Panthers Decide Peete Is the Guy

Rodney Peete can stop looking over his shoulder--his best outing in 10 years has officially given him job security as Carolina’s starting quarterback.

Peete had been operating on a week-to-week basis with the Panthers, needing to do enough on game days to keep Chris Weinke on the bench and possibly lead Carolina to a few wins.

He has done both--sparking the Panthers to a 2-0 start and giving Weinke a permanent spot on the sidelines by throwing for 310 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s 31-7 victory over Detroit.

His passing total was his best since the 36-year-old threw for 323 on Sept. 27, 1992, while with Detroit.

For that, Coach John Fox finally ended the uncertainty when he confirmed Monday that Peete is the Panther starter.

“I’d say that’s fair,� Fox said. “When you’re named the starter, it’s your job to have or to lose and Rodney has prepared and played admirably and he’s the starting quarterback.�

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Pro Bowl offensive tackle Walter Jones signed a one-year tender offer for $4.92 million with the Seattle Seahawks.

Jones, in his sixth NFL season, reported to practice Monday. The contract represents the average salary of the top five players at that position in the NFL.

Seattle designated the 28-year-old Jones as its franchise player after his contract expired last season. The franchise tag prevented him from being a free agent and signing with another team.

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Gary Anderson, the NFL’s all-time leading scorer, was close to rejoining the Minnesota Vikings a day after their stunning overtime loss to Buffalo in which Doug Brien missed two extra points.

Anderson, 43, was offered a contract Monday, Coach Mike Tice said. Brien was still with the team, though, and Tice said Brien would remain on the roster to kick off if an agreement with Anderson was reached.

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Dallas Cowboy offensive lineman Larry Allen has a sprained left ankle and was listed by the team as day-to-day. Allen was injured in Sunday’s 21-13 win over Tennessee when a Titan player rolled over his leg.... Miami Dolphin cornerback Patrick Surtain, who sat out the second half of Sunday’s win at Indianapolis because of a sore left knee, underwent an MRI test that showed no tear.... Tight end Jim Kleinsasser, one of the Vikings’ top passing targets, will be out at least two weeks because of a broken bone in his leg. Defensive tackle Talance Sawyer will miss two weeks because of a broken bone in his knee.... Atlanta Falcon guard Roberto Garza broke a bone in his foot in the team’s loss to the Chicago Bears and will miss six weeks.... Detroit offensive lineman Kerlin Blaise will have season-ending knee surgery this week after being injured in Carolina’s victory over the Lions. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers broke a thumb and will be sidelined for the next two games.