The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 40

D8 SPORTS LOSANGELESTIMES TONIGHT Miami at SUNDAY Atlanta at a.m. New Orleans at Seattle at Philadelphia at Cincinnati at Kansas Buffalo at New Denver at St. Baltimore at Tampa N.Y. Jets at San Francisco at p.m. Chicago at Green Dallas at Indianapolis at N.Y.

MONDAY Minnesota at p.m. San Diego at WEEK 1 SCHEDULE For this games, as provided by the league: TONIGHT MIAMI DOLPHINS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS Dolphins: OUT: Joe Berger (foot). DOUBTFUL: CB Travis Daniels (ankle). Steelers: OUT: QB Ben Roethlisberger (appendectomy). DOUBTFUL: TE Jerame Tuman (hamstring).

PROBABLE: Willie Colon (hamstring); CB Chidi Iwuoma (concussion); Mike Logan (ankle); Chukky Okobi (knee); Max Starks (knee); WR Hines Ward (hamstring). SUNDAY CINCINNATI BENGALS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Bengals: OUT: WR Antonio Chatman (groin). QUESTIONABLE: CB Deltha (knee); LB David Pollack (hamstring). PROBABLE: DT Sam Adams (knee); LB Ahmad Brooks (neck); WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (heel).

Chiefs: PROBABLE: Kevin Sampson (hamstring). DENVER BRONCOS AT ST. LOUIS RAMS Broncos: QUESTIONABLE: DE Courtney Brown (knee). PROBABLE: DE Patrick Chukwurah (ankle); WR Brandon Marshall (knee); Adam Meadows (shoulder); Erik Pears (finger); RB Cecil Sapp (hamstring); DT Gerard Warren (toe). Rams: No injuries to report.

NEW YORK JETS AT TENNESSEE TITANS Jets: OUT: Trey Teague (lower leg). QUESTIONABLE: CB David Barrett (upper leg); WR Tim Dwight (upper leg). PROBABLE: LB Matt Chatham (lower leg); Pete Kendall (lower leg). Titans: OUT: TE Erron Kinney (knee); DE Antwan Odom (knee). QUESTIONABLE: Jacob Bell (back); WR David Givens (hamstring); Benji Olson (hamstring); Lamont Thompson (ankle); RB LenDale White (ankle).

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT HOUSTON TEXANS Eagles: DOUBTFUL: RB Reno Mahe (ankle). PROBABLE: DE Jerome McDougle (rib); Quintin Mikell (thumb); DT Darwin Walker (rib). Texans: OUT: CB Demarcus Faggins (foot). PROBABLE: RB Ron Dayne (toe). ATLANTA FALCONS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS Falcons: DOUBTFUL: LB Edgerton Hartwell (knee).

QUESTIONABLE: RB Fred McCrary (foot). Panthers: QUESTIONABLE: DT Jordan Carstens (elbow); LB Diggs (knee); WR Steve Smith (thigh). PROBABLE: Evan Mathis (shoulder); Kevin McCadam (shoulder); Shaun Williams (ankle). BALTIMORE RAVENS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Ravens: QUESTIONABLE: RB P.J. Daniels (thigh); DT Aubrayo Franklin (thigh); RB Jamal Lewis (hip); WR Derrick Mason (thigh); CB Chris McAlister (thigh).

Buccaneers: QUESTIONABLE: Dan Buenning (ankle); Davin Joseph (knee); LB Shelton Quarles (groin). BUFFALO BILLS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Bills: QUESTIONABLE Matt Bowen (lower leg). Patriots: QUESTIONABLE: LB Tedy Bruschi (wrist); WR Chad Jackson (hamstring); Nick Kaczur (shoulder). PROBABLE: QB Tom Brady (right shoulder); WR Doug Gabriel (hamstring); Steve Neal (ankle). NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS Saints: DOUBTFUL: DT Rodney Leisle (knee); Bryan Scott (hamstring).

