NFL Football

The New York Giants signed two players Tuesday and officially placed wide receiver Jamaar Taylor on the reserve/retired list. Signed were running back Decori Birmingham and guard Kevin McAlmont. New York also waived offensive lineman Tony Tella, who was signed last month during the team's mini-camp. Taylor spent two seasons with the Giants and caught six passes for 146 yards, all in 2004. Knee injuries limited him to five games last season. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Birmingham, a flanker and tailback at Arkansas, was signed by New England as an undrafted free agent in April 2005 and waived in July, then spent time with the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, who waived him in March. McAlmont, 6-1 and 320 pounds, was a second-team all-Southern Conference selection at guard for Western Carolina in 2005.

Defensive tackle Jason Fisk, released by the Cleveland Browns in March, on Wednesday signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Rams. Fisk, entering his 12th season, started 14 games last year for Cleveland and had 50 tackles. He's also played for the Chargers, Titans and Vikings. The Rams are rebuilding their interior line after Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis left as free agents. The Rams also signed cornerback Kevin Timothee and kicker Remy Hamilton to one-year contracts, and released kicker Josh Cummings. Timothee spent the 2005 preseason with the Titans as an undrafted rookie out of Florida International. He played this spring for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. Hamilton played in one game for the Lions last year after spending the 2005 preseason with the Rams. His presence will allow the Rams to pace Jeff Wilkins in training camp.

Statistically, Ben Roethlisberger's last NFL game was his worst. But the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl has looked like a new man for the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring. "He's been tremendous this offseason," Steelers quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple said. "I think he's really stepped up as a leader and is controlling the offense and he knows what's happening." Roethlisberger's leadership is evident. With veteran running back Jerome Bettis gone, the third-year quarterback has taken charge. Roethlisberger is also showing off a stronger throwing arm after struggling through the late part of the 2005 season with a broken right thumb. "The thumb's healthy, and that obviously helps," Roethlisberger said. "My whole body feels good. I feel healthy." He's consistently thrown 65- to 70-yard deep passes this spring. That's almost 10 yards further than his deep throws in the second half of last season. After missing four games in the middle of the season with knee injuries, Roethlisberger returned for a Monday night game against Indianapolis and broke his right thumb. He aggravated the injury the following week. Because a painkilling shot would have numbed the fingers on his passing hand, Roethlisberger played the rest of the season with a protective splint under a glove on his right hand. "It was excruciating," he said. "I couldn't throw a ball without a glove. I couldn't squeeze it. There were practices where I just had to hold the ball in my palm. It was a broken thumb. Every time I took a snap it hurt." He won't blame his poor Super Bowl statistics on the injury. After all, Roethlisberger compiled two of his top four passer ratings last season in the AFC playoffs. But in the Super Bowl, Roethlisberger's passer rating of 22.6 was the lowest ever compiled by a winning quarterback, and the worst of his two-year career.