Steelers’ Stewart Demoted; Weekend Arrest for Dillon

The Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Bill Cowher waited 11 games last season to bench quarterback Kordell Stewart. This time, it only took them until the end of the exhibition season.

Cowher issued a terse, three-paragraph statement Monday saying Kent Graham, who previously lost starting jobs with Arizona and the New York Giants, will start Sunday’s season opener against Baltimore.

Only three days after saying he planned to use both quarterbacks, perhaps in the same game, Cowher seemed to back off that statement by assuring Graham that, according to the quarterback, “He won’t have a quick hook.”

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Cincinnati Bengal running back Corey Dillon missed practice Monday after his weekend arrest in a Seattle suburb for the assault of his wife. Dillon, 25, also did not tell the team about his arrest Saturday. Players were off on Saturday and Sunday, and Dillon told the team he would be late returning.

“He had called and his agent had called, but the information they relayed was not consistent with what I’m hearing,” General Manager Mike Brown said.

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San Diego Charger quarterback Ryan Leaf sprained his right ankle while doing some footwork drills early in practice. The team said Leaf is still expect to start Sunday’s opener at Oakland.

“Something like this always happens to me when I get an opportunity,” said Leaf, who was named the starter over Jim Harbaugh and Moses Moreno last week. “It was a freak deal. I was just going through drills and rolled it.”

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Jim Finn, the 253rd and last pick of the 1999 draft, has gone from being cut by the Chicago Bears to earning a job as the Indianapolis Colts’ starting fullback. Finn was signed as a free agent by the Colts in January. . . . The Dallas Cowboys signed free agent Phillippi Sparks to a five-year contract, giving the team depth at cornerback. . . . Packer quarterback Brett Favre, who missed Green Bay’s last three exhibition games with tendinitis in his right elbow, should start the season opener against the Jets. . . . Rookie Thomas Jones will start at tailback for the Arizona Cardinals in their season opener against the New York Giants. . . . Tennessee acquired offensive lineman Genarro DiNapoli from the Oakland Raiders for an undisclosed draft pick. . . . Derrick Alexander, a starter at defensive end last season for Cleveland, was put on the reserve injured list with a sprained right ankle and won’t play this season. . . . Minnesota released linebacker Pete Bercich and replaced him on the roster with linebacker Jim Nelson, who was waived by Green Bay. Also, the Vikings signed cornerback Cris Dishman, 35, to a three-year deal that will pay him about $500,000 this season. . . . Veteran quarterback Glenn Foley was released by the Seattle Seahawks in a cost-cutting move. Foley, who made more than $500,000, lost his backup job to second-year player Brock Huard. . . . The Atlanta Falcons claimed former Carolina Panther defensive end Chuck Wiley off waivers. The team also signed former Chicago Bear cornerback Terry Cousin and released guard Evan Peagram.

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A street bordering the Chicago Bears home stadium, Soldier Field, will be renamed Walter Payton Way for the Hall of Fame running back who died Nov. 1 at the age of 45 of complications from a liver disease.