Contador Blames Meat for Failed Drug Test

By Justin Worsley

To say the least, 2010 has at least brought the world more creative reasons for athletes failing drug tests.

Last month, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair tried to justify Brian Cushing's failed performance enhancing drug test on account that the linebacker suffered from "overtrained athlete syndrome."

Today cyclist Alberto Contador blames steak.

Contador, who has won three of the last four Tour de France tournaments, tested positive for a small amount of clenbuterol, a drug which is normally used as a decongestant for people with asthma, on July 21.

Contador claims he ate tainted meat the day before and the day of the drug test. Experts have stated that this is possible because the drug is sometimes illegally given to cattle.

The Spaniard also stated that those in his party also commented that the steak did not taste right.

Clenbuterol is sometimes used as a weight-loss suppliment, but can also be used for bodybuilding.

This is not the first time in his career that Contador has been accused of cheating, however, it is the first time he has tested positive for a supplement.

The International Cycling Union has not made any announcements on Contador's, 27, fate. At worst, Contador could become the second cyclist to be stripped of a Tour de France title.

Carney to Kick for New Orleans

By Justin Worsley

When Garrett Hartley missed an easy 29-yard field goal in the New Orleans Saints overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week, it not only cost the Saints the game, it cost Hartley his job.

According to sources, the Saints have brought back John Carney and he will kick for the team in Sunday's home game against the Carolina Panthers.

Hartley, 24, has already missed three of seven field goals this season. Entering this season, Hartley had only missed two kicks in his career, both were longer than 30 yards.

The Saints signed Hartley midway through the 2008 season and he had a breakout campaign, making all of his 13 field goals. Hartley entered the 2009 season expecting to be the starting kicker for New Orleans, but was handed a four game suspension by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy. The Saints used Hartley in only five games.

Carney, 46, started in Hartley's place last season, making 13 of 17 field goals, his worst percentage since 2003.

California to Cut Five Varsity Sports

By Justin Worsley

Despite making the College World Series for the second time in three years, the University of California-Berkley has announced that they will drop their baseball program along with five other varsity sports in a cost-cutting measure.

Starting next year, both men's and women's gymnastics and the women's lacrosse team will no longer be available on campus. California will also no longer financially support the men's rugby the team, the most successful program of the five teams.

The men's rugby team has won 25 National Championships since 1980. The program will lose it's varsity status, instead becoming a "varsity club program." The University is hoping that strong fundraising will keep the team afloat.

The Pacific-10 conference will honor those who were given a scholarship by the school for the sport or, if they chose to, aid a student in transferring to a school that has the sport available. An estimated 163 of the 800-plus athletes who attended the school participated in the aforementioned sports.

Thirteen coaches will also lose their job due to this. California will now have 24 varsity programs and is expected to save $4 million.

The men's gymnastics team has also won four team championships.

Jaguars Sign Edwards

By Justin Worsley,

The Jacksonville Jaguars have claimed quarterback Trent Edwards off of waivers, ending his one day of unemployment.

Edwards was released by the Buffalo Bills on Monday, less than a week after the team announced they would bench Edwards in favor of backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, hoping for an offensive spark. Though the Bills lost to the New England Patriots, they did get the spark they wanted, scoring 30 points for the first time this season.

Jacksonville is exploring options at quarterback after backup Luke McCown was placed on injured reserve after tearing a ligament in his knee during a Week 2 loss to the San Diego Chargers. McCown came in after starting quarterback David Garrard threw four interceptions.

Jacksonville waived linebacker Alvin Bowen in order to make room for Edwards.

Garrard has regressed since receiving a six-year, $60 million extension in 2008, the richest contract in Jaguars history. After a breakout season in 2007 in which Garrard threw 18 touchdowns to only three interceptions and led the Jaguars to the playoffs, Garrard has gone 12-20 including losing six of his last seven starts dating back to least season.

Despite his recent poor play, Garrard was elected as a Pro Bowl alternate last season.

