Inside Linebacker

PITTSBURGH -- For Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland, a hero to hefty men everywhere, there is no problem with either the weight or the wait.He just keeps plunking down his 270 or so pounds on the Steelers' sideline most every third down. Even though he was a Pro Bowl linebacker a year ago, even though he leads the team in tackles (36), sacks (two) and interceptions (two), he gives way to a slowly recovering Greg Lloyd on third-down, passing situations.The big guy shrugs. No problem."I've come to the belief that you can only deal with what you can control," Kirkland said yesterday.

Eddie Sutter has spent four NFL seasons as a backup. On Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Sutter will take on a new assignment, when he replaces injured Ravens rookie Ray Lewis as the starting left inside linebacker.The Ravens decided to promote Sutter rather than risk further injury to Lewis, who suffered a sprained left ankle early in Sunday's 30-27 loss to Jacksonville. Lewis, a first-round draft pick, wore a soft cast and was on crutches at the team complex in Owings Mills yesterday.

Jim Sawyer talks like he's been around the game of football all of his life.More importantly for the Liberty defense, he plays that way, too.The senior inside linebacker didn't put on shoulder pads until he was a freshman at Mount Hebron High School. He transferred to Liberty this year and has been in the middle of everything for a defense that has helped the No. 11 Lions (7-1) to new heights.Going into tonight's Central Maryland Conference clash againstfirst-place Thomas Johnson, Sawyer leads the county in tackles with 89 and also has five sacks.

COLLEGE PARK -- The crowds at Lock Haven were never more than a few thousand, Mike Settles recalls, "a whole lot of parents and maybe a few students."This was his introduction to college football.Division II.The Pennsylvania Conference.Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Slippery Rock.That a 6-foot-2, 200-pound walk-on evolved into a starting outside linebacker at Maryland is testament to Settles' inner strength.That Maryland must rely on such a transfer is testament to the massive rebuilding coach Mark Duffner faces even after landing back-to-back recruiting classes in the top 25.This isn't "Rudy," it's reality.

LOS ANGELES -- Carlton Bailey thinks something special is going to happen in Super Bowl XXVII on Sunday. And he thinks it's going to happen to him."For some strange reason, I feel like I'll play linebacker Sunday, and I'm going to make the difference," said Bailey, a Baltimore native and five-year veteran with the Bills.It would be a refreshing twist for Bailey and the Bills if it happens. The Bills have lost the past two Super Bowls, and are underdogs against the Dallas Cowboys this year.

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland senior linebacker Dave Marrone was elated when he received the news Monday that he was starting against No. 10 Penn State tomorrow.Fellow senior inside linebacker Mike Jarmolowich was just as happy.The "thug brothers" are back in the starting lineup, just in time to face Penn State's punishing running attack that is averaging 272.3 yards."Me and the big fella again. Maybe we'll have 20 tackles apiece," Jarmolowich, the Terps' leading tackler, said jokingly. "Seriously, this takes some of the pressure off me. He can help me get everybody aligned in this new defense, and I can concentrate more on what I have to do. I know where he is going to be. We played together, side by side, in all 11 games last year."

Donald Gibson might not always love his assignments, but that hasn't stopped him from performing his jobs better than most of the county's football players.Take defense. Gibson is a natural safety, one who prefers to roam the field in pass coverage or gain a head of steam before hitting a ball carrier. But Wilde Lake's coaches had Gibson pencilled in as the Wildecats' defensive signal caller and key linebacker in their 5-2 alignment."I'm not really big on being an inside linebacker, because I like to take the angle at people [from the safety position]

Three University of Maryland football players were declared academically eligible for the 1991 season yesterday by an academic board of appeals within the athletic department.The board heard the cases of starting inside linebacker and sophomore Louis Johnson and tackle Derek Steele and outside linebacker Joel Goode, both senior reserves.Maryland's grade requirements are higher than those of the NCAA. They require freshmen to have a grade-point average of at least 1.29 on a 4.0 scale. Sophomores must stay above 1.7, juniors above 1.85 and seniors above 2.0. Students must also compile a certain number of credits after a specific amount of time in school.

COLLEGE PARK -- Whenever there has been a hole in the lineup or on the field, Maryland junior inside linebacker Dave Marrone has filled it.He played as a true freshman when injuries forced starters out of the lineup. And when sophomore inside linebacker Louis Johnson, who split playing time with Marrone, was declared academically ineligible nearly three weeks ago, Marrone became the full-time starter.Since then Marrone, 6 feet 3 and 233 pounds, has made 22 tackles in two games, including a career-high 14 last week against Clemson.

The sight must have been pretty scary for Dulaney quarterback Brian Rayme.There, peering across at Rayme through his face mask, was Steve Gorski, Northeast's 6-foot-1, 210-pound inside linebacker.He looked like the grim reaper in a uniform that was all black, except for the jersey's yellow No. 78. Steam rose from inside Gorski'shelmet as his breath met the chilly night air.At the snap, Gorski churned his way through the offensive line like a human circular saw and before Rayme could take four steps, he was being dragged to theground for one of Gorski's two sacks in Friday night's game.

