Redskins

Giants cut Burress; Vick's plan rejected nfl The New York Giants on Friday released Plaxico Burress, who had the game-winning touchdown catch in their Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in February 2008. The release came a little more than four months after the wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York City nightclub. Burress' status has been uncertain since he shot himself in the thigh Nov. 29 with an unlicensed gun. Burress, 31, who played four seasons with the Giants, faces a felony weapons charge that could put him in prison for at least 3 1/2 years if convicted.

Bears (5-7) @ Redskins (5-7) Time -- 8:15 TV -- NFL Network, Ch. 20 Radio -- 92.7 FM, 730 AM Line -- Redskins by 3 Fantasy factor -- Bears RB Adri an Peterson had a career-high 149 yards from scrimmage against the Gi ants last week in his first start of the season. The Redskins' Chris Cooley (53 receptions, 584 yards) leads NFC tight ends with seven TD catches. Bottom line -- With a short week to prepare and in the aftermath of the Sean Taylor tragedy, are the Red skins emotionally and physically spent?

Moves College ARKANSAS -- Announced merger of men and women's athletic programs next year. Named Jeff Long vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics and director of athletics and Bev Lewis associate vice chancellor. Football REDSKINS -- Placed WR Brandon Lloyd on IR. Signed WR Jimmy Farris. Hockey BLUE JACKETS -- Acquired D Aaron Rome and D Clay Wilson from Ducks for C Geoff Platt.

Giants (6-3) @ Lions (6-3) -- Both teams are in the wild-card hunt now after difficult losses yesterday left them two games out of first place in their divisions. Redskins (5-4) @ Cowboys (8-1) -- Having swept the Giants, the Cowboys are threatening to run away with the NFC East title.

Ask any NFL coach what he thinks of Thursday night football and - apart from the traditional obligations of Thanksgiving - he'll tell you, "No, thanks." Players, too. But we're seeing more Thursday NFL games these days because of the opportunity for more prime-time television, and that's especially true since the NFL, in the guise of its own network, hijacked a handful of games for telecast, including tonight's Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears game. Now, there's an additional issue of the Redskins having to play not only on a short practice week, as do the Bears, but also just days after burying teammate Sean Taylor.

We're in Week 2 of fantasy playoff season, so the format here shall remain quick and dirty. Remember to review every spot on your roster with a careful eye. You don't want to play any iffy matchups if you can avoid it, because a five-point slip here or there can end your season. Of course, some disasters, you can't protect against. Just ask any Carson Palmer owner who was riding high until last weekend. Players you normally wouldn't start but should consider this week: Jay Cutler, Broncos at Texans - Houston's pass defense can be attacked, and Cutler has really been pretty solid in recent weeks.

The masks come off after Thanksgiving, when injuries expose thin NFL rosters and small problems become major issues. The New York Giants, who looked so good a month ago, sleepwalked through a dismal loss yesterday that put a new face on last season's second-half collapse. The Washington Redskins looked playoff-worthy through October but haven't been the same since their train wreck in New England. Quarterback Jon Kitna predicted the Detroit Lions would win 10 games this season, and at 6-2, he looked clairvoyant.

1 Run Stephen Davis. They need to run Davis 37 times the way they did against the Cardinals to keep Peyton Manning off the field.2 Avoid interceptions. Brad Johnson has thrown 10 in the past six games after throwing just two in the first seven games.3 Contain Manning. The Redskins can't stop him, but they'll try to slow him, as the Patriots did last week.

Washington (5-3) at Philadelphia (2-7)Time: 1 p.m., chs. 45, 5, 43.Line: Redskins by 6.Vs. spread: Redskins 4-4; Eagles 5-4.Last week: Redskins lost to Bills, 34-17. Eagles lost to Panthers, 33-7.Series: Redskins lead 69-53-5.Last meeting: Redskins won, 28-3, on Nov. 15, 1998, at Washington.Outlook: Eagles rookie QB Donovan McNabb will make his NFL starting debut against one of the league's worst defenses. Hey, timing is everything. The Redskins have allowed 222 points, more than all but three other teams.

1 Keep Bills quarterback Doug Flutie in the pocket. The NFL's worst defense doesn't have the talent or experience to track down Flutie in the open field.2 Left tackle Andy Heck needs to step up. Heck has been a good addition to the offensive line, but he hasn't faced anyone this season like Bills end Bruce Smith.3 Show they can run against Buffalo. It's Stephen Davis, the NFL's top rusher, against a Bills defense that yields only 3.3 yards a carry.

