NEW YORK (AP) -- Ryan Braun sat alone on a balcony in his Malibu home that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, uneasy about his chances of winning the NL Most Valuable Player award.

With the season Los Angeles' Matt Kemp had, he wasn't sure the call would come at all.

The phone rang all right, and Braun has been smiling ever since.

Braun was voted the NL MVP after helping the Milwaukee Brewers win their first division title in nearly 30 years.

"I'm not going to pretend like I wasn't anxious or nervous because I was," Braun said. "It's honestly difficult to put into words how much this means to me."

The left fielder received 20 of 32 first-place votes and 388 points in voting announced Tuesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

A nerve-racking morning that began with a solitary drive turned to elation in the California sun.

The 28-year-old Braun shared the news with his brother and girlfriend, who were at the house. He called his parents, then rang good friend Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers quarterback, and exchanged text messages with Kemp, the runner-up.

"This really is a dream," Braun said. "This is beyond my wildest dreams to be in this position at this point in my career."

Kemp earned 10 first-place votes and 332 points after coming close to winning the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Braun's teammate Prince Fielder finished third with 229 points, and Arizona's Justin Upton finished fourth with 214 points. Fielder and Upton each received one first-place vote.

St. Louis' Albert Pujols finished fifth. It was the 11th straight year the three-time MVP was in the top 10 in balloting.

NL Cy Young Award winner Los Angeles' Clayton Kershaw was 12th in the voting a day after Detroit's Justin Verlander added the AL MVP to his Cy Young.

"I think he was the single most dominant player in baseball this year," Braun said of Verlander. "As a position player I'm biased to the fact that I think position players should be at the forefront of the award, but if you honestly look at what he accomplished, how much he meant to that team and how dominant he truly was you cannot make any argument against him winning that award."

In his fifth year in the big leagues, Braun led the NL with a .597 slugging percentage and had a chance to overtake Jose Reyes for the batting title on the last day of the season but finished second with a .332 average. The four-time All-Star had 33 homers, 111 RBIs, 109 runs scored and stole 33 bases as Milwaukee won a franchise-best 96 games. His 77 extra-base hits was tops in the league.

Kemp led the NL with 39 homers, 126 RBIs and was third in average (.324), but played for the NL West's third-place Dodgers. He also won a Gold Glove.

"Matt's one of the best players in the game. No question about it. The season he had will go down as one of the greatest in Dodgers history," said Braun, who grew up in California rooting for the Dodgers. "If he had won the MVP I certainly couldn't have argued with him winning. He had a phenomenal year."

Although Braun and Kemp had similar statistics, Kemp was hindered by the Dodgers' 82-79 third-place finish in the NL West. The Brewers won the NL Central title, their first division crown since winning the AL East in 1982.

"Without a doubt I think it's a drastically different experience playing meaningful games down the stretch," said Braun, the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year.

Braun, in fact, was convinced the Brewers' first-place finish is what put him over the top with voters.

"If you honestly assess both of our seasons individually I think his numbers are probably better than mine, and I just feel fortunate to have been on the better team," Braun said. "It's an individual award, but it's a result of being part of a special team, a special organization."

Braun is the first Brewers player to win the MVP award in the National League and first since Robin Yount won in 1989, when Milwaukee was in the AL East. Rollie Fingers (1981) and Yount in 1982 are the other Brewers to take home MVP honors.

"Robin's the greatest player in Milwaukee Brewers history, so anytime you're mentioned alongside him it's a tremendous achievement," Braun said.

Braun signed a $105 million, five-year contract extension in April, linking him to the Brewers through 2020. He received a $100,000 bonus for winning the MVP.

"This team has been so loyal to me. They believed in me. They drafted me. They helped to develop me, and there would be nothing more meaningful to me than to eventually win a world championship in Milwaukee," he said. "It would mean a lot more to me than if I went to a large-market team, big-market-team and won two or three championships."

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NASHVILLE?The Titans got some good news on QB Matt Hasselbeck?s right elbow Monday: Tests revealed no structural damage.