In two starts, Edwards has completed 29 of 52 passes for 241 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Garrard has completed 44 of 74 passes for 448 yards with 4 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Raye Fired As 49ers Offensive Coordinator

By Justin Worsley

Before the season started, many NFL experts had predicted that the San Francisco 49ers would easily win the NFC West division this season.

Now that the season has started, experts are trying to figure out when the team will get their first win.

After scoring only 38 points in the first three games of the season, the 49ers have decided to go in a different direction on offense, firing coordinator Jimmy Raye and promoting quaterbacks coach Mike Johnson.

The move comes just a day after the 49ers lost to the surprisingly undefeated Kansas City Chiefs 31-10.

Only the Carolina Panthers have scored less points than San Francisco so far this season. Six teams have already scored 38 points in just one game this season.

Raye, 64, was entering his second season as the 49ers coordinator. He has also been an offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders, the Washington Redskins, Kansas City, the New England Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Rams when they were in Los Angeles.

The firing will mark the eighth consecutive season that San Francisco has gone with a different offensive coordinator than the year before. San Francisco has not made the playoffs since 2002.

Many of the teams woes this season are due to the lack of a running game as well as inconsistency by quarterback Alex Smith. The offense ranks 20th in the league in total yards.

Sources: 'Melo to the Nets

By Justin Worsley

With the clock ticking away until next year's free agency period and chances of an extension becoming slimmer by the day, it seems that the Denver Nuggets are finally trying to organize a trade for their star player Carmelo Anthony.

Sources have told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that Anthony is the centerpiece of a four-team trade that would bring Anthony to the New Jersey Nets.

Also involved in the deal are the Charlotte Bobcats and the Utah Jazz. New Jersey would ship Derrick Favors, the fourth-overall pick in last June's NBA Draft, to Denver and Devin Harris to Charlotte.

Utah would also send Andrei Kirilenko to Denver. Both New Jersey and Utah would also send multiple draft picks to Denver.

After acquiring Harris, Charlotte will send Boris Diaw to Utah.

New Jersey, however, will only accept the trade if Anthony, 26, would agree to a contract extension. Anthony is a free agent after this season and declined multiple extensions offered by Denver.

Last week, Anthony listed the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls as his top two destinations, however, Chicago is refusing to give up Joakim Noah in exchange for Anthony. No reported deals have materialized with the Knicks.

The deal would be similar to the 2007 trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. Garnett, then playing for Minnesota, also wanted out of his team and Boston only agreed to the deal once Garnett committed to an extension with them.

Anthony, a three-time All-Star, ha spent his entire career in Denver.

Nelson Out As Warriors Coach

By Justin Worsley

Apparently, the new ownership of the Golden State Warriors want a fresh start.

According to sources, Don Nelson will not be the head coach of the Warriors this season, instead being replaced by Keith Smart.

Nelson is entering the final year of his contract and will receive his $6 million salary regardless of his job status. Last season, Nelson became the NBA's all-time winningest coach.

Smart's career as a head coach has been brief. His only experience was on an interim basis in Cleveland in 2003. Smart is best known for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1987 NCAA Championship game against Syracuse while he was playing at Indiana.

Last July, Peter Guber and Joe Lacob purchased the Warriors from Chris Cohan for a record $450 million.

The new ownership is hoping Smart can help steer the ship in a better direction, towards the playoffs, where Golden State has not been since the 2006-07 season.

Nelson, 70, has a career record of 1,335-1,063 and has won three NBA Coach of the Year titles.

Diamondbacks Bring in Towers as General Manager

By Justin Worsley

With their team suffering through a miserable 60-91 record currently this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks have decided to prepare for next season early.

Current Yankees Kevin Towers has agreed to a two-year deal to become the general manager of the Diamondbacks, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.

Prior to this year, Towers has spent his entire MLB career involved with the San Diego Padres. The organization drafted the former BYU pitcher in the first round of the 1982 MLB Draft, however, Towers spent all seven seasons of his playing career in the minor leagues, never making it past the Triple-A level.

