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From The Associated Press

Giants kick off Super Bowl defense with 16-7 win

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—The New York Giants kicked off their Super Bowl title defense with what else — defense.

Playing without Pro Bowl linemen Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora, the defense limited the new-look Washington Redskins to 11 first downs and 209 total yards and gave indications that these Giants are back for another run in a 16-7 victory that ushered in the NFL season on Thursday night.

Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress and the rest of the offense that started the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots also came up big in spoiling the debut of Redskins coach Jim Zorn and his West Coast offense.

Manning capped a game-opening 84-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and recently signed John Carney kicked three field goals as the Giants scored on their first four possessions in posting a rare home win. They won their final 11 away from Giants Stadium in capturing their third Super Bowl, but they were 3-5 at home, losing the last four games.

No. 3 Ohio State’s Wells out for Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells will not play when the third-ranked Buckeyes take on Ohio on Saturday.

Wells injured his right foot in last weekend’s 43-0 victory over Youngstown State. He has not practiced with the team this week and has spent much of the time wearing a protective boot.

“Beanie won’t go this week,” Tressel said Thursday afternoon. “I feel good about his progress, but it wasn’t enough progress to practice through yesterday.”

Asked if he worries that Wells may not be available when the Buckeyes play at No. 1 Southern California on Sept. 13, Tressel added: “No, not at all. Not at all. But that’s easy to say today.”

The junior running back was considered one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy behind returning winner Tim Tebow of Florida. Despite several nagging injuries last year, Wells rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Federer reaches 18th major semifinal in a row

NEW YORK—Roger Federer edged 130th-ranked qualifier Gilles Muller 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) at the U.S. Open on Thursday to reach the semifinals for the 18th consecutive Grand Slam tournament

It was Federer’s 32nd victory in a row at Flushing Meadows, where he has won the past four championships.

Despite playing a man who never before was past the third round at a major event, Federer had some trouble. He wasted six set points in the opener but closed it out on his seventh chance when Muller missed a backhand volley. Federer only went 1-for-11 on break-point chances.

“Today was particularly difficult — the sun, the wind, and he’s been serving great,” Federer told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. “I didn’t get that many opportunities.”

No other man has played in more than 10 major semifinals in a row. Bidding for a 13th Grand Slam title, which would move him one shy of Pete Sampras’ record, Federer will meet No. 3 Novak Djokovic or No. 8 Andy Roddick in the semifinals.

Report: Collier making gradual improvement

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier is making gradual improvement from gunshot wounds but is “not out of the woods yet,” his agent told a newspaper Thursday.

Collier remained in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, but agent Jeff Jankovich told the Florida Times-Union he was encouraged by what limited knowledge he has of Collier’s condition.

“(The family) seems pretty upbeat he’s going to make it,” Jankovich told the paper. “He’s awake at times. He’s still in intensive care, but he’s stable. Every time they’ve talked to the doctors, it seems like it’s a little bit better. It’s still precarious. There may be more surgery needed, but it seems encouraging at this point.”

Jankovich did not immediately return a phone call or an e-mail from The Associated Press.

Collier, a 6-foot-7, 345-pound backup, was shot several times while sitting in his Cadillac Escalade early Tuesday morning. Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting outside an apartment complex for two women when the attack occurred.

Bengals’ WR Chad Johnson now Ocho Cinco

CINCINNATI—Call him Ocho Cinco on the field, too.

The National Football League decided on Thursday to recognize receiver Chad Johnson’s legal name change to Chad Ocho Cinco. The new name will be on the back of his Cincinnati Bengals uniform for the season opener in Baltimore on Sunday.

The receiver had his name changed in his home state of Florida last week. It’s a reference to his uniform number — Ocho Cinco means “eight five” in Spanish. When the NFL celebrated Hispanic Heritage month in 2006, he wore it on the back of his uniform for pregame warmups, but had to remove it for the game because of NFL rules — it wasn’t his real name.

The Pro Bowl receiver asked the media to start calling him by his new name this week. The Bengals couldn’t change the name on his uniform until the NFL gave permission.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press on Thursday, league spokesman Greg Aiello said simply: “It’s his legal surname.”

Zambrano has shot for tendinitis

CHICAGO—Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano has right rotator cuff tendinitis and inflammation, an MRI confirmed Thursday, a potential obstacle to Chicago’s chances of winning the World Series for the first time in a century.

Zambrano received a shot of anti-inflammatory medication and hopes to return to the rotation next week.

General manager Jim Hendry said Zambrano hopes to start throwing again when the team begins a series in St. Louis on Sept. 10. If all goes well, Zambrano would start at Houston in the following series.

Zambrano, 13-5 this year, left his start Tuesday night against the Astros after five innings, saying he did not feel well. He was examined Wednesday by team orthopedist Dr. Stephen Gryzlo.

Zambrano is 1-1 over his last six starts and has made it past the fifth inning only twice.

Shea seats selling briskly at $869 a pair

NEW YORK—As a season-ticket holder, Darrell Buono spent 13 years rooting for the New York Mets in blue, loge-level seats at Shea Stadium. So he bought them.

The seats cost $869 for a pair and will have a place of honor in Buono’s basement in New Hyde Park when they are shipped, sometime after the last game is played at Shea this fall and the Mets begin dismantling the stadium.

“My wife kind of gave me a strange look when I told her I was doing it,” Buono admitted. “But she was OK with it.”

The Mets and the Yankees each are finishing final seasons in their current stadiums and will open 2009 in new ballparks. Before they move in to their new homes, memorabilia buffs expect them to strip down the ballparks and auction off anything that will sell.