Hanspard Out for the Season

Atlanta has lost running back Byron Hanspard for the season after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the Falcons’ 17-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals Friday night. Hanspard was injured when he was tripped up at the goal line on a 22-yard touchdown run.

Last season, Hanspard ran for 335 yards as a backup to Jamal Anderson, and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Harold Green and rookie Ken Oxendine will now back up Anderson, and rookies Tim Dwight and Jammi German will return kickoffs.

*

The Green Bay Packers, who spent 1997 seeking a replacement for Desmond Howard as a kick returner, traded Glyn Milburn to the Chicago Bears for an undisclosed draft choice.

The running back, in his sixth season out of Stanford, worked primarily as a kick returner in 1996 with Detroit and for much of the 1997 season, during which he was named an alternate returner for the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

In Green Bay’s five exhibition games this year, Milburn averaged 33.3 yards on 12 kickoff returns and 7.8 yards on seven punt returns.

*

Miami Dolphin defensive ends Jason Taylor and Lorenzo Bromell might be sidelined only one game because of knee injuries suffered in Friday night’s 21-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Taylor, a second-year player and Miami’s best pass rusher, had suffered a partially torn tendon behind his left knee. Bromell, a promising rookie, suffered a sprained ligament in his left knee.

Miami has only three healthy defensive ends--Trace Armstrong, Dan Stubbs and rookie Kenny Mixon.

Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson was angry about criticism he received for keeping Taylor in the game into the fourth quarter, when his injury occurred.

“One of the irritating things about my job is dealing with know-it-all writers who are paid to second-guess,” Johnson said. “We have a young team that needs to get better. The way you get better is you practice and you play. If you don’t practice and play, you don’t get better and you’re not prepared.”

Johnson also said he has demoted Craig Erickson to No. 3 quarterback, meaning second-year player Damon Huard is the backup to Dan Marino. Huard has never played in an NFL game, Erickson, who was expected to take the majority of the snaps against Green Bay, participated in warmup drills but complained of a sore elbow and was held out of the game.

*

Dallas Cowboy Coach Chan Gailey named starters at two positions and cut seven players to allow the team to reach the NFL limit of 53.

Gailey said Omar Stoutmire will start at free safety, beating out George Teague and Kenny Wheaton, and Billy Davis will be the starter at wide receiver opposite Michael Irvin.

Among the seven players cut were rookie quarterback Danny Gonzalez, who got off to a good start in training camp but faded, and cornerback Zebbie Lethridge, who played quarterback at Texas Tech.

*

A man who forged Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre’s autograph for a sports memorabilia dealer was sentenced in Milwaukee by a federal judge to 60 days in prison.

Rex Valenti, 27, also was fined $5,000 and ordered to serve three years on probation after his release from prison.

Valenti pleaded guilty to fraud for faking 50 signatures on photos of Favre.