Harbaugh

This isn't a Belichick vs. Brady argument, not even close. However, it is a fun question given that Harbaugh, the rookie head coach, and Flacco, the newbie starter, were blank slates when the season began. But I'll pick Flacco as the guy who made the difference this season - with a tip of the helmet to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. No question, Harbaugh set the table. His disciplined, meticulous approach made a world of difference in the way the team prepared. But unless you're Bill Belichick, the quarterback is still the man with his hands on the wheel and his foot on the gas. (Even super genius Duane Charles Parcells couldn't win in New York with Scott Brunner.

Is Jonathan Ogden next? There could be a number of senior citizens leaving the Ravens' roster now that veteran quarterback Steve McNair announced his retirement. The Camp Cream Puff training camps and Club Med approach to games are over. They ended when John Harbaugh replaced Brian Billick as coach. McNair, 35, seemed to have the right intentions about playing again, and he might have been the Ravens' top quarterback in 2008. But Harbaugh changed those plans. Harbaugh scheduled minicamps almost every other week throughout the summer.

Ravens quarterback Jim Harbaugh said he has experienced virtually no pain in his right (throwing) elbow after playing his first full game Sunday, a 45-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.Harbaugh hyper-extended his right ring finger in the first half of the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then developed tendinitis in his right elbow soon afterward.Harbaugh started but didn't finish a half in the next two games. He eventually was replaced by Eric Zeier, who started the next four games before Harbaugh replaced him in the second half against the Green Bay Packers.

The early injury prognoses yesterday for the Ravens' game Sunday against the New York Jets were favorable for starting wide receiver Michael Jackson and cornerback Rod Woodson, but starting quarterback Jim Harbaugh's status is questionable.The initial diagnosis after Sunday's game was that Harbaugh chipped a bone in the ring finger of his right (throwing) hand when knocked to the ground by cornerback Carnell Lake in the second quarter of the Ravens' 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harbaugh, who completed four of seven passes for 33 yards, did not return to the game.

Whether it's the presence of veteran Kelley Washington or a lack of productivity in practice, Demetrius Williams has been relegated to onlooker status through the Ravens' first two games. The fourth-year receiver has yet to catch a pass this season. He was targeted once in the team's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he did not play in the team's 31-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. "I can't really do anything about it," said Williams, the club's fourth-round draft pick in 2006.

It may be a dire situation that calls for Superman, but the Ravens hope they have the answer in Capt. Comeback.For the second straight week, coach Ted Marchibroda said at his Monday news conference that he wouldn't name his starting quarterback until tomorrow, when the team starts practicing for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ravens stadium.All indications, though, are that Marchibroda will go back to Capt. Comeback, Jim Harbaugh, as his starter against the Jaguars -- a team the Ravens/Browns franchise has never beaten in seven tries.

In a game in which the Ravens' secondary took a giant step back, much-maligned cornerback Frank Walker took a huge step forward with his goal-line strip of a potential touchdown Sunday in San Diego. The Ravens might need an even bigger effort from Walker this week if starting left cornerback Fabian Washington is sidelined with a concussion he suffered in the last two minutes of a 31-26 victory over the Chargers. Coach John Harbaugh hedged on Washington's availability for the Week 3 game against the Cleveland Browns, saying, "He'll have a chance to play this week."

The Ravens are guardedly optimistic about the chances of quarterback Jim Harbaugh starting Sunday's game against the New York Jets, but the 12-year veteran said he is ready to play.Harbaugh took his usual repetitions with the first-team offense yesterday during a two-hour, 20-minute practice. If either his right index finger or right elbow were bothering him, he showed little discomfort completing intermediate and long passes.However, four starters -- middle linebacker Ray Lewis (hamstring)

Ravens owner Art Modell has given Vinny Testaverde and his agent permission to begin talking with other teams about working out an agreement for the quarterback to play elsewhere next season.Testaverde, 34, has three years worth about $15 million left on his contract with the Ravens, but his status became questionable after the team traded for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh on Saturday. Harbaugh's contract has two years left at about $5.5 million.Modell said there is practically no chance of Testaverde's being traded, because the Ravens would take a salary cap hit of $4.3 million for the 1998 season, but only $1.6 million for 1998 and the remainder of $2.7 million in 1999 if they waive Testaverde after June 1. The most likely scenario is for Testaverde to work out a deal that would become effective after the team waived him June 1."

After alternating quarterbacks during the first three games of the season, the Ravens appear ready to hand the starting job to backup Eric Zeier in Sunday's game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.Although Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda said he plans to announce his decision today, several sources indicated yesterday that Marchibroda is about to send Jim Harbaugh to the bench and give Zeier his first start of 1998."I have to decide what is the best way for us to beat Cincinnati," Marchibroda said.