COLLEGE FOOTBALL
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- It's a Bolden move for No. 19 Penn State.
Coach Joe Paterno tabbed freshman Robert Bolden the starter for the Nittany Lions' opener Saturday against Youngstown State.
In Paterno's 45 years as head coach, even this is a novelty.
A team spokesman said this is the first time Penn State will open the season with a true freshman as the starting quarterback. It's also the first start for a true freshman quarterback under Paterno for any game since Wally Richardson in 1992.
Bolden barely beat out returning sophomores Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome an impressive feat given that the touted freshman only joined the team this summer. All three quarterbacks still have a chance to earn the starting nod on a regular basis, Paterno said Wednesday night in a statement.
Paul Jones, another highly-recruited freshman quarterback, will likely redshirt this season.
NFL
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Darnell Dockett finally has the contract he feels he deserves.
The Arizona Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they have signed the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle to a four-year extension worth up to $48 million with $30 million guaranteed.
Dockett had two years left on his previous contract, so the new deal runs through the 2015 season. A third-round draft pick out of Florida State in 2004, Dockett has developed into one of the best at his position entering his seventh NFL season as the high-spirited leader of the Arizona defense.
"We are very fortunate to have a player of Darnell's ability," general manager Rod Graves said, "and I think even more so his passion for the game."
Dockett has 26 career sacks, 20 in the last three seasons. His seven sacks last year were the most for an NFL defensive tackle. His three sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers two seasons ago tied Reggie White's Super Bowl record.
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WASHINGTON -- The Washington Redskins have signed quarterback John Beck to three-year contract worth $3.35 million.
The deal is essentially a two-year extension and puts Beck under contract through the 2012 season. More importantly, it appears to solidify his spot on the roster as the third-string quarterback. He had been competing with Richard Bartel for the No. 3 spot behind Donovan McNabb and Rex Grossman.
Beck was acquired Aug. 2 in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.
Beck was with the Ravens last year and previously sent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, who drafted him in the second round out of BYU in 2007. He hasn't played in the regular season since his rookie year, when he appeared in five games.
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INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL will move umpires back to their old spots during the final five minutes of Thursday's preseason games.
Previously they were in the old spot for only the final two minutes of each half.
NFL spokesman Corry Rush confirmed the adjustment Wednesday.
League officials decided to move umpires from the old spot, in the middle of the defense, to behind the deepest running back for safety reasons. But Peyton Manning complained about the switch after being called twice for illegal snaps when the umpire couldn't get into position quickly enough last week at Green Bay.
The NFL will again re-evaluate the new policy after this week's preseason finales. The change could become permanent when the regular season starts.
CYCLING
LOS ANGELES -- The wife of one of Lance Armstrong's former teammates said Wednesday she has spoken to a federal agent investigating the seven-time Tour de France winner and other cyclists.
Betsy Andreu, the wife of former Armstrong teammate Frankie Andreu, said she has talked with Food and Drug Administration agent Jeff Novitzky about Armstrong, but declined to discuss details. She said in a phone interview that her husband has also talked to the agent.
Novitzky did not give her any details about the investigation or who else had been contacted, she said. Other Armstrong teammates, including riders George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton, have reportedly confirmed that they have been contacted by investigators, but they have also declined to give details.
Betsy Andreu has claimed that Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in a hospital room in 1996 while battling cancer. The allegations have surfaced before, including in a lawsuit involving Tour winner and Armstrong critic Greg LeMond, who has said he turned over 70,000 pages of records in the case to investigators.
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