Sports : NFL

Darrelle Revis was walking toward his teammates on the practice field when a strange feeling came over him. "I had butterflies," the New York Jets' cornerback said with a grin Monday. For a guy who routinely shuts down opponents' best wide receivers, the acknowledgment of insecurity was stunning.

Quarterback Dennis Dixon will start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their season opener Sunday against Atlanta. Coach Mike Tomlin chose the third-year player Monday over longtime backup Charlie Batch. Dixon and Batch are the lone two healthy quarterbacks eligible to play. Ben Roethlisberger is serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, while Byron Leftwich...

Matt Leinart has agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Texans, according to agent Tom Condon. Leinart was cut by Arizona on Saturday. Condon confirmed in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Monday that Leinart had reached a deal with the Texans. The Texans would not confirm the deal. The team returns to practice Wednesday, leading up to Sunday's season opener against Indianapolis.

The Baltimore Ravens upgraded their receiving corps again by agreeing to terms Monday with T.J. Houshmandzadeh. To make room for Houshmandzadeh on the roster, the Ravens traded wide receiver Mark Clayton to the St. Louis Rams for an undisclosed draft pick. Clayton, drafted 22nd overall by Baltimore in the 2005 draft, ranks third in Ravens history with 234 career catches and 3,116 yards.

Ben Roethlisberger is no longer a Pittsburgh Steelers captain. Dennis Dixon is the new Steelers quarterback, at least for the time being. Roethlisberger, suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season, was not chosen a Steelers captain in a vote by his teammates. He has been selected the previous two seasons.

Donovan McNabb was practicing again, Albert Haynesworth was still running mostly with the backups, and Brian Orakpo opened practice by yelling: "Dallas week! Y'all know what time it is." The Washington Redskins hit regular season mode Monday with as much drama as ever, with tension a bit higher at practice and coach Mike Shanahan ratcheting his game face up a notch or two ahead of...

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is back at practice. Jones-Drew, who missed most of the last two weeks of work amid reports he was dealing with a knee injury, returned to practice Monday and expects to ready for Sunday's season opener against Denver. He says his knee is "a non-issue." He says there are a lot of "false reports" out there.

Just like that, the Cleveland Browns' defense got a whole lot bigger, badder and bulkier. Shaun Rogers came back. The mammoth nose tackle, who missed training camp and all four exhibition games while recovering from a leg injury sustained last season that required surgery, returned to practice Monday.

The NFL will update its teams this week on the repositioning of the umpire to the offensive backfield. A memo will be sent to the 32 clubs outlining how the change will work during the season. A meeting of the referees and umpires will be held Friday, one day after the season opener between Minnesota and New Orleans.

Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long wore a left knee brace and sat out drills Monday as the team began its final week of preparation for the season opener at Buffalo. Long stretched with the rest of the team at the start of practice, but when drills began he went to the side and rode an exercise bicycle.