Fabian Washington

SETTING THE TONE: : The defense opened the morning session when defensive tackle Haloti Ngata tipped and intercepted a pass by Joe Flacco on the first play of a full-team, live drill. Cornerback Domonique Foxworth intercepted a pass from Flacco to wide receiver Marcus Smith, and cornerback Frank Walker broke up several passes. NEAR MISS: : Cornerback Fabian Washington appeared to join the interception parade when he got his hands on a pass from Flacco to wide receiver Justin Harper during a one-on-one exercise, but the ball squirted out of Washington's hands and into Harper's.

Samari Rolle's courageous run with the Ravens is coming to an end. After overcoming epileptic seizures and a midseason neck surgery during his four years as a Ravens starting cornerback, Rolle told The Baltimore Sun yesterday that he will be released by the team Monday. Rolle, 32, envisioned a diminished role after the team signed Domonique Foxworth on the first day of free agency. "I anticipate [the release] happening. I'm happy," Rolle said. "Everyone got what they wanted out of this.

1 Tough conference: No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh (7 p.m., ESPN), just another Monday night in the Big East. 2 Out of conference: No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Tennessee take a break from their conference schedules for a women's basketball game between perennial powers (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). 3 Lone Star rivals: Texas at Texas A&M (9 p.m., ESPN) or, as some might say down there, Tea-sippers vs. Aggies. 4 Pedal pushers: Lance Armstrong (left) is in the Tour of California (12:30 p.m., Versus)

In a historical sense, this really isn't an argument. The Ravens' 2000 defense was far better. They were mentally tougher, and perhaps more than any other defense in modern NFL history, they carried their team to a Super Bowl victory. But physically? In terms of sheer talent and potential? I think the Ravens' 2008 team can be better. It's like arguing that Paul Thomas Anderson is a better director than Martin Scorsese. No, Anderson doesn't have Scorsese's overall body of work. But there is definitely potential there.

Derrick Mason has proved that a 5-foot-10, 192-pound wide receiver can succeed in the NFL. He has proved that a 34-year-old can run circles around younger cornerbacks. Now he has proved he doesn't need two healthy arms to aid his team's run to the playoffs. Mason caught six passes for 66 yards and a 13-yard touchdown in the Ravens' 33-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night despite a left trapezoid that spasmed up and forced him to play essentially with only his right arm. "I don't want to, but I think I've proven that I can go out there and try to do the best that I can and try to help the team out in any way possible," Mason said yesterday.

Every week seems to pit Ravens offensive tackle Jared Gaither against a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive end or outside linebacker. Gaither wouldn't have it any other way. "I welcome any competition, I welcome any challenge, and I'm going to go out there and give it my best," he said. "Any player that doesn't [relish a challenge], I don't think he has a true love for the competition. Just work hard and get the job done." After tangling with the Pittsburgh Steelers' James Harrison (twice), the Miami Dolphins' Joey Porter, the Houston Texans' Mario Williams and the Indianapolis Colts' Dwight Freeney, Gaither gets another test in Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware when the Ravens visit the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow night.

Going into the 2008 season, there were certain Ravens who were irreplaceable, such as inside linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. You can now put cornerback Fabian Washington on that list. Yes, Fabian Washington. The Ravens have reached a point where they cannot afford any more injuries in the secondary, and the Ravens are not sure whether Washington can play Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys because of an injured hamstring. Washington suffered the injury in the Pittsburgh game Sunday and wasn't on the field during the Steelers' 12-play, 92-yard game-winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter.

It's almost irrelevant whether the 4-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes crossed the goal line in the final minute yesterday to lift the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 13-9 come-from-behind victory over the Ravens. The Ravens weren't robbed. Either they gave it away or Pittsburgh took the victory. What really matters is that if the Ravens want to step up to the next level and become an elite NFL team, they have to make big plays in the fourth quarter against the quality teams.

Fabian Washington is making a name for himself among his teammates, which isn't necessarily a good thing. When a Ravens defensive player drops a potential interception during practice, a teammate will chide that player by saying, "Fabian's rubbing off on you." It's a reference to an unusual statistic: Washington leads the defense in pass breakups with 14 but has only one interception this season. Washington said he endures good-natured ribbing from fellow defensive backs Frank Walker, Samari Rolle and Ed Reed on a daily basis.