Malkin Tears MCL and ACL

By Justin Worsley,

Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee during Friday night's win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Malkin, 24 was in the lineup for the first time in five games, and lasted just under two periods before a collision with him and Tyler Myers took him out of action.

Malkin, a two-time All-Star, has 15 goals and 22 assists this season.

The loss of Malkin comes as another blow for the Penguins, who are also without team captain Sidney Crosby and Mark Letestu.

Malkin missed the previous five games due to knee problems as well as a sinus infection. Against Buffalo, Malkin was held scoreless on three shots.

With 72 points, Pittsburgh only trails the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference standings.

Jeff Fisher Out as Titans Coach

By Justin Worsley,

Just when it seemed that the NFL coaching carousel just stopped spinning, an unexpected turn took place.

The Tennessee Titans announced that head coach Jeff Fisher would not return for the final season of his contract.

Fisher, the NFL's longest tenured head coach, was named the interim coach of the then Houston Oilers in 1994 and has since commanded the team. He is the only person to coach the organization since relocating to Tennessee.

The 52-year-old former cornerback is 142-120 in his career. The Titans made their only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history in 1999, a last-second loss to the St. Louis Rams.

Fisher has a 5-6 career postseason record, but the Titans have not won a playoff game since the 2003 season. Tennessee finished this season with a 6-10 record and failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season.

Titans owner Bud Adams announced on Jan. 7 that he would retain Fisher as head coach and instead part ways with quarterback Vince Young, who Adams hand-selected to be their franchise player in the 2006 draft.

Fisher and Young experienced a falling out with one another this season, climaxing when Young stormed out of the locker room after an argument with Fisher and finding himself on the injured reserve list the next day.

Defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil was also fired last week. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was diagnosed with cancer last year and it is uncertain as to whether or not he will still be with the organization next year.

With Fisher's departure, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid is now the longest tenured head coach.

Anaheim Faces Lawsuit Over Anti-Semitic Remarks

By Justin Worsley,

Ottawa Senators winger Jason Bailey is suing his former team, the Anaheim Ducks for making anti-Semitic remarks towards him as well as decreasing his playing time while with the team.

Bailey, who is Jewish, was drafted in the third-round of the 2005 NHL Draft by Anaheim, but has never played a professional game with them, instead being regulated to three minor league affiliates of the Ducks.

In the lawsuit, which was filed by Bailey's attorneys in the Orange County Supreme Court, the 23-year-old claims the Bakersfield Condors repeatedly made anti-Semitic remarks and denied him ice time.

The Senators acquired Bailey in September 2009 in exchange for winger Shawn Weller. Bailey has yet to make his NHL debut and currently plays for Ottawa's affiliate team, the Binghamton Senators. In 17 games this season, Bailey has failed to score a point.

Justine Henin Retires, Again

By Justin Worsley,

Belgian women's tennis player Justine Henin has announce her retirement from tennis on Wednesday for the second time.

Henin, 28, initially retired in 2008 as the no. 1 ranked player in the world just before the French Open, where she was a favorite to win her fourth consecutive title.

Her retirement was brief, however, and she found herself back on the court in 2010. She came crashing back into the women's rankings, knocking off Nadia Petrova, Sesil Karatantcheva, Melinda Czink and Ana Ivanovic in the Brisbane International before falling in the finals to fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters.

Her retirement comes just five days after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round of the Australian Open. Henin injured her right elbow during the Wimbledon Championships last June and never fully recovered from the injury.

"After my crash at Wimbledon in June, I knew it would be difficult to come back," Henin said in a statement on her website. "...my elbow is too fragile and hurt so that my passion and my profession at a high level cannot continue to exist."

Henin has won seven Grand Slam titles as well as a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics.

Lemaire Won't Return to the Devils Next Year

By Justin Worsley,

New Jersey Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire told the Newark Star-Ledger on Wednesday that he will not return to the team next season.

Lemaire, 65, retired last April after the Devils lost in the opening round of the playoffs to eventual Stanley Cup finalist Philadelphia.