He?ll likely be limited in practices this week, but all indications are that he?s expected to play on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His availability will be determined by how he progresses during the week in terms of arm strength and ability to grip the football.

"I think Matt is smart enough to know if he is comfortable in playing," coach Mike Munchak said. "You know if you can help the team win, and if he feels there is anything in question I think he?ll be smart enough to tell us."

Hasselbeck was injured in the third quarter of Sunday?s 23-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and did not return. Munchak said Hasselbeck?s injury is, in fact, to a muscle in the forearm, but didn?t reveal the exact injury. The Titans initially called the injury a sprained elbow.

Rookie QB Jake Locker provided a bright spot Sunday when he came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes and nearly rally the Titans to a victory. He was 9-of-19 passing for 140 yards.

Munchak has made it clear that if Hasselbeck is healthy, he?ll be the team?s starter, but he also complimented Locker for his performance in his first significant NFL action. While some of Locker?s throws floated, he also showed good poise and command in the huddle.

Aikman's Hot Reads: The art of throwing the fade

Editor's note: A version of this story originally appeared in the March 1, 2010 issue of Sporting News Magazine.

You know he?s made a big play because the Ford Field crowd calls his name??SUH!? That?s way harder than his first name: Ndamukong (En-DOM-ah-ken). It?s a family name that means ?house of spears.? It origin is as unique as the man who bears it.

Pius N. Tamanji, an associate professor of African languages and linguistics at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon (where Suh?s father was born), breaks it down via email:

?In the Bafut Kingdom (and in most of the Ngemba tribe), the word ndamukong is a compound word made up of the words nda ?house? and mukong ?spears.? So literally, ndamukong means ?house of spears.? But what really is a house of spears?

?The expression ndamukong derives from the military register. In the days of old when inter-tribal warfare was a common practice in the Grassfields region of Cameroon, the military of each kingdom comprised various units named after the war tactics or instruments employed by the unit or after the role played by the unit on the battlefield. Ndamukong therefore refers to the military unit that employed spears as its principal weapon. When the era or traditional warfare was over, the military officials continued to bear their titles, which were eventually adopted as family names. These names have since been handed down the family lineage from generation to generation.?

After saying last month that he was 100 percent recovered from the pulled back muscle he sustained during the Knicks? playoff series against the Celtics, a back injury kept Amare Stoudemire from playing in Drew Gooden's charity game in the Bay Area on Sunday, Newsday reports.

But Happy Walters, Stoudemire's agent, insists that Stoudemire is not injured.

"He is fine," Walters told Newsday. "He's working out."

Stoudemire is not yet confirmed as a participant in the four-city ?Homecoming Tour??headlined by LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Stoudemire?s Knicks teammate, Carmelo Anthony?according to the report.

Getty Images

Nine days after 11-11-11, the 11th Sunday of the 2011 regular season was played.

In the AFC, we?re no closer to knowing which teams are the best teams.  In the NFC, ineffectiveness and injuries are allowing two franchises with eight Lombardi Trophies between them to continue to separate from the pack.

But let?s go deeper than the same-old ?if the season ended today? scenarios or the other fairly obvious stuff you?ll see on certain four-letter networks today.

For some reason, I always can come up with only 10 things to say.

1.  Moral victory for the Bucs.

They say there are no moral victories.  I say ?they? say a lot of things, plenty of which are wrong.

In this specific case, here?s why.

Blown out 48-3 by the 49ers and 37-9 by the Texans, the Bucs desperately needed to avoid a similar fate at Lambeau Field.  It wasn?t looking good early, what with the Packers up 14-0.

But the Bucs scratched and clawed their way back into the game, making it competitive and keeping the score respectable.  For coach Raheem Morris, whose contract situation puts the team in a fire-him-extend-him-or-let-him-do-the-lame-duck-thing trilemma for 2012, avoiding an embarrassment was the next best thing to pulling what would have been a most unlikely upset.

