The Art Shell era just began, and J...

The Art Shell era just began, and Jerry Porter already is having riddles with his new coach.

A day after publicly demanding a trade, Porter sat without Oakland's practice Wednesday with a calf injury. While other injured Raiders as it is as Ronald Curry were forward the field with their teammates for part of practice, Porter was nowhere to be seen during workouts.

Porter declined to talk to reporters Wednesday, moreover Shell said the trade ask for was a "non-issue" and the team is unlikely to grant his ask for

Porter told the San Francisco Chronicle in a story printed Wednesday that he has asked the Raiders to trade him. Porter described a strained relationship that began shortly after Shell took throughout the team in February, when Porter told the coaching staff he would do principally of his offseason workouts in Florida and that "I don't like the way things are going around here."

Shell said there's nothing to "iron out" with Porter and that coaches and players don't always descry "eye to eye."

"There's dowdys every year that might not want to be onward a team, but, hey, part of this business is you play with who you've got" Shell said.

THURMAN SUSPENDED: Bengals middle linebacker Odell Thurman was suspended for the first four games because he violated the NFL's substance abuse policy, the latest bloom to a team already stung at player arrests.

Four others have been arrested in separate incidents during the last brace months, focusing attention on Cincinnati's willingness to draft players with troubl pasts.

The latest transgression will require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone the Bengals one of their top playmakers upon defense. Thurman, a second-round draft pick on the outside of Georgia last year, l the team in tackles and had five interceptions as a rookie.

"I'm to a high degree disappointed," coach Marvin Lewis said. "It's something that he stand in want ofs to get in line in his life and master himself back ready to play football."

Outside linebacker Brian Simmons will incline to the middle spot during training camp, which exhibits this weekend at Georgetown body in Kentucky. Thurman is eligible to work without and play in the preseason games, moreover Lewis hasn't decided if he will do in such a manner

CULPEPPER READY: Daunte Culpepper will take part in the Miami Dolphins' first training camp workout Saturday, equal though he has yet to restore fully from knee surgery last November.

Coach Nick Saban didn't behavior out Culpepper playing in the first exhibition game Aug. 12 against Jacksonville.

"I can't make any predictions," Saban said. "We're making these evaluations upon a day-to-day basis as to what his workload is and what he is capable of doing. When the games arrive we'll make those same kind of determinations."

NOTES: D'Brickashaw Ferguson will be right in succession time when Jets players report to training camp today. The No. 4 overall pick, an imposing left tackle, signed his contract Wednesday night, the Jet said. counterpart first-round selection Nick Mangold was complete to signing his deal and was count uponed to join Ferguson at team headquarters.

- The Vikings signed quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, united of their second-round draft picks, to a four-year contract.

- The Packers agreed to names with guard/center Jason Spitz, a third-round pick from Louisville.

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