After his retirement, the Devils hired John MacLean to take over as head coach. New Jersey, however, struggled to score and found themselves in last place in the Eastern Conference. MacLean was fired after 33 games and Lemaire returned to the bench.

Lemaire has led the Devils to a 7-7-1 record after a 9-22-2 start, including a current 6-0-1 record in their last seven games. New Jersey is scoring 2.7 goals per game under Lemaire, almost a one-goal increase from when MacLean was the head coach.

Winger Ilya Kovalchuk has also seemed to find his groove lately, scoring eight points during the Devils win streak. In the previous 41 games, the Russian Sniper only had 21 points.

Despite the team's recent success, New Jersey is still in last place in the NHL with only 35 points, however, they are now only two points behind the New York Islanders. The Devils are also still last in the league with only 2.0 goals per game.

Packers Stop Bears Late Rally, Win 21-14

By Justin Worsley,

Sam Shields picked off a pass by Chicago Bears third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie with :37 seconds left to help the Green Bay Packers beat their division rival 21-14 and advance to the Super Bowl.

Hanie entered the game in the third quarter after both Jay Cutler and Todd Collins left the game with injuries.

Green Bay made a statement in their opening drive with passes of 22, 26 and 22 yards by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The drive ended with Rodgers running a naked bootleg to the left side of the field to the end zone.

The Packers doubled their lead in the second quarter when James Starks pounded the ball four yards for his first career touchdown.

Chicago's offense was only able to convert one third down on 13 attempts. Brad Maynard also punted nine times, nearly twice as much as he did last week against Seattle.

The Bears, however, would not bow out of this contest easily. Chicago scored on their first possession with Hanie at quarterback early in the fourth quarter off a two-yard run by Chester Taylor to bring the game within one score.

Two drives later, however, Hanie threw an interception to nosetackle B.J. Raji, who ran it back 18 yards for a touchdown.

Chicago struck back quickly. Hanie found a wide open Earl Bennett for a 35-yard touchdown on a drive that only lasted 1:21.

After a three-and-out by Green Bay, Chicago found themselves with the ball on their own 29 with 2:53 left in the game. The Bears drove up to the Packer's 29 yard line until Hanie threw a pass intended for Johnny Knox into the arms of Shields to end the game.

Green Bay will play the winner of the Jets-Steelers game tonight in Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6 in Dallas.

NOTE: Packers tackle Chad Clifton was injured on the opening drive and did not return.

Jauron Hired as Browns Defensive Coordinator

By Justin Worsley,

The Cleveland Browns have named Philadelphia Eagles defensive backs coach Dick Jauron as their new defensive coordinator.

Jauron, 60, has been a coach in the NFL since 1085, including head coaching stints with the Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills. Jauron was also named the interim coach of the Detroit Lions in 2005.

2010 was Jauron's lone season in Philadelphia. In 2001, Jauron was named the Associates Press Coach of the Year after the Bears went 13-3 after a 5-11 campaign in 2000.

Cleveland fired head coach Eric Mangini after consecutive 5-11 seasons. Former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan left the team for the same position with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Browns finished the season 22nd in the league in yards allowed but still managed to be in the top-half of the league in points allowed with 20.8 points per game.

Rays Reunite Ramirez and Damon

By Justin Worsley,

In 2004, the Tampa Bay Rays were forced to watch from home while their division rival Boston Red Sox rejoiced in winning their first World Series in 86 years.

Seven years later, the Rays have plucked two players in free agency who were part of the core of that team.

Sources have confirmed to ESPN.com that outfielders Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez have both agreed to one-year deals to return to the AL East.

Damon, 37, will replace Carl Crawford, who signed with Boston in free agency. Last season, while in Detroit, batted .278 with eight home runs and 51 RBIs. In August, the Red Sox tried to bring Damon back to Boston after the Tigers placed him on waiver, but he rejected the claim in order to stay in Detroit.

Ramirez, 38, failed to hit double-digit home runs for the first time since his rookie season in 2010, but still batted .298 while playing for both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox.

Damon's deal is worth $5.25 million while Ramirez, who will be used at the designated hitter, will earn $2 million.

