Injured Burress to miss Jets' opener

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress turned 34 Friday, and learned from coach Rex Ryan that his debut with the New York Jets will be put on hold. The team informed Burress that he will sit out Monday's preseason opener against Houston because of a sprained left ankle.

"I was anxious to get out with the guys and get my feet wet with some action," Burress said. "But [Ryan] was like, 'I want you to come back Wednesday.' I think they know I want to be out there. He does have a point. It's the preseason. We have a month to get it 100 percent."

Burress went for a MRI on Friday morning.

"I think we were all anxious to see him out there, but again, I want to see him out there at 100 percent, not at 80 percent or whatever," Ryan said. "If we had to play a game, he would play, he would definitely play."

Carolina Jimmy Clausen and Cam Newton will share snaps with the Panthers' first-team offense in the preseason opener Saturday night, though Clausen will start at quarterback, coach Ron Rivera said.

"What we'd like to do is get some good efficient drives with Jimmy and then we can get with Cam and get him some real good efficient drives," Rivera said. "We're hoping to make sure we got the right offensive lines out there. We have to be real smart about that."

Etc. • Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis of Wayzata, who has led the St. Louis Rams in tackles in both of his NFL seasons, won't play Saturday night in the preseason opener against Indianapolis because of a strained pectoral muscle. Second-year pro Josh Hull will play in the middle, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. Hull missed his rookie season because of a knee injury. ... The Rams also released linebacker David Vobora, the last player chosen (Mr. Irrelevant) in the 2008 draft.

• Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater is facing a charge of drunken driving and fleeing the scene of an accident, from an incident in a parking lot earlier this month.

• Don Chandler, a kicker and punter who was part of four championship teams with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, died at age 76. Chandler played 12 NFL seasons, nine with the Giants and three with the Packers. He won an NFL championship with the Giants as a rookie in 1956.