In 1995, Towers became the Padres general managers, a position he held until 2009 when he was fired by the team.

Towers helped mold the Padres into consistent contenders, winning four division titles and appearing in the 1998 World Series, where they were swept by the New York Yankees.

Only the Pittsburgh Pirates have a worse record than Arizona's this season.

Buffalo Benches Embattled Quarterback Edwards

By Justin Worsley

After starting the season off in an 0-2 hole, the Buffalo Bills are now looking in a new direction at quarterback.

The Bills announced on Monday that the team will now move on with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback, benching the ineffective Trent Edwards in favor of Fitzpatrick for the second straight season.

Edwards, 26, is entering his fourth season, all with Buffalo. So far this season, Edwards has completed 29 of 52 passes for 241 yards with one touchdowns and two interceptions. His 55.8 quarterback rating is the lowest of his career.

Edwards won the starting quarterback job over Fitzpatrick and third-string quarterback Brian Brohm this preseason. Buffalo entered this season with hopes of a franchise revival under new head coach Chan Gailey. The team, however, is off to their usual losing ways and their offense has not produced as hoped. Gailey was hired mostly due in part to his ability to create powerful offenses.

Fitzpatrick, 27, was 5-4 as a starter in Buffalo last year, his first season with the team. The Bills acquired Fitzpatrick last offseason after he started 12 games for the Cincinnati Bengals when starting quarterback Carson Palmer went down. Last season, Fitzpatrick completed 127 of 227 passes for 1,422 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

In his rookie season in 2005, Fitzpatrick became just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 300 yards in his NFL debut. While playing for the St. Louis Rams, Edwards replaced injured quarterback Jamie Martin during halftime of a game against the Houston Texans. Down 24-3 when he entered the game, Fitzpatrick passed for 310 yards and led the Rams to a 33-27 overtime victory.

The Buffalo Bills have not had a winning season since going 9-7 in 2004, mainly due to their lack of a leader at quarterback. The last consistent starting quarterback for the organization was Drew Bledsoe who last played for the team in 2003. Buffalo has not made the playoffs since 1999, when they lost in the opening round to the Super Bowl-bound Tennessee Titans in a game that is remember for a dramatic ending now called the "Music City Miracle."

Buffalo travels to New England this Sunday to face the Partiots (1-1.) Buffalo has not won a road game against New England since 2001.

Joe Torre to Step Down at Season's End

By Justin Worsley

With the 2010 season winding down, Joe Torre has decided to call it a career.

The Los Angeles Dodgers skipper, who turned 70 last July, announced on Friday that he will retire at the end of the season, ending a 29-year managerial career that includes 14 postseason appearances, a streak that will most likely end this season. The Dodgers are currently 72-76, 11 games behind the San Francisco Giants for the division lead with only 14 games left in the regular season.

Immediately after announcing Torre would step down, the Dodgers promoted hitting coach Don Mattingly to manager. Mattingly has work with Torre since 2004.

The prime of Torre's career came when he was the manager of the New York Yankees, leading them to the playoffs in all 12 seasons in which he was the manager. The Yankees also won six AL Pennants and four Wold Series titles during Torre's tenure.

The Yankees, however, parted ways with Torre after the 2007 season after Torre turned down a contract offer which was, though still the richest contract for any manager in the league, deemed as an insult by the New York media.

Torre has also been a manager of the New York Mets, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. In 2007, Torre became the first person to win 2,000 games as a manager and have 2,000 hits as a player. Torre is fifth all time in career wins as a manager with 2,318 wins and 1,989 losses in his career. Torre also won Manager of the Year in 1996 and 1998.

NCAA Suspends Electrifyng QB For Preferential Treatment

By Justin Worsley

Entering this season, Middle Tennessee State was a preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference, much in part due to their dual-threat quarterback, Dwight Dasher.

Not it seems that the team will have to win a big chunk of the season without him.

The NCAA has suspended Dasher for four games for preferential treatment after it was revealed that an 80-year-old man gave Dasher $1,500 as a loan this year. In order to become eligible again, Dasher must repay all of the loan.