Nabokov Returns to the NHL

By Justin Worsley,

The Detroit Red Wings have signed goaltender Evgeni Nabokov to a one-year deal worth $570,000.

Nabokov spent the previous 10 seasons minding the net for the San Jose Sharks until the team released the 35-year-old last summer. The Russian native spent the first half of this season playing for Russia's KHL league. Last month, Nabokov left SKA St. Petersburg for "family reasons."

Nabokov must still clear waiver in order to join the Red Wings.

Both Red Wings goaltenders, Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard, have been hampered by injuries this season. Osgood, the backup, suffered a sports hernia earlier this week and is expected to be out until at least March. Howard has a bruised right knee which has impacted his play.

Nabikiv went 8-8-5 with a 3.02 goals against average during his stint in Russia.

Nets Kill Talks With Anthony

By Justin Worsley,

The New Jersey Nets have ended communications with the Denver Nuggets to acquire superstar forward Carmelo Anthony in a potential three-team trade.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov called the deal off himself on Wednesday during a press conference.

"The deal has taken too long. It has been taken out in public and it certainly has taken a toll on the players," Prokhorov said on the YES Network. "I believe it has costs us several games."

Most recent rumors had the Nets trying to acquire the 26-year-old Anthony by involving the Detroit Pistons in a three-team trade. New Jersey would also receive Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups in the deal while delivering two draft picks and several players, including point guard Devin Harris and rookie power forward Derek Favors.

The Nets dropped six straight games before winning Wednesday night's contest against the Utah Jazz.

Earlier in the day, the Nuggets granted New Jersey permission to speak with Anthony. Prokhorov had a meeting with Antony on Thursday, however, he promptly canceled the meeting after announcing his decision to end talks with the three-time All-Star.

One of the necessary clauses in the deal was that Anthony would need to sign a three-year contract extension prior to the trade. Anthony, who is set to become a free agent this offseason, did not indicate whether or not he would sign a deal.

Anthony would give the Nets their first superstar under the Prokhorov era. Last offseason, Prokhorov attempted to acquire several marquee free agents such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but to no avail. Prokhorov was hoping he would have better luck with the Brooklyn-native Anthony. The Nets plan on moving the franchise to Brooklyn in 2012.

The deal, however, was potentially doomed from the start. Billups immediately announced after his name was mentioned in the rumor mill that he refused to play for the Nets and no trade was able to materialize.

Anthony has also seen less playing time due to this deal. Nuggets coach george Karl said he could not play Anthony as many minutes because he felt Anthony was "distracted."

Rams Hire McDaniels as Offensive Coordinator

By Justin Worsley,

The St. Louis Rams announced on Tuesday that Josh McDaniels has been hired as their new offensive coordinator.

McDaniels, who spend the last two seasons as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, also served as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator between 2006-08. In 2007, the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and their offense broke several records, including points scored with 589, an eye-popping 36.8 points per game.

McDaniels was also a key component to the development of Matt Cassell, who was forced into action in 2008 after quarterback Tom Brady went down with a torn ACL. Cassell led the Patriots to an 11-5 record, but they missed the playoffs.

The Rams drafted quarterback Sam Bradford with the first-overall pick in last year's draft. McDaniels, who has carried a reputation for developing quarterbacks, will be a key component for the maturation of the presumptive offensive rookie of the year.

St. Louis' offensive coordinator last season, Pat Shurmur, left the team last week to accept the head coaching position in Cleveland.

Votto, Reds Agree to Extension

By Justin Worsley,

Cincinnati Reds first baseman has agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract to stay with the team.

Votto, 27, won the National League MVP award in 2010 after batting .324 with 37 homers and 113 RBIs. The Reds made their first playoff appearance since 1995.

Votto was eligible for arbitration this season had he not signed an extension.

Signing Votto helps the Reds keep another core player on their roster. Cincinnati also signed outfielder Jay Bruce and pitcher Bronson Arroyo to extensions this offseason.

Votto was also named to the All-Star team in 2010, the first in his career.

