Sherman Thinks Brady Suspension Was Too Severe, NFL Schedule

Seven months after his team lost in the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has gone to bat for the opponent.

Sherman, reiterating thoughts that Tom Brady's four-game suspension was too severe, said Wednesday that he's happy the punishment was overturned while downplaying cheating allegations against the Patriots.

"Everybody does their things a little differently, but at the end of the day, it's handled between the lines," Sherman said. "And if they man up and they beat you straight up, they beat you straight up. You can say they knew your plays or they watched this or they watched that, but a lot of times if you watch film good enough, you find good indicators. You find things. So if you're studying the game the right way, you go out there understanding what plays are coming, and you know when the plays are coming. But can you execute? Can 11 guys stop the other 11 from executing their play?

"And at the end of the day, that's what it's about. You can say you stole scripts or whatever it is, but they still have to win the game. They still have to intercept the ball. They still have to execute. Eleven guys have to execute at the same time. And that's what they did, so give them credit. If there's hanky-panky going on, they've gotten away with it. Like they say, if you didn't get caught, then it wasn't cheating."

Chicago Bears -- Second-round DT Eddie Goldman is expected play a heavy amount of snaps in Week 1 because of Jeremiah Ratliff's suspension. Goldman returned from a concussion to have full participation in Wednesday's practice, an encouraging development for a Bears' defense charged with the task of stopping Aaron Rodgers on Sunday -- By Jeff Dickerson

St. Louis Rams -- Now that the Rams have finally settled on Tim Barnes as the starting center, they can focus on letting their O-line gel before Sunday's opener against Seattle. Right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder) and left guard Jamon Brown (ankle) have been practicing and are expected to start, along with rookie Rob Havenstein. The Rams are expressing confidence in the young, reconfigured line, but all eyes will be on that group as the season opens. -- By Nick Wagoner

Thursday, September 10 Schedule (Time Central)

Pittsburgh at New England, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, September 13 Schedule (All Times Central)

Green Bay at Chicago, 12:00 p.m.

Kansas City at Houston, 12:00 p.m.

Cleveland at New York, 12:00 p.m

Indianapolis at Buffalo, 12:00 p.m

Miami at Washington, 12:00 p.m.

Carolina at Jacksonville, 12:00 p.m.

Seattle at St. Louis, 12:00 p.m.

New Orleans at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.

Detroit at San Diego, 3:05 p.m.

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.

Cincinnati at Oakland, 3:25 p.m.

Baltimore at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

New York at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.