Jamal Lewis

INSIDE TODAY WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TODAY'S SUN COLUMNISTS Target: Microsoft Office Some powerful challengers are chipping away at the Microsoft Office edifice. They have significant outside backing, they're compatible with Office documents, and they're free - something that Office definitely is not. Business baltimoresun.com/himowitz Words of Jamal Lewis Maybe Jamal Lewis didn't put it quite right - or maybe the message got garbled - but his comments about facing his former Ravens teammates kicked up a bit of a ruckus.

In his seven-year career with the Ravens, Jamal Lewis won a Super Bowl, set the league's single-game rushing record and earned the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award. Yet as the much-anticipated reunion with his former teammates approaches, Lewis couldn't sound more emotionally detached. Now the featured running back for the Cleveland Browns, Lewis spoke yesterday about how much he had wanted to leave the Ravens and how the change in offensive philosophy left a "sour taste" in his mouth.

Where the Ravens fall in the latest power rankings: ESPN.com No. 5: Besides having younger legs at RB (Willis McGahee), the Ravens have loads of experience. But the flip side of being a veteran team is being an injury-prone one. Which way that pendulum swings might determine their fate. CBSSports.com No. 6: We know the defense will be good, and McGahee will help the offense, but how much does Steve McNair have left? Foxsports.com No. 5: Interesting offseason for Baltimore. Coming off a magical 13-3 season in which they won the AFC North, the Ravens lost key contributors Jamal Lewis, Tony Pashos, Adalius Thomas and Ovie Mughelli in free agency.

Nearly all of the Ravens' success over 11 seasons has been derived from their defense. The face of the franchise since it came from Cleveland has been middle linebacker Ray Lewis. The Ravens won a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer, whose quarterback rating during that 2000 season was mediocre. The Ravens say this season will be different. Line: Bengals by 2 1/2 For updates and news on the Ravens, go to baltimoresun.com/ravenscentral Ravens Year-By-Year Offense The Ravens' offensive rankings and top quarterback, rusher and receiver (based on yardage)

Good morning--Willis McGahee--Tonight would be a good time to show why the Ravens preferred you to Jamal Lewis at running back.

Berea, Ohio -- There didn't seem to be much of a hole for Jamal Lewis to squeeze through. Studying his blockers, Lewis cut quickly to his right, through a blur of orange helmets, and suddenly found himself in the clear. It was only training camp, and only the first week of August, but a player whose career in Baltimore had leveled off the past two seasons has found himself rejuvenated with a new team in a new city. Lewis, the leading rusher in the history of the Ravens, is a Cleveland Brown.

Training camp: Berea, Ohio Last season's record: 4-12 Key additions: Aside from bringing in Jamal Lewis, the Browns brought in left guard Eric Steinbach and center Seth McKinney as free agents and drafted Joe Thomas out of Wisconsin with the No. 3 overall pick to play left tackle. Key losses: While running back Reuben Droughns was deemed expendable when Lewis signed, the biggest loss was probably Brian Russell in the defensive backfield. Still, Russell had only one interception last season.

WORLD German kidnapped in Kabul Armed assailants kidnapped a German aid worker at a restaurant in Afghanistan's capital city in a bold midday attack, as the Taliban said negotiations for the release of 19 remaining South Korean hostages have failed. pg 18a Looting continues in Peru Authorities bolstered troops and police in the earthquake-shattered zone south of Lima yesterday after a wave of looting targeted shops, relief vehicles and aid storage sites. The 8.0-magnitude quake struck Wednesday, killing about 500 people and injuring 1,500.

The charges brought against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for his alleged involvement in a Virginia-based dogfighting operation don't have an impact on the Ravens, but if any NFL team can relate to what the Falcons are going through, it's the team that opened training camp at McDaniel College yesterday. Twice in the past eight years, the Ravens have arrived in Westminster with controversy swirling around them because of criminal charges brought against two of their biggest stars.

Ravens 2006 record: 13-3 (first in division) Major additions: RB Willis McGahee (trade/Buffalo), G Ben Grubbs (draft/first round), PR-KR Yamon Figurs (draft/third round) Key losses: RB Jamal Lewis, FB Ovie Mughelli, G Edwin Mulitalo, OT Tony Pashos, LB Adalius Thomas Burning question: How much will the Ravens miss Thomas? Biggest change: The offensive line could feature a new right side with Grubbs and Adam Terry. Bengals 2006 record: 8-8 (tied for second in division) Major additions: DT Michael Myers (FA/Denver)