Dasher, a senior, was the consensus all-conference quarterback in the preseason. Last season, Dasher completed 219 of 399 passes for 2,789 yards with 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Dasher also ran for 1,154 yards and 13 touchdowns, becoming just the eighth quarterback in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 2,000 yards in the same season.

After defeating Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl last season, Dasher was named the game's most valuable player after passing for 162 yards and rushing for another 201. Dasher both threw and ran for two touchdowns in that game.

Middle Tennessee State is currently 1-1 and Dasher is yet to step on the field this season. Backup quarterbacks Logan Kilgore and Jeff Murphy have both started a game apiece in Dasher's absence.

The next four games on the Blue Raiders schedule include back-to-back road games against Memphis and Louisiana-Lafayette before hosting the returning Sun Belt champion, Troy and then returning to the road to face Georgia Tech.

Blackhawks Coach Quenneville Receives Extension

By Justin Worsley

Last season, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville brought back the Stanley Cup to the Windy City for the first time in 49 years. On Thursday, the Blackhawks showed Quenneville they were dedicated to preventing another five-decade hiatus.

Quenneville, who also turned 52 on Thursday, is entering the final year of a three-year contract this season. The Blackhawks have signed Quenneville to an extension which runs through the 2013-14 season.

Quenneville took over as the Blackhawks head coach four games into the 2008-09 season after former head coach Dennis Savard was fired. He has also coached the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche in his career.

In just under two full seasons as the Blackhawks head coach, Quenneville has posted a 97-44-19 record. He has a career record of 535-327-77.

Cubs Pitcher Zambrano to Retire After 2012 Season

By Justin Worsley

Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano announced Wednesday night after earning his ninth win of the season that he will retire when his contract expires after the 2012 season.

Zambrano, 29, cited his family and in particular, his daughter, as the reason why he was retiring. In his 10-year career, Zambrano has been named to three All-Star teams. In 2006, he led the National League in wins.

Always a fiery competitor, Zambrano has been known throughout his career for his inability to control his emotions as well. Last season, Zambrano was suspended six games and fined $3,000 by the MLB after a dugout tirade that resulted from an umpire Mark Carlson calling a Pittsburgh Prates player safe at home plate late in the game.

Last June, Zambrano was shut down by the Cubs for another tirade, including an altercation with former teammate Derek Lee. The organization suspended Zambrano indefinitely and also required the player to undergo anger management. After returning as a relief pitcher, the Cubs placed Zambrano back in the starting rotation early in August.

In 17 starts this season, Zambrano is 9-6 with a 3.75 ERA.

Rangers Give Staal a New Deal

By Justin Worsley

The New York Rangers have re-signed a key piece to their defense on Wednesday, just days before their training camp begins on Friday.

Marc Staal, one of four Rangers to play in all 82 games for New York last season, has been signed to a five-year deal worth $19.875 million. The deal does not contain a no-trade clause.

Last season, Staal, 23, had a career-year scoring wise, scoring eight goals along with 19 assists. The Canadian-born Staal has become the iron-man of the organization, playing in 202 consecutive games. Last season, Staal averaged 23 minutes, 7 seconds of ice time, the highest amount on the team.

Staal was a restricted free agent this offseason. The Rangers selected the defenseman with the 12th overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft.

Shaun Hill to Start at Quarterback for Detroit This Week

By Justin Worsley

The Detroit Lions have announced on Wednesday that backup quarterback Shaun Hill will start this week against the Philadelphia Eagles in the team's home opener this Sunday.

Starting quarterback and team leader Matthew Stafford suffered a shoulder injury last Sunday when Chicago Bears defense end Julius Peppers slammed Stafford into the field, injuring the second-year player's right shoulder in the process.

Stafford missed six games last season, all losses by Detroit, with injuries to his left shoulder and right knee. The Lions selected Stafford with the first-overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Hill, 30, was acquired by the Lions this offseason after the team traded away a seventh-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers. In San Francisco, Hill also competed for a starting job with another former first-overall draft pick, Alex Smith.

