Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor of Woodland Hills High School is expected to be out 10-14 days with a sprained right knee, putting his availability in doubt for Washington's season opener against the New York Giants Sept. 4.

Coach Jim Zorn said Taylor had an MRI yesterday and estimated the six-time Pro Bowl pick will be out from 10-14 days. Taylor was hurt in a 47-3 preseason loss to the Carolina Panthers Saturday. Initial X-rays taken showed no serious damage.

With the retirement of seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan, the job of repeating as Super Bowl champions was going to be difficult for New York. Now it might be near impossible with the news that fellow Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora is out for the season with a knee injury. An MRI showed that Umenyiora tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee in a preseason game against the archrival Jets Saturday night. He will have surgery tomorrow and the recovery period is about four months.

First-year coach Mike Smith said No. 3 pick in the draft Matt Ryan outperformed Chris Redman, Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley on the field and in the classroom to earn the starting role as quarterback. In Smith's view, there was nothing ceremonial about this announcement even though Ryan, who played four seasons at Boston College, signed a six-year, $72 million contract in May. Smith said the staff "watched every move he made" in observing Ryan's interaction with teammates and other club personnel. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and Bill Musgrave told Smith that they had watched 3,000 snaps Ryan took in minicamps, offseason workouts, training camp, scrimmages and preseason to sway their decision.

Houston placed receiver Harry Williams on injured reserve after he suffered a severe neck injury in a preseason game Friday against Dallas. Houston also re-signed fullback Jon Abbate.