QUESTIONABLE: CB Dejuan Groce (hamstring); RB Aaron Stecker (ankle). Browns: OUT: CB Daylon McCutcheon (knee). DOUBTFUL: Brian Russell (elbow). QUESTIONABLE: Joe Andruzzi (ankle); CB Gary Baxter (pectoral); CB Leigh Bodden (pectoral); TE Darnell Dinkins (knee); Nat Dorsey (ankle); CB Antonio Perkins (groin); Isaac Sowells (ankle); LB Mason Unck (knee). SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT DETROIT LIONS Seahawks: OUT: TE Jerramy Stevens (knee).

PROBABLE: DT Russell Davis (foot); WR Darrell Jackson (knee); Walter Jones (shoulder). Lions: OUT: WR Shaun Bodiford (knee); TE Casey Fitzsimmons (wrist). PROBABLE: DT Shaun Cody (shoulder). SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS 49ers: OUT: TE Delanie Walker (shoulder). DOUBTFUL: DE Parys Haralson (foot).

QUESTIONABLE: CB Shawntae Spencer (hamstring). Cardinals: OUT: LB Karlos Dansby (toe); Oliver Ross (knee). PROBABLE: QB Matt Leinart (right shoulder). CHICAGO BEARS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS Bears: QUESTIONABLE: RB Cedric Benson (shoulder); WR Mark Bradley (hip); Mike Brown (Achilles); DE Alex Brown (shoulder); WR Justin Gage (rib); DE Israel Idonije (ankle); TE Gabriel Reid (back); RB J.D. Runnels (ankle).

Packers: OUT: Junius Coston (knee). DOUBTFUL: CB Will Blackmon (foot). QUESTIONABLE: RB William Henderson (knee). DALLAS COWBOYS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Cowboys: QUESTIONABLE: Flozell Adams (calf); LB Bradie James (groin); Mike Vanderjagt (right groin). Jaguars: QUESTIONABLE TE Marcedes Lewis (ankle); LB Mike Peterson (knee) PROBABLE: Gerald Sensabaugh (ankle); CB Scott Starks (ribs).

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS AT NEW YORK GIANTS Colts: OUT: RB De De Dorsey (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: LB Gary Brackett (knee); TE Dallas Clark (concussion); CB Jason David (groin); Mike Doss (lower leg); LB Gilbert Gardner (hand); CB Nicholas Harper (ankle); TE Ben Hartsock (hamstring); CB Tim Jennings (ankle); Charlie Johnson (knee); LB Freddie Keiaho (knee); Ryan Lilja (knee); LB Rob Morris (shoulder); DT Montae Reagor (knee); DT Corey Simon (knee); Hunter Smith (right groin); QB Jim Sorgi (right shoulder); WR Brandon Stokley (ankle); DE Josh Thomas (hip); Adam Vinatieri (left foot). Giants: OUT: RB Derrick Ward (foot). QUESTIONABLE: WR Si- norice Moss (quadriceps); Rich Seubert (toe). PROBABLE: LB LaVar Arrington (knee).

MONDAY NIGHT MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT WASHINGTON REDSKINS Vikings: QUESTIONABLE: RB Mewelde Moore (knee); CB Fred Smoot (ribs). Redskins: DOUBTFUL: CB Shawn Springs (abdomen). QUESTIONABLE: RB Clinton Portis (shoulder). PROBABLE: DE Renaldo Wynn (ankle). SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT OAKLAND RAIDERS Chargers: DOUBTFUL: TE Aaron Shea (back).

QUESTIONABLE: Leander Jordan (neck). PROBABLE: CB Cletis Gordon (wrist); Marcus McNeill (hand). Raiders: DOUBTFUL: Jake Grove (shoulder); TE John Madsen (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: DE Lance Johnstone (shin). PROBABLE: TE James Adkisson (knee); WR Alvis Whitted (groin).

INJURY REPORT NFL By Larry Stewart Times Staff Writer As Jerome Bettis walked out of the NBC studios in Burbank where Jay Leno tapes his show, four youngsters thrust football cards at the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, begging for his autograph. The youngest, about 6 years old, was holding four Bettis cards. Bettis said. It was nearly a minute before the small hand gave one to the imposing 5-foot-11, 255-pound Bettis, who signed, paused, then grabbed the other three cards and signed them as well. He signed the rest of the cards too.

