Field Goal

What others around the sports world are saying about the Ravens' 22-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday: Edwin Pope Miami Herald columnist "Beating the Ravens wasn't that much. Baltimore has lost 10 games now and barely is a victim worth gloating over. But the Dolphins winning anything these days is worth at least a touch of celebration." Michael Silver YahooSports.com On Brian Billick's decision to kick a game-tying field goal on fourth-and-goal from the half-yard line with 12 seconds left in regulation: "Huh?

As they do every week, Ravens kicker Matt Stover, long snapper Matt Katula and holder Sam Koch got together at practice Friday in Owings Mills for what has become a ritual -- going through the routine of a game-winning field-goal attempt. "We found an open field and we said, `Game-winner, Cardinals,' " Katula recalled yesterday. Practice made for a perfect ending -- again -- for Stover and the Ravens yesterday in their 26-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at M&T Bank Stadium. Though Stover had done it a dozen times before in an 18-year NFL career, seeing his 46-yard attempt sail through the goal posts as time expired was just as exciting as -- and possibly more satisfying than -- doing it for the first time with the Cleveland Browns in 1991.

Do you agree with Billick's decision to kick a field goal with 12 seconds left in regulation and the ball at the 1-yard line? The offensive players were pumped and wanted to go for it. CompuCoach took the easy way out. Brian Personally, I would have gone for the touchdown. That's just me. That was a man-up situation. That's football. It comes down to one play and it's your best against my best. Winner takes all. Now, with that said, I have no problem with Billick's decision. This was a team that had lost seven straight games.

Pittsburgh -- The Navy football team is leaving a lot of people winded, including opposing teams such as Pittsburgh, which couldn't find a way to beat the smaller, slower and less-than-perfect Midshipmen on Wednesday night. Navy again found a way to win when all signs said it shouldn't. The Mids won in overtime for the first time - in double overtime - beating Pitt, 48-45, just before the clock struck midnight. It was another wild win, and in its way, an impressive one. "We were due for a win like this," Navy coach Paul Johnson said.

One day after the most bizarre defeat in his nine seasons as coach of the Ravens, Brian Billick wouldn't inflame the controversy surrounding Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson's game-tying, 51-yard field goal at the end of regulation. But Billick didn't exactly douse it, either. Billick said the team would express to the NFL its "concerns" about the way the field officials reversed the call after consulting with the replay official about procedure. He displayed his trademark sarcasm in talking about whether his team was prepared to go back on the field for overtime.

What went right -- After a 51-yard field goal by Matt Stover pulled the Ravens within 12-6 early in the fourth quarter, they got the ball back on a Peyton Manning interception with a chance to go ahead. Ed Reed's second pickoff set up the Ravens at their 39 with 12 minutes left. What went wrong -- The Ravens moved across midfield, but Steve McNair's third-and-nine pass for Demetrius Williams was intercepted by Nick Harper to snuff that go-ahead opportunity. The Ravens stopped the Colts again and got the ball back with 8:43 to play, but went three-and-out with another poor offensive series.

Ravens@Chargers Sunday, 4:15 p.m., Ch. 13, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Chargers by 9 1/2 BIZARRE FINISH In one of the strangest endings in NFL history, the Ravens walked off the field thinking they had won only to return to the field and lose in overtime. :26 -- Matt Stover's 47-yard field goal gave the Ravens a 30-27 lead. :00 --- Phil Dawson's 51-yard field-goal attempt was ruled no good by one official underneath the upright. But after a discussion lasting nearly five minutes, referee Pete Morelli ruled that the field goal was good because it had bounced off the supporting post, tying the game at 30 and sending it to overtime.

It was everything you don't usually see at M&T Bank Stadium. The home team rolled up a lopsided score and, in a strange karmic twist, a last-second, 51-yard field goal caromed off the crossbar and continued on uneventfully into the scorebook. OK, it was only halftime, but when Navy kicker Joey Bullen skipped that ball through the uprights - from the exact same distance that Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson hit that fateful and controversial game-tying field goal against the Ravens here two weeks ago - it was hard not to feel as if some strange cosmic force was at work.

CINCINNATI -- The Ravens needed a 50-yard field goal as time expired to beat the worst team in the NFL yesterday. That tells you how well they played."

ATLANTA -- Yesterday's game had produced pretty much the same negatives as the three previous games had for the Atlanta Falcons.Only this time, despite the injuries, penalties, missed field-goal attempts and turnovers, the defending NFC champions appeared in good shape to claim a victory. But a botched final regulation drive deep into Ravens territory was followed by a major blown defensive assignment in overtime.The result was another defeat, as the Falcons' 19-13 overtime loss left Atlanta 0-4 and searching for answers.

