Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith apparently will be fined $15,000 by the NFL for a sideline scuffle Sunday, while Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall will avoid any punishment.

Sources said the league officially has not commented on the situation. The NFL also fined Redskins safety LaRon Landry $7,500, Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth $5,000 and Falcons director of athletic performance Jeff Fish $2,500. Hall was not fined.

Smith acknowledged that he was fined when he came off the field after the Falcons' practice yesterday, but he did not discuss the amount.

"I received a letter from the NFL office this morning," he said. "I want to reiterate that I'm always going to have my players' backs and I'm going to take care of them."

The trouble started after Landry delivered a late hit Sunday on quarterback Matt Ryan along the Atlanta sideline. Landry and Ryan hopped up quickly and headed back to their huddles, but Hall jumped into the middle of things and was surrounded by opposing players, along with Smith and Fish.

Receiver Justin Gage has several broken transverse process bones in his lower back and is unlikely to play Sunday against Buffalo. He was injured when he fell after making a leaping catch to set up the go-ahead touchdown last week at San Francisco.

Running back Clinton Portis was ruled out for a game against the Broncos Sunday because of a concussion.

Wide receiver and former Steeler Sean Morey said he played with a concussion against Chicago Sunday despite his role to raise awareness about head injuries. Morey said he downplayed the symptoms and did not communicate well enough with Arizona's training staff last week. He has not practiced this week because of the concussion.

Also, the NFL has given the Arizona a 24-hour extension to the television blackout deadline for its home game Sunday against the Seahawks.

The NFL scuttled a guerrilla marketing campaign designed to get players to strike a pose resembling a liquor brand's advertising. Yahoo! Sports reported that the move stems from a touchdown celebration by Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek in the game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. After catching an 11-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, Celek appeared to back up to align himself in front of television cameras. Putting his hands on his hips, Celek raised his right leg, mimicking a pose similar to the pirate on the label for Captain Morgan's rum.

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath, 66, appeared before a hearing officer in West Palm Beach, Fla., to answer to charges that two of his dogs attacked people who came to his home in Tequesta, a quiet community about 90 miles north of Miami. His 6-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, Leo, was declared "dangerous" at the hearing. The case against another of Namath's dog, a 6-year-old Weimeraner named Stella, was dropped because a witness did not show.

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