Philadelphia will also be sending out their backup quarterback this weekend. Kevin Kolb has been ruled out this week with a concussion, making way for Michael Vick to attempt to earn more playing time.

Hill completed 9 out of 19 passes last Sunday, including a controversial pass to Calvin Johnson which could have been the game winning touchdown if not for the officials to rule it an incompletion due to Johnson being unable to maintain possession of the ball.

No official word has come from Detroit about the extent of Stafford's injury or whether or not he will need surgery. Stafford, 22, suffered a separated shoulder last season against the Cleveland Browns. Despite being injured, Stafford re-entered the game late in the fourth quarter and threw a game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

In the Lions loss last week, it marked the first time in Stafford young career that he did not record a touchdown.

Reggie Bush Gives Back To The Community

By Justin Worsley

The Heisman Trust witnessed history today as someone attempted to return the coveted award.

Reggie Bush, the 2005 winner of the most prestigious collegiate award, announced on Tuesday that he will forfeit his trophy after being ruled an ineligible player during his tenure at the University of Southern California for receiving improper benefits along with former basketball player O.J. Mayo. Bush currently plays for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL.

USC was forced to vacate their wins during their National Championship-winning season in 2004 and in 2005 where they lost to Texas in the BCS Championship. The program is also currently facing a two-year postseason ban.

Bush's number 5 jersey was also removed from the LA Coliseum, the football programs home field.

Bush made his announcement through the New Orleans Saints official web-site.

The runner-up to the award, current Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, stated on Monday that he would be glad to accept the award if the Heisman committee decided to strip Bush of the award. Bush won the Heisman Trophy with 2,541 points in the vote, the second-most in the history of the award.

No former recipient of the Heisman Trophy has ever returned the award in it's 75-year history.

In the wake of the allegations, USC head coach Pete Carrol bolted the program to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. All sanctions are involved during Carrol's tenure in USC.

Bush rushed for 1,740 yards on only 200 carries and 18 touchdowns in his Heisman-winning season.

Allen Iverson Ponders Playing In China

By Justin Worsley

With his option in the NBA running out, point guard Allen Iverson is considering playing basketball in an unfamiliar land.

According to the Associated Press, Iverson has been contacted by a professional team in China. Most NBA teams begin training camp in less than two weeks and Iverson, 35, is yet to be contacted by a team.

Iverson, the first-overall draft pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, last played for the Philadelphia 76ers, his second stint with the team. Last year, Iverson was also unwanted by the NBA and announced his retirement in November, stating that he still felt that he could play a high level of basketball. Philadelphia quickly contacted Iverson to bring him back for the remainder of the season.

It is unknown which team is currently in talks with Iverson. In his career, Iverson has averaged 26.7 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. Iverson was also named to 11 consecutive All-Star games from 2000-10.

Throughout his 14-year NBA career, Iverson has been one of the most well-known faces in the league and could help his new team sell tickets overseas. Despite winning four league scoring titles, Iverson has never been able to clinch an NBA Championship.

Iverson was initially contacted by the team last month.

Devils Are Penalized For Kovalchuk Deal

By Justin Worsley

Apparently, a $100 million isn't enough money in the opinion of the NHL to allow the New Jersey Devils to sign winger Ilya Kovalchuk.

New Jersey has been fined $3 million by the league and will have to forfeit two high draft picks in the next four years due to the organizations attempt to circumvent the salary cap. In July, the team penned Kovalchuk to a 17-year, $102 million deal.

The signing was initially rejected by the league, stating that the contract was front-loaded and paid out too little at the tail end of the deal. The Devils took the case to an arbitrator, who sided with the NHL. The Devils were finally able to sign Kovalchuk, 27, to a 15-year, $100 million deal last month.

The monetary fine will not go against New Jersey's salary cap. New Jersey also has the option as to which year they will forfeit a pick, however, they must inform the league by the day after the Stanley Cup of their decision.