There were two dozen more autograph seekers on the sidewalk waiting for him. Bettis again obliged but only one item per person this time, and this time he meant it. After the 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, Bettis, 34, retired from the NFL. In so doing, he closed out 13 seasons the last 10 in Pittsburgh after starting out with the then-Los Angeles Rams in which the former Notre Dame star rushed for atotal of 13,662 yards to become the No. 5 all-time rusher and a popular star.

Bettis now turns that star power toward his new career. Tonight, he makes his regular-season debut as a studio analyst when NBC televises the Steelers playing host to the Miami Dolphins, even though there be the normal pregame show because of a music special that kicks off the season. Of his new career, Bettis said, tells me, just be myself. And what going to do. tell you what the hardest part is going to be.

going to be saying anything critical about the Steelers. I could say the Chicago running game could have been sharper, and no one will notice. If I say something like that about the Steelers, it will be headlines in Pittsburgh. it comes with the territory, and just have to learn to deal with Bettis found that out when, during second exhibition telecast, he speculated that Steelers Coach Bill Cowher might retire after this season. It caused quite a stir in Pittsburgh, and Cowher had to explain his frame of mind was different now than it was at the end of last season.

just expressed an opinion, and it got blown out of Bettis said. On Friday, the day of his Leno appearance, wherever Bettis went, people wanted to shake his hand, offer congratulations, gush about his on-field exploits. And always more autograph seekers. It began with the waitress at lunch from Pittsburgh and am one of your biggest fans. I believe it when I saw you walk in It continued with an anonymous fan at NBC who left a Bettis jersey in the dressing room.

On it was a note: Bettis signed it. Bettis has been on the Leno show three times this year. But it is a post-Super Bowl appearance that he remembers best. On that show, the man nicknamed told Leno he was now unemployed and joked, should havethought about having a job before I Two weeks later, he did. NBC, during its Winter Olympics coverage, flew Bettis and his parents to Turin, Italy, to announce his hiring for Night owe Jay for getting me the Bettis now quips.

Actually, NBC was already interested in Bettis, having brought him in for an audition last October, the day after the Steelers played the Baltimore Ravens in a Monday night game. NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol said Bettis proved to be anatural. simply blew us away during his Ebersol said. him on the after his Super Bowl win reaffirmed what I thought that the kind of guy that people want to invite into their living rooms every Bettis is not new to television work, having done some local sportscasting in Pittsburgh along with a couple of guest appearances on NFL do a great job because a said Steelers running back Verron Haynes. was a presence on and off the field.

When he was in a room, you knew he was there. He lit the One of NBC teammates, John Madden, agreed. has an infectious personality. You see Jerome and you smile. a good guy, and people gravitate toward Madden said he was just talking to Charlie Batch, who will be the starting quarterback tonight in place of the sidelined Ben Roethlisberger.

And Batch talked about how his locker was next to the last four seasons. said there were always so many people around Jerome, he needed two Madden recalled. Steelers are going to miss Jerome both on and off the Bettis, who has a 1 1 2 -year-old daughter, Jada, with his wife, Trameka, sees no sign of slowing down now that he playing. His recent visit to Los Angeles was typical. The day before his Leno appearance, he did a guest spot on Emmy Award-winning comedy series and taped a guest appearance on Carson late-night show.

Friday he was a guest at California Speedway, and Saturday he golfed at Los Angeles Country Club. I have any regrets about Bettis said. at larry.stewart@latimes.com NBC ALL SMILES: Jerome Bettis, left, recently made his third appearance this year on Jay show and will be a studio analyst for NBC as part of its football coverage this season. Bettis Makes a Smooth Transition From Football By Sam Farmer Times Staff Writer EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. an executive taking over the most successful sports league in the United one with labor peace, wildly lucrative TV deals, and unrivaled popularity new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has a daunting to-do list.

Goodell, five days into the job, faces the same issues that challenged his predecessor Paul Tagliabue. They include: finding a middle ground on revenue-sharing between the richest and neediest teams; potentially strengthening the drug- testing program; keeping stride with ever-evolving technological advances; and returning to the Los Angeles market, which today officially begins its 12th season without an NFL team. good news and the bad news is got multiple said Goodell on Wednesday at Giants Stadiumin his first news conference as commissioner. got a number of issues got to deal In the coming months, Goodell said he wouldmake visits to each of the 32 teams. He plans to attend opener in Pittsburgh between the Steel- ers and the Miami Dolphins; showdown between the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts, a game that pits quarterbacking brothers Peyton and Eli Manning; and the first half of the Monday night doubleheader, when Minnesota plays at Washington.

