NFL receiving leader Wes Welker has been fined $10,000 (7,140) for making a "snow angel" after scoring a touchdown for the New England Patriots last Sunday.
Welker, who leads the league with 109 receptions, fell to the ground on his back just behind the end zone and brushed both arms and legs back and forth in the snow after catching an 11-yard pass from Matt Cassel in the second quarter. That gave New England a 28-0 lead in its 47-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFL imposed the penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, specifically for participating in an illegal demonstration by going to the ground after his touchdown, league spokesman Corry Rush said.
Panthers
The Panthers were without both starting defensive tackles at practice, ahead of their regular-season finale against the league's top offense.
Maake Kemoeatu, who missed last Sunday's loss to the Giants with a sprained right ankle, rode a stationary bike during the workout. Damione Lewis, who injured his shoulder against the Giants, also sat out.
That could leave the Panthers with Darwin Walker and rookie Nick Hayden as the starters against high-scoring New Orleans in a game Carolina (11-4) needs to win to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
"They weren't able to practice today and we'll see what tomorrow brings," coach John Fox said. "Neither one of them are out for an extended time. It's just a matter of getting them ready. When the medical people clear them, they'll play."
The Giants rushed for 301 yards in their 34-28 overtime win Sunday, taking advantage of the Panthers' problems up front. Backup defensive tackle Gary Gibson was hampered by a broken hand in that game, and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.
The Panthers filled the roster spot by signing defensive tackle J'Vonne Parker, who had been on Atlanta's practice squad. Hayden was signed off the Panthers' practice squad Saturday.
"It's all concerning. We're playing the No. 1 offense in the league," Fox said.
Starting receiver Muhsin Muhammad (foot) and tight end Jeff King (knee) also missed practice Wednesday.
Bengals
Carson Palmer was encouraged by how his elbow reacted to a day of limited practice, leaving the quarterback more confident he can avoid reconstructive surgery.
Palmer joined the team for 7-on-7 drills Tuesday and made about 30 passes, including several long throws. He tore a ligament and tendon in the third game of the season when his arm was hit while he threw a pass.
On the advice of doctors, he rested the elbow for two months to see if the injury would heal on its own. He's been slowly increasing his throwing for the last couple of weeks, testing the elbow to see how it feels. He's hoping to avoid reconstructive surgery, an operation that few NFL quarterbacks have undergone.
"I felt good," he said. "Nothing great to report, nothing out of the ordinary."
Palmer hopes to practice with the team the rest of this week if the weather permits _ the Bengals don't have a covered practice field, and they don't want to have Palmer throwing a slippery ball in the rain. Palmer will then consult his doctors and figure out the next step.
Given how his throwing in practice has gone, Palmer said there's less of a possibility he'll need surgery.
"We'll evaluate it after we get through this week and see what happens there," he said. "From what they've said, it seems like it's a smaller possibility or lesser possibility than it was a couple of months ago."
Palmer said there's no specific date for when he has to finally rule out surgery.
Colts
Coach Tony Dungy has ruled three players out of Sunday's regular-season finale, a list that could grow by week's end.
Dungy said middle linebacker Gary Brackett, outside linebacker Freddy Keiaho and running back Dominic Rhodes will not play against Tennessee. Brackett has missed three straight games since cracking a bone in his lower right leg and is the only one who would be held out for medical reasons.
Keiaho and Rhodes likely would play if it was a playoff game, but Dungy wants them to rest.
"Dom's down a little bit, so he's definitely out of this game," Dungy said. "And we're going to rest Freddy this week."
It's become almost an annual routine for the Colts (11-4), who find themselves wrapping up the season with another meaningless home game. A victory at Jacksonville last week locked them into No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. They will visit the AFC West champion, either Denver or San Diego, in the first round next week.
Dungy has played his starters sparingly in past situations when the Colts have locked up their playoff position, and intends to do the same Sunday.
Browns
Return specialist and part-time quarterback Joshua Cribbs injured his right ankle while running a pass pattern during practice.
Cribbs was cutting back for a pass when he came up limping. After walking to the sideline in Cleveland's indoor practice field, Cribbs had his ankle examined by a trainer.
As he was leaving to get his ankle re-taped, the media were asked to leave at the end of the 30-minute period that practice is open for viewing.
A team spokesperson said Cribbs later returned to practice.
The Browns are expected to use Cribbs in a more prominent role in their offense this Sunday against Pittsburgh because they are down to starting fourth-string QB Bruce Gradkowski.
Bills
Starting running back Marshawn Lynch and two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters both missed practice because of injuries, but coach Dick Jauron is optimistic they'll both play in the finale against New England.
