Cardinals Lose Vanden Bosch

Rookie Kyle Vanden Bosch, who quickly emerged as the Arizona Cardinals’ best defensive lineman, will be sidelined an estimated six to eight weeks because of a torn ligament in his right knee.

Vanden Bosch, injured in a collision with 347-pound defensive tackle Barron Tanner while practicing without pads on Wednesday, will undergo surgery to repair a third-degree tear of the medial collateral ligament.

“It was just kind of a freak deal,” Vanden Bosch said. “I just had my foot planted and had knee-to-knee contact with somebody on the outside of my knee and everything just buckled in.”

The second-round draft pick out of Nebraska (34th overall) was a starter from the beginning of training camp as Arizona faced a complete rebuilding job on the defensive line.

“He was having a great year. He’s got the total respect of his teammates and he was getting respect from the other coaches and players who watch him play because that’s the way you’re supposed to play,” Coach Dave McGinnis said.

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Despite a sore throwing shoulder, Denver Bronco Brian Griese practiced Thursday, fulfilling Coach Mike Shanahan’s playing-time prerequisite, and is expected to start against the Chargers on Sunday.

“Last week, on Thursday, he planned on practicing, and he came out and threw the ball twice and couldn’t practice. If he did that today, then he wouldn’t have started,” Shanahan said. “We would have kept him off or at least backing up, but he went out there and looked pretty good.”

Griese’s injury, which has required surgery each of the past two years, limited him to one practice last week. He subsequently had one of his worst games of the season in Denver’s 34-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Emmitt Smith doesn’t want to play anywhere else, and Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones says the NFL’s second-leading career rusher won’t.

Comments Smith made in an interview broadcast by ABC-TV at halftime of the Cowboys’ 9-7 win Monday night against Washington raised some speculation about his future.

“I just don’t see anything, absent injuries, that would cause him to go to another team,” Jones told the Dallas Morning News.

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Tennessee Titan cornerback Samari Rolle, sidelined by a spinal cord injury, was cleared to resume running and lifting weights.

“He’s not been cleared to play this week or next week at this point,” Coach Jeff Fisher said. “There’s a chance for next week.”

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Minnesota Viking receiver Randy Moss practiced for the first time since aggravating an ankle injury Sunday, and was upgraded from questionable to probable for this week’s game against Green Bay. ... Carolina Panther quarterback Chris Weinke and wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad returned to practice, but the team learned that defensive end Jason Peter will not be available against the Washington Redskins because of neck and shoulder problems. ... Baltimore Raven left guard Edwin Mulitalo will miss Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns because of gout in his left knee.