Fullback

On the first day of free agency, the Ravens were merely spectators, watching three starters land big-money contracts elsewhere, including All-Pro outside linebacker Adalius Thomas. In a surprising turn of events, Thomas, 29, chose New England over the San Francisco 49ers and will sign with the Patriots today once he passes a physical, an unnamed league executive told the Boston Herald last night. It's expected that Thomas will become one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL. Considered the most versatile player in Ravens history, he will be the only starter not returning to the Ravens' defense, which ranked No. 1 in the league last season.

No one on the Ravens is saying linebacker Adalius Thomas and fullback Ovie Mughelli are replaceable. But the team did its best yesterday to find their potential successors at those positions on the second day of the NFL draft. With their first pick of the day - No. 35 in the fourth round and 134th overall - the Ravens selected linebacker-defensive end Antwan Barnes of Florida International. Three slots later, the team took fullback Le'Ron McClain of Alabama. The club also added Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith with the final pick of the fifth round (174th overall)

Ravens fullback Chuck Evans could not remember the last time he was so involved in the offense.Yesterday, the man who is paid primarily to put linebackers on the ground as a lead blocker did it all. He played his customary position and dished out some good blocks. He caught three passes out of the backfield. And when the Ravens went to a three-wide receiver set, Evans often was the featured back.Evans even took a rare trip to the end zone, when he caught only the second touchdown pass of his seven-year career to give the Ravens their final lead in yesterday's 30-23 loss to Jacksonville.

Fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo never saw it coming. After spending two years bouncing between the active and developmental rosters with the Minnesota Vikings, after overcoming a back injury he suffered while playing in NFL Europe last year, he said he finally was smelling a whiff of job security.Then, the Vikings cut him.Eight days after leaving Minnesota, Ayanbadejo landed yesterday in Baltimore, where he has been reunited with former Vikings such as coach Brian Billick, fullback Chuck Evans, guard Everett Lindsay and tight end Greg DeLong.

After Irv Dingle batted .500 and displayed power his senior year playing the outfield at Fairfield High School in northern California, the Los Angeles Dodgers offered him a contract.But Dingle had already chosen his career path. He made up his mind when he was 5 years old and accompanied his father, a 20-year Navy man, on a family tour of an aircraft carrier in San Francisco Bay."The first time I saw those Navy jets fly overhead and break the sonic boom, my whole body tingled. I was sold," recalled Dingle.

Encouraged by the progress their defense showed during the 1997 season, the Ravens will focus their off-season attention primarily on an offense that sputtered for much of last fall, and the team plans to move ahead without running back Bam Morris.After an eight-hour evaluation yesterday by the team's front office, coaching and scouting staffs, a team source said the Ravens will not re-sign Morris, their leading rusher during the past two seasons who is serving a four-month jail term in Rockwall, Texas, for violating the terms of his probation resulting from a 1996 marijuana possession conviction.

Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda sees a tough, balanced offense taking the field in 1998. He sees a diverse attack feeding off an improved running game -- bolstered by a proven fullback -- that will make play-action passes more effective and big plays more frequent.If only Marchibroda held the pieces that will fit the puzzle.With unrestricted free agents across the league set to begin shopping their skills on Feb. 13, and with the NFL draft on tap two months later, the Ravens are studying both areas to fill the many empty spaces in their backfield.

Roosevelt PottsPosition: FullbackHeight: 6-0Weight: 250Age: 27College: Northeast LouisianaYear: FifthHighlights: Signed by Ravens as a free agent after playing briefly for Miami in 1997. Figures to be the Ravens' starting fullback this season. Sat out the entire 1996 season after being suspended by the NFL for violating league substance abuse policy. He was originally drafted by Indianapolis in second round of 1993 draft. Played three seasons for the Colts under now-Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda; he ran for career-high 711 yards in 1993 rookie season.

The Ravens agreed in principle last night on a one-year contract with Roosevelt Potts, a former Indianapolis Colts fullback who was suspended for the 1996 season for violating the NFL's substance and alcohol abuse policy.Potts, who played in six games for the Miami Dolphins last year, will earn a base salary of nearly $600,000 from the Ravens. A league source said Potts turned down a one-year offer of between $800,000 and $900,000 from Miami, opting to play for Ted Marchibroda, his former coach in Indianapolis.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Ravens enter tonight's third preseason game at Veterans Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles nursing a variety of injuries, and also trying to fill a pressing need of finding a starting fullback.Defensive starters Stevon Moore (knee), a safety, and defensive end Michael McCrary (knee) Lee will not play along with rookie running back Jay Graham (knee). Tight end Eric Green (knee), offensive tackle Orlando Brown (ankle) and defensive end Rob Burnett (ankle) are questionable.

