by saying, "All I can do is live in my truth."
Frazier said he saw no signs of Freeman's head injury during the loss to the Giants. Freeman struggled, completing 20 of 53 passes for 193 yards with an interception.
Freeman thinks the injury occurred during the third quarter but said he never told the team about any symptoms until Tuesday.
---Brett Favre told Washington radio station WSPZ-AM on Thursday that he fears he is experiencing symptoms related to concussions he sustained during his 20-year NFL career.
Favre's concern about memory loss was raised in the interview in which he said the St. Louis Rams reached out to him about playing for them.
"I don't remember my daughter playing soccer, playing youth soccer, one summer," he said.
Favre said in the interview that he has no interest in coming back.
---Former NFL defensive lineman Reggie Rogers was found dead Thursday in Seattle, according to multiple reports. He was 49.
Rogers played four seasons in the league. The Detroit Lions drafted him No. 7 overall in 1987 after the All-America selection starred at the University of Washington from 1984-86. He spent just two seasons with Detroit.
In 1988, Rogers killed three teenagers in a drunk-driving accident. His blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit. He served a year in prison.
---Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe missed practice because of a groin injury and his status for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns is up in the air.
Coach Andy Reid said Bowe is day-to-day and will be a game-time decision.
---Running back Steven Jackson practiced again and is listed as probable for the Atlanta Falcons' game at Arizona on Sunday after missing five weeks with a hamstring injury.
Wide receiver Roddy White has been ruled out for the second consecutive week with ankle and hamstring injuries.
---Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick's hamstring injury must be getting better because he is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
Vick missed the last two games due to the injury, which he sustained against the Giants in their first meeting on Oct. 6.
Nick Foles, who filled in for Vick, is ruled out for this week because of a concussion.
---New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Mark Ingram returned to practice, and both are listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.
Graham sustained a foot injury during the Saints' last game, Oct. 13, against the New England Patriots. Ingram has been dealing with toe injury since playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 15.
---Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush said he is playing Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, despite not practicing on Friday and walking around the team's indoor practice field with an ice pack on his upper right leg.
---New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola said he is ready to play Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins after passing concussion tests this week.
The decision to play him has not been decided yet, but Amendola believes he is ready.
---Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller is doubtful for Sunday's game at the New Orleans Saints because of an ankle injury.
---The NFL is ending its helmet deal with Riddell after the season, ESPN.com reported Thursday.
Riddell has been the official helmet of the league since 1989 when other manufacturers went out of business, but NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league recently renegotiated to end the deal.
---Miami Dolphins linebacker Jelani Jenkins was fined $15,750 by the NFL for a roughing the passer penalty against Buffalo Bills quarterback Thad Lewis last Sunday.
Jenkins got Lewis on a helmet-to-helmet hit that knocked Lewis' helmet off his head.
---The New York Giants have been forced to play musical chairs at running back this season, with Peyton Hillis positioned to receive the bulk of the workload for the second consecutive week.
With Brandon Jacobs listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury, Hillis will share the backfield duties again with Michael Cox on Sunday.
