Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and his left leg was amputated, his doctor said yesterday.

Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, said Dr. Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital.

"His overall condition has improved greatly," Kerwin said. "We expect him to be discharged soon."

Kerwin said Collier suffered 14 bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock. In addition, a bullet severed his spinal cord, causing the paralysis. The amputation was the result of damage to his left leg and groin, where blood clots formed. Five bullets alone were removed from his urinary bladder and the 26-year-old player also had bouts of pneumonia, infections and renal failure.

Still, his condition has been upgraded to good from critical.

Collier will undergo physical therapy to learn how to move from his bed to a wheelchair. He will never walk again, the doctor said.

Jankovich refused to say specifically when Collier would be released, citing security concerns.

Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women outside an apartment complex early Sept. 2 when a gunman fired into the vehicle, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Pettway was not injured.

The motive behind the attack on Collier is unknown, but investigators said earlier he appeared to be targeted. Police have made no arrests in the shooting.

JETS

SMITH SUSPENDED, FINED $50K FOR HIT ON BOLDIN

New York Jets safety Eric Smith was suspended for one game by the NFL yesterday for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

Smith was also fined $50,000 by the league for what it called a flagrant violation of player safety rules. In a statement, the NFL said Boldin was in a defenseless position at the time contact was made.

Boldin was resting at home yesterday, a day after being carted off the field following the scary collision in the Cardinals' 56-35 loss to the Jets at the Meadowlands. Smith briefly lost consciousness after the play, and still felt "a little fuzzy."

With 27 seconds left, Boldin tried to catch a pass from Kurt Warner in the end zone, but was hit in the back by Kerry Rhodes and then took a shot to his helmet from Smith. After being worked on for several minutes, Boldin was immobilized and placed on a stretcher before he was carted off the field.

Smith, who said he would try to get in touch with Boldin, insisted there was no malicious intent on his part.

"They just look at the end result, rather than everything that goes into the play," Smith said of those who think it was a dirty hit. "I'm coming to break up a pass and if I don't, it's going to be a touchdown. So, I'm going 100 percent and so is Kerry from the backside. Sometimes, somebody gets hit, angles change and things like that happen. It's not like I was directly leading with the top of my head from what I saw on the film."

RAMS

WINLESS ST. LOUIS FIRES COACH LINEHAN

The winless St. Louis Rams have fired coach Scott Linehan after a fourth straight lopsided loss.

The Rams said yesterday that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will replace him on an interim basis.

Linehan, just four games into his third season, had an overall 11-25 record.

The move was made heading into the Rams' bye week and several hours after the Buffalo Bills outscored them 25-0 in the second half of a 31-14 victory Sunday.

ELSEWHERE

Chargers: Linebacker Stephen Cooper is vowing never to use supplements again, after returning from a four-game suspension imposed by the NFL for testing positive for a banned stimulant. "Honestly, I'm not touching nothing," said Cooper, who took responsibility for his mistake. Cooper led the Chargers with 179 tackles last season, when they made it to the AFC championship game.

Giants: The team and suspended star receiver Plaxico Burress are close to an agreement that will cut his fine for missing a team meeting last week. Burress still will have to sit out the team-mandated one-game suspension against Seattle on Sunday. The Giants on Wednesday suspended Burress for a game and told him to stay away from the team until Oct. 5. The punishment cost the nine-year veteran two checks, or roughly $235,000.

Packers: Coach Mike McCarthy says quarterback Aaron Rodgers sprained his shoulder but intends to play against Atlanta on Sunday. Rodgers was injured during Sunday's 30-21 loss at Tampa Bay, but returned to the game. McCarthy says medical tests revealed no major structural damage.

Bengals: Quarterback Carson Palmer expects to be limited in practice this week by a sore elbow on his passing arm, but insists he'll be ready for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. Palmer sat out a 20-12 loss to Cleveland on Sunday, the first game he missed since the end of the 2004 season. He hurt his elbow a week earlier in a loss to the Giants.

Vikings: The Vikings get left tackle Bryant McKinnie back from his four-game suspension this week. Coach Brad Childress did not declare him the starter immediately. McKinnie spent September in Miami after he was punished for violating the league's personal conduct policy.