Panthers waive Carr, re-sign Muhammad

The Carolina Panthers cut ties with disappointing quarterback David Carr on Wednesday and brought back an old favorite, receiver Muhsin Muhammad.

Carr, 28, was released one year after he signed a $6-million, two-year deal following a five-year stint as a starter in Houston. But Carr struggled so much when he took over for the injured Jake Delhomme last season that he was demoted to third string.

Muhammad, 35, who reportedly signed a two-year deal after being released last week by Chicago, was the Panthers’ second-round pick in 1996 and spent nine seasons with Carolina before being released in a salary-cap move. The Panthers struggled to replace him, leaving top receiver Steve Smith with constant double-teams.

The Panthers hope Dwayne Jarrett, who had a disappointing rookie season, will develop into the No. 2 receiver. Drew Carter and Keary Colbert may not be re-signed.

Matt Moore and Brett Basanez will compete to back up Delhomme.

Nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, 26, re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers, agreeing to a five-year deal instead of becoming an unrestricted free agent today.

The Detroit Lions signed free-agent safety Dwight Smith, 29, to a two-year contract. He was released last week by Minnesota.

Tennessee Titans receiver Justin Gage, 27, agreed to multiyear contract.

Quarterback Kelly Holcomb, 34, was released by the Minnesota Vikings. . . . The Cleveland Browns waived defensive lineman Orpheus Roye, 35, who battled knee injuries the last two seasons. . . . The Baltimore Ravens waived running back Mike Anderson, 34. . . . Running back Anthony Thomas, 30, was waived by the Buffalo Bills. . . . The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released veteran defensive ends Kevin Carter, 34, and Greg Spires, 33.

TENNIS

Roddick wins opener; Haas suffers upset loss

Top-seeded Andy Roddick successfully opened his bid for a second straight tournament victory, beating qualifier Gilles Muller, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in the first round of the RMK Championships in Memphis, Tenn.

Two-time defending champion Tommy Haas was upset by Benjamin Becker, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, in the second round.

In women’s Cellular South Cup play, fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport reached the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina.

Top-ranked Justine Henin took three hours to beat Katarina Srebotnik, 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-3, to reach the Dubai Championships quarterfinals in United Arab Emirates.

Second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Lucie Safarova, 6-1, 6-2 and third-seeded Ana Ivanovic beat Nicole Vaidisova, 6-4, 6-0.

OLYMPICS

Effective HGH test expected for Olympics

An effective test for detecting human growth hormone will be in place for the Beijing Olympics in August, said John Fahey, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Fahey said the test can catch cheats within a window of “more than 48 hours.” He also said traces of the drug could be frozen and stored in samples for up to eight years, meaning users could still be caught years later.

Du Shaozhong, a leading Beijing environmental official, denied allegations in a published commentary that the city’s pollution monitoring formula was changed in 2006 to allow the Olympic host to meet environmental standards.

Boxer Oscar De La Hoya, volleyball’s Karch Kiraly, basketball’s David Robinson, skating’s Brian Boitano and swimming’s Amy Van Dyken were among the finalists for the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame. Inductees will be announced in April.

MISCELLANY

Struggling Senators fire Paddock as coach

The struggling Ottawa Senators fired coach John Paddock after two straight shutout losses.

General Manager Bryan Murray will take over after stepping aside last summer for Paddock.

Paddock was 36-22-6. The Senators won 15 of their first 17 games and were first in the Eastern Conference until last weekend.

Congress has expanded its probe into steroid use in sports to include horse racing, with one of the industry’s top officials defending what he called a much improved but still imperfect system of testing.

Alexander Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn., told a House panel that by the end of the year, he expects virtually all major racing states to adopt a ban on the use of steroids for horses at least a month before they appear on the track.

Marion Jones’ longtime agent, Charles Wells, 56, was sentenced to six months of home detention for a minor role in a bank fraud that resulted in a six-month prison sentence for the former track star.

Danilo Di Luca should receive a maximum two-year ban for an irregular test during his victory in last year’s Giro d’Italia, the anti-doping prosecutor for the Italian Olympic Committee said. The decision will be made by a committee judge.

Doug Nussmeier was hired as Fresno State’s fourth offensive coordinator in four seasons. He had been the St. Louis Rams’ quarterbacks coach and replaces Jim McElwain, who left for Alabama.