Ricky Williams played Sunday despite a painful elbow injury.

The New Orleans running back played through an injured ankle in the Saints' first two games. This weekend against the Bears, Williams insisted on playing despite a hyperextended right elbow that required him to wear a bulky brace and essentially made his right arm useless. While his numbers weren't incredible, no one can question the rookie's toughness.

After four weeks, quarterbacks from the Class of '99 are also starting to make their presence felt. Tim Couch got a bit of a head start on his fellow rookie quarterbacks, but it looks like the others are catching up. Akili Smith has been named the starting quarterback in Cincinnati, and Donovan McNabb isn't very far behind in Philadelphia.

With the regular season at the quarter pole, here's a look at how some of the league's most intriguing rookies fared in Week 4.

Each Tuesday during the regular season, ESPN.com will continue to offer its report cards for the Class of '99.

PLAYER, STATS	THE SKINNY
Ricky Williams, RB, Saints at Bears 21 att., 84 yds. 1 rec., 10 yds.	After warmups, Williams told coach Mike Ditka that he was ready to play despite his bad elbow. The Heisman Trophy winner wore a bulky brace on the elbow, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. "After the first hit I realized it wasn't going to hurt that bad, and it gave me some confidence." He finished with 84 yards on 21 carries in a losing effort.
Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles vs. Giants 3-for-7 38 yds., 0 TD, 0 INT 1 att., 13 yds.	McNabb played the entire second half of the Eagles' loss to the Giants, replacing the ineffective Doug Pederson. When McNabb entered the game, the Eagles were trailing 13-9. He played well enough to get the Eagles a 15-13 lead, but he couldn't get the team into the end zone. Coach Andy Reid announced he would stick with Pederson as the starter for Sunday's game in Dallas.
Akili Smith, QB, Bengals vs. Rams 7-for-18 77 yds., 0 TD, 1 INT 3 att., 12 yds., 1 TD	Smith replaced starting quarterback Jeff Blake in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Rams, and he will replace him as the Bengals' starter this week against Cleveland. Smith finished the game 7-for-18 for 77 yards, and he also scored his first NFL touchdown on a 1-yard run. "We have not been productive offensively, and that's the bottom line," coach Bruce Coslet said Monday. "I think the world of Jeff, but we need to try something different. We'll go with Akili this week and see how he does."
Tim Couch, QB, Browns vs. Patriots 12-for-27 195 yds., 1 TD, 0 INT 2 att., 8 yds.	Couch continues to show that coach Chris Palmer knew what he was doing when he inserted him into the starting lineup. The kid from Kentucky was 12-for-27 for 195 yards with one touchdown in the Browns' loss to the Patriots. Couch hooked up with fellow rookie Kevin Johnson on a 64-yard touchdown. After the game, Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe praised Couch. "He played well against a good defense. He shows signs of being a good quarterback in this league."
Kevin Johnson, WR, Browns vs. Patriots 6 rec., 131 yds., 1 TD	Johnson and Couch seem to be building a special relationship. In each of Couch's three games as a starter, he has connected with Johnson for a touchdown. In Sunday's loss to New England, Cleveland took the lead in the first quarter on a 64-yard touchdown reception by the rookie wide receiver from Syracuse. Johnson caught a medium-range pass and then made several quick cuts to turn it into a long score.
Cade McNown, QB, Bears vs. Saints 0-for-4, 0 yds. 1 att., 2 yds.	McNown played in two series during the Bears' loss to the Saints, the first time he has gotten in for more than one series this year. On the season, McNown has completed 10-of-20 passes for 119 yards.
Andy Katzenmoyer, LB, Patriots at Browns 7 tackles	The rookie middle linebacker from Ohio State had a good homecoming in Cleveland. The Westerville, Ohio, native led the Patriots with seven tackles. "It was nice coming out of the locker room and receiving a lot of cheers," Katzenmoyer told The Boston Globe.
Champ Bailey, CB, Redskins vs. Panthers 7 tackles	Bailey was the Redskins' leading tackler in their 38-36 victory over the Panthers. He finished the game with seven unassisted stops.
Wali Rainer, MLB, Browns vs. Patriots 7 tackles	The fourth-round pick from the University of Virginia has quickly established himself as a playmaker in the Browns defense. In Sunday's game against the Patriots, Rainer finished with seven tackles and made a number of big plays. In four games this season, he has 30 solo and 40 total tackles.
Jon Jansen, RT, Redskins vs. Panthers	The second-round pick from Michigan has been impressive so far this year, and he has entrenched himself firmly in the Redskins' starting lineup.