Kovalchuk was the prized possession of this year's free agent market. Since his rookie season in 2002, Kovalchuk has scored 621 points including 338 goals, the most by any NHL player in that span. The Devils acquired Kovalchuk from the Atlanta Trashers in a trade last season.

Ravens Land Houshmandzadeh

By Justin Worsley

The Baltimore Ravens have signed free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, scooping the former Pro-Bowler after being a free agent for only two days.

Houshmandzadeh was released by Seattle on Sunday when all teams were required to cut down to a 53-man roster. Seattle signed Houshmandzadeh in 2009 to a five-year $40 million contract. The Seahawks will still pay Houshmandzadeh $6.15 million this season.

According to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter, the Ravens signed Houshmandzadeh to a one-year, $850,000 contract, giving Houshmandzadeh a $7 million salary this season.

Houshmandzadeh, 32, is the second wide receiver from the NFC West division to join Baltimore this offseason. The Ravens traded with the Arizona Cardinals for Anquan Boldin last March.

Houshmandzadeh will now suit up twice a year against the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted the ten-year veteran in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Oregon State. His former college teammate, Chad Ochocinco, was drafted in the second round by Cincinnati as well that year.

Houshmandzadeh had a career-year in 2007, where he tied New England's Wes Welker for the league lead with 112 receptions. In his career, Houshmandzadeh has caught 586 passes for 6,693 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Last season, however, was a disappointment in Seattle. Houshmandzadeh caught 79 passes for 911 yards, but was only able to find the end zone three times while Seattle finished with a 5-11 record.

Baltimore is looking to make a run at the Super Bowl this season after making two consecutive playoff appearances.

Thrashers Bring In Veteran Modin

By Justin Worsley

The Atlanta Thrashers have signed veteran forward Fredrik Modin to a deal on Monday, bringing in a veteran player to help turn the franchise around.

Modin, 35, played for Columbus and Los Angeles last year, scoring 11 points in 44 games.

Modin has also played for Toronto and Tampa Bay. In 2004, Modin helped Tampa Bay win the Stanley Cup.

In 858 career games, Modin has notched in 225 goals along with 227 assists. Modin, however, has failed to score more than 40 points or 10 goals in a season since 2007. Injuries were a key factor to his decline in production in Columbus.

The deal is good for one-year. Financial terms were not disclosed on press time.

Atlanta has not made the playoffs since being swept in the opening round by the New York Rangers in 2007.

Redskins, Titans Discuss Trade For Haynesworth

By Justin Worsley

The Washington Redskins are, again, discussing the possibility of trading away disgruntled defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to his former team, the Tennessee Titans, according to sources.

Haynesworth lost his starting job this offseason after refusing to show up to the teams organized training activities in protest of new head coach Mike Shannahan's 3-4 defensive scheme. When Haynesworth finally showed up, his performance was considered "awful" by his coaches in the preseason.

The Redskins landed Haynesworth within the first hours of free agency in 2009. The 6-foot-6, 350-pound Haynesworth signed a seven-year, $100 million deal.

Washington gave Haynesworth an opportunity to find himself a way out of the team last April, telling him he was allowed to pursue a trade opportunity. Instead, Haynesworth cashed a $21 million signing bonus check from the team.

Tennessee selected Haynesworth with the 15th overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft. Haynesworth was an immediate force amongst the teams defense, earning two Pro-Bowl selections as well as making the 2007 and 2008 All-Pro team.

Washington will most likely come out on the losing end of a deal after the tumultuous offseason with Haynesworth. During April, teams were considering giving up as much as a second-round draft pick for the 29-year-old. Now that teams have seen Haynesworth poor performance along with his negative attitude towards a 3-4 defense, his stock has plummeted. ESPN.com, however, has reported that Washington is still asking for two draft picks in exchange for Haynesworth.

Haynesworth missed the first ten days of training camp after continuously failing his conditioning test. After finally joining the team, as a backup, Haynesworth missed another week of training camp due to an "illness."

