Punter

MIAMI -- The Indianapolis Colts' Marvin Harrison will go down as one of the game's best receivers. But an NFL historian, he's not. When asked if he was aware that he shared the No. 88 with Baltimore Colts Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey, Harrison first responded yesterday by saying, "No. Not at all." Mackey is the only one of the Baltimore Colts' Hall of Fame players whose number hasn't been retired by the team. Harrison is the ninth Indianapolis Colt to wear No. 88. Asked whether he knew Mackey attended the same college as he did, Harrison said, "Yeah, I knew he went to Syracuse and wore No. 88, but that's about the extent of it."

Points after -- Rick Maese O's reading -- Last week, ESPN.com printed a 2,000-word article that showed the rest of the country just how far the Orioles have fallen in the past decade. The same day, Press Box, the sports weekly that has been a nice addition to the city's news racks, used 3,500 words to illustrate why the team has struggled. In a Q&A with the team owner, Peter Angelos touches on a lot of topics, but one answer is particularly memorable. Asked why other small-market teams, such as the Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins and Oakland Athletics, have found success recently, Angelos said, "The only answer I can give you is better luck, as well as more astute general manager performance."

Accomplice sought in Colo. stabbing Police in Evans, Colo., said yesterday that they are looking for a second suspect in the stabbing of Northern Colorado's starting punter. Police Lt. Gary Kessler said witnesses saw an alleged accomplice standing near the getaway car Monday night just after punter Rafael Mendoza was stabbed in his kicking leg outside his apartment. "He didn't play a role in the assault, but he played a role in the crime," Kessler said. "He was dressed in black clothing.

Good morning --Northern Colorado -- The idea on special teams is to down the punt, not the punter.

Greeley, Colo. -- A backup punter upset with his playing time on the University of Northern Colorado football team was released from jail yesterday, two days after allegedly ambushing and stabbing the team's starting punter in his kicking leg. Mitch Cozad, 21, had "an extreme hatred, competition and jealousy" for the team's starting punter, Rafael Mendoza, according to a report filed by the Evans, Colo., police. Cozad, a walk-on player from Wyoming, was told a week before the stabbing that "Mendoza was out-performing him on the football field" and that he needed to work harder.

If there was one positive to take from the Ravens' debacle in Minnesota, it was the progress made by punter Sam Koch. That's encouraging news for the Ravens, as well as Ryan, Braxtyn and Kamdyn. Next preseason game Ravens@Redskins, tomorrow, 8 p.m., Ch. 45, Comcast SportsNet, 97.9 FM

ASHBURN, Va. -- One day ahead of schedule, the Washington Redskins reached the 75-player roster limit yesterday by cutting 12. None of the cuts was surprising, but the release of backup punter David Lonie was at least interesting. Incumbent Derrick Frost remains the only punter on the roster, but after some shaky performances in the preseason that followed an inconsistent 2005, it likely means that the Redskins will bring in another punter to look at by the time they play the Ravens in the final exhibition game Thursday night at FedEx Field.

The Ravens drafted punter Sam Koch from Nebraska in the sixth round in 2006. He played 23 of his 30 college games as Nebraska's No. 1 punter and recorded the school's highest punting average in a single season his senior year with a 46.5-yard average. Have you had any embarrassing football moments? One embarrassing thing was just kicking off the other day. I was just pooching down and ended up kicking and falling right on my back. Sort of like Charlie Brown? Yeah. Just fell right down, in front of the team.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The first two weeks of preseason camp for the Washington Redskins have had little in the way of controversy, and not much in the way of competition when it comes to starting positions. But the Redskins aren't completely devoid of debate, particularly in the kicking game. Preseason: Redskins@Bengals Tonight, 8, Chs. 11, 4

THUMBS UP Steve McNair's best pass came when he floated a throw over a linebacker and into the hands of tight end Todd Heap. Defensive back Jamaine Winborne, who is fighting for a roster spot, made an interception. THUMBS DOWN The new Brian Billick is apparently a short-winded one. The head coach gave no expansive answers after practice in one of his shortest news conferences ever, ending it after 2 1/2 minutes. Asked about the absence of first-round pick Haloti Ngata, who later in the day agreed to terms, the usual verbose Billick referred all questions to general manager Ozzie Newsome.