Men's college soccer UMBC squanders 2-goal lead, loses to Longwood in OT UMBC (10-3-0) surrendered a two-goal lead and fell, 3-2, in overtime to visiting Longwood (3-9-2) in miserable conditions. Lancers sophomore midfielder Chris Saul scored 3:27 into the first overtime period for the victory. Forwards Andrew Bulls (McDonogh) and Levi Houapeu scored in the 24th and 29th minutes, respectively, for the Retrievers. Bulls, who entered last week as the nation's leading scorer, got his 15th goal of the season.

WASHINGTON - - During his first full offseason as a head coach, Jim Zorn spent some time in Seattle. He visited Harpers Ferry, W.Va. He read Jeffrey Archer's latest book, plus some Daniel Silva and a recent tome on Lincoln's ideology. All the while, his thoughts never drifted far from the task before him: returning the Washington Redskins to prominence. "Even when I'm on vacation, I'm paying attention to what we need to be doing as an organization," Zorn said. "So by this point, I'm completely ready to go."

Giants cut Burress; Vick's plan rejected nfl The New York Giants on Friday released Plaxico Burress, who had the game-winning touchdown catch in their Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in February 2008. The release came a little more than four months after the wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the thigh in a New York City nightclub. Burress' status has been uncertain since he shot himself in the thigh Nov. 29 with an unlicensed gun. Burress, 31, who played four seasons with the Giants, faces a felony weapons charge that could put him in prison for at least 3 1/2 years if convicted.

The Ravens will open their preseason schedule at home against the Washington Redskins on Aug. 13, followed by a game against the New York Jets, also at M&T Bank Stadium. They will then face the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, both on the road. The game against the Redskins is a Thursday night matchup at 7:30. The Ravens' next game is 11 days later, on Aug. 24, and will be a nationally televised ESPN Monday night appearance at 8. It will also mark the return of former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, now the Jets' head coach.

Ravens running back Ray Rice had a successful rookie season because he won both the physical and mental battles. The second year shouldn't be as much of a grind. Rice, though, still has a lot to prove, and he wants to become the all-around running back that coordinator Cam Cameron wants in his offense. "This offseason, I'm going to do more catching and blocking," Rice said. "I'm going to prepare harder because I now know what it takes to play in this league. I'm going to prepare to get the ball in my hands somehow, some way - every way possible."

Irving, Texas - Some teams at this point of the NFL season are contenders. Others are spoilers. The Ravens have been both. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys. And the Washington Redskins, and the Philadelphia Eagles, and, to an extent, the New York Giants, and maybe the Miami Dolphins. Only the Giants enter the final week of the regular season guaranteed a playoff berth. If the others miss out, they could all point to a loss to the Ravens as part of the reason. The Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins can do more - they can trace a serious disruption of their season directly to their encounter with the Ravens.

Portis not shy about frustration with Zorn redskins Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis unleashed a load of frustration toward rookie coach Jim Zorn yesterday, criticizing the coach for giving inconsistent messages and flippantly calling Zorn a "genius." Portis, in his weekly appearance on ESPN 980 AM, was still smarting from his lack of playing time in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Ravens, from which he was removed after the first series of the second half. "Either you feel like you need to sever ties with me - split ties with me - but don't sit here and throw me out like I don't pay attention, like I don't know what's going on, like I'm making mistakes, like I'm the problem," Portis said.

Last night was like old times, like back in 2000. Once the Ravens got their 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Washington Redskins, you knew it was over, didn't you? Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger can lead comebacks against the Ravens, but not Jason Campbell, even if the Ravens' offense kept turning the ball over. If you give a team like the Ravens the early lead, it allows Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to play his safeties deep while turning his linebackers loose to bring pressure.

1 Ravens 14 Redskins 0 The first quarter was the Ed Reed show. The Ravens safety set up the first score, an 8-yard run by Le'Ron McClain, when he intercepted a tipped Jason Campbell pass. After the acrobatic interception, the Ravens marched 55 yards in five plays in 2:06. Reed scored the second touchdown himself when he knocked the ball out of Clinton Portis' arms as the Redskins running back was falling, picked the ball up after it hit the ground and made a nice move at the 5-yard line to get into the end zone.

For most of the game, it didn't seem as if the Redskins were even going to make the Ravens break a sweat. (Not that it would have been easy for anyone to sweat with that wind-chill factor.) They did, though, by early in the fourth quarter, when they took advantage of the Ravens' gifts the same way the Ravens had taken advantage of some gifts of their own. The Ravens survived it, though. And now, the kind-of, sort-of Beltway rivalry is behind them. Make way, finally, for the real thing.