Jags' Gabbert expected to start Thursday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — David Garrard is out, Blaine Gabbert is in.

Jacksonville's quarterback situation got scrambled a bit Tuesday when coach Jack Del Rio ruled Garrard out of Thursday's preseason opener at New England.

Gabbert, the 10th overall pick in April's draft, will start against the Patriots. Gabbert, Luke McCown and Todd Bouman are expected to share snaps. McCown, a former Louisiana Tech star, took no repetitions in practice Tuesday night, but it was unclear whether he was injured.

Panthers: Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith injured his finger during Tuesday's padded practice, but coach Ron Rivera confirmed it's not broken and isn't anything that will keep him out of any regular season games.

Smith, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, sustained a cut near the base of his left middle finger that required stitches, but x-rays revealed no broken bones. Smith injured the finger while attempting to catch a pass in Tuesday morning's practice.

Bengals: Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton will start the Cincinnati Bengals' preseason opener on Friday night in Detroit, his first chance to show he can handle the job.

Coach Marvin Lewis said on Tuesday that Dalton and the other starters will play a little longer than a normal preseason opener as they try to make up for time lost during the NFL lockout. He said the second-round pick has shown a lot of poise while learning the offense in training camp.

The move was expected. Owner Mike Brown indicated when camp opened that he wanted Dalton to be the starter.

Dolphins: The NFL will be a bit quieter this season: Channing Crowder says he's retiring.

Crowder, one of the league's most notorious trash-talkers, said Tuesday he has decided to call it a career less than two weeks after being cut by the Miami Dolphins. The veteran linebacker made the announcement on WQAM radio, where he has been a talk-show host.

Jets: The New York Jets are still playing it safe with Plaxico Burress.

The wide receiver was held out of team drills in practice Tuesday as he recovers from an ankle injury. That comes a day after Burress had his busiest day of training camp while participating in a handful of 11-on-11 plays.

Chiefs: Tamba Hali thanked Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and his family, then talked about getting back to work.

Kansas City's star linebacker spoke with reporters Tuesday for the first time since signing a five-year, $60-million contract last week.

The Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Hali during the offseason, but there was no lengthy holdout from a player coming off of a career year.