That said, a couple of ill-advised onside kicks likely won?t help the ?keep Raheem? cause.  Overall, however, the Bucs have nothing about which to be ashamed ? apart from their recent effort to make excuses for their 4-6 record by pointing out how difficult their schedule is.

2.  Michael Bush, Kevin Smith prove the fungible nature of tailbacks.

On Sunday morning, an item from one of the Bay Area websites presumed that Raiders running back Michael Bush will be swimming in gold coins come free agency in 2012.  Though Bush definitely won?t be pitching a tent in Zucotti Park, he will still be earning a fraction of the game?s truly elite backs.

Bush, while talented, possesses skills that aren?t uncommon at the NFL level.  Every year, college programs throughout the country churn out men who will move the chains, with competent blocking.  Though Bush, who would have been a first-round pick but for a gruesome leg injury in the first game of his final season at Louisville, lands on the high end of the curve, he?s not in the Adrian Peterson/Chris Johnson financial district, yet.

The performance of guys like Lions? reclamation project Kevin Smith underscores that point, and eventually will undermine Bush?s case for big dollars.  Unwanted by the Lions after three seasons with the team and drawing zero interest elsewhere, Smith hung around and hung around until the Lions decided that their running game was sufficiently bad to justify bringing back one of the lone bright spots from that 0-16 team of 2008.

Smith responded Sunday with 201 total yards and three touchdowns.

Though the performance may have given Smith a short-term assignment pending the return of Jahvid Best, Kevin Smith?s career nevertheless will be remembered more like Timmy?s than Emmitt?s.  Yes, playing the position requires speed and toughness and courage and durability.  But of all the things that NFL players are required to do (other than kicking, punting, holding, and long-snapping), those traits seem to be the most common.

That?s why only a few get paid a ton of money, and that?s why veterans like Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis, and Tiki Barber are spending the 2011 season unemployed, and flabbergasted.

3.  Percy Harvin would be special, if he got the touches.

There?s a guy in Minnesota who has those interchangeable tailback skills, but at a far higher level than most.  The only problem is that, for reasons neither known nor apparent, the Vikings don?t use him as much as they should.

Percy Harvin made a big splash in 2009 as a rookie receiver and kickoff returner.  Lost in the shuffle of last year?s disappointing season, Harvin nevertheless had more yards from scrimmage.

This year, with not even a mention of an issue with migraines that previously plagued him at the pro level, his workload hasn?t spiked the way that it should for a third-year player who has shown a ton of potential.

Maybe it?ll come in 2012, after quarterback Christian Ponder gets more comfortable and the Vikings upgrade their offensive line via free agency and/or the draft.  Maybe it?ll eventually have to come after Harvin joins a new team.

Regardless, at some point Percy Harvin deserves a chance to become the total package ? whether as a full-time receiver or a part-time wideout/tailback or even as a full-time Darren Sproles-style option out of the backfield.  Harvin could be so much better than he has been, and he?s one of the few true stars that remain on the roster of a 2-8 team.

4.  Caveat emptor, quarterback edition.

Titans tailback Chris Johnson still isn?t earning his money.  A week after racking up 100-plus rushing yards for the first time since getting paid, Johnson?s average plunged to 1.1, with 13 yards on 12 carries.

The lesson to the Titans, and the rest of the league, is becoming more obvious:  Don?t pay big money to a running back who has held out for all of training camp and the preseason, especially when there are so many others who can do the job.

In Buffalo, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has provided another piece of advice for NFL teams:  Don?t pay an up-and-coming quarterback during the season in which he?s up-and-coming.

Fitzpatrick?s game has evaporated since he put his name at bottom of a six-year, $59 million contract.  Yes, the Bills celebrated the new deal with a 23-0 win against the Redskins in Toronto.  But the team, and most importantly Fitzpatrick, had their mojo (along with their Deux Deux Deuxs) confiscated at the Canadian border.

Outscored 106-26 in games against the Jets, Cowboys, and Dolphins, Buffalo now finds itself in a 2008-style free-fall, with any realistic chances of a postseason appearance riding on the ability to somehow get their groove back.