Forcier No Longer With Michigan

By Justin Worsley,

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon announced that sophomore quarterback Tate Forcier was no longer with the program on Wednesday during new head coach Brady Hoke's introductory press conference.

Forcier was ruled academically ineligible during the Wolverines 52-14 loss to Mississippi State.

During the 2009 season, Forcier was named the starting quarterback by then head coach Rich Rodriguez. He was only the third quarterback in school history to be the opening day starter as a true freshman.

The Wolverines began the season successful under Forcier, going 4-0 for the first time since 2006, however, the team struggled for the rest of the year and finished 5-7.

Forcier found himself on the second-team offense during the annual Michigan Spring Game. Fellow sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson replaced Forcier as the starter.

Robinson went on to start opening day and took college football by storm, creating hype as a Heisman Trophy contender. During the Wolverines opening day win over UConn, Forcier was seen on the sidelines sulking in the game's closing minutes. The following Monday, reports came out that Forcier was possibly seeking a transfer.

Forcier did stay at the school, however, and continued to serve as Robinson's backup. The 20-year-old is not enrolled at the university this semester.

In eight games last year, Forcier passed for 597 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Michigan Names Brady Hoke Head Coach

By Justin Worsley,

After failed attempts at getting Jim Harbaugh and Les Miles to take over the Michigan football program, the Wolverines finally found their Michigan man.

The university announced on Tuesday that San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke will take over a program that went 15-23 in the past three seasons under Rich Rodriguez's command.

Hoke, who served as the program's defensive line coach between 1995 and 2002, was also the head coach at Ball State. In 2008, Hoke's last season as the Cardinals head coach, the team started off 12-0 before losing both the MAC Championship and the GMAC Bowl. When Hoke first entered the program in 2003, Ball State had not had a winning season since 1996.

San Diego State was 2-10 in 2008 before Hoke took over. The Aztecs went 9-4 and won their first bowl game since 1969.

Once a powerhouse program, Michigan has fallen on hard times. The Wolverines began the 2007 ranked second in the nation, but fell to FCS foe Appalachian State in the season opener and found themselves struggling to return to the Top 25.

Last season's 7-6 campaign was the only winning year under Rodriguez.

Michigan brass targeted Harbaugh immediately after firing Rodriguez. Harbaugh, a former Wolverines quarterback, helped Stanford win 12 games this year, a school record.

The attraction of the NFL was just too much for Harbaigh, however, and he eventually took the head coaching job at San Francisco.

Miles, the current LSU coach, is not only a former Michigan athlete, but an offensive line coach as well. Miles, however, decided to remain with the Tigers after meeting with Michigan Monday night. Miles won the National Championship with LSU in 2007.

Hoke, 52, is 47-50 in his career including 1-1 in bowl games.

Trevor Hoffman to Retire

By Justin Worsley,

Closer Trevor Hoffman has announced his retirement on Tuesday in order to take a front office job with the San Diego Padres.

Hoffman, 43, is the MLB's all-time saves leader with 601. He spent the last two season with the Milwaukee Brewers, however, he has spent a majority of his career in San Diego.

Hoffman also played for the Florida Marlins as a rookie.

Along with his 601 saves, Hoffman also posted a 2.87 ERA and 1,133 strikeouts in 1,035 career games.

The retirement of Hoffman will also pave the way for New York Yankee's closer Mariano Rivera to eclipse Hoffman's save record. Mariano, who signed a two-year contract to remain in New York this offseason, has 559 saves and was sixth in the American League last year with 33 saves.

"It's time to retire. It's time to move on," Hoffman told MLB.com. "This is more of a self-evaluation. I expect to pitch at a certain level, and I had to be honest with myself that I wasn't certain I could maintain that anymore."

The Brewers offered Hoffman salary arbitration this offseason, however, he declined.

Rutgers QB Savage to Transfer

By Justin Worsley,

Last season, Rutgers entered the season with high hopes of winning the Big East conference due to the stellar performance of freshman quarterback Tom Savage the previous year.

Now, the quarterback who was once the face of the program will transfer.

