The helmet-to-helmet hit by Whitner that sent Saints running back Pierre Thomas to the locker room early in Saturday's NFC playoff game was legal.||||||| Whitner was not penalized because the tackle was not against a defenseless player. Helmet-to-helmet hits are outlawed against eight categories considered defenseless players, and a runner is not one of those categories.

Whitney is questionable for Sunday against the Eagles with a hip injury.||||||| Whitner had 11 tackles in three starts.

The Buffalo Bills have tendered a contract to Whitner.||||||| Whitner completed a five-year contract last season, and questioned whether he'd return to Buffalo after negotiations broke down in December.

Whitner is unhappy with the Buffalo Bills' latest offer in contract talks, and says there's a distinct possibility he'll become a free agent. Talks first opened last month. Whitner's status as a free agent will depend on the NFL negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement.||||||| Referring to himself as surprised and hurt, Whitner says he and the Bills are far apart after the two sides held talks this week. He didn't sound optimistic a deal can be reached, while noting the Bills are scheduled to contact his agent on Thursday. He's in the final year of a five-year contract, and has been a starter since the Bills selected him out of Ohio State with the eighth overall pick in 2006.