In just over a year at Washington, Haynesworth has made $32 million.

Dennis Dixon Named Steelers Starter

By Justin Worsley

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that Dennis Dixon will be the starting quarterback for at least the first four games of the season.

Dixon, 25, beat out Byron Leftwich for the starting job after Leftwich suffered a knee injury before the team's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. Dixon completed 23 of 32 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions this preseason.

Dixon has started only one game in since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, an overtime loss the division rival Baltimore Ravens.

Dixon will start the first four games of the season while incumbent quarterback Ben Roethlisberger serves a league suspension for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in Georgia last April.

The Steelers start the season off by hosting the Atlanta Falcons before traveling to Tennessee and Tampa Bay in Week 2&3 before returning home to face Baltimore. Roethlisberger will be allowed to return to the team after their game against Baltimore. Pittsburgh has a bye week in Week 5. The combined record for their first four opponents last season was 29-35.

The Steelers also have longtime backup quarterback Charlie Batch on their roster.

Ole Miss Quarterback Masoli Ruled Eligible

By Justin Worsley

Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli wanted a fresh start at Mississippi, but had to fight in order to get that start.

On Friday, Masoli won that new beginning. After the NCAA ruled Masoli ineligible this season due to transfer rules three days ago, Masoli won an appeal that will make him immediately eligible for the Rebels Saturday game against Jacksonville State.

Masoli's transfer to Ole Miss was highly published. The junior was kicked off of Oregon's team after multiple run-ins with the law.

Masoli entered the season as a contender for the Heisman Trophy, however, after his dismissal from Oregon, his chances to win the coveted trophy went down the drain.

Rumors have circulated that Ole Miss is considering naming the 5-foot-11, 214 pound mobile quarterback team captain. The Rebels are coming off of a 9-4 season and is looking to dethrone defending nation champion and division rival Alabama.

Michigan, Ohio State Divided In Big Ten's New Divisions

By Justin Worsley

Despite much protest from fans, the Big Ten has separated it's conferences biggest rivals, Ohio State and Michigan.

The re-alignment, which takes place in 2011 when Nebraska joins the conference, is broken down to two currently unnamed divisions.

Ohio State joins Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana in one division while Michigan joins interstate rival Michigan State as well as Purdue, Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota in the other division.

Despite being separated, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney hasn't fought tradition. Ohio State and Michigan will still play each other in the conference finale each year. The separation of the two teams opens up the opportunity for both teams to face each other twice a year, once during the regular season and a second time during the conference championship game.

The first Big Ten football championship game will be hosted at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.

Matt Leinart Trade On The Horizon

By Justin Worsley

Four years ago, the Arizona Cardinals were just coming off of their seventh consecutive losing season and entered the 2006 NFL Draft looking for a new face of the league's oldest franchise.

Today, it seems that they are trying to part ways with that face.

After failing to translate his successful college career to the pros, Matt Leinart is apparently on the trading block, according to ESPN.com. Two teams have expressed interest to far, the Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants.

Either place he lands he will be a backup. The Giants will most likely part ways with backup quarterback Jim Sorgi, who injured his shoulder in the preseason, while Oakland is content with Jason Campbell as their potential franchise savior. The trade could happen as early as this weekend,

Leinart spent his entire career in Arizona fighting for the starting job with veteran quarterback Kurt Warner. Leinart ultimately lost the job and Warner led the Cardinals to the teams first Super Bowl appearance in the 2008 season as well as their first playoff appearance since 1998. Leinart spent his time learning from Warner.

After Warner retired in January, Leinart entered the offseason for the first time without Warner battling for the starting job and it seemed that Leinart would be the starter. However, the Cardinals signed former Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Derek Anderson and Leinart, again, had to fight for his job.

After Leinart entered the first two preseason games as the starting quarterback, head coach Ken Wisenhunt decided to go in a different direction, replacing Leinart with Anderson for the final two preseason games.

Leinartcompleted 19 of 23 passes this preseason for 161 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Anderson is 31-for-53 with 287 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions.