NFL roundup: Some "bounty" appeals reportedly will be heard Thursday

Some, if not all, parties who appealed their punishments in the New Orleans Saints bounty cases will have their appeals heard on Thursday, NFL.com reported Tuesday.

It's possible that the appeals of all three parties -- coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach Joe Vitt - could be heard Thursday at the NFL headquarters in New York.

Payton was suspended for the season, Loomis for eight games and Vitt for six. The Saints were fined $500,000, and two second-round picks were taken away.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hopes to finish the appeals process in the bounty scandal by the end of the week, but any rulings could be delayed in order to review all the information.

----With player punishments seemingly inevitable as part of the "bounty" program, the Saints are stocking up on depth on the defensive side of the ball.

Having already signed Falcons leading tackler Curtis Lofton in free agency, New Orleans agreed to terms on a five-year deal with David Hawthorne, who is coming off three consecutive 100-plus tackle seasons for the Seahawks.

Along with Jonathan Vilma, that gives the Saints three linebackers with significant starting experience in the middle. Lofton would be the expected starter in the middle when and if Vilma faces a suspension.

Saint general manager Mickey Loomis said he believes Lofton is capable of playing all three linebacker positions. New Orleans lost free agent Jo-Lonn Dunbar to St. Louis on Monday.

---Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peters underwent surgery Tuesday for the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered last week.

The starting left tackle sustained the injury -- which could keep him out for all of next season -- while training in his native Texas, the team said.

While similar injuries have usually caused players to miss at least a year, Eagles coach Andy Reid said the team would not set a timetable for Peters at this point.

The 30-year-old veteran has played the last three of his eight NFL seasons with the Eagles, after beginning his career with the Buffalo Bills.

He was named first-team All-Pro last season for the first time.

---An executive for Anschutz Entertainment Group who wants to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles told the Los Angeles Times that he has a developer involved in the project.

AEG president Tim Leiweke told the paper that developer Philip Anschutz is willing to finance a stadium and a team if he can get a "reasonable" deal from the NFL.

Reports have surfaced recently suggesting that the league was unhappy with AEG's proposal for a team, but those reports were downplayed by Leiweke, according to the paper.

The company plans to issue a 10,000-page environmental impact report for the stadium project on Thursday.

---Former St. Louis Rams center Jason Brown will work out with the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, according to Comcast Sports Net Bay Area.

It is not clear whether the team will try him out at the open right guard spot or compete against Pro Bowler Jonathan Goodwin at center.

The Rams released Brown in March.

---Detroit Lions defensive lineman Nick Fairley was arrested on a second-degree marijuana possession charge on Tuesday, the Press-Register in Mobile, Ala., reported.

Fairley, 24, was jailed on $1,000 bail, according to records at the Mobile County Metro Jail.

Second-degree marijuana possession is a misdemeanor in Alabama.

Last season as a rookie, Fairley played in 10 games for the Lions, with no starts, and had 11 tackles.

--- Even though New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz may be one of the most underpaid players in the NFL at the moment, don't expect him to be a camp holdout.

"That's not even in my vocabulary," Cruz told the New York Post Tuesday. "I don't even know what that means."

It would mean Cruz would stay out of camp while seeking a contract extension he likes, an approach Cruz apparently is unlikely to take.

Cruz was third in the NFL in receiving last season, with 82 catches for 1,536 yards. However, he is scheduled to make just $540,000 in 2012, the final year of his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent.

---The Indianapolis Colts are taking another close-up look at Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with a private on-campus workout scheduled for Tuesday.

The Colts have committed to drafting a quarterback with the first overall pick April 26 after releasing Peyton Manning last month. The decision comes down to Luck and Baylor's Robert Griffin III.

General manager Ryan Grigson and owner Jim Irsay maintain they aren't near a final verdict on which way to go.

Irsay said via Twitter the Colts hoped to have a private workout with Griffin. Grigson was ill and didn't attend his March 21 pro day. But Griffin passed on the workout for Indianapolis and all other teams.

Redskins general manager Bruce Allen said the decision, ultimately, is the Colts' to make.

---LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne reportedly scored a four out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, a basic reasoning and intelligence exam taken by all prospects at the Scouting Combine.

ProFootballTalk.com cited sources in its report on the consensus top-ranked cornerback in the draft. Claiborne, a junior, entered the draft after being named an All-American as a junior.

The NFL does not release the test results but the scores have typically trickled out to media through unnamed sources. The 12-minute timed test consists of 50 multiple choice questions.

Several players have survived the stigma of poor Wonderlic scores to be highly drafted. NFLDraftScout.com rates Claiborne as the top cornerback in the draft and fourth-best prospect overall.

--- Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure is due back in court Wednesday because of a marijuana possession charge after he failed to appear on Monday.

No official arraignment is scheduled for Leshoure, but prosecutor Arthur Cotter said on Monday that Leshoure would be issued a warrant if he does not show, according to the Detroit News.

Baroda-Lake Township Police Chief Gary Ruhl said the running back was supposed to tell the Lions he would reschedule his court appearance for Wednesday but did not, the newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Leshoure was cited by police on the drug charge in Berrien County (Mich.) in March.