Cleveland Browns

The reeling Ravens have to endure another quarterback controversy today, and it has nothing to do with Steve McNair. When the Cleveland Browns (5-4) play the Ravens (4-5) at M&T Bank Stadium, a sellout crowd of 71,000 will watch the quarterback it has clamored for all season (Kyle Boller) and the one it now wishes it had (Derek Anderson). Browns@Ravens Today, 1 p.m., chs. 13, 9, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Browns by 3

Cleveland Browns coach Chris Palmer wasn't surprised that the Ravens were teeing off on rookie quarterback Tim Couch yesterday."I think it's like sharks that see blood. They know that they've got a young quarterback and they're coming hard after him," he said.The Ravens sacked Couch four times and caused a fumble on the Browns' 1-yard line in the second period that set up a touchdown and was the difference in Cleveland's 17-10 loss yesterday.Palmer, though, was still pleased with the progress made by the quarterback, who was the first player picked in this year's draft.

The Ravens have retained the investment banking firm of Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown to manage the sale of a minority ownership position in the franchise, team officials announced yesterday. The process could take several months and extend into the first week of January, when the regular season is completed.Ravens owner Art Modell recently said he would sell off a stake in the team to repay a short-term $65 million loan by the league and to provide working capital to help make the team more competitive.

As expected, Ravens coach Brian Billick named Errict Rhett the starting tailback in Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.Rhett started last week against Pittsburgh in place of the injured Priest Holmes -- who was downgraded from questionable to doubtful yesterday with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee -- and rushed for 101 yards, his first 100-yard game since 1995.With Holmes headed for the sidelines, Billick said he will activate third-year tailback Jay Graham as Rhett's backup.

CLEVELAND -- Believe me, it's not easy being a sports fan when you're from Cleveland and living in Baltimore. Albert Belle? Can deal with him, sort of. I root for the O's. But Art Modell? Can't deal with him at all. Couldn't possibly root for the Ravens. Ever.So I arrived here last Wednesday to get my football fix in Cleveland, my boyhood home, a place splashed with orange and brown and foamy beer, where people are preparing for the biggest party in a long, long time.The Cleveland Browns, thank the Lord, are back.

The quarterback of tomorrow is learning on the job in the NFL today.He is Tim Couch, who prepped for the Cleveland Browns by running Kentucky's multiple-motion offense.He is Donovan McNabb, better known for his option skills at Syracuse, but who will be pressed into action with the Philadelphia Eagles because of his passing potential.He is Akili Smith, who dazzled the Cincinnati Bengals with a meteoric rise at Oregon.He is Daunte Culpepper, who will tutor with the Minnesota Vikings after dominating inferior opponents at Central Florida.

She has seen her husband, Ravens owner Art Modell, vilified since he announced he was moving his team from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995. But Pat Modell spoke out publicly for the first time yesterday about the behavior of some of his detractors.Modell's wife called the actions of some of the fans in the parking lots at Cleveland Browns Stadium before Sunday's game against the Ravens "vulgar and disgusting" and criticized Channel 45 for showing some of their behavior on its Sunday night newscast.

One city is obsessed with winning today. The other has only normal interest. Both owners have personal and professional pride invested, and the pressure on both rookie coaches to win is enormous.And then there are the players. Truth be told, they don't care about anything but winning a game. Any game. Welcome to the Cleveland Browns (0-2) vs. the Ravens (0-2) at 1 p.m. today at PSINet Stadium. The winner climbs one game above the other in last place in the AFC Central Division.It has been nearly four years since Ravens owner Art Modell announced he was moving the old Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore, but Browns fans are treating this as a Super Bowl, and maybe they should, with a 56-man roster composed of 43 veterans from 20 NFL teams.

DE Rob Burnett vs. OT Orlando BrownRavens left defensive end Rob Burnett knows Cleveland offensive tackle Orlando Brown well.Burnett has said that he and Brown grew up together as pro football players while they were members of the Cleveland Browns. Burnett is also quite familiar with Brown on the field, since the pair spent countless afternoons facing each other in practice.For the second time, they will square off as opponents today at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Brown has returned to his roots and his spot at right tackle.

When the new Cleveland Browns come to Baltimore on Sunday for their first meeting against the old Cleveland Browns, both teams will have quarterbacks making their second NFL start after throwing their first NFL touchdown pass last week.That's where the similarities end.While Stoney Case of the Ravens is on his third team in his fifth year and is trying to make a name for himself, Tim Couch already is an NFL name.The first player selected in this year's draft, he was the sixth quarterback to be selected with the top pick since 1987, following in the footsteps of Vinny Testaverde, Troy Aikman, Jeff George, Drew Bledsoe and Peyton Manning.

