Quarterback Jake Delhomme practices for the second day, but coach Eric Mangini says he won't make a decision on a starter at quarterback until Saturday night.
Seneca Wallace has started at quarterback the past two weeks for the Browns, but coaches say that when Jake Delhomme is healthy enough to return to the lineup, Wallace will return to his backup role. BEREA, Ohio — Quarterback Jake Delhomme was still limited in practice Friday and is listed as questionable for the Bengals game, but moved more nimbly on his sprained right ankle.
During the first 30 minutes of practice open to the media, Delhomme favored the ankle less on his drop-backs and rollouts, and limped less than Thursday when walking.
But coach Eric Mangini will wait until Saturday night to make his decision on a starter -- and will most likely keep the Bengals guessing until gametime.
"I think any combination is really possible -- No. 2 (quarterback), No. 3, No. 1," Mangini said. "We'll see how it responds (Saturday) and then we do have another 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday to see what it's like. I don't know what the combination will be just because it's only day two of him actually working on the field."
Mangini, who spoke before practice, said Delhomme responded well to his first day of practice on Wednesday.
"He moved around pretty well considering," he said. "Just having him out there and throwing and going through the plays, it's good to see. He didn't miss a beat in terms of his preparation."
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll re-iterated what Mangini said Wednesday, that as soon as Delhomme is healthy, he's the starter.
"Whether it's this week or next week, he'll be the guy," said Daboll.
Mack happy: Browns center Alex Mack was happy to hear that Chiefs defensive end Shaun Smith was fined $10,000 for grabbing the private parts of 49ers right tackle Anthony Davis during last week's game. "That's good," he said. Will it stop the antics? "I hope so," he said. But Mack didn't want the NFL to look back into Smith's similar incident with Mack, saying the league shouldn't fine for past games.
Two Ravens fined: Ravens right tackle Michael Oher was fined $5,000 for striking Robaire Smith in the head and safety Tom Zbikowksi was fined $5,000 for a late hit on Peyton Hillis out of bounds. Browns tight end Ben Watson wasn't fined for shoving Haloti Ngata to the ground, which drew an unnecessary roughness penalty that helped kill a drive.
St. Clair out: Browns right tackle John St. Clair is out with ankle injury and Tony Pashos will start in his place. Five others besides Delhomme are questionable, including the three injured defensive linemen: Kenyon Coleman (anke), Shaun Rogers (hip, ankle) and Robaire Smith (back); receiver Brian Robiskie (hamstring) and right guard Shawn Lauvao. Said defensive coordinator Rob Ryan: "We've got big plans here to win, but you actually need some D-linemen to play in the game. We better get some. I'm sure they're doing everything they can to be healthy and play. It's hard to be in a 3-4 if you don't have three D-linemen dressing. We need somebody to play." . . . Linebacker Jason Trusnik suffered a concussion in Baltimore, but is probable.
Adams fesses up: Mike Adams said Eric Wright shouldn't take all the heat for Anquan Boldin's game-winning TD catch vs. an all-out blitz. Adams said he was supposed to blitz, but stayed back to try to make a big play. "Who knows? Maybe we get to the quarterback if I go," he said.
Said Ryan: "He had coverage on the tight end as well and they had thrown a lot of screens before. That's a difficult situation. Mike's a stand-up guy, but he also had the tight end in his responsibility."
Daboll/Mo talk: Daboll talked this week with receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who has three catches this season. "He's running the right routes and he's at the right spots, and he's just got to keep a level head, keep working at it, and improve some of the little details but he's gotten better," Daboll said. "I know his stats haven't shown that, but I really believe he has."