Goodell has yet to move into his new office at the Park Avenue headquarters, and said he has had little time to relish the notion onlythe fourth NFL commissioner since World War II. does change your perspective when people call you commissioner after being in the league for that said Goodell, 47, who worked as an intern in the New York Jets media-relations department before serving under NFLcommissioners Pete Rozelle and Tagliabue. they presented me the first football that had your name on it, it sets you back a little Goodell confirmed the league and the union are discussing strengthening the testing program for performance-enhancing drugs, a development first reported Wednesday by the New York Times. Among the subjects he discussed with Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players were increasing the frequency of testing and possibly adding to the list of substances tested. The NFL administers about 10,000 tests annually for performance-enhancing drugs to about 1,800 players.

Each player is tested at least once a year. Each week during the season, the league randomly selects about seven players a team to test. Also, each player may be tested up to six times during the off- season. There is no urine test for human growth hormone, however, and blood tests for HGH are not reliable. Regardless, Upshaw has vehemently opposed the notion of mandatory blood tests.

have no indication that we have a significant issue in HGH, but that mean that you approach it as aggressively as possible to say, what is it we can do to stay ahead of said Goodell, who suggested the league might seek federal funding to help develop a reliable urine test for the substance. Last month, the Charlotte Observer reported that Dr. James Shortt, then a practicing physician in Columbia, S.C., wrote multiple refillable prescriptions for banned performance-enhancing drugs for six Carolina Panthers. The story was based on medical reports in court documents. The newspaper also reported that two Panthers got prescriptions for five banned substances less than aweek before their team left Charlotte for the 2004 Super Bowl in Houston.

Asked if he was concerned about the drugproblem being more widespread, Goodell said: Carolina issue was a Dr. Shortt issue. That was an issue where we had a doctor who has now since been convicted and serving time for violating the law prescribing drugs to players, and point out, a number of people that Goodell also addressed the L.A. situation. Filling that vacancy is important, but it the dominant issue on his early agenda.

know the hundreds of thousands, millions of fans out in Southern California who want to see football back in Los Angeles, but they want to see it done properly and they want to see it done successfully and our he said. Among the other topics Goodell discussed: 8 To help visiting teams better cope with crowd noise, the league is looking into the possibility of putting communication devices in helmets of more players than simply the quarterback. Discussions have included wiring receivers, offensive linemen, even defensive players. that going Star he said. these are very simple ways used technology in the past very 8 Bryant Gumbel will keep his play-by-play job with the NFL Network despite rankling the league by saying that Tagliabue should show his successor as commissioner he keeps Gene Goodell decided to retain Gumbel after meeting with him last week.

expressed my concerns to Bryant about the comments, and I think we have a very good understanding and respect for one another and what we he said. expect he will be aterrific announcer for sam.farmer@latimes.com For Goodell, Challenges Already Loom 8 Al Michaels and John Madden, from ABC to NBC both made the switch but not in tandem. Michaels originally signed with Disney-owned ESPN but ended up at NBC to rejoin Madden. And this makes the fourth network for Madden, who started at CBS in 1979. 8 Andrea Kremer, from ESPN to NBC Kremer moves into a sideline reporting role after mainly making a name for herself as a features reporter at ESPN.

8 Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, Sterling Sharpe and Peter King, new NBC studio team This is the cast for the new show NBC will call Night in 8 Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser, new ESPN team Theismann is the lone carryover from Sunday night team. Tirico came on board after Michaels bolted, and Kornheiseris new to the football booth. 8 Joe Buck, double duty at Fox replaces James Brown on the pregame show and continues in his role as the play-by-play announcer on lead game, working with Troy Aikman. 8 James Brown, from Fox to CBS Brown left CBS in 1993 to become the host of highly successful pregame show. Now he is back at CBS as the host of NFL 8 Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf, new team at CBS Jim Nantz and Phil Simms remain the lead team, but Gumbel and Dierdorf are No.