Hitting what turns out to be a game-winning field goal is a big deal for a place-kicker on most football teams. At Navy, it can bring special treatment. After Geoff Blumenfeld made a 30-yard field goal with four seconds left to give Navy a 24-21 win over Air Force in 2004, he was served breakfast in bed by a midshipman in full dress uniform. When Joey Bullen did something similar a year later - converting a 46-yard field goal in the last second of a 27-24 win over the Falcons - he received a signed picture from the secretary of the Navy.

Steve Hauschka is willing to wait. The newly minted full-time kicker for the Ravens knows that the organization's many fans embraced and admired Matt Stover. Hauschka is also aware that for the present and immediate future, every one of his kicks will be dissected and reviewed by Stover's loyalists. Hauschka knows what's in store for him as he succeeds Stover, and he will bide his time until fans welcome Hauschka the way they saluted Stover. "I think it's going to take a few years for people to forget Matt Stover around here just because of what he has done, and I completely understand that," Hauschka said.

Coming off a lopsided loss in last year's Class 2A state final, Eastern Tech was intent on beginning this football season on a strong note. Facing Milford Mill on Friday night, however, the No. 7 Mavericks needed until the final minutes of a seesaw game to truly hit a fever pitch. After nearly blowing a two-touchdown lead, Eastern Tech scored 20 straight points in the final 4:21 to put away the Millers, 33-12, at CCBC-Essex. The Mavericks (1-0) now have won 27 of their past 29 games. "There's always going to be people that doubt us and spectators who aren't on our side, so it's a good thing that we come out and play strong," sophomore tailback Marquiese Bannister said.

ATLANTA -- Ravens coach John Harbaugh wouldn't declare Steve Hauschka the winner of the kicking battle Thursday night, but the second-year player did his best to make the decision easier. Hauschka converted both of his field goals in the Ravens' preseason finale, including an impressive 46-yarder late in the fourth quarter. "I knew my job was probably riding on it," Hauschka said of the 46-yard field goal. "So I felt some pressure on that one." After coming under scrutiny for missing a 27-yard field goal Saturday, Hauschka bounced back to finish six of seven on field goals for the preseason (85.7 percent)

Judging by looks alone, the Ravens' kicking competition might have been decided in the second quarter of Monday's 24-23 preseason victory over the New York Jets. That's when Graham Gano's 46-yard field-goal attempt sliced wide right, leading coach John Harbaugh to glare in disgust at the field while shaking his head. Halfway through the preseason, there are indications Steve Hauschka is close to winning the job over Gano. Hauschka has outplayed Gano, making all three of his field-goal tries.

Part of the fun of having a media credential and going to Ravens camp is you get to ask the coaches annoying questions. Here's one that really gets on their nerves: Who's going to replace the great Matt Stover as the team's kicker, Steve Hauschka or Graham Gano? It gets on their nerves because John Harbaugh and his staff have been asked this for weeks, dating to the team's first minicamps. And the answer the coaches keep giving is: We won't know until the preseason games start. Look, they say, you can watch a guy kick all you want in practice on the nice green grass at McDaniel College.

Matt Stover has come to grips with his life after football. If his phone rings in late July or August, he is prepared to continue his career as one of the NFL's best kickers. And if not ... "Then my last kick for the Baltimore Ravens against Tennessee, wow, what a way to go out," Stover said. It was another classic Stover moment. With the outcome of the game in doubt, Stover trotted out on the field before a boisterous crowd of 69,143 at LP Field to kick the game-winning 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds remaining as the Ravens edged the Titans, 13-10, in the AFC semifinals last season.

Defense is what Lake Clifton coach Herman Harried continually reinforces to his group, and he got plenty of it Tuesday. The Lakers held Digital Harbor to one field goal and just five points in the decisive second half. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/varsityletters)

NASHVILLE, TENN. - Conjuring up memories and magic of their last Super Bowl run, the wild-card Ravens once again knocked off the top-seeded Tennessee Titans in an AFC divisional playoff game yesterday. Matt Stover's 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the game lifted the Ravens to an improbable 13-10 victory over the Titans and stunned another sellout crowd at LP Field. Inspired by a timely offense, a stubborn defense and a rare break by the officials, the Ravens (13-5) became just the second sixth seed in NFL playoff history to upset a top seed.

JOE COOL: On the Ravens' final drive, Joe Flacco completed two of his three passes, connecting on a 23-yard pass to Todd Heap to convert a third down and hitting Mark Clayton for 8 yards to set up the winning kick. STOVER DELIVERS: Matt Stover converted the first playoff game-winner of his 19-year career, hitting a 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds remaining. The kick was more impressive when you consider he was limited all week in practice because of a sore right ankle. STUBBORN DEFENSE: After giving up a touchdown in the first quarter, the Ravens allowed the Titans to get inside their 40-yard line six more times but surrendered only one field goal.