Given good blocking and a fresh start, Larry Johnson might still be the power-running Pro Bowler who had back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons for Kansas City.

Are you listening, Seattle? What do you think, Indianapolis? Chicago? Houston?

Or he might be a declining malcontent who'll only cost money and cause trouble.

To that, every coach and general manager in the NFL is listening. The Chiefs released Johnson the day he was due back from his second suspension in the past 12 months.

Any team with a faltering running game is bound to be tempted by Johnson, despite his baggage and his age (he turns 30 on Nov. 19).

"Any player that's available, we look at," said Bears coach Lovie Smith. "That's been our standard policy throughout. That'll be the case with Larry."

More pro football: Bills S Whitner would welcome Vick in Buffalo

If Tony Dungy believes Michael Vick would be a good fit in Buffalo, Donte Whitner is on board.

Confident Vick can regain his once-dynamic form, the Bills safety said Monday he would encourage his team to pursue Vick if the Eagles — who hold a $5.2 million option on the backup quarterback next season — decide to release Vick in the offseason.

In noting he was a proponent of the Bills pursuing Vick since before he signed with Philadelphia in August, Whitner said he's more convinced Buffalo can use him next season. Without specifically naming Bills starter Trent Edwards or backup Ryan Fitzpatrick, Whitner noted that players — himself included — are replaceable if they can't get the job done.

More pro football: Bengals WR Henry has surgery on broken arm

Bengals receiver Chris Henry will miss the rest of the season after having surgery Monday on his broken left forearm.

The Bengals put Henry on injured reserve and brought back offensive guard Scott Kooistra, who was released a week ago. The Bengals needed another offensive lineman after left guard Evan Mathis injured his an ankle Sunday during a 17-7 win over Baltimore.

Henry is in the final year of his contract with the Bengals, who let him go after his fifth arrest following the 2007 season. Owner Mike Brown changed his mind and brought him back a few months later, signing him to a two-year deal.

Pro baseball: Police search for kidnappers of Zambrano's mother

Assailants who kidnapped the mother of former major league pitcher Victor Zambrano in Venezuela only decided to take her after they found little of value during a burglary, police said.

Rafael Romero, a federal police investigator, said seven armed men burst into the home of Elizabeth Mendez Zambrano at her son's farm near Maracay on Sunday morning and kidnapped her because they didn't find large amounts of cash and jewelry as they had expected.

The kidnappers have yet to contact the 56-year-old woman's relatives to ask for ransom, Romero said. Authorities are searching for the kidnappers. Police are hoping the assailants contact the family so investigators can gather more clues, he said.

More pro baseball: Dodgers decline option on pitcher Ohman

The Dodgers have declined a $2.2 million club option on pitcher Will Ohman for next season.

The left-hander gets a $200,000 buyout and filed for free agency.

He went on the disabled list May 29 with a sore shoulder, and didn't make the Dodgers' postseason roster.

More pro baseball: GMs come to Chicago for brief meeting

Instead of swaying palm trees, the roar of 747s greeted baseball's general managers as they began gathering for their annual meeting.

They've come to a hotel near O'Hare International Airport to swap stories and perhaps players, and to start discussions with agents.

Increasing the use video replay among umpires could be a topic when the formal meetings start Tuesday, especially after a series of missed calls in the postseason. Video reviews, which began in 2008, are limited to determining whether potential home runs are fair or foul or whether the ball cleared a fence.

Pro basketball: James says winning more important than money

LeBron James wants to be clear: Championships are more important than cash.

Not that the cash isn't nice.

James clarified a remark he made last week in which the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar said getting a maximum contract next summer isn't that important to him.

"Let's get this clear: I said the max contract doesn't mean more than winning," James said. "I didn't say, 'I don't need a max contract' or 'I'm not going to get a max contract.' All I'm saying is that winning is more important to me than money at the end of the day."

More pro basketball: Grizzlies owner not sure of Iverson's plans

Memphis owner Michael Heisley says he is not sure of what Allen Iverson's future plans are, though he hopes Iverson returns to the Grizzlies soon.

Heisley granted the 10-time all-star permission Saturday for an indefinite leave to deal with a personal matter. The Commercial Appeal newspaper reported that Iverson is contemplating retirement.

"I'm not in Allen's head. I don't know what he's thinking," Heisley told The Associated Press.

"I know he went back to take care of a personal problem. Whether he does something else, I don't know. I'm hoping he comes back. I think he could still play for us, somebody else, what have you. In my opinion, there's two, three years of outstanding play that could come out of Allen Iverson."

More pro basketball: Kings G Martin has wrist surgery

Sacramento Kings leading scorer Kevin Martin underwent surgery on his injured left wrist.

The team says Martin had the procedure to repair a hairline fracture in his left wrist at the UC Davis Medical Center. Martin will be released from the hospital later in the day.

Martin is expected to miss at least eight weeks with the injury. He is averaging 30.6 points a game for the Kings.

Pro hockey: Penguins president recovering after heart attack

Pittsburgh Penguins president David Morehouse is recovering from a heart attack in San Jose, Calif., where the team played its last game.

Penguins' vice president of communications Tom McMillan says Morehouse became ill as the team was preparing to fly out of San Jose on Sunday, the morning after a 5-0 loss to the Sharks.

McMillan says Morehouse was still in an undisclosed hospital in San Jose and should return to Pittsburgh in a couple of days. McMillan says Morehouse had a "minor procedure" after the heart attack, and is expected to make a full recovery.

College football: Memphis fires West, coach will finish the season

Memphis fired coach Tommy West, saying the school wants to go in a different direction after the season.

Athletic Director R.C. Johnson said at a news conference that he met with West Monday morning and told the coach of the university's decision. He also asked West to stay through the end of the season.

When the coach had his turn at the microphone he said the university needs to put more money in the football program or shut it down. West didn't hesitate to share his feelings about the program's outdated facilities. He said there was only one answer if fans didn't demand improvements or for the university to make necessary changes.

Wrestling: Angle, ex agree to no-contact order

Professional wrestler and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle and his former girlfriend have agreed to have no contact with one another, about three months after Angle was charged with assaulting her.

An Allegheny County judge signed the order Monday. Trenesha Biggers, who's a wrestler herself, also withdrew a protection from abuse complaint against Angle, but he's scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday for a simple assault charge in the case.