And, please, don?t point out that the 2001 Patriots were also 5-5 after 10 games.  The Pats? arrow was pointing up a decade ago.  The Bills? tank is, by all appearances, on empty.

By giving Fitzpatrick that big contract, it will be harder for the Bills to effectively consider all their options come January, given the money that has been tied up in the contract for Fitzpatrick.

5.  It?s time to extend the goal posts, somehow.

On Sunday, a pair of field goals created a little controversy, due in part to the fact that today?s kickers routinely blast the ball higher than the uprights extend.

In Cleveland, Phil Dawson believed a 38-yarder that would have put the Browns up by seven points late was good, even though the officials disagreed.  The lost three-pointer nearly ended up haunting the Browns, who had to hold off one final charge by the Jaguars.

In Washington, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan didn?t agree that a 39-yard try in overtime from Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey had satisfied the standard for chalking up a field goal.

In both cases, the ability to determine whether the kick was good was complicated by the fact that the ball went above the uprights.

For kicks that go over the U-shaped structure, the rule book requires the ball to pass fully within the outside edge of the uprights.  Which basically means that if an official standing directly under the outside edge of the upright looks straight up and sees no portion of the ball, the kick is good.

Good luck getting in the right spot and making the right judgment while the ball is soaring right through the air at least 30 feet above the ground.

The easy fix would be to make the uprights taller.  Sure, they already look goofy with the extra-long extensions that would dwarf the H-shaped contraptions of yesteryear.  And the laws of physics would result in much greater stress being placed on the corners of the crossbar as wind blows the very tops of even longer beams.

Still, it?s 2011.  The NFL eventually found a fake grass that performs much better than green cement, and the NFL easily could find a material that would perform well when elongated by an extra 10 feet, even in high winds.

At a minimum, the league should consider a high-tech solution that would use sensors or lasers to visibly extend the post, or that would allow the officials to determine easily whether the ball indeed passes inside the outer edge of the uprights.

As the sport grows and the importance of the outcome of each game (or, for the fantasy football crowd, each extra point and field goal) becomes more significant, the league needs to be prepared to take all reasonable steps to iron out any potential glitches in the rules.  After Sunday, it?s obvious that the league needs to address the height of the goal posts.

6.  Sorting out the offsetting penalties in Eagles-Giants.

The PFT email box and Twitter pipeline exploded on Sunday night, after a penalty for illegal use of hands against the Giants during a 50-yard pass to Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson and a post-play taunting penalty on Jackson completely wiped out the gain and gave Philly an unwanted do-over from their own two yard line.

The prevailing thought was that Eagles should have been able to decline the penalty against the Giants, and then to have the 15 yards walked off after the play, giving Philly a 35-yard gain.

But the outcome reflected the proper application of a strange donut hole in the rule book.

The process gets started at Rule 14, Section 1, Article 9:   ?If there has been a foul by either team during a down and there is a dead ball foul by the other team in the action immediately after the end of the down, it is a double foul, and all rules for enforcement of double fouls apply (see 14-3-1).?

Regarding double fouls, Article 14, Section 3, Rule 1 provides as follows:  ?If there is a double foul . . . without a change of possession, the penalties are offset and the down is replayed at the previous spot.?

In this case, a key exception almost applied, but ultimately didn?t.  ?If one of the fouls is of a nature that incurs a 15-yard penalty and the other foul of a double foul normally would result in a loss of 5 yards only (15 yards versus 5 yards),? the rule book states, ?the major penalty yardage is to be assessed from the previous spot.?  Since the penalty on the Giants entailed a five-yard penalty AND an automatic first down, the exception didn?t apply in Jackson?s case.  Even if it had (for example, if the Giants had simply been offside), the Eagles would have had the 15 yards walked off (or, in this case, half the distance to the goal) from the previous spot.

