Steelers Select Maddox to Start at Quarterback

Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Bill Cowher didn’t hesitate Tuesday to announce Tommy Maddox will start against Houston, mostly so it wouldn’t distract his team.

Last week, Cowher waited to pick Kordell Stewart as his quarterback, mostly to distract their opponent.

Cowher, determined not to let a quarterback debate divide a team that is 6-1-1 in its last eight games, said Maddox was playing too well before getting hurt Nov. 17 to lose his job to an injury. Maddox was briefly paralyzed after taking a hit from Tennessee’s Keith Bullock that gave him cerebral and spinal cord concussions.

Stewart had played virtually error-free in the two-plus games Maddox was out, completing 51 of 69 passes for 562 yards, three touchdowns and one interception and running for 135 yards.

“I’ve talked with Tommy and talked with Kordell, and we certainly won’t hesitate -- if we need a spark -- to go to Kordell,” Cowher said. “The bottom line is, at time of the injury, he was playing well and did not merit losing that job.”

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The Chargers again have requested to begin talks with San Diego’s mayor and city concerning the team’s Qualcomm Stadium lease and pursuit of a new venue. The team made a similar request in May, but Mayor Dick Murphy ultimately deferred to a 15-member task force formed to study the issue.

Within the next two months, the Chargers probably will trigger an escape clause in their lease that will lay the groundwork for them to leave San Diego -- and possibly move to Los Angeles -- if they do not get a new stadium.

“Our goal is simple: We want to keep the Chargers in San Diego, and we want to create the best possible chance of succeeding with a public vote,” Mark Fabiani, the team’s point man on new stadium issues, writes in a letter to Murphy and the city council dated today.

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Rookie defensive end Julius Peppers of the Carolina Panthers was suspended for the last four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Peppers’ agent, Marvin Demoff, told the league that he was withdrawing an appeal of the suspension.

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A knee injury that was first thought to be minor will sideline Steeler tight end Mark Bruener for the rest of the season -- his second major injury in slightly more than a year.... Chicago Bear tight end Dustin Lyman will be sidelined the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his left knee.... The Philadelphia Eagles put punter Sean Landeta on injured reserve, and signed punter Jason Baker to a two-year contract.... Tests on Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback Mark Brunell’s throwing hand showed he sprained his middle finger, but did not break any bones. The Jaguars also cut kicker Richie Cunningham.... The San Diego Chargers claimed kicker James Tuthill off waivers from the Washington Redskins.