Bills’ Robertson Suspended a Year

Buffalo Bill defensive tackle Tyrone Robertson was suspended for one year by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the second time this season.

Robertson, Buffalo’s seventh-round pick in last year’s draft, served a four-game suspension from Oct. 2-28. His most recent suspension begins immediately.

The NFL would not elaborate on the details of either violation.

Robertson was unavailable for comment, and has not been with the team since the Bills put him on their reserve/non-football illness list on Oct. 28.

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Marc Bulger received medical clearance to play as the St. Louis Ram quarterback carousel turned again.

Bulger, who has been at quarterback for all five Ram victories this season, has been out since Nov. 18 with a sprained ligament between his index and third finger. He has made progress the last several days and will replace Jamie Martin, who was ineffective in Sunday’s 49-10 loss at Kansas City, for this week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Bulger has a 106.0 passer rating, which would lead the NFL by a wide margin if he had enough attempts to qualify. He has 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions and played well in the first game against the Cardinals.

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A committee of Phoenix-area leaders, including Gov.-elect Janet Napolitano and city mayors, are pursing a Super Bowl in 2008 or 2009 for the planned Arizona Cardinals’ stadium.

The committee said that it will try to persuade NFL officials to play another Super Bowl in the state, with the bid to be presented March 23-26 during the owners meeting in Phoenix.

Arizona played host to its first NFL championship game in 1996, when Dallas beat Pittsburgh. That game was played in Tempe at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium.

But a future Super Bowl would be played in a new $355-million, retractable-roofed stadium planned in Glendale. It received a de facto go-ahead from the Arizona Supreme Court last week.

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The Minnesota Vikings signed free-agent running back Larry Ned to the practice squad and released defensive tackle Cedric Killings.

Ned was a standout at San Diego State. The Vikings have a banged-up backfield, and Ned could be activated for Sunday’s game against New Orleans.

Moe Williams is nursing a bruised heel, and Doug Chapman was put on injured reserve in October after being hospitalized with an abdominal injury.