Either way, the penalty on the Giants ultimately penalized the Eagles.  Though the officials sorted it all out properly in real time, the rule book definitely needs to be tweaked to prevent such unfair outcomes.

7.  Vince Young clinches a second chance to start.

The stats weren?t pretty, especially with three interceptions and a passer rating of 69.0, but Vince Young?s performance in the clutch during a primetime game for the squad he unintentionally gave the ?Dream Team? label could go a long way toward giving him a shot at a starting job in 2012.

After Young signed with the Eagles following his unceremonious exile from Nashville, Eagles president Joe Banner told PFT Live that Young wanted a one-year deal, even though the Eagles had hoped to lock him up for two.  Young?s insistence on a shorter term lets him get back to the market again in March. Even if he doesn?t take another snap this year, he has done enough to earn extra consideration in this quarterback-need league.

Young, quite simply, is Tim Tebow plus the ability to throw the ball reasonably accurately, albeit unconventionally.  Young still can perform at a high level; the challenge will be to match him up with a coach who?ll be able to shepherd Young through the adversity he?ll inevitably face as a starting quarterback.

Young faced plenty of it last night, and he did enough to keep the ?Dream? alive, even if it dies for good next week against the Patriots.

8.  Eli catches the Romo disease.

Two weeks ago, many were singing the praises of Peyton Manning?s kid brother.  Since then, Eli has been playing like the evil twin of Tony Romo.

Late turnovers in losses to the 49ers and the Eagles have dropped the Giants from 6-2 to 6-4, plunging them into a tie with the Cowboys and giving the Eagles a glimmer of hope, especially since Philly currently holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over both Dallas and New York.

In each of the last three weeks, Eli?s passer rating for the season has dropped.  And last night?s 74.0 doesn?t take into account the play that killed the Giants? late hopes for a comeback ? a fumble when Eli was hit from behind by Jason Babin.

As the Giants find themselves in the midst of yet another late-season collapse, Eli needs to find a way to turn those late opportunities into something other than turnovers.  If he can?t, plenty of jobs could be turning over in New York after the season ends.

9.  Bears could be in a real bind.

Peter King explained late night for an exclusive SNF Extra video that the thumb injury to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler could be a killer for Chicago.  Contrary to the classic design of the Mike Martz offense, Cutler had been moving more out of the pocket in order to buy time behind a work-in-progress offensive line.

With Caleb Hanie getting the nod, the Bears either need to get him comfortable doing what Cutler was doing, or hope the offensive line gets a lot better.

In the interim, it could mean more reps for Matt Forte, who?ll only add to his pay-the-man case if the Bears climb onto his back while Cutler is out.

And as to anyone who thinks that my lobbying last week for the Texans to pursue Brett Favre in lieu of Matt Leinart applies to the Bears, my perceived lunacy doesn?t extend to Illinois.  The Martz offense is too complex, the Bears are too cheap, and Martz is too obsessive-compulsive to ever make Favre a potential match there, even though it would give Brett a shot at the Vikings and at least one crack at the Pack.

The best bet for the Bears is to hunker down with Hanie, and hope for the best.

Unless Marc Bulger, who ran the Martz offense in St. Louis, decides to emerge from retirement.

10.  Catching up with what?s a catch.

It had been five weeks since the last time the Calvin Johnson rule reared its head in a game situation.  On Sunday, the Bengals lost a touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham via the application of a rule that routinely defies with the expectations of the reasonable fan.

Gresham bobbled the ball near the end zone, got possession of it in the vicinity of the goal line, took two steps, fell to the ground with the ball in one hand, and lost the ball when the hand holding it struck the ground.

This year, the league has emphasized the element of time, treating such plays as valid receptions if the receiver who, while going to the ground, had enough time to make a football move, regardless of whether a football move was actually made.  And that seems to be what Gresham did.  Or at least could have done.

Perhaps more importantly, the fact the officials in real-time called it a catch (and thus a touchdown) would require conclusive 100-drunks-in-a-bar evidence to overturn the play.  With the question of whether Gresham had enough time to make a football move a topic that strays into the realm of professional judgment, referee Ron Winter should have deferred to the ruling on the field that Gresham had possession long enough to make a football move.

