The Carolina Panthers think Stephen Davis could be out up to five weeks with a knee injury. Davis says it won't be nearly that long.
Davis had surgery on his right knee to repair torn cartilage last Friday, missing the Panthers victory over Kansas City. Carolina is off this week, and Davis has not ruled out playing Oct. 3 against Atlanta.
"I read that it's going to be two to five weeks. It's not going to be five weeks, I know that," Davis said. "It's possible with everything that I'm doing to try to get myself ready (for Atlanta). Anything is possible."
Davis' rushed return has nothing to do with jealousy over DeShaun Foster's outstanding game against the Chiefs. Foster stepped in for Davis and ran for 174 yards and a touchdown.
On many teams, the starter might begin to worry, sitting on his couch, watching on television as his understudy puts up huge numbers.
But Davis and Foster have a strong relationship, and Davis knows the starting job is his whenever he gets back. So instead of sulking his way through the game, Davis said he nearly gave the neighbors reason to complain by cheering loudly during Foster's runs.
"It was a nice day and the windows were up and I was doing a lot of yelling," Davis said. "I'm very proud of him. He did some things in that game that you knew he could do."
The highlight for Davis was Foster's team-record 71-yard run that set up the touchdown that broke open the game for Carolina.
"The long run, I'm most proud of because he broke some tackles to get into the open field and showed a lot of people he can run," Davis said. "He did a lot of great things."
There is no jealousy between the two, who have developed a big-brother relationship similar to the one Davis had with the Washington Redskins when veteran Terry Allen took him under his wing.
So any push Davis has to get back into the lineup is internal. The only goal Davis set for himself this season was playing all 16 games, something he's done just once in his career.
"I want to come fast regardless of what DeShaun does," he said. "To get an opportunity to get out and play, that is the most important thing to me."
Davis is 30 years old, with a history of little injuries that tend to linger and cost him playing time. The Panthers rely heavily on Foster as insurance.
But there's no doubt Davis is the team's No. 1 back. He rushed for a career-high 1,444 yards last season and had a team record seven 100-yard games.
And if Davis has his way, he'll be the featured back again soon.
"As soon as possible," he said. "I want to get back out there."
BLEDSOE ON DEFENSIVE: A defiant Drew Bledsoe provided a stern response to those questioning whether he's still capable of leading the Buffalo Bills.
"I'm the quarterback here. And I'm going to be the quarterback here," Bledsoe said after practice Wednesday. "The players on the team know that. The coaches know that. And that's just simply the way it is."
Bledsoe's comments came during the Bills' bye week and as the team attempts to regroup after opening the season with consecutive 13-10 losses to Oakland and Jacksonville. They were in response to a growing number of critics who have begun to question his age and ability to lead the offense, which has yet to shake last season's troubles.
"That's the nature of this position," said Bledsoe, 32, referring to the criticism. "When we win, I'm going to get more credit than I deserve. And when we lose, I'm going to take a lot of it . . . I understand that.
"If I couldn't handle that, I wouldn't be here 12 years into a career still fighting to win football games."
SANDERS WON'T PUSH IT: Deion Sanders hopes to play for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, even though he knows it might be prudent to rest his strained left hamstring. Playing in his second game following a three-year retirement, Sanders hurt his leg last Sunday in the second quarter of Baltimore's 30-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was removed after running stride for stride with Plaxico Burress on a long pass play.
Sanders was held out of a portion of Wednesday's practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Cincinnati, meaning there's a 50 percent chance he will see action.
"I'm feeling pretty good," he said before practice. "I'm not a gambling man, but I'm going to try to do my best to be there for my teammates."
Within reason, anyway. Sanders, 37, isn't about to press himself into action for an early-season game if it could lessen his odds of being available in January.
"This is a marathon. This is not a sprint," he said. "I think you guys want me in there for the finale, not just for a 40-yard dash."
WILLIAMS BACK TO CORNER: Injuries in the St. Louis Rams' secondary have forced Aeneas Williams to move back to cornerback, at least temporarily. Williams was a seven-time Pro Bowl player at the position before switching to free safety last year, where he made his eighth Pro Bowl. Coach Mike Martz said Wednesday he expects Williams to fill in at right cornerback for only a few weeks until starter Travis Fisher (broken forearm) and DeJuan Groce (sprained knee) return.
OTHER NEWS: Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman will miss seven to 10 weeks with a right knee injury. Tillman said Wednesday he has a tibia plateau fracture, a hairline crack in the soft tissue between his right knee and upper leg.
The Detroit Lions signed cornerback Vernon Fox on Wednesday and released cornerback Chris Kern, one day after cutting running back Olandis Gary, who was on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.