The questionable roughing-the-passer penalties in the Ravens' 27-21 loss Sunday to the New England Patriots have spurred a national debate on whether Tom Brady is being overprotected by officials. But there is another issue: Are the Ravens being overscrutinized? Through the first quarter of the season, the Ravens have been penalized four times for roughing the quarterback. In contrast, the rest of the AFC North (the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns) has been flagged a combined two times for that penalty.

Landry's propensity for throwing his 6-foot, 210-pound body at running backs and receivers during training camp seems to have answered questions about the neck injury that sidelined him for most of last season. Question: : Has it been difficult to put the memory of that game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 in the past? Answer: : It's been real easy for me to put that behind me. I've been cleared to play, I've been having fun out here, so that's the past. Q: : Is there anything that will give you pause?

Orlando Brown insists he's a cream puff - on the inside, that is. The former Baltimore Ravens' offensive tackle said he "just looks scary" at 6 foot 7 and 350 pounds, but he's really "a gentle giant with a soft heart like my mother's." That compassion has already come into play at Fatburger, the new restaurant in Gateway Overlook Shopping Center where Brown is owner and frequent fry cook. Since opening the first Maryland location for the Los Angeles-based franchise in January, he devoted many hours trying to reprogram a chronically late employee before finally firing him. "I know what it's like to have someone take you under their wing and give you a second chance," said Brown, who alternated playing for Baltimore and the Cleveland Browns during a 14-year NFL career that ended in 2006.

M&T Bank Stadium was safe. Unlike Pittsburgh Steelers fans who painted Baltimore in black and gold, Cleveland Browns fans were outnumbered by Ravens fans before yesterday's AFC North matchup. But Browns supporters had one thing their Ravens counterparts did not: hope. "It seems like the Ravens fans are pretty down," said Andy Suttell, 37, of Cleveland, who joined about a half-dozen other Browns fans in surprising friend Joe Curry with a 40th birthday celebration that included an RV trip and tickets to the game.

The reeling Ravens have to endure another quarterback controversy today, and it has nothing to do with Steve McNair. When the Cleveland Browns (5-4) play the Ravens (4-5) at M&T Bank Stadium, a sellout crowd of 71,000 will watch the quarterback it has clamored for all season (Kyle Boller) and the one it now wishes it had (Derek Anderson). Browns@Ravens Today, 1 p.m., chs. 13, 9, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Browns by 3

During the offseason, the Ravens' public relations machine was in full swing. Willis McGahee was the dynamic, versatile running back they needed. Wide receiver Demetrius Williams had potential to be the deep threat. There were going to be more explosive plays. Yet, as the Ravens prepare to play the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, the things that really need to be blown up are the playbook and the play-calling. No one expected to see a pass-happy offense that would remind people of Don Coryell's San Diego Chargers of the early 1980s, but we didn't want the old Ravens again, either.

It's clear at this point that it really doesn't make a difference whether the Ravens start Steve McNair or Kyle Boller at quarterback. It will matter Nov. 5, when the Ravens play the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and then afterward when the Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. That's when McNair has to be healthy, and be the starter. No players want to talk about it, but the veterans know McNair gives the Ravens the best chance of winning against the better teams in the league because he is proven and Boller is unproven.

The Ravens will face their Super Bowl-winning quarterback for a third time Sunday when they play on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. Trent Dilfer, who led the Ravens to the NFL title in the 2000 season, has officially replaced injured quarterback Alex Smith, the 49ers announced yesterday. It's a reunion that comes with strong emotions. Eight months ago, Dilfer told The Sun he remains extremely bitter about Brian Billick's decision to replace him with Elvis Grbac after the championship season and doesn't plan to speak to the Ravens coach again.

Jamal Lewis has heard the question since he left the Ravens: Can he return to being one of the NFL's elite? When the Ravens (2-1) face Lewis and the Cleveland Browns (1-2) today, the same could be asked of the Ravens' defense. Ravens@Browns Today, 1 p.m., chs. 13, 9, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 4 Slipping `D' How the Ravens' defense has fared in the first three games of 2006 compared with the first three of 2007: Statistic 2006 2007 Points 20 63 4th-quarter points 3 35 Yards 592 904 Sacks 16 6 Interceptions 7 2

COLLEGE PARK -- If Adalius Thomas has any hard feelings toward the Ravens after the club failed to re-sign him last week, they weren't in evidence last night at Comcast Center. Before the Maryland-North Carolina men's basketball game, Thomas - expected to be a highly sought-after free agent - came over to the courtside seat occupied by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and gave him a warm hug. Thomas, who attended the game with Ravens linebacker Bart Scott, didn't hold out much chance of returning to the team.