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GREEN BAY, Wis. - Sylvester Croom might have to pull double duty just through the weekend.
The new Mississippi State coach is committed to guiding the Packers running backs only through Sunday's game against Chicago.
"I'm here this week and then we'll see beyond that. Nothing's definite right now," Croom said. "I truly am during this transition period going one day at a time."
Green Bay coach Mike Sherman has asked Croom, who has been on his staff since 2001, to stay as long as possible to help the Packers (6-6) make a playoff push.
On Tuesday, when he became the first black coach in SEC history, Croom said he would continue in his post in Green Bay through the end of the regular season.
But he backtracked Wednesday, noting the difficulty of working two full-time jobs. This week, he is helping prepare a game plan for the Bears while calling recruits and targeting coaches for his staff.
"It won't be easy, but other people have done it and survived and I figure, hey, I can, too," Croom said. "We'll see how it goes and then I'll meet with Mike. It's a new experience for both of us."
Former Packers running back Edgar Bennett, who has served as Croom's apprentice since offseason minicamps, will coach the running backs at Mississippi State.
Sherman, who wouldn't speculate on when Croom will leave for good, realizes he's asking a lot of Croom to juggle both jobs.
"It's going to be difficult. As I told Sly, "Only take the job if you have a passion for it.' And he did," Sherman said. "Along the same lines, I have a passion for the Packers, and so you need to help me in this transition period.' And he's willing to do that."
HARD KNOCKS FOR BLEDSOE: Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe missed practice, feeling tired and dizzy and unsure if he will play against the Jets this weekend. Bledsoe refused to describe his symptoms as concussion related. But he said they stem from a helmet-to-helmet hit that forced him to miss the final 19 minutes of Sunday's 24-7 win over the Giants.
"I wouldn't say I feel completely normal, but I'm all right," Bledsoe said. "My head doesn't hurt but I'm feeling a little dizzy, a little lightheaded."
It was the second straight week in which Bledsoe took a blow to the head. He also missed one practice and part of another, experiencing nausea and vision problems after being kneed in the head in a loss to the Colts on Nov.23.
BROWNS: Suspended running back William Green will have a March 8 pretrial hearing on drunken driving and marijuana possession charges. Green was suspended four games Nov.8 for violating the league's substance abuse program. He was eligible to return Monday, but the league extended his suspension for "treatment purposes."
CHARGERS: Coach Marty Schottenheimer will stick with Doug Flutie for Sunday at Detroit, though the 41-year-old quarterback is 1-3 since replacing the ineffective Drew Brees.
FALCONS: Four months after he vowed to "fight" and "destroy" a sex discrimination lawsuit against him, owner Arthur Blank settled the case. Blank's former vice president of human resources, Carol Faubert, filed the lawsuit in July, contending Blank condoned a work climate in which women were treated as "sex objects" and passed over for good jobs if they had young children. Her suit was filed against Blank, the Falcons and AMB Group, Blank's private investment company. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Also, the Falcons claimed cornerback-kick returner Derek Ross one day after he was waived by the Cowboys. In his last game with Dallas, Ross fumbled twice returning kickoffs in a Thanksgiving loss to Miami.
49ERS: Running back Garrison Hearst will miss Sunday's game against Arizona with a sprained right knee. Hearst, who leads the team in rushing yards with 768, had minor surgery Tuesday to repair cartilage in the knee and hopes to return Dec.14 at Cincinnati. Kevan Barlow will get his first NFL start in place of Hearst.
PATRIOTS: Rookie punter Brooks Barnard was signed to replace veteran Ken Walter. Barnard was a two-time all-ACC punter at Maryland, where he was the school's career leader in punting average (43.7) and single season (44.7 in 2000).
REDSKINS: Quarterback Patrick Ramsey reinjured his right foot when he slipped on a dirt patch during a throwing drill. X-rays revealed no new damage. It was the first practice in almost two weeks for Ramsey, who has been hampered by the flare-up of an old fracture. If Ramsay can't play against the Giants, Tim Hasselbeck will make his second straight start.
Also, cornerback Fred Smoot said players are suffering from a lack of accountability and are to blame for the Redskins' struggles instead of coaches or front-office members. The Redskins (4-8) have lost seven of the past eight and can be eliminated from playoff contention this weekend.
"It's not the coach," Smoot said. "It's the players. It's us. We've got to correct it. Until we look at each other in the face and realize it's us that's losing the games - not the coaches, not the media, not the owner - it's never going to get done. ... You have to be accountable for what you do."
TEXANS: David Carr practiced lightly and remains on track to start Sunday, but running back Domanick Davis was held out of workouts with injuries to both legs. Carr, recovering from a sprained right shoulder, did little throwing on the side and was limited to handing off in drills. Coach Dom Capers said Carr will start at Jacksonville. Davis was listed as questionable with a sore left ankle and right thigh.