The outcome reconfirms that the league needs to clean up the rule book once and for all regarding what is and what isn?t a catch when a receiver hits the ground.  The ?football move? exception is a twist on the uncodified ?second act? rule, which allowed the requirement of maintaining possession through the ground to be disregarded when the receiver manages to break the plane of the goal line while falling.

The NFL needs to just start over, crafting a simple rule that the officials can consistently apply ? and that meshes with what a reasonable person would regard to be a catch, or not a catch.

It seems quite likely that Broncos QB Tim Tebow has played his way into a starting job. But if that's the case, it won't become official before Tuesday.

"I'd say there is a strong likelihood that we will address that tomorrow," said coach John Fox on Monday, explaining no announcement will be forthcoming until he talks to his players, including Tebow and incumbent QB Kyle Orton.

The team is off today as the Broncos enter their bye week at 1-4. But with an extra week to prepare Tebow, a 2010 first-rounder selected by previous coach Josh McDaniels, the timing is logical for a switch.

It was telling that Fox didn't offer the steadfast support that he's typically afforded Orton all season, though he said no decision has yet been made on who the starter is moving forward.

After entering Sunday's game at halftime -- his first action under center this season -- with the Broncos trailing the Chargers 23-10, Tebow nearly led a comeback in a game Denver ultimately lost 29-24. He threw one TD pass, ran for another score, and his final dramatic pass fell just incomplete in the end zone.

"I think a lot is made out of the quarterback position. No doubt that did spark our team, but as you looked around, there were a lot of different guys making plays whether it was a screen pass for a touchdown, a great catch to give us a chance to throw it in the end zone in the end," said Fox while addressing the fans' postgame chants of "Tebow, Tebow."

"We made a couple big stops on defense, not as big as what we needed at one point, but I thought it encouraged the whole team. I'm sure the fans saw that."

Tebow could vastly alter the identity of the offense if he takes the reins.

"I think he's the most mobile of our quarterbacks, but that doesn't really define him as a quarterback or his skill set and the different things he does; but he does bring that dimension, and that's kind of obvious," said Fox.

Tebow started three games in 2010, winning once. His raw passing skills are evident, yet he often seems to make dramatic plays.

Playing him now would seem to give the Broncos a much better idea if he's their answer going forward, or if they need to go in a different direction in 2012 and beyond. If nothing else, the fan base will be placated if he plays.

Orton and Brady Quinn will both be free agents in 2012.

"You evaluate everything," said Fox.

"When you make decisions in your heart and your mind, it's what's best for the football team. So whatever direction we go, that will be the number one thing in mind."

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will undergo surgery on the thumb on his throwing hand after breaking it during Sunday's 31-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers.

The team initially said the surgery would take place Tuesday but quickly changed that statement to say a date hasn't been set. Head coach Lovie Smith insisted Monday that the plan is for Cutler return before the playoffs.

"He'll be out an extended period of time," Smith said. "The plan now is for him to have surgery on the thumb soon, and I can't tell you exactly how quick, but as soon as possible. Not today, but hopefully fairly quickly we can have surgery on the thumb.

"And I also said, the plan is to get him back at the latter part of the regular season. This is what I wanted to know, 'Was it a season-ending injury?' No. From what I've been told right now, we can expect him back at the end of the regular season. For me, that's enough to go on."

Cutler injured the right thumb while trying to make a tackle on Antoine Cason, who intercepted a pass with just less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Cutler continued to play after the injury, completing his final two passes for 24 yards in the team's final drive.

"It's devastating," linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "It's horrible, and I felt worse for him than I did for us. It stinks for us because he's having such a great year. He's our leader. He's the guy we turn to for pretty much everything."

The Bears also announced that long snapper Patrick Mannelly ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and is out for the year.

While Smith believes Cutler could return before the postseason, sources said Cutler will likely miss the final six regular-season games.

