NFL to Get Early Start With Thursday Game

A new-look NFL will start its season with a Thursday night game for the first time and end its opening weekend with a Monday night appearance by the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

The 256-game schedule released Thursday includes a Sept. 5 game with the San Francisco 49ers playing at the New York Giants. The Thursday night opener will be shown on ESPN.

With the addition of an expansion team in Houston, the league has realigned into eight divisions of four teams each. After the 49er-Giant opener, the expansion Houston Texans open their season on Sunday night in their new stadium against the Dallas Cowboys, one of 14 games that day.

The first weekend ends with the Patriots opening their new stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. That will be the first of four prime-time appearances for the Patriots. They play in Oakland on Sunday night, Nov. 17, at Tennessee on Monday night, Dec. 16 and at home against the New York Jets on Sunday night, Dec. 22.

There had been some sentiment for leaving ABC’s Monday night late season schedule flexible so that more attractive games could be moved, but that plan was dismissed when CBS and Fox networks complained.

Complete NFL schedule on D15.

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Renaldo Wynn, who can play tackle or end, signed a six-year, $21 million contract with a signing bonus of more than $3.5 million with the Washington Redskins, agent Peter Schaffer said.

Wynn, 27, played five years for Jacksonville and started all 16 games at end before his contract was voided last month as the Jaguars sought to get under the salary cap before the March 1 deadline.

The Jaguars saved about $6 million in the move.

Linebacker Bryan Cox signed a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints after spending last season with the Patriots.... Former USC standout quarterback Rodney Peete signed with the Carolina Panthers for one year and $800,000 and probably will play as a backup and tutor to starter Chris Weinke. Peete was a backup the last two seasons in Oakland. The Panthers also signed signed free-agent defensive tackle Shane Burton, who had a career-high 65 tackles for the New York Jets last season, to a reported three-year, $2.1 million contract. Defensive end Lance Johnston re-signed with the Minnesota Vikings, agreeing to a one-year contract for the league-minimum of $525,000.... Cincinnati Bengal defensive end Reinard Wilson agreed to a three-year contract.... Chris Sanders, the wide receiver who missed Tennessee’s last 12 games last season because of a back injury, agreed to a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.... The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed restricted free-agent guard Doug Brzezinski and center Hank Fraley to one-year contracts.

Jurisprudence

Former NFL star Dexter Manley was sentenced to two years in jail for evidence tampering after he was convicted of swallowing cocaine during a drug bust and failed to show for a court-ordered meeting.

Manley could have received as little as probation. His possible state jail term ranged from six months to two years. He received the maximum.

Carolina Panther wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad received probation after pleading guilty to weapon and drug charges from a traffic stop this year.

Judge Richard Brown gave Muhammad a 30-day suspended sentence as well 12 months of unsupervised probation.

Miscellany

Justin Fargas, competing for the USC tailback spot in spring practice, was scheduled to be reexamined after suffering what appeared to be a minor knee injury.

Fargas went down after being hit by two tacklers and remained on the field, surrounded by trainers, for several minutes. He watched from the sideline the rest of the afternoon.

“I got a little scared but it feels like it should be fine,” he said.

Jeff Cassar became the third American goalkeeper in the English Premier League when he signed with Bolton for the rest of the season.

U.S. national team goalkeepers Kasey Keller (Tottenham) and Brad Friedel (Blackburn) also play in the Premier League.

Texas diver Troy Dumais won his third consecutive one-meter springboard title in the opening day of the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Athens, Ga.

USC’s Klete Keller defended his title in the 500-meter freestyle, finishing in 4:12.83. Teammate Erik Vendt finished second (4:13.99).

Alan Alborn survived a touchdown with one hand on his second jump and won the large hill title at the U.S. Ski Jumping Championships at Steamboat Springs, Colo.

He had jumps of 114.5 and 125.5 meters for 235.6 points.

UCLA and Pepperdine, the top two men’s volleyball teams in the nation, will meet Saturday night in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at Firestone Fieldhouse. The Bruins, ranked No. 1, are 22-3 overall, 14-2 in the MPSF and have won eight in a row. Pepperdine (20-4, 15-2) also has won eight in a row, including two victories over No. 3 Hawaii last week.