Oakland Raiders' general manager Reggie McKenzie sat down Friday with seven local writers to discuss the season.

The Raiders have a 3-8 record this season.

McKenzie said he is ”still pleased with Dennis Allen. … I’m sure he has some rookie mistakes but overall I’m happy with Dennis.”

McKenzie wouldn't go into specifics on who will be back next season and that it will be determined by season-long evaluations.

One issue the Raiders have struggled with is their depth, which McKenzie was expecting.

“I wish I had a whole lot of depth to rotate and figure out who can do it better, but we’re limited,” said McKenzie.

DeMarco Murray will likely play for the first time since spraining his left foot on Oct. 14.

The Cowboys play the Eagles in Dallas.

“We’ll see how he responds today,” Jerry Jones said on KRLD-FM (105.3). “But the key day was yesterday. He came back from the day before, which was his first day out. Usually that is a leveling-off or setback day if you have the effects of your first day back.

“He didn’t have that. He practiced well. We’ll see how he does these next couple of days. But it looks like we’ll have him.”

The New England Patriots' offensive line has undergone change this season, between the retirement of Matt Light, Brian Walters failing to show for training camp, the release of Dan Hoppen and Logan Mankins coming off surgery on a torn ACL.

Tom Brady was sacked 12 times through the first five games, but only three times over their past six.

‘‘You try and do that as best as you can,’’ guard Donald Thomas said. ‘‘So, it’s always a bonus when you can try to keep him as clean as possible. Nothing’s ever going to be perfect. You try to do your job and that’s what our job is.’’

Ben Roethlisberger will not start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their game on Sunday against the Ravens, according to a source.

Charlie Batch will start at quarterback for the Steelers.

Roethlisberger has rib and shoulder injuries.

The San Francisco 49ers restructured the contracts of Vernon Davis, Carlos Rogers and Ray McDonald in order to fit NaVorro Bowman's $7.5 million signing bonus under the cap, according to a source.

Bowman, whose original four-year deal averaged $623,062 annually through 2013, signed a five-year extension this week through 2018 that averages $8.911 million annually.

Because of his signing bonus, Bowman's 2012 cap figure immediately rose from $717,887 to $2.217 million, the source said.

Davis provided the biggest cap relief for the 49ers. Davis' 2012 cap figure went from a little over $8 million to $6.8 million. The 49ers awarded Davis a $1.48 million signing bonus and had his remaining $25,000 per game active roster bonuses for the final five regular season games designated as an OATSB item (other amount treated as signing bonus).

The Oakland Raiders have suspended Rolando McClain two games for conduct detrimental to the team.

"We’ve got to make a decision as an organization,” Dennis Allen said. “We’re going to make sure we make the right decision.”

McClain was at practice early Wednesday and then left and didn’t participate due to a “team-related issue,” Allen said. 

McClain was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

McClain will lose $121,000 of his $970,000 base salary.

Jim Harbaugh has placed Alex Smith in a difficult position, making him the San Francisco 49ers' backup quarterback upon return from a concussion.

Harabaugh's former NFL teammates don't believe he would have handled it as gracefully as Alex Smith.

"..The Jim Harbaugh who I knew, who was feisty and competitive, he wouldn't have handled it well," said Ray Buchanan. "I don't think he'd have handled it as well as Alex did. He'd have been a lot more outspoken with the coach. He would cause a little more havoc. And he probably would have spoken out to the media as well."

"The Jim Harbaugh I knew would be going crazy," Tony Siragusa said. "He would not stand for that. He would be going ballistic. But Jim Harbaugh the player and Jim Harbaugh the coach are like two completely different people."

Titus Young returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since being sent hom on Nov. 19 for repeated acts of insubordination.

Jim Schwartz said it’s “too soon to tell” whether Young will be active for Sunday’s game against the Colts.

Young spent about 15 minutes after practice catching balls off a JUGS machine and declined an interview request when he entered the locker room.

In a loss to the Packers two weeks ago, he purposely lined up in the wrong spot on the field multiple times and mouthed off to receivers coach Shawn Jefferson on the sideline.

Monte Kiffin has stepped down as defensive coordinator of USC, effective after the school's bowl game.

Kiffin, who was the longtime coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will seek a return to the NFL.

Dez Bryant has 23 catches for 377 yards and four touchdowns over the past three games.

Bryant believes his job is to earn the trust of Tony Romo.

“I feel like I earned a lot of trust,” Bryant said Thursday. “I’ve just got to continue to keep doing it. I want it all. I want him to trust me on everything: ‘Hey, I know I can trust my guy. If he says he’s going to be there, if I want him there, he’s going to be there.’ That’s the kind of guy I want to be to Romo.”