Bengal Excels Minus Thumb Tip

Cornerback Jimmy Spencer had his best game for the Cincinnati Bengals essentially playing with one hand.

Spencer cut off the tip of his left thumb in a household accident 10 days ago, leaving him with a nearly useless hand and a lot of pain. He overcame that Sunday and provided two of the biggest plays in a 30-27 overtime loss to the Houston Oilers.

Spencer returned a fumble 59 yards for a touchdown and intercepted a pass. He also had three tackles and defended against six passes, including a throw in the end zone that he swatted down with his healthy hand.

The injured thumb hurts whenever it touches anything.

“It bothers me big time,” Spencer said. “But you know, I’ve got to deal with it.

“Once I get out there, I kind of forget about it until I tackle somebody or hit somebody in the helmet or something,” he said. “Then it starts paining up. I try to keep it out of the way when I’m jamming a guy [at the line of scrimmage]. I try to use my right hand more. It’s kind of awkward for me, but I’m going to fight through it.”

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The New York Jets waived three veterans and signed wide receiver Patrick Riley off the practice squad.

Cut were tackle James Parrish, 11-year veteran defensive lineman Brent Williams and kicker Don Silvestri, who handled kickoff duties the past year two seasons.

Riley, a rookie from Florida State, was selected in the sixth round of the draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Luxury suites in the new Cleveland Stadium will hold more fans and offer more amenities but will cost up to twice as much as boxes in the old stadium, the NFL said.

The 108 suites, most with 16 seats and many within 35 rows of the playing field, will lease for $60,000 to $125,000 per year. Suite leases in the old stadium ranged from $39,000 for an eight-seat corner location to $55,000 for the best locations.