On draft weekend in April, University of Georgia linebacker Dannell Ellerbe kept watching the clock and waiting for the phone to ring. No NFL team called during the two days, as each hour passed slowly. A lot of teams called shortly after the draft was over, but a dream and reportedly $2,000 more in bonus money persuaded Ellerbe to sign a free-agent contract with the Ravens. And now the fight is on. "I just want to prove myself and show everybody that I'm good enough to play in the NFL," Ellerbe said.

If this was a job audition, Tavares Gooden was over the top with first impressions. By the time the Ravens shut down a three-day minicamp Sunday, they didn't appear to have an opening on defense beside Ray Lewis. Bigger tests will come later, but for three days in May, Gooden looked like a worthy successor to Bart Scott at inside linebacker. "I think everybody knows the answer to that," Gooden said at the conclusion of the mandatory camp. "I was brought in here to do a job; that's what I'll do. I won't disappoint.

As the options for Ray Lewis continued to dwindle, the agent for the Pro Bowl linebacker said Lewis would consider returning to the Ravens. "He couldn't think more highly of Baltimore," agent David Dunn said yesterday. "He's played in that city for so many years. He's so symbolic of the team." Although Dunn declined to comment on negotiations, it is believed the Ravens have offered a three-year, $24 million contract, a deal that Lewis could end up signing tomorrow. Barring a surprising turn in free agency, the Ravens likely represent the biggest payday for the 33-year-old veteran and the best opportunity for him to win another Super Bowl.

QB D- Joe Flacco looked like a rookie. He was misfiring, as a lot of passes sailed. He could have made some throws into the flats for yards but tried to force the ball downfield. Ben Roethlisberger made plays. Flacco didn't. OL B The Ravens finished with more than 100 rushing yards, and Flacco had time to throw. When he didn't, it was more the result of coverage than the Ravens getting beat up front. The Ravens did a nice job of handling outside linebacker James Harrison. WR C Derrick Mason was open for two possible long touchdown passes, but Flacco couldn't make the connections.

QB B- The Ravens have brought quarterback Joe Flacco along slowly with safe passes, but all the signs of a good quarterback are there. Flacco has a strong arm and good feet and reads the game well. He needs to develop more touch, but that will come in time. He is 5-3 as a rookie, which is outstanding in itself. RB B+ Willis McGahee got off to a slow start because he reported out of shape and then had knee problems. He hasn't produced the way he did last year. Rookie Ray Rice has played well during the past three games and might force McGahee into a backup role.

The time will come when the Ravens will have to begin searching for Ray Lewis' successor at middle linebacker. That time, however, is not now. With Lewis, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, fellow starter Bart Scott and reserves Mike Smith and Dennis Haley on the roster, inside linebacker is not exactly a position of need for the Ravens. And even though Lewis will turn 32 on May 15, general manager Ozzie Newsome said the organization will not push one of the team's cornerstones out the door.

t happens every winter. Some unheralded player rises from obscurity to gain a national profile in the NFL playoffs. This year, there are a host of candidates. Here is a primer on the stars you know and the would-be stars you don't. CHARGERS STAR YOU KNOW Running back LaDainian Tomlinson enjoyed a magical run this season and was rewarded yesterday with the Most Valuable Player Award. He led the NFL in rushing (1,815 yards) and yards from scrimmage (2,323). His specialty was getting into the end zone, rushing for a league-record 28 touchdowns, catching three more and throwing for two. In an era of arrogant prima donnas, he is as gracious a person as he is a great player.

Faced with the possibility of playing without starting linebacker Ray Lewis and backup Mike Smith, the Ravens initially didn't have a clear-cut replacement. But after the Ravens dug a little deeper in their roster, it's not surprising who they settled on: Jarret Johnson, the grittiest player on the team. Falcons@Ravens Sunday, 1 p.m., Ch. 45, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 4

On the first day of spring football practice, Navy senior quarterback Lamar Owens said he looked around the field and felt strange. So many familiar faces were absent. Starting yesterday, the Midshipmen, who three months ago won the Emerald Bowl to cap the second 10-win season in academy history, officially began a huge transition year. Thirty-six letter winners, including 18 starters, have departed from the 10-2 squad that concluded its run by whipping New Mexico, 34-19. The question marks are everywhere, beginning with the quarterback position, where Owens is the leading candidate to replace Aaron Polanco.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Tedy Bruschi's transformation from a college lineman to a play-making NFL linebacker is not a logical one, leaving even defensive mastermind Bill Belichick puzzled at first. Bruschi admittedly doesn't have the typical size or strength to play inside linebacker. He also doesn't have the speed. What he does have can only be measured by the plays he has made over his nine-year career with the New England Patriots, whether it's stripping the ball from a running back or intercepting a pass over the middle.