Redskins

Tight end Ken Whisenhunt, who was cut by Washington at the end of training camp, was signed by the team.The Redskins added Whisenhunt because two of their tight ends, Jimmie Johnson and John Brandes, have been bothered with pinched nerves in their shoulders and coach Joe Gibbs wanted more depth at the position for Saturday's game at the Indianapolis Colts.To make room for Whisenhunt, who spent one week with the Raiders during the season, the Redskins cut offensive lineman Scott Beavers. They claimed him off waivers last week from the Denver Broncos.

LaVar Arrington was one of the nation's highest-rated linebackers in the nation during his high school and college career. He was named Parade National Player of the Year after his senior year at North Hills Senior High School in Pittsburgh, and he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft after his junior season at Penn State. But the former Washington Redskins star said he never would have reached those heights if he didn't know the fundamentals. That's why he's teamed up with Heads Up Football to help teach youth football players the proper way to play the game.

It's probably fair to predict that the CBS broadcast crew will spend a lot of time talking up Robert Griffin III, who is - quite rightfully - the flavor of the month in the NFL. But look for today's game to be decided by Joe Flacco, whose ability to move the ball against a vulnerable Redskins defense will determine who leaves Fedex Field with a victory. The Redskins are a slight favorite going into the game because of the home-field advantage, but it's not really a big home-field advantage.

Redskins Corner Hall released; Carriker's deal redone     Forced to make moves to get below the NFL-mandated salary cap of $123 million, the Washington Redskins released cornerback DeAngelo Hall , restructured defensive end Adam Carriker 's deal and were in the process of negotiating several other contract revisions Monday. The team had to be under the cap by 4 p.m. today, which marks the start of the new league year and free agency. Washington entered this past weekend roughly $3 million over the cap but still re-signed starting left guard Kory Lichtensteiger (an impending unrestricted free agent)

Redskins 7, Ravens 0 First quarter: 12:40 DeAngelo Hall intercepted Joe Flacco for 52 yards (Graham Gano made PAT)   Redskins 14, Ravens 0 First quarter: 3:35 Tim Hightower 37 yard run (Graham Gano made PAT)   Redskins 14, Ravens 7 Second quarter: 12:09 Ray Rice 3 yard run (Billy Cundiff made PAT)   Redskins 14, Ravens 14 Second quarter: 5:41 Lee Evans 35 yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff made PAT)

Quarterback Jason Campbell was among a handful of players tendered offers by the Redskins on Wednesday, signaling a likely return to Washington next season. But for many, a contract extension or a chance to field offers on the open market would be preferred. "You talk about it and you just try to deal with it. But some guys are like, 'Man, this is tough to have it happen this year,' " said linebacker Rocky McIntosh, who was also tendered. "Guys don't know how much longer they can play at this level.

The Ravens ran up the score -- and ramped up their performance -- in a 31-13 preseason win over the Chiefs last week. On Thursday night, they will try to keep it going against the Redskins, who are making the short drive from D.C. to M&T Bank Stadium. This is not a rivalry game, as much as some would like it to be . It's an exhibition between two football teams based in close proximity that have no ill will toward each other. So while insults will be slung around in the bleachers and punches might be thrown again in the concourse , Thursday's game will be all business for the Ravens and the Redskins as they prepare for the regular season.

Kevin Cowherd Redskins 27, Ravens 21 The Redskins are on a roll with three straight wins, aiming for the NFC East crown. Plus they're at home. Plus Robert Griffin III is having a rookie season for the ages. Plus the Ravens are banged up and their offense is sputtering. Edward Lee Redskins 19, Ravens 17 The Redskins have been disastrous at home under coach Mike Shanahan. But they are flying high after their third straight win, and if the Ravens couldn't beat a 37-year-old quarterback last Sunday, how can they beat a 22-year-old who is one of the favorites for NFL Rookie of the Year?

After writing about Alfredo Simon being cleared of potential charges in the Dominican Republic, how the Penn State scandal could have happened in College Park , and Dan Duquette's reluctance to sign a big-money free agent such as Prince Fielder or C.J. Wilson, I can finally get to the most important news of the day. The Ravens and Redskins used to fight over strippers. Asked about the Jets-Giants rivalry by ESPN New York, former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott dished the dirt.

The Washington Redskins cut veteran running back Larry Johnson, making him the first casualty of a ground game that has been among the NFL's worst through the first two weeks of the season. Johnson's agent, Peter Schaffer, and the team confirmed the move. According to two sources, the team replaced Johnson with Chad Simpson, a third-year player out of Morgan State who spent two years with the Indianapolis Colts and was with the Buffalo Bills in the preseason. Johnson, 30, a former star with the Kansas City Chiefs, ran five times for 2 yards the first two weeks of the season.