"I'm not going to play doctor right now," Smith said on WBBM radio in Chicago when asked how long Cutler will be sidelined. "We're going through the process."

With Cutler out, the attention turns to backup Caleb Hanie, who will take over as the starter. A four-year veteran, Hanie played in two games in 2010, completing 8 of 14 passes for 66 yards and an interception.

Hanie also filled in for Cutler in the NFC title game, and hit 13-of-20 for 153 yards a touchdown and two interceptions in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

"Caleb has been around here a long time, and our football team feels comfortable with him leading us," Smith said. "Don't feel sorry for us, or anything like that. We have a lot of things in place. We're losing and we're going to miss a great player for a period of time, but offensively we're going to rely on our running a game a little bit more. We have a great defense and special teams."

Rookie Nathan Enderle is the Bears' only other healthy quarterback, so Smith said the plan is to sign another veteran quarterback.

"The plan is for that. With Jay being out for awhile, we need another quarterback on our roster," Smith said. "The plan is to look for a veteran, preferably, to come in and help us."

It's expected the Bears would consider quarterbacks with experience playing in the system of offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

One who will not be in the running is Kurt Warner. The former Rams and Cardinals QB tweeted that he was "bummed" for Cutler, but added, "Been there 2 many times & he was playing great fball! Yes, I know & luv offense but NO I am NOT unretiring!"

Another name that comes up in any discussion of need at quarterback is familiar to Bears fans -- Brett Favre. There is no indication that the Bears are interested, but Cutler and Favre share the same agent, Bus Cook.

Former Jaguars quarterback David Garrard -- with no experience in Martz's system -- also seemed like a logical option, but he's just starting rehabilitation from back surgery and won't be able to undergo any contact for at least three weeks, according to a source.

?

We're a good football team, and we still plan on winning.

? -- Lovie Smith

Urlacher said the team "can live with" Hanie and even Enderle.

"With the way we play defense and special teams and the way we run the football, we can win with those guys at quarterback," he said. "We're not happy about what happened, but we're not going to panic, as players. I don't know what the organization is doing, but our coaches won't panic. We'll settle down, get Caleb in there, get his reps and all that good stuff, but we're not panicking right now."

The Bears opened a roster spot for a veteran QB, releasing defensive end Mario Addison on Monday.

The Bears have won five games in a row to improve to 7-3. It's possible Cutler could rejoin the team in time for the playoffs.

Smith said the Bears' strategy won't change.

"Running game, play from our quarterback position, outstanding defensive play, special teams," he said. "We've been in this situation before. So again, it's unfortunate, we don't know exactly how long Jay will be out, but while he's out the ship will keep moving."

ESPNChicago.com's Michael C. Wright, Jeff Dickerson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

After losing to the Silver & Black on Sunday, the Houston Texans sat under a dark cloud with a silver lining on Monday.

OLB Mario Williams, the No. 1 pick of the 2006 draft and the franchise's all-time leader in sacks (53), will miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral (chest) muscle that requires surgery. On the (slightly) brighter side, WR Andre Johnson plans to test his injured hamstring in practice this week even if he's not quite ready to return to action per the Houston Chronicle's John McClain.

"I feel so bad for Mario because he's been such a heck of a player," said coach Gary Kubiak.

"I've never seen him so upbeat about what was going on. And then to lose him on a freak play, it doesn't look like much at all. I'm disappointed for Mario."

Williams, who'd made a seemingly successful transition from defensive end to linebacker in new DC Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense, was hurt Sunday.

Williams had five sacks in this season's first five games. He will be a free agent in 2012, though it's hard to envision the Texans letting him get away via free agency.

Rookie OLB Brooks Reed will probably take Williams' spot in the lineup.

Johnson came up lame in Week 4, and early estimates had him missing 2-3 weeks.

"As of right now, the soreness has went away, his rehab has picked up, so we'll see where he's at each day," said Kubiak.

Houston plays in Baltimore on Sunday.