Langham

It is more glamorous to have a quick-strike passing game in the NFL, but the surest path to victory is traveled on the ground.That indisputable fact was apparent once again in Week 5.No fewer than 12 of the 22 teams that played on Sunday failed to rush for 100 net yards. Ten of the 12 lost.Of the 10 teams that went over the century mark, nine won. San Diego, which had the third-best rushing total of the day (152 yards) in a loss in Indianapolis, was the lone exception.That's why the New York Giants are struggling to regain their 1997 form -- they can no longer run the ball.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Eric Turner died in May, but his locker in the Oakland Raiders' locker room is still stocked with his practice gear, shoes and photo of his son, Eric Jr. On Monday, the TV cameras and cables scuttled back and forth across the locker room, looking for an angle for Sunday's AFC championship game against the Ravens. How about that Ravens' defense? How about the playoff pressure? How about those Raiders fans? Here's one: How about Eric Turner's locker? Want an angle? Try Turner, who was a Pro Bowl safety with Baltimore in 1996, then signed with the Raiders as a free agent.

He was the ninth player chosen in the 1994 draft, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, an All-Pro in the making.What happened to Antonio Langham?The Ravens couldn't stop asking that question the first half of last season. And the third-year cornerback couldn't stop asking it, either."I went home every night, and I'd sit there a lot of times in the dark, trying to figure out what was going on, why I was playing so bad," Langham said."Was it terrible technique? Was it no confidence? Was it that I didn't know the schemes?"

As several NFL teams continued to court cornerback Antonio Langham and special teams player Bennie Thompson -- two of the Ravens' unrestricted free agents -- the club yesterday was preparing to release veteran left guard Leo Goeas.An announcement could come within the next few days, according to Goeas' agent, Mark Bartelstein.The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Goeas was signed to a three-year, $2 million contract last March. He started seven of 11 games for the Ravens (six at left guard, one at center)

POTOMAC - He still has his fans, lining the fairways in their "Shark" hats and shirts. He still has his aura, emanating from his steely-eyed stare. And yesterday, in the opening round of the $3.6 million Kemper Insurance Open at the Tournament Players Club at Avenel, Greg Norman showed he had something else. His game. Playing in only his seventh tournament of the year and his first in more than a month, Norman shot a 4-under-par 67. His climb into contention - he was at 5-under and briefly tied for the lead - certainly helped spice up an otherwise drab leader board.

Jim Pyne, Hurvin McCormack, Scott Rehberg, Damon Gibson and Steve Gordon are now the answer to a trivia question.They were the first five players selected by the new Cleveland Browns in the expansion draft at the Canton (Ohio) Civic Center yesterday.They set the tone for the type of players the Browns were looking for -- obscure ones who didn't use up too much cap room.With a $1.8 million salary cap number, Pyne was actually one of the more expensive players picked. Of the 37 they selected, only five had salary cap numbers above $500,000.

If this weekend's NFL draft were a fairy tale, the Ravens would satisfy their hunger for a cornerback by moving up six slots in a trade with the Oakland Raiders to select Michigan All-American and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson.The Raiders own the fourth overall selection, a place that has been kind to the Ravens by yielding offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and linebacker Peter Boulware in the past two drafts.But the chance of such a scenario unfolding is extremely slim, partly because the Ravens would have to give up too much to climb that high on the draft board, partly because Woodson blew away the Raiders at a recent workout, partly because Oakland had the league's worst defense in 1997.

Inside the Ravens' nearly empty locker room, cornerback Antonio Langham sat down, rubbed his chin, stared dejectedly at the floor and tried to come up with answers to explain his slump. At that moment, he seemed like a man alone on an island.Then again, Langham is used to that feeling. As a third-year NFL player, Langham makes his living in the corner's glaring, uncompromising spotlight. It's a stage on which your greatest moments and worst mistakes are framed for easy viewing."Nobody sees the right guard screw up, but everybody can see the cornerback when he does," Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis said.

ROCKVILLE -- Three recent collegiate standouts led the way, as U.S. Open sectional qualifying wrapped up a two-day stay at Woodmont Country Club. A heavy thunderstorm early Monday evening had forced a suspension of play. With two holes left, and needing to pick up one stroke to make a playoff, Lee Williams, a recent Auburn University graduate, avoided that by holing out a 111-yard shot on the 17th hole of the North Course for an eagle-2. The 2003 Walker Cup player parred the last hole for 67-67--134.

The Ravens have begun preliminary talks in the negotiations with unrestricted free-agent center Wally Williams. It signals that one of the team's most versatile and athletic offensive lineman is the highest priority among the club's eight unrestricted free agents.William's agent, Tom Condon, was not available for comment, but Ravens chief financial officer Pat Moriarty said he has been in contact with Condon and expects the negotiations to heat up after the team has its evaluation of players and coaches on Jan. 27.Although Williams is a priority, team owner Art Modell also has said that re-signing receiver Derrick Alexander and cornerback Antonio Langham is important.