Savage, who was named to the All-American Freshman Team in 2009, was granted his release by head coach Greg Schiano on Saturday.

Savage suffered a sophomore slump this season and was replaced by freshman Chas Dodd when he injured his hand during a loss to Tulane.

When Savage returned. however, he was found himself holding the clipboard as the Scarlet Knights kept Dodd as their starter.

Savage passed for 2,732 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 18 games with Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights did not see as much success with Dodd at quarterback. Rutgers went 4-8 this season, including 1-6 in the Big East.

Savage, a Pennsylvania native, has not used his redshirt, which will be attractive for school looking into the 20-year-old criminal justice major.

In High school, Savage was also looking at Miami, Penn State and Michigan.

Running back Casey Turner also announced that he would transfer to Florida A&M.

49ers Hire Harbaugh

By Justin Worsley,

The San Francisco 49ers have hired Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach.

Harbaugh, who has been the head coach at Stanford since 2007, agreed to a five-year, $25 million deal with the team. It will be his first head coaching job in the NFL.

The 49ers were favored to win the NFC West division this season. San Francisco, however, struggled to take advantage of a division in which all teams had a losing record and finished 6-10. Former head coach Mike Singletary was fired a week before the season ended.

Harbaugh overtook a Stanford program that went 1-11 in 2006. Each season, the team showed improvement and the Cardinal won a team-record 12 games this season.

Several NFL teams were interested in Harbaugh, including Miami and Denver. The Dolphins flew out to California on Wednesday prepared to offer him up to $8 million to coach in South Beach. The team, however, ultimately decided to remain with their current head coach.

Harbaugh's first job as head coach will be to find himself a quarterback. Both of this season's starters, Alex and Troy Smith, are slated to become free agents and the only quarterback under contract is David Carr.

Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback, knows the importance of having a signal caller and coached Andrew Luck at Stanford, who was projected to be the first-overall pick in this year's draft had he not decided to stay in school this week.

San Francisco has not made the playoffs since 2002.

Devils Trade Captain Langenbrunner to Dallas

By Justin Worsley,

The New Jersey Devils have traded team captain Jamie Langenbrunner to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a conditional third-round 2011 draft pick.

Langenbrunner, 35, was drafted by Dallas in 1993 and help pioneered the team to their lone Stanley Cup win in 1999. Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk was a teammate of Langenbrunner's that season.

In 2002, Dallas traded both Nieuwendyk and Langenbrunner to New Jersey in exchange for Jason Arnott, Rich McKay and a first-round draft pick. The two helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup in 2003.

The winger has scored 14 points and is -15 so far this season for the disappointing Devils.

The draft pick can escalate to a second-round pick is the Stars win their opening playoff series or if they re-sign Langebrunner, who will be a free agent this offseason, before the draft on July 1. Dallas currently leads the Pacific Division with 52 points.

Crosby to Miss a Week

By Justin Worsley,

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby has been sideline for most likely a week with a concussion.

Crosby leads the NHL with 66 points and 32 goals. Earlier this season, Crosby had a 25-game point streak.

The Penguins were without Crosby when they lost to Montreal 2-1 in a shootout. Crosby has played in every game for Pittsburgh this season and only missed one game last year when he led the league with 51 goals.

Pittsburgh hosts Minnesota and Boston before traveling to Montreal this week. The Penguins have the league's best record at 26-12-4.

Crosby leads the NHL in All-Star votes.

Andrew Luck Stays in School

By Justin Worsley,

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck announced in Thursday that he will return to school next season instead of entering the NFL Draft.

Luck, a redshirt sophomore, was projected as the best overall player available in the draft. The Carolina Panthers, who hold the first-overall pick, stated on Wednesday that they were interested in Luck.

Luck is an architectural design major who will earn his degree next spring. In a statement, Luck said "I am committed to earning my degree in architectural design from Stanford University and am on track to accomplish this at the completion of the spring quarter of 2012."

Luck's decision to stay may also impact the future of head coach Jim Harbuagh. Harbaugh has been courted by several NFL teams this week, including the 49ers and the Dolphins, however, with Luck staying for one more season, Harbaugh could decide he wants to stay for another year as well.

