Kicker

Three years ago as a plebe, Greg Veteto walked on to the practice field at Navy to try out for punter. He made the team and last season stepped up to deliver as the Mids' go-to guy in that position. He might have thought that this season, as a senior, he would be the No. 1 punter again. Instead, the native of Corpus Christi, Texas, is in a three-way battle. He's virtually deadlocked with freshman Kyle Delahooke, and senior Joey Bullen is pressing them both. Veteto, 22, smiles quizzically and shrugs when asked about the competition.

Here's perhaps the most fascinating entry on place-kicker Scott Bentley's NFL resume, which includes nearly twice as many teams (five) as field-goal attempts (three):Signed by Tampa Bay, April 7, 1999.Waived by Tampa Bay, April 19, 1999.What did Bentley do, sabotage the playbook? Threaten Tony Dungy? Defect to NFL Europe?None of the above.Bentley had moved his belongings to Tampa with the understanding that he would compete with two other kickers for the starting job.But on April 17, the Buccaneers drafted Kansas State's Martin Gramatica in the third round, the earliest selection of a kicker since 1993.

LANDOVER -- Washington Redskins kicker Brett Conway knew the drill.It was only three weeks ago, against the Dallas Cowboys, that Conway had the chance to win the game with a field goal with three seconds left in regulation. But a botched hold by Matt Turk never gave him a chance.Yesterday, it was deja vu for Conway. In his first home game back, against the Carolina Panthers, he was kicking at the same posts in the final seconds from 31 yards.This time, however, Conway received a good hold and he converted his first game-winner since 1996, his senior year at Penn State.

1 Crowd the line of scrimmage and shut off running back Jerome Bettis because quarterback Mike Tomczak can't beat them.2 Go after cornerback Deshea Townsend. He has been terrible, giving up a couple of big plays each game.3 Win the field-position game. Pittsburgh has only two real offensive weapons, punter Josh Miller and kicker Kris Brown.

PHILADELPHIA -- A rather bittersweet season ended in exultation for Navy's place-kicker yesterday.Senior Tim Shubzda went out with his right foot blazing, kicking an Army-Navy record-tying four field goals to highlight the Midshipmen's 19-9 victory, gaining some final satisfaction on the biggest stage of his career."

Matt Stover kicked his only game-winning field goal as a Raven at Giants Stadium last season. He will return to the scene of his triumph Sunday with his job in jeopardy -- assuming he even lasts that long.It's a new era, all right.No one should get too comfortable in that locker room.For the first time in their three seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens are operating with enough salary-cap flexibility to make in-season personnel changes.And after games like Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they apparently will show less patience with struggling players than they have before.

Last season, Morgan State football coach Stump Mitchell watched in horror as his kickers missed important short field goals and extra points during a 3-7 season.In one instance, against South Carolina State, the poor kicking game turned a would-be victory into an overtime contest, which Morgan lost. In another, lack of kicking skill meant a loss in regulation against North Carolina A&T, when both teams scored one touchdown but Morgan couldn't get the extra point.So it was no surprise that on media day at Hughes Stadium yesterday, one of Mitchell's favorite topics was his new place-kicker, K. C. Vasquez.

Massive ballyhoo. Hype, drum-beating, flag-waving. Maybe more noise than was heard in the city by the Chesapeake than any time since Francis Scott Key was holding his ears to muffle the sound while diligently writing his immortal words as the War of 1812 went on around him. The most extensive marketing project in the history of new and old Baltimore led up to the highest of expectations. Top marks for creativity. A nonstop blitz.The largest crowd to see a pro game in the history of Baltimore, 68,847, had gathered in a carnival-like atmosphere.

The Ravens are sticking with place-kicker Matt Stover for now, but in the wake of his subpar performance in Sunday's season-opening loss to Pittsburgh, the team has decided to put more pressure on its nine-year veteran by taking a serious look at former Indianapolis kicker Cary Blanchard.Blanchard, who was released by the Colts 10 days ago and played for coach Ted Marchibroda with Indianapolis in 1995, worked out for the Ravens yesterday at the team's Owings Mills facility."It was just a look-see thing.

1 Giants kicker Brad Daluiso missed two field-goal tries, including a 41-yarder with 2: 59 left, and his first extra-point attempt was blocked.2 The Giants' secondary couldn't contain Ravens receivers Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander, who had five catches each, and tight end Eric Green, who had six.3 The Ravens' Matt Stover kicked a game-winning 37-yard field goal. Stover is 6-for-6 on field goals this season.Pub Date: 9/15/97

1 Injuries hit wide receivers. Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton have been durable throughout their careers, but both have dealt with significant injuries in the past year. This already criticized group doesn't have the depth to deal with any losses. 2 Steve Hauschka struggles in his first year as kicker. No one is under the fans' microscope more than Hauschka, who has the unenviable task of replacing Matt Stover. But the real pressure will come when he attempts his first potentially game-winning kick in the fourth quarter.

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.

Matt Stover has a marvelous past, two NFL kicking records and unerring accuracy from less than 40 yards. Steve Hauschka has a promising future, a powerful leg and the ability to combine two jobs into one. Those appear to be the Ravens' two kicking options as they fast approach coach John Harbaugh's second season, one filled with high expectations. Choosing Hauschka would be a break with the familiar, sentimental path that Baltimore fans have traveled the past 13 seasons. How many games have Stover and the Ravens' defense won together over those years?

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.

A year ago, John Harbaugh's first minicamp as Ravens coach ended with the surprise retirement of quarterback Steve McNair. After leading the Ravens to the AFC championship game, Harbaugh won't have to deal with as many drastic issues when the Ravens begin their first minicamp Friday. He spoke to The Baltimore Sun on Wednesday about the changes during the offseason, the development of quarterback Joe Flacco and the immediate plans for first-round pick Michael Oher. Where do you see this team heading into the full-team minicamp?

In the brief history of the Ravens, there hasn't been much fuss when the team has decided not to re-sign players. The Ravens have allowed Pro Bowl players such as Vinny Testaverde and Jamal Lewis to leave with few complaints. A few fans were upset when the Ravens didn't bring back quarterback Trent Dilfer after the Super Bowl in the 2000 season. But nothing like the uproar over the Ravens not re-signing kicker Matt Stover. You can mess with any other Raven on the roster, but not Stover.

3 touchdowns Wilde Lake running back Jarrel Epps scored in the Wildecats' 21-14 win over Howard in a Class 3A East regional semifinal on Friday. 14 state championships in volleyball won by Centennial - a record. 57 kickoffs River Hill kicker Scott Trench had in seven games this season.

Obi Egekeze said he didn't watch when North Carolina kicker Casey Barth attempted a field goal in the third quarter with the Tar Heels ahead 15-14. Barth hit the left upright. Said Egekeze, who has been great since starting the season 0-for-5: "I never wish bad on another kicker. I don't even watch other kickers kick. I just turned in the complete opposite direction and figured I'd let the fans tell me if it was good." ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/terpsblog)

The Ravens plan to keep Matt Stover and Steve Hauschka on the 45-man game-day roster for the remainder of the season. Coach John Harbaugh said retaining the reliable veteran in Stover and the strong-legged rookie in Hauschka gives the Ravens flexibility. "The flexibility that a guy like Hauschka gives you as a kicker is another weapon," Harbaugh said. "We have a guy that can obviously kick the longer field goal, which was an advantage for us in the game. ... We're going to try to have them both active if we can."