2. With arrival, Gumbel returned to play-by-play and picked up Dierdorf as his partner. 8 Dick Enberg and Randy Cross, new team at CBS Dierdorf was formerly partner. 8 Ron Pitts and Terry Donahue, new team at Fox Pitts, in his second year as a play-by-play announcer for Fox, played for Donahue at UCLA. Donahue, who was a college football commentator for CBS for three years, is a Fox newcomer.

Talking heads The addition of Jerome Bettis to the new NBC football team is only one of many moves by the networks. Here is a roundup: Larry Stewart 8 Who: Miami at Pittsburgh. 8 TV: Channel 4, 5:30 p.m. 8 What you need to know: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will sit out after an emergency appendectomy Sunday, forcing Charlie Batch into a starting role for the defending Super Bowl champions. The Dolphins missed the playoffs last season despite winning their last six games, and upgraded to Daunte Culpepper at quarterback.

8 Peter pick: It matter who is playing quarterback, because the Steelers win with defense and nine of 11 starters return from a squad that gave up 16.1 points and an AFC-leading 284 yards a game last season. Season opener hen NBC needed someone to write the theme music for its NFL coverage, the network turned, naturally, to aman who has never been to a pro football game. Look at it this way: John Williams flown an X-wing fighter through space or outrun dinosaurs, and he still wrote memorable soundtracks for and Truth is, no better choice to score Sport than Composer. For the last 30 years Williams has provided the background music for our lives. If you heard his notes it means you own atelevision and last went to the movies to catch opening night of of The ominous strings that warn of a lurking shark in the flourishes to herald another escape by Indiana Jones, the sounds that draw you in to Harry magical world Williams is responsible for all of them.

He wrote the original music for nine of the 25 biggest box office films of all time. He wrote the theme song for the Nightly In sports, he wrote the theme song for four Olympics, starting with the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. He wrote the menacing (a.k.a. Darth theme) still popular with college marching bands 26 years after it made its debut in Empire Strikes He wrote the theme that used to blare from the Staples Center speakers after a particularly strong effort from Shaquille So Williams has been at the venues, even when he there. not that Williams like sports, just that, in his words, never been a games- Williams, a New York native who as a teenager moved to Los Angeles with his family in the 1940s and went to UCLA, said he used to take his sons to Dodger Stadium think it was about the hot dog more than the Williams said and when he conducted the Boston Pops orchestra for 12 years he used to head over to Fenway Park with the brass section to watch the Red Sox.

But he never managed to pull himself away from work to catch a football game. (At least the 45 Academy Award nominations and five Oscars show that he was spending his time well). He has watched the sport on television enough to get a sense for it and its place in American culture is why he felt the pressure when he was asked to write Sunday Night Football music for the return to NFL coverage after an eight-year absence. Williams said. hope was that I could get into something that would connect with people and represent the sport.

You never know if you do. I hope I Williams spent a month writing it, spent a long June day with an orchestra in a studio record- ing it (while Al Michaels dropped by), and came up with awinner. His Sunday Night Football forceful tempo and aggressive horns will make you want to suit up. music has to be very special, has to have a sense of drama, has to have a sense of power things that are unique to the game of professional NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol said. has delivered that so Music is as much a part of football as helmets.

In college the marching bands (Williams remembers the Notre Dame Victory March and from his youth). In the pros the sound of NFL Films, where the music of Sam Spence and the narration of John Facenda in the 1960s made games seem like Greek myths and turned the sport into something important. ESPN bring the announcers, the production crew or even the old yellow blazers from ABC when it took over the Night franchise, but it did keep the iconic music (and featured people from all walks of life humming it in an ad campaign). is a different kind of musical said Williams, who described his Olympic scores as celebrating the gathering of nations. a tough test.

a rugged, gladiatorial contest. thing about football is it has all that but got a distinctly American Football is about up-front linemen banging each other. rough. The music is rhythmically taught and strong and tough. brassy.

not something you do with a lot of violins, which you might do if doing swimming. goes with Sounds like something John Madden would say. Which means it sounds like football season. J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com.

To read more by Adande go to la- times.com/adandeblog. J.A. A DANDE Pairing Williams With the NFL Is Sure to Be a Hit.