PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : CHARGERS : Hamstring Keeps Miller Out of Friday’s Practice

More troubles for the troubled Chargers.

Wide receiver Anthony Miller tried to run in Friday’s practice, but his sore hamstring stopped him.

“He didn’t practice at all,” Coach Dan Henning said. “We’ll move Yancey Thigpen to the active roster.”

Henning said that Miller may not even be in uniform for Sunday’s game in Mile High Stadium against the Broncos. He said Shawn Jefferson and Nate Lewis will start at wide receiver, with Thigpen as a backup.

The Broncos have their problems. They already are playing without wide receiver Vance Johnson, who remains on injured reserve, and running back Bobby Humphrey, who is holding out.

Now the players they are counting on to stop the Chargers’ running attack are hurting. Denver linebacker Karl Mecklenburg was admitted to a local hospital Thursday night for treatment of flu-like symptoms.

Coach Dan Reeves said he expects Mecklenburg to play against the Chargers, but if not, rookie Ronnie Haliburton will replace him inside. Two years ago, Haliburton was playing tight end; recently he was assigned duties as outside linebacker.

The Broncos have already decided to start rookie Keith Traylor in place of Michael Brooks, who has been sidelined with a foot injury. And rookie Mike Croel will replace starting linebacker Tim Lucas, who suffered a broken leg last week.

Placekicker John Carney missed three of his four field-goal attempts Sunday against Atlanta, but special teams coordinator Larry Pasquale said his confidence in Carney has not been shaken.

“I don’t think his is either,” Pasquale said. “Everybody has days like that. I worked with one of the best in the business for 18 years with Pat Leahy, and he had streaks where he missed some field goals.

“It’s not as important that day, as how you handle it. It’s not the adversity you experience, but how you handle it. If you can handle it in the proper way then you can overcome it.”

Carney, who worked as hard as any player on this team in the off-season, was 19 for 21 last season. And although he’s off to a three for seven start, he’s not the kind of player to become rattled.

“John’s got that personality where he’s very steady and very focused,” Pasquale said. “This is a good kicker.”