Lynch is nursing a sore shoulder that kept him out of most of the second half of Buffalo's win at Denver last Sunday, while Peters has a knee injury that forced him to miss the Broncos game.
"You never know how the week's going to work out, and there's no way to really tell. But both guys are tough guys and they'll go if they can," Jauron said.
Lynch has accumulated 1,036 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on the ground this season. His backup, Fred Jackson, has added 435 yards rushing, including 43 at Denver when he came in for Lynch.
The pair has also combined for 83 catches.
"We'll see what happens on how Marshawn's shoulder is going to hold up," Jackson said. "You have to be ready if you're called upon. That's how I'm approaching it."
Starting linebacker Kawika Mitchell (knee), receiver Roscoe Parrish (knee), and linebacker Teddy Lehman (groin), also didn't participate in practice, while starting cornerback Jabari Greer (knee) was limited. Greer has missed the last five games.
Sunday's game has significant playoff implications for the Patriots (10-5), who must win to stay in the postseason hunt. The Bills (7-8) will be looking to finish .500 for the first time since going 9-7 in 2004.
Lions
The winless Lions ended the seasons of guard Edwin Mulitalo and linebacker Jordon Dizon by placing them on injured reserve.
Mulitalo started 11 of 15 games, and Dizon played in 12 games. The Lions replaced them by signing guard Junius Coston and claiming wide receiver Chris Hannon off waivers from the Dolphins.
The Lions also released wide receiver Paul Raymond from the practice squad and signed linebacker Chris Graham to the practice squad.
Detroit will try to avoid becoming the first NFL team to go winless in a 16-game season when it plays the Packers on Sunday in Green Bay.
Raiders
Throughout his second training camp in the NFL, Mario Henderson was the frequent target of criticism from both his head coach and position coach with the Raiders.
A third-round pick in 2007, Henderson barely made it onto the field as a rookie and didn't appear to have improved much early in his second year. But as this year comes to a close, Henderson is showing signs of being an NFL tackle with his performance the past two weeks.
Given a chance to start at the crucial left tackle spot in place of the ineffective Kwame Harris, Henderson has held his own in matchups with former Pro Bowler Richard Seymour and current Pro Bowler Mario Williams. Henderson allowed no sacks and to either player and committed no penalties, either, while protecting JaMarcus Russell's blind side.
"It helps my confidence a lot," Henderson said. "That's the main thing for me. I just have to get confidence and be able to trust in myself that I can play. With games like that, when you're going up against two of the best Pro Bowlers, that's a good feeling."
It's a far cry from training camp when Henderson was poised to match up with Tennessee star Kyle Vanden Bosch in an exhibition game and former coach Lane Kiffin sarcastically quipped "that will be interesting."
Kiffin frequently criticized Henderson in public and line coach Tom Cable, who eventually replaced Kiffin as head coach, wasn't much easier on Henderson in practice and the meeting room.
The mild-mannered Henderson, who started only one year in college at Florida State, said that served as motivation to become a better player. But the barbs also took a toll on Henderson's psyche before veteran right tackle Cornell Green tried to bolster his confidence.
"Even during bad times, he'll be like, 'Mario, I've been through this before. Don't listen to what people say. Just keep your head on straight and working,'" Henderson said. "He really helped me out, especially in training camp. I really wasn't doing too good. He was always there making sure I kept my head up. It's always good to have somebody like that because it makes things a lot easier for you."
Packers
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said having offseason surgery on his right shoulder is a possibility. "We'll take a look at that after the season, probably," Rodgers said. Rodgers played several games with a painful shoulder sprain but did not miss a start.
Coach Mike McCarthy said WR James Jones also might need offseason surgery on his recurring knee injury.
The Packers also are benching right tackle Tony Moll and reshuffling their offensive line for Sunday's finale against Detroit. But McCarthy said the moves shouldn't be interpreted as a sign he's holding tryouts for 2009.
The Packers won't make the playoffs after their disappointing season, but they still want to go out with a win against a Lions team in danger of becoming the first ever to go 0-16.
"We're lining up to win the game," McCarthy said. "We're a young football team. We feel we have a lot of information about all of our players, for the most part. There are some younger players that have not played this year, but that is not our mind-set at all."
But they will be benching Moll, a third-year player who took over at right tackle after veteran Mark Tauscher sustained a season-ending knee injury in the Dec. 7 loss to Houston. And they will shuffle three players: Daryn Colledge will move from left guard to right tackle, Jason Spitz will move from right guard to left guard and rookie Josh Sitton will enter the lineup at right guard.
