FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons president Taylor Smith has agreed to sell the team to former Home Depot CEO Arthur Blank, a source close to the team said Thursday.

        Blank is paying “a little north of $500 million” for the Falcons, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The sale is to be announced today, the source said.

        Blank also is buying the 12 percent of the team split between venture capitalist John Imlay and media executive Tom Watson Brown. “They have a gentleman's agreement,” team spokesman Aaron Salkin said.

        The Smith family has owned the team throughout its 36-year history.

        BILLS:

        Defensive tackle Shawn Price will miss the rest of the season because of ligament damage in his left knee. He'll have surgery today.

        RAIDERS:

        Defensive tackle Darrell Russell, who tested positive for the club drug Ecstasy, appealed his one-year drug suspension from the NFL. No decision was announced.

        BEARS:

        Rookie running back Anthony Thomas practiced and expects to play Sunday at Green Bay. Thomas has missed the last two games with a strained right hamstring.

        BRONCOS:

        Wide receiver Rod Smith, who has a sprained left ankle, missed practice and expects his availability to be a game-time decision for Sunday's meeting with Seattle. Smith leads the AFC with 82 catches and 1,029 receiving yards.

        BROWNS:

        The team placed wide receiver Jammi German, who has a sore knee, on injured reserve and signed tight end Jake Moreland off waivers from the New York Jets.

        PATRIOTS:

        A day after meeting with coach Bill Belichick, receiver Terry Glenn practiced for just the ninth time this season with the goal of playing Sunday against Cleveland. It would be just his second game in a season wasted to suspensions, injury and pouting.

        Glenn was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season for missing a drug test. He left training camp, prompting the team to withhold $8.5 million of his signing bonus and try to suspend him for the rest of the season, a decision he is fighting. He was suspended from last week's game by Belichick for refusing to practice despite being cleared medically to do so.

        “There is an understanding, or we wouldn't be where we are,” Belichick said. “That's better than where we've been for quite a few weeks.”

        Glenn told the Boston Globe, “It looks like I'm going to be playing.”

        PACKERS:

        Safety Chris Akins, who had a shouting match with coach Mike Sherman on the sidelines Nov.18 and committed two costly penalties Monday night, was cut.

        MILLER & MNF:

        Dennis Miller's boss hopes the announcer is on his way to becoming a fixture on Monday Night Football.

        “I'm thinking about next year already, and he is as big a part of my show next year as anybody else,” producer Fred Gaudelli said. “He should be back.”

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