Jeff Hart

Atlanta coach Mike Smith is looking for new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan to help the Falcons increase their third-down stops.

Kris Medlen is replacing Jair Jurrjens in the Atlanta Braves' rotation and will start Tuesday against the Marlins.

Tina Charles scored 14 points and Angel McCoughtry added 13 to lead the U.S. women's basketball team to a sloppy 81-56 victory over Croatia on Saturday in their Olympic opener.

It's go time for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team. It's gold time. The challenging exhibition schedule is over, marching in the opening ceremony is already a memory and the Olympic flame is burning brightly.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez is close to retiring from the NFL. How close is up in the air. Gonzalez said Friday that he's 95 percent sure the upcoming season will be his last, but he wasn't ready to completely rule out a return in 2013.

Brian McCann hit a three-run homer off Hamels, and Ben Sheets continued his impressive comeback to lead the Atlanta Braves past the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 on Friday night.

The Gwinnett Braves throttled the Durham Bulls, 13-1, in the finale of a four-game series on Friday night at Coolray Field.

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte face off Saturday in the 400-meter individual medley, a grueling race encompassing all four strokes and an appropriate next chapter in this most intriguing of rivalries.

Penn State's report about its handling of Jerry Sandusky includes a series of emails among school administrators following two accusations against Sandusky in 1998 and 2001. In one of the emails, one official worries about becoming "vulnerable" if they fail to report an allegation.

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints still must close a significant gap in guaranteed money if they are to agree on a five-year contract worth about $100 million by Monday's looming deadline for a long-term deal, said a person familiar with the negotiations.