To understand how very conflicted Washington is about rooting for Baltimore, consider what happened to one of its biggest football fans when she dared suggest that Redskins supporters offer the Ravens a congratulatory word. The superfan in question dresses as a caped crusader and goes by the superhero name RG3 Woman, in honor of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. After Baltimore trounced the Patriots in the AFC championship game Sunday, she tweeted: "DC supports Baltimore! Let's go Ravens #semihometeam.

Et cetera Loyola trio are Preseason All-Big East in women's lacrosse Loyola junior Marlee Paton and sophomores Annie Thomas (John Carroll) and Sydney Thomas were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big East Conference women's lacrosse team, while the Greyhounds were picked to finish second in the league's coaches poll, the conference office announced Wednesday. Syracuse, the 2012 NCAA runner-up, earned all eight possible first-place votes in the pole, while Loyola garnered one. Coaches could not vote for their own team.

The Washington-based Z-Burger chain will give Ravens fans a free burger on Sunday if Baltimore beats Denver on Saturday. The offer will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Customers have to say the password "Super Bowl" to get the burger, and the offer is valid at the White Marsh location only, one free burger per customer. Presumably, the deal would have been offered to Redskins fans at the Washington-area Z-Burger locations. But the Redskins lost.           Follow Baltimore Diner on Twitter @gorelickingood  

Forgive Keith Parsons for being a tad blissed out. The 35-year-old salesman, born in Redskins country, married into a Ravens clan and carrying a lifelong torch for the Orioles, is pretty sure he's having the best sports year of his life. "I can't even really put it into words how cool it is to see the teams I root for not be jokes," he says. "It's truly been magical. " In recent days, when Parsons, who lives in Owings Mills, isn't trying on the RGIII jersey he got for Christmas, he's singing the praises of Ray Lewis and sending out giddy Twitter messages portending a Beltway boy's dream: a Ravens-Redskins Super Bowl.

Sunday night's big victory by the Washington Redskins over the Dallas Cowboys set a record for NBC prime time TV -- and that's saying something for the No. 1 show on television. The ratings jackpot is well-deserved. The Redskins played a gutty, emotional and smart game with their stars going all out and leaving everything on the field. And NBC's peerless broadcast team delivered another gem of a telecast. The work of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth in the booth Sunday night was the match of any team in the history of NFL television.

When Jameel McClain suffered a serious neck stinger late in the third quarter of the Ravens' 31-28 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins last Sunday, the responsibility of wearing the helmet that transmitted defensive coordinator Dean Pees' calls did not go to veterans like free safety Ed Reed, strong safety Bernard Pollard or inside linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo. That honor went to Josh Bynes, an undrafted free agent last year. And if Ray Lewis (torn right triceps) and Dannell Ellerbe (right ankle, left foot, both thumbs)

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman threw down the football gauntlet Wednesday to his Prince George's counterpart. With the Ravens set to take on the Redskins on Sunday, Ulman -- a huge Ravens fan -- sent an online challenge to Rushern Baker. If the Ravens lose, he'd shame himself publicly by wearing a red and gold jersey for an entire day. Ulman isn't afraid to let his purple flag fly -- even around the office. Two years ago, when the Super Bowl bid was looking possible, Ulman declared one Friday "Willis McGahee Day-hee" and renamed food in the office cafeteria -- there were "Harbaugh hot dogs" and "Todd Heaps of chili over Ray Rice.

Every time I put out one of my mock drafts, readers tell me they think things would play out differently (chances are we'll both end up being wrong). Well, now you get a chance to play GM in my first-ever reader NFL mock draft. Here's how it works. I'll post a daily poll where you can vote to decide what the team that's on the clock should do with its pick. To keep it simple, I'll give you five options for each pick. If you think I missed somebody, let me know in the comments section.

Can someone loan Ken Ulman a shirt he can wear to pick up another county's garbage? Don't everyone line up at once. After his bet on Sunday's Ravens game went sour, the Howard County executive has to make good on what he promised Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker. Sometime this week Ulman must put on a Robert Lee Griffin III jersey and wear it to pick up roadside trash in  Redskins terriotory while singing the team song. "All my Redskin fan friends are coming out of the woodwork today, giving me a hard time.," Ulman said in a video he posted Monday on You Tube.

Ravens 28, Redskins 31 Strategy: In his last day on the job before being fired Monday morning after five years in Baltimore, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron called one of his more effective games even though mounting behind-the-scenes discord ultimately led to his dismissal.With bruising fullback Vonta Leach plowing through defenders and Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice dancing upfield, the Ravens used their running game to pile up...