Boller gets his first call to start on a day of cuts

Kyle Boller will start at quarterback when the Baltimore Ravens open the NFL regular season in Pittsburgh next Sunday, winning the job from incumbent Chris Redman.

The Ravens' selection of Boller defies a couple of the league's unwritten rules.

Rarely are rookies thrown in at the start of their careers, especially on teams seeking to make the playoffs.

John Elway, and more recently Peyton Manning, struggled when they were made immediate starters, and both played on teams without high expectations.

And seldom do rookies earn a starting job after holding out. Boller missed a week of training camp.

But Ravens coach Brian Billick said the those rules don't apply to the 19th overall pick in last April's draft.

"The physical skills are obvious; anyone that's seen the kid -- even in a practice -- can recognize that," Billick said "But his ability to absorb the offense has been shocking to me, and I've been doing this for a while."

Teams continued to cut down their rosters in preparation for the 3 p.m. deadline today, when they must be at 53.

Washington made an unlikely move -- releasing quarterbacks Danny Wuerffel and Gibran Hamdan. That leaves the Redskins with starter Patrick Ramsey and backup Rob Johnson on the roster.

"Right now, we're planning on dressing out two and hoping and praying that Patrick doesn't get hurt -- or both of them don't get hurt," coach Steve Spurrier said.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder appeared to have a major say in the decision to release Wuerffel.

"Any time there's a disagreement around here between coaches and the personnel staff, the owner makes the final call," Spurrier said.

The Redskins also released running back Kenny Watson, who averaged 4.6 yards per carry last year.

Atlanta made a similar move to Washington's and cut fourth-string quarterback David Rivers. That leaves Doug Johnson as the starter in the season opener and Kurt Kittner as the backup while Michael Vick recovers from a broken leg that is expected to keep him out at least four games.

The New York Giants were forced to put two key off-season acquisitions on injured reserve -- long-snapper Ryan Kuehl, with tendinitis in his right elbow, and kicker Mike Hollis, with back problems.

The Philadelphia Eagles announced that defensive end Jerome McDougle, their first-round draft pick, will miss at least the first two games of the season. McDougle injured his ankle, knee and hip in Thursday night's exhibition loss to the Jets.

The Eagles also traded wide receiver Freddie Milons to Pittsburgh for an undisclosed future draft choice.

Jacksonville released two veterans, defensive end Marco Coleman and wide receiver Donald Hayes.

And the New York Jets waived two quarterbacks, Marquel Blackwell and Todd Husak. That leaves Jamie Martin and Brooks Bollinger as the backups behind 39-year-old Vinny Testaverde, who is likely to start for much of the season with Chad Pennington out with a broken and dislocated left wrist.

Pittsburgh cut eight players including veteran offensive lineman Calvin Collins.

Backup linebacker Keith Newman of Atlanta was suspended for four games by the league for violating the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

The Falcons also cut 16 players, including veteran wide receiver and kick returner MarTay Jenkins, signed as a free agent from Arizona.