Afc Central

CLEVELAND - The Ravens' future in the division will take shape with a step into their past. Opening their most important stretch of their season, the Ravens play six straight games against AFC Central opponents, starting with their annual return to their roots to battle the Cleveland Browns today at 1 p.m. The logjam in the division - with three teams within a half game of the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers - has the Ravens (3-2) surprisingly sitting eye-to-eye with the upstart Browns (3-2)

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- NFL owners braced for a fight yesterday, then resolved the simmering issue of realignment before lunch. They plotted proposals for two years, then pushed one through in little more than two hours. Fight? The owners did everything but pose for a team photo after shaping the future of the league for years to come on the first day of the spring meetings. The winning plan was the favorite all along, the one that put the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West starting in 2002 and the Ravens in the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFL realignment - a concept whose time is long overdue - will resurface this week when league owners convene in Chicago to wade through a number of vexing issues. By the time the owners adjourn the three-day meetings on Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks could be headed back to their NFC roots, the Indianapolis Colts could be severing their eastern ties, and the Ravens may be looking at a division they could dominate for years. Thirty-one years after the league's last realignment, the NFL will embrace upheaval not by choice, but out of necessity.

The Ravens' championship run didn't end on that fateful night in Tampa, Fla. Less than three months removed from hoisting the Super Bowl trophy, the Ravens have raised the stakes on repeating with some of the league's most impressive moves during the first phase of free agency. Usually known for their draft expertise, the Ravens made their biggest noise in the open market this time. They signed a Pro Bowl arm in quarterback Elvis Grbac and one of the league's best right tackles in Leon Searcy.

A look at the key signings and departures from the first phase of free agency: Ravens In: Elvis Grbac, QB; Leon Searcy, RT; Jamie Sharper, LB. Out: Trent Dilfer, QB; Tony Banks, QB (Cowboys); Jeff Mitchell, C (Panthers); Kim Herring, S (Rams); Priest Holmes, RB; Keith Washington, DE (Broncos). Skinny: Established their three priorities and knocked each down one by one. Grade: A. Bengals In: Jon Kitna, QB; Kevin Henry, DE; Tony Williams, DT; Rich Braham, C; Tom Carter, CB; Matt O'Dwyer, G. Out: Michael Bankston, DE; Scott Mitchell, QB. Skinny: All that money and no high-profile free agent willing to bite.

At next week's annual NFL meetings, the biggest news will be the lack of news. The NFL announced yesterday that its two hottest topics - league-wide realignment and the interview process for assistant coaches - won't be on the voting agenda in Palm Desert, Calif. In the first major realignment in three decades, the NFL will divide into eight divisions of four teams each when the expansion Houston Texans join in 2002. The owners will discuss the 30-plus proposals on the shifting of teams next week, but the final vote probably will be saved until their Chicago meetings on May 22-23.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tennessee Titans beat the Ravens and New York Giants this season, the only team other than the Washington Redskins to defeat both of this year's Super Bowl contestants. Two different styles accounted for the wins. Tennessee dominated New York on Oct. 1 in Nashville. It forced three turnovers to win in Baltimore on Oct. 22, despite giving up nearly twice as many yards as it gained. The Sun asked Titans coach Jeff Fisher to break down tonight's game. Not surprisingly, he's expecting defense to be the major factor - both teams are ranked among NFL's top five - with the running game not far behind.

ANYONE CLAIMING to have an inkling of how the Ravens will fare in the playoffs is just bluffing. As weird as this sounds, every conceivable ending, from the best to the worst, is realistic for this team. A trip to the Super Bowl? The idea sounded preposterous a year ago and farfetched even when the 2000 season began, but not anymore. Only the Tennessee Titans have a better record than the Ravens, and no team in the AFC - or the entire NFL, for that matter - is appreciably better. In fact, as the Dolphins and Vikings falter down the stretch and the beatable Giants zero in on the No. 1 seed in the NFC, it appears few of the top contenders can match the Ravens' defensive consistency and overall toughness.

The NFL playoff possibilities for Week 16: AFC East Miami: Clinches playoff berth with win or tie (vs. Indianapolis on Sunday). Miami clinches AFC East with win (vs. Indianapolis on Sunday) and New York Jets loss or tie (vs. Detroit). New York Jets: Clinch playoff berth with win (vs. Detroit) or with Pittsburgh loss or tie (vs. Washington) and loss by Indianapolis (Sunday vs. Miami). Also still alive: Indianapolis. AFC Central Tennessee: Has clinched playoff berth. It clinches AFC Central with win (vs. Cleveland)

PHILADELPHIA - After weeks of taking the heat for the Tennessee Titans' recent slide, kicker Al Del Greco saved them from a dangerous fall yesterday. A target of criticism for missing two possible game-winners last month, Del Greco hit his mark with the Titans' AFC Central Division lead on the line, converting a 50-yard field goal as the final seconds expired for a 15-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. As the Veterans Stadium crowd sighed in disgust along with some scattered fans wearing Ravens purple, the Titans mobbed Del Greco, whose longest career game-winner created a little more distance between themselves and the idle Ravens.