Packers’ Green Is Out for the Season

Green Bay running back Ahman Green is out for the season because of a torn thigh tendon, the latest in a string of severe injuries to befall the Packers.

Coach Mike Sherman said Monday that Green would undergo surgery this week to repair his right thigh tendon, which was torn in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ 23-20 loss at Minnesota on Sunday.

Sherman also said wide receiver Robert Ferguson will sit out up to a month because of a torn lateral cruciate ligament in his left knee, which he injured in the first quarter Sunday.

Green is the fourth key player to sustain a season-ending injury, joining Pro Bowl wide receiver Javon Walker (knee), backup running back Najeh Davenport (ankle) and rookie receiver/returner Terrence Murphy (neck).

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Seattle Seahawk safety Ken Hamlin has been released from the hospital, one week after he was severely beaten outside a nightclub.

Hamlin sustained a fractured skull, a blood clot on the brain and a fractured hand in the fight Oct. 17. He was released from Harborview Medical Center over the weekend, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said.

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Alex Smith sprained his right knee in San Francisco’s fifth straight loss, and the 49ers aren’t certain their rookie franchise quarterback will play against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Smith was hurt when his cleats got caught in the turf as Washington’s LaVar Arrington tackled him in the first quarter.

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Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair should start Sunday against the Oakland Raiders after sitting out a game to rest his sore back. McNair has sat out five practices over the last two weeks and didn’t play in Sunday’s loss in Arizona.

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Defensive back Gary Baxter, who signed a six-year, $30-million free-agent contract in the off-season with the Cleveland Browns, will sit out the rest of the season because or a torn chest muscle.

Baxter, who spent the last four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, suffered an injury that typically requires six to eight months of rehabilitation.

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Detroit Lion cornerback Dre’ Bly has a dislocated wrist but will see a hand specialist to determine whether he needs surgery.

Coach Steve Mariucci said that Bly could sit out several weeks if he needs the surgery. Also, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers sprained the medial collateral ligament in his knee and is week-to-week.

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The Dallas Cowboys waived Jose Cortez, a former kicker at Van Nuys High and Valley College, one day after he missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt in a 13-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“Just been too many erratic things,” said Cowboy Coach Bill Parcells, who added that Cortez was “terrible” during pregame warmups Sunday.

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San Diego Charger left tackle Roman Oben agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2008 season.