According to ESPN Scouts Inc. Todd McShay, Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert is now the top quarterback available.

After Luck announced his decison, Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett announced his intention to enter the draft.

Luck finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton. Luck was the nation's most efficient passer with a 170.16 rating and 3,338 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. He also completed over 70-percent of his passes.

Dolphins Look Into Harbaugh

By Justin Worsley,

Jim Harbaugh is quickly becoming the hottest commodity in the NFL.

Just a day after the San Francisco 49ers spent over four hours talking to the Stanford head coach about their coaching vacancy, the Miami Dolphins have flown to northern California to also speak to Harbaugh about becoming the Dolphins head coach.

There is one minor problem for Miami. Tony Sporano is yet to be fired as the head coach in Miami.

Regardless, Miami is still doing whatever they can to swoon Harbuagh to south beach. According to reports on ESPN.com, the Dolphins are prepared to make Harbaugh, 47, the highest paid coach in the league with a salary between $7 and $8 million.

The University of Michigan has also tried to hire Harbaugh. Harbaugh was a quarterback at Michigan in the mid-80's.

Harbaugh took over a Stanford program that went 1-11 in 2006 and their team has seen improvement each year under him. This season, the Cardinal won a school-record 12 games and won the Orange Bowl.

If Miami does decide to hire Harbaugh, they will first need to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule, which requires each team to interview a minority candidate for a coaching position.

Miami finished the season 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. Sporano was hired to coach a club that went 1-15 in 2006 and led them to a 11-5 record a year later. The turnaround season led to Sporano winning the NFL Coach of the Year award.

Harbaugh's brother, John, is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.

Texans Hire Phillips as Defensive Coordinator

By Justin Worsley,

Wade Phillips still has a job in the state of Texas.

The former Dallas Cowboys head coach has agreed to be come the defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans.

The Texans began the season with high hopes of making their first playoff appearance in franchise history, however, poor defensive play derailed the team and they finished 6-10.

After the season ended, there were rumors that head coach Gary Kubiak was going to be fired, but instead, Texans owner Bob McNair decided to keep Kubiak and instead fire defensive coordinator Frank Bush.

Phillips replaced Bill Parcells as head coach of the Cowboys in 2007 and led them to a 13-3 record. Each season after that, however, the team's production began to decline. Dallas missed the playoffs before returning in 2009 after going 11-5. The Cowboys won their first postseason game since 1996 that year.

This year, however, the Cowboys carried they hype before the season began that they would become the first team in NFL history to play in their home stadium in the Super Bowl. Those words did not hold true as Dallas started the season 1-7 and owner Jerry Jones decided to cut ties with Phillips.

Along with being the head coach, Phillips served as the defensive coordinator in Dallas in 2009-10 as well as stints with six other teams. Houston will shuffle their personnel to Phillips' 3-4 scheme, which removes one down lineman in order to have four linebackers instead of a 4-3.

Titans to Release or Trade Young

By Justin Worsley,

The Vince Young Era in Tennessee is officially over.

For Jeff Fisher, the world will have to wait another day to find out his fate.

Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams announce on Wednesday that the quarterback would not be on the team next season after meeting with him Monday following their season finale loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Adams also stated that he has not decided on what he will do about the coaching staff.

Tennessee drafted Young third overall in 2006 after he helped Texas win the national title. Adams, who, like Young, is from Houston, announced that "VY if my guy" when the Titans drafted him.

Young's career was highlighted by his success in winning games, he went 30-17 in five seasons as a starter, but was also marred due to his bad decision as a quarterback and his off-field issues.

The Titans began the 2008 season with Young as their starting quarterback, but he was injured after throwing two interceptions in the fourth quarter and left the field with a shower of boos from his home fans. Backup quarterback Kerry Collins led Tennessee to start the season 10-0.

Young showed a great improvement this season, making better reads on defenses and more importantly cutting down on the amount of interceptions thrown. Before Young was placed on injured reserve with a right thumb injury, he had 10 touchdown passes to only three interceptions.