Le'Ron McClain can run, catch and block. Turns out he can coach, too. The fullback was instrumental in tailback Ray Rice's first touchdown in the Ravens' 33-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and Rice's 22-yard run off left tackle came courtesy of what McClain said, not what he did. "I said to him: 'Just trust me, man. [No.] 51 [Vikings linebacker Ben Leber] is not going to take me on. He's going to try to run. So just stay on my hip and you'll score,' " McClain recalled Tuesday.

Navy (3-2) at Rice (0-5) Time: : 3:30 p.m. TV: : CBS College Sports Radio: : 1090 AM, 1430 AM Line: : Navy by 11 Series: : Rice leads 6-5. Last meeting: : Navy won, 41-9, on Oct. 22, 2005. Murray steps in: : Midshipmen junior Vince Murray will likely get his first start at fullback; sophomore Alexander Teich didn't practice all week because of a sprained left ankle. Murray, who is averaging 3.5 yards per carry, is not as fast as Teich, but he is a more physical runner - "and right now, that's what we need," offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said.

At practice on Monday, Navy junior Vince Murray felt a little more tired and sore than usual. But he expected that, after nearly exceeding his career rushing output during the Midshipmen's 16-13 overtime victory against Air Force on Saturday. Murray filled in for starting fullback Alexander Teich for the entire second half and extra period against the Falcons, after Teich hopped off the field with a sprained left ankle. Teich was wearing a protective boot at practice on Monday, and coach Ken Niumatalolo said it's doubtful that the sophomore will be able to play at Rice (0-5)

College basketball Terps guard Vasquez named preseason Wooden candidate Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez was selected as a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year on Wednesday. The 6-foot-6 senior from Caracas, Venezuela, was one of 50 players selected, including 10 from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Vasquez was a second-team All-ACC selection as a junior, leading the Terps in scoring (17.5), rebounds (5.4), assists (5.0), steals (1.40)

For most college football teams, being the fullback on offense is about as glamorous as playing nose guard on defense. Except at Navy, where the case can be made that the fullback should get equal billing with the quarterback and slotback. Since then-coach Paul Johnson brought the triple-option offense to Navy from Georgia Southern in 2002, the fullback has been the team's leading rusher four times, and in 2003 and 2004, Kyle Eckel gained more yards rushing than quarterbacks Craig Candeto and Aaron Polanco did passing.

Known for delivering big hits, Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain looked like the one who had been knocked out a couple of weeks ago. With his arms draped over two trainers, McClain needed to be helped off the field after his first training camp practice because he was out of shape. "It wasn't pretty scenery," Ravens running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery said. It's scenes like these that make it hard to see the big picture when it comes to McClain. There are times when he shows flashes of being a great fullback, bulling his way for a touchdown in the preseason opener and hammering defensive players with devastating blocks.

Much has changed for Le'Ron McClain in the past year. A fourth-round pick out of Alabama, McClain was just hoping to make the Ravens during training camp last summer at McDaniel College in Westminster. McClain performed well enough to leapfrog over Justin Green to earn the starting job at fullback. "I was told the Tuesday before the first game," McClain recalled yesterday after morning practice. "I just took it as a blessing and I went forward with it the whole year." McClain acknowledges that he had some jitters going into the season-opening loss at Cincinnati, and nerves might have contributed to his fumbling in a 27-20 defeat to the Bengals.

Mike Alstott made it official yesterday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback retired. It was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Alstott had spent this entire season on injured reserve and had only 81 touches in the 2006 season. But with Alstott leaving the NFL stage, we are seeing perhaps the last of a breed: the fullback who was truly an offensive weapon. And that's too bad because the fullback, to me, was the quintessential football player. Big and bruising but athletic enough to put points on the board.

Rewind In the second half, under the guidance of backup quarterback Jarod Bryant, the Midshipmen rushed for 304 of their 521 rushing yards and scored 17 of their 31 points. Backup fullback Eric Kettani made seven of his nine carries count for 118 of his 126 yards. Duke@Navy Saturday, 1 p.m., 1090 AM

Justin Green is competing with rookie Le'Ron McClain to be the starting fullback. Green, a fifth-round pick in 2005 who has started seven games the past two seasons, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Nov. 30. How long has the road back been for you? Anytime you touch on anything that's career-ending, it's always the mental part that you have to get back first. I think I've been doing that pretty well, and that's really all it is now because the strength is pretty much there.