In Brief

PRO FOOTBALL

Bills sign defensive standout
Williams to $100 million deal

Megatron and Mario, call them the richest players in the NFL.

When linebacker-end Mario Williams signed a six-year contract Thursday with the Buffalo Bills worth $100 million -- $50 million guaranteed -- he became the highest-paid defensive player in league history. Williams' megadeal followed by one day the record $132 million contract the Detroit Lions gave their star receiver, Calvin Johnson.

In other deals of note Thursday:

-- Guard Ben Grubbs agreed on a five-year, $36 million contract with New Orleans.

-- Washington signed safety Brandon Meriweather to a two-year, $6 million deal.

-- Defensive end Frostee Rucker left Cincinnati for Cleveland and a five-year, $21 million contract.

-- Kansas City agreed to a three-year, $9 million deal with tight end Kevin Boss.

-- Safety Brodney Pool took a one-year deal with Dallas. Linebacker Dan Connor got a two-year deal.

-- Tennessee landed All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson with a multiyear contract.

-- San Diego bolstered its receiving corps by adding Eddie Royal in a three-year agreement.

Also: Quarterback Mark Sanchez said the New York Jets "lost some of our identity" on offense last season, and insisted the rift between him and wide receiver Santonio Holmes has been smoothed over.

Sanchez, speaking before a charity dinner in New York, said coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's offense struggled after New York became enamored of its receiving corps and got away from a run-first approach.

Holmes had criticized Sanchez, who said the two have since met and he knows "it can work between us. It's not a question of 'if.' "

The Jets signed Sanchez to a three-year contract extension last week.

GOLF

Harrington takes Transitions
lead with sizzling 10-under 61

Padraig Harrington took a step toward ending 17 months and 37 tournaments without a victory when he shot 10-under 61 to set the course record in the Transitions Championship at Palm Harbor, Fla.

Will Claxton birdied the 18th for a 64 to stand alone in second place. John Senden was in a large group at 66.

Also: Tiger Woods said he plans to return to practice soon and definitely will be at the Masters in April.

"I'll be there. Don't worry about that," Woods said on "Good Morning, America," where he appeared to promote a video game.

Woods withdrew from the final round of the Cadillac Championship at Doral on Sunday with what he described as tightness in the left Achilles tendon. He said the next day that doctors told him it was a mild sprain.

Top-ranked Yani Tseng shot 7 under over a seven-hole stretch on the back nine and finished with a 7-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead with Hee Young Park in the LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix.

Italian teenager Matteo Manassero tied the course record with an 8-under 64 at the Andalucia Open in Mirabella, Spain, giving him a three-stroke lead over five players, including Niclas Fasth of Sweden.

MISCELLANEOUS

Djokovic, Isner, Sharapova,
Ivanovic in Indian Wells semis

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic defeated Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, winning the final three games of the match to reach the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif.

American John Isner defeated Gilles Simon of France 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, setting up a semifinal against Djokovic.

Ana Ivanovic earned a spot in the women's semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marion Bartoli, the 16th-ranked Serb's second straight win over a top-10 player.

Ivanovic will play Maria Sharapova, who needed more than three hours to subdue fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Also: The Kansas City Royals signed shortstop Alcides Escobar to a $10.5 million, four-year contract extension that includes two option years that could drive the value to $21.75 million.

The 25-year-old Escobar was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in December 2010. He was immediately slotted into the Royals' starting lineup last season, hitting .254 with four homers and 46 RBIs while stealing 26 bases.

Rain forecast for Southern California this weekend prompted Santa Anita officials to postpone until March 25 the $150,000 San Luis Rey Stakes that was scheduled to be run Sunday.

Rachel Dixon became the first UNLV swimmer to post a top-16 finish at the NCAA Championships in four years when she placed 15th in the 50-yard freestyle in Auburn, Ala.

She swam the finals in 22.58 seconds after qualifying at 22.37.