During a loss to the Washington Redskins, Fisher benched an injured Young and it caused a rift between the player and coach. Young threw his shoulder pads into the stands and argued with Fisher in the locker room in front of his teammates after the game. The next morning, Young was placed on injured reserve.

The Titans can not release Young until Feb. 7, the day after the Super Bowl. He can not also be traded until the first day of the league year, which can not currently be determined due to the lack of a collective bargaining agreement signed by the league.

Tennessee started the season perched on top of the AFC South with a 5-2 record before the team lost eight of their final nine games.

Michigan Officially Fires Rodriguez

By Justin Worsley,

The University of Michigan spent their entire Tuesday afternoon downplaying rumors that the school had decided to fire head coach Rich Rodriguez.

On Wednesday, they spent the day confirming the rumors. Athletic director Dave Brandon announced the decision after meeting with Rodriguez on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Rodriguez was 15-22 in three seasons as the head coach for the NCAA's winningest program, but the team steadily had a better season each year. The Wolverines went 3-9 in Rodriguez's inaugural season, 5-7 last season and 7-6 this year.

The team, however, struggled against ranked programs, going 2-11 against those schools. Under Rodriguez, the Wolverines went a combined 0-6 against Ohio State and Michigan State.

The program was also marred by a NCAA violation in which Rodriguez held practice for more hours than he was allowed to. Michigan ultimately sanctioned themselves with two years of probation and a reduction in practice hours.

The Wolverines began the season 5-0, but quickly faded out on their way to a 2-6 finish. The team played in the Gator Bowl, their only bowl game under Rodriguez, where they were decimated by Mississippi State 52-14.

When Rodriguez left West Virginia for Michigan, he carried a reputation for creating a great spread offense attack. He will leave the Big House with a reputation of creating a poor defense. Michigan twice broke the school record for yards allowed and points allowed under Rodriguez.

Rumors have stated that Michigan is very interested in former Wolverines quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who is currently the head coach of Stanford.

LaRoche, Nationals Agree to Two-Year Deal

By Justin Worsley,

The Washington Nationals have signed first baseman Adam LaRoche to a two-year deal late Tuesday night according to the Associated Press.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Washington was seeking a replacement for Adam Dunn, who signed with the White Sox last month. LaRoche, 31, batted .261 last season with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Nationals also signed fellow right-handed batter Jayson Werth to bolster their lineup. Washington has finished in last place in the NL East for the past three seasons.

Washington is expected to announce the deal on Thursday after LaRoche passes a physical. LaRoche has a career batting average of .271 along with 161 home runs in a course of seven seasons.

Raiders Pull Plug on Cable

By Justin Worsley,

In most cases, when a team goes undefeated in their division, not only do they make the playoff's, but the coach maintains his job.

In the bizzaro-world that is the Oakland Raiders, it means quite the opposite.

The Raiders have announced that they will not exercise their team-option on head coach Tom Cable despite the fact that Cable led Oakland to their first non-losing season since 2002.

Oakland became the first team in NFL history to go undefeated in division play and miss the playoffs. The Raiders finished third in the AFC West with an 8-8 record.

Despite their success within the division, Oakland was unable to win outside of it, going 2-8. Of the eight losses, only two teams had winning records.

Cable was named interim head coach after the Raiders fired Lane Kiffin four games into the 2008 season. In two-plus seasons, Cable hosted a 17-27 record.

Never once was Cable given any job security. The Raiders took the interim tag off of Cable in 2009 after he led Oakland to a 4-8 finish to make the Raiders 5-11. In 2009, Cable faced allegations that he assaulted then assistant Randy Hanson. Reports later came out that Cable has a history of alleged assault stemming from both of his ex-wives and his ex-girlfriend.

The Raiders have several coaching options. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has been a sought after prospect by the league, including the San Francisco 49ers, after tweaking the Raiders offense. Oakland scored 410 this season, the most by the franchise since their 2002 AFC Championship. Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh is also rumored to be a candidate.

Cable was the Raiders fifth head coach since 2002.

