Bengals' Benson sentenced to 20 days in jail
AUSTIN, Texas Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson has been sentenced
to 20 days in jail after reaching a deal to settle two misdemeanor assault
cases in Texas. Benson was in court in Austin, Texas, on Monday and the deal
was struck after a jury was picked. He said Personalized New England Patriots Jersey he will surrender to authorities on
Oct. 17, which Custom Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey is the Monday of Cincinnati's bye week. Benson was arrested
in 2010 for allegedly punching a bar employee in Austin, and he pleaded no contest
in that case. He was also arrested last month for allegedly punching a former
roommate in downtown Austin. That case was dismissed. Benson has been
the Bengals' leading rusher since 2008. The former Texas star was an unrestricted
free agent but chose to sign a one-year contract to stay in Cincinnati.
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Batch, Dixon now battling for No. 2 spot
PITTSBURGH AP - Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon don't have to worry about losing their
jobs anymore, even if the Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterbacks would rather have taken
a different path to a steady paycheck.Byron Leftwich's gruesome broken left arm suffered
in the third quarter of a 34-16 win over Atlanta on Saturday potentially ended the
veteran's season and gave both Batch and Dixon a reprieve from an unforgiving numbers
game.The Steelers started training camp with four quarterbacks on the roster, with either
Batch or Dixon certain to be jettisoned before the season opener against Baltimore on
Sept. 11.The duo has spent the last month auditioning for the No. 3 spot behind Leftwich
and Ben Roethlisberger. Now they head into the preseason finale on Thursday at Carolina
looking to see who will be Roethlisberger's understudy.The anxiety of being cut is gone,
sure, but not the competition."You still have to go out and prove to Coach Mike Tomlin
that you're capable of being the next guy to step in and it never ends," Batch said.
"It's not Customized San Francisco 49ers Jersey going to end at the end of this week ... or through the course of the
season."Tomlin is in no hurry to choose and didn't rule out Leftwich's eventual return.
The former first-round pick underwent surgery on Monday morning, less than 48 hours after
his left non-throwing arm NFl New England Jersey was pinned awkwardly to the turf while sliding for extra
yardage against the Falcons.Batch says it was difficult to watch his good friend writhing
in pain as he was taken off the field. Yet Batch also knows the job goes on, leaving he
and Dixon in a familiar position.A year ago, the two spent camp jockeying for position
behind Leftwich, dubbed the starter after Roethlisberger was suspended four games for
violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.Only Leftwich never made it to the regular
season after injuring his knee. Dixon started the opener against Atlanta and played well
before going down a week later with a knee injury of his own that eventually sent him to
injured reserve.In stepped Batch, who turned back the clock by helping keep the team
afloat until Roethlisberger returned.A year later, the Custom San Francisco 49ers Jersey two players on opposite ends of
their careers are still going at it.The 36-year-old Batch is simply hoping to hang on
while the 25-year-old Dixon is anxious to prove he's ready to be a starter even if he's
well aware it will have to happen in someplace other than Pittsburgh.The former Oregon
star re-signed with the Steelers after no other team expressed sincere interest in him.
Knowing this was likely his last camp in Pittsburgh, Dixon has been heavily showcased
during the preseason, playing extensively in all three games. The results have been
mixed. Dixon is 10 of 24 for 132 yards with an interception while playing with the third
and fourth stringers who will likely be long gone in a week."My main goal has been my
leadership skills, commanding the huddle, making sure everybody is on the right page,"
Dixon said. "Usually when I go in the game, I'm with people that don't know what they're
doing half the time."Dixon used to consider himself among that group. Not anymore."I've
been in the system long enough Custom Steelers Jersey to where I have confidence as to what I'm doing," Dixon
said. "If I do mess up, I'm going to go 100 percent at it."Batch lacks Dixon's mobility
and youthful exuberance, but has proven adept at walking into adverse situations after
joining the Steelers as a backup in 2003. He's appeared in 27 games for his hometown
team, sometimes in blowouts, sometimes in nail-biters."That's the dirty part of being a
backup, you don't know when your number is going to be called," Batch said. "It could be
the first week, it could be Week 17. At the end of the day, nobody cares when your number
is called ... it's just a matter of going out there and helping your team win."Dixon and
Batch should get plenty of time to make a case for themselves against the Panthers.
Roethlisberger will likely only play Customized Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey briefly, giving his backups a chance to get some
rare work in with the first-stringers."This may be the last week you get your reps with
the actual starters," Customized Patriots Jersey Batch Personalized 49ers Jersey said. "During the course of the regular season, Ben gets all
the snaps with the ones and we Custom New England Patriots Jersey get whatever's left over and it's not much. You have to
make sure you hone your skills this week."They aren't the only ones hoping to get
extended looks on Thursday.Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is hoping to play after
spending most of camp battling a stress fracture in his foot. He feels ready to go and is
anxious to make up for lost time.Sanders started training camp third on the depth chart
behind Mike Wallace and Hines Ward. The outstanding preseason by Antonio Brown and the
addition of former New York Jets wideout Jerricho Cotchery has suddenly made spots 3-5
very cloudy. Sanders is hoping to provide some clarity."I'm a competitor and I want to be
out there," Sanders said. "There's some good football going on out there in the
preseason, and I've missed three games. And I want to get out there. I want to play."And
Batch and Dixon certainly want to give him the ball, and give themselves a chance to be
No. 2 in the process. Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The
Associated Press. Any commercial use ordistribution without the express written consent
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