Finneran is out for year

The Atlanta Falcons got the bad news they expected yesterday: receiver Brian Finneran is out for the season after tearing up his left knee in practice.

Finneran, one of quarterback Michael Vick's favorite targets, went down during a workout Sunday night as he practiced a one-on-one drill with rookie cornerback Jimmy Williams.

The receiver shrieked in pain as he tried to cut to his left on a crossing route, and coach Jim Mora said afterward that it looked serious.

An MRI confirmed that Finneran tore the anterior cruciate ligament, in addition to sustaining cartilage damage and a slight displacement of the knee cap. He will undergo surgery tomorrow or Thursday.

The loss of Finneran was a serious blow to the Falcons' hopes of bolstering an offense that ranked 27th in passing yards last season. While he wasn't a starter, he did lead all Atlanta wideouts with 60 catches for 611 yards and, along with tight end Alge Crumpler, had an excellent rapport with Vick.

``It's hard to ignore what Fin does for us," Mora said yesterday.

Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey was dazed in a collision with safety Will Demps during a two-minute drill late in the Giants' evening practice. Shockey was in a bad mood before being hurt. Earlier in the workout, he threw his helmet after Eli Manning didn't throw a pass his way . . . Indianapolis put Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders, who had offseason surgery to repair his left shoulder, on the physically unable to perform list. The Colts also put their second-round pick, cornerback Tim Jennings, on the PUP list. He is recovering from spring surgery on his ankle . . . The Titans released running back Damien Nash, who reported to camp about 10 pounds overweight . . . Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes was back after a long absence, donning full pads for the first time since tearing his right Achilles' tendon in Week 3 last season.

Quarterback Matt Leinart missed the Cardinals' first day of workouts as contract negotiations between the team and their first-round draft pick (10th overall) dragged on . . . With his contract done more than a week before he expected, No. 2 overall pick Reggie Bush scrambled to get to the Saints' training camp last night and likely will start practicing today. Bush's deal, agreed to in principle Saturday night, is worth up to $62 million over six years, with a little more than $26.3 million guaranteed . . . Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon and right offensive tackle Ryan Tucker, two of Cleveland's steadiest players the past few seasons, will both undergo knee surgery in hopes of being ready for the season opener. Meanwhile, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius was kept out of both practices yesterday because of back spasms . . . As temperatures soared during another sweltering heat wave around the country, the Bears, Vikings, Colts, and Titans were among teams that took steps, including moving practices to the evening, to make things easier on their players.