Pitt Gets Second Chance to Hire Head Coach

By Justin Worsley,

The University of Pittsburgh made a mistake three weeks ago when they announced that Mike Haywood would replace Dave Wannstedt as their head coach. And now they have a chance to redeem themselves.

Haywood was arrested on Friday for a domestic battery charge against an unnamed woman who is the mother of his child in South Bend, Indiana. On Saturday, Pitt fired Haywood was their head coach.

Pitt alumni, players and fans never had a warm reaction to the hiring of Haywood and he never did anything to impress them either. In Haywood's introduction speech, he never once mentioned winning, but instead how he planned to discipline players and to mandate that they attended classes.

While students are in college for their education, Haywood failed to realize he took a coaching job in the Big East, not the MAC, where teams compete for a BCS Bowl and winning is more important. The MAC has the highest graduation rate among the BCS conferences.

It also was apparent that Pitt did not spend much time in the search for a head coach. Haywood spent the last two seasons as head coach at Miami of Ohio. In his first season, the RedHawks went 1-11 and had a turnaround season in 2010, going 9-4 and surprisingly winning the MAC title over Northern Illinois.

The MAC, however, was a much weaker conference this season compared to last year. The bottom three teams in the East Division, which Miami plays in, went a combined 5-35. The RedHawks were also an embarrassment outside of conference play. The defeated Colorado State 31-10, but they went 3-9. Florida, Missouri and Cincinnati romped the RedHawks by an average score of 43.3-9.3 Division rival Ohio also pounded Miami 34-13. In fact, the only two teams who had a winning record that Miami beat was Temple and Northern Illinois in the conference championship game.

Out of the 18 recruits slated to play for the Panthers in 2011, at least half of them are reconsidering their choices and looking at other schools. If Pitt wants to maintain these recruits, which includes four-star athlete Terrell Chestnut and defensive tackle Khaynin Mosley-Smith, they will need to reach out and find a coach with a winning attitude. Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is still available as well as recently fired coach Ralph Friedgen. Athletic director Scott Pederson also has ties with Kansas head coach Turner Gill. Gill was the quarterback coach at Nebraska when Pederson was the athletic director.

Whoever Pitt does decide to hire, it needs to happen within the next three days. January is the busiest month for coaches because National Signing Day is a month away. When a program enters a new regime, it is a rough transition year as recruits look elsewhere and new coaches have to sell people on a system which hasn't been played yet.

Pitt did fire Haywood at the right time though. Haywood has yet to hold a practice, recruit any players or even hold a team meeting. He hasn't even moved into Wannstedt's office. Basically, Haywood has done nothing in the three weeks in which he was at the helm of Pittsburgh's football program.

The Panthers play in a prestigious NFL football town and if they want their program to be on that level, they need to make a correct hire now.

Orioles Sign Lee to One-Year Deal

By Justin Worsley,

The Baltimore Orioles have added more power to their offensive lineup, signing first baseman Derek Lee to a one-year deal on Friday.

Financial terms were not disclosed and the deal is pending on a physical.

Lee, 35, will play in the American League for the first time. Last season, Lee hit 19 home runs and 80 RBIs last season while batting .260 with the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves.

The Orioles can also split Lee with Luke Scott between designated hitter and first base. Scott led the Orioles last year with 27 home runs.

Atlanta acquired Lee in a waiver-wire trade last August and he helped the Braves reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

Lee has hit 86 homers in the last four seasons.

Merriman Sticks With Bills

By Justin Worsley,

Outside linebacker Shawne Merriman has decided to stay with the Buffalo Bills. On Saturday, Buffalo announced that Merriman signed a two-year extension with the team.

Buffalo acquired Merriman in a midseason waiver-wire pick up, however, the three-time All-Pro injured his calf 15 minutes into his first practice with the team and was placed on injured reserve.

The deal is good for $10.5 million and includes several incentives based on Merriman's performance and health.

The player nicknamed "Lights Out" was one of the league's premier pass rushers early in his career but has suffered a slip in production largely due to injuries. He has played in a combined 16 games over the last three seasons.

Buffalo is 28th in the league with 26 sacks.