Le Ron Mcclain

Le'Ron McClain registered his first career touchdown when he made a 13-yard catch against the San Diego Chargers on Nov. 25. But if the rookie fullback weren't playing football, his career path might have taken a different turn. You were a human environmental sciences major at Alabama. What is that? It's like consumer sciences, stuff like pharmaceutical sales and computer stuff. I liked working with computers and all that. I'd love to work at the Apple store. Who is your biggest inspiration?

Shortly before free agency opens on March 13 , Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome should send linebacker Ray Lewis on another recruiting trip and tell him to welcome back running backLe'Ron McClain. McClain and the Ravens are a marriage waiting to happen again. The Ravens need a backup to starting halfback Ray Rice, and McClain is about to become an unrestricted free agent after spending a season with the Kansas City Chiefs. All we need now is a pastor, a contract and couple of witnesses to make it official.

Known for delivering big hits, Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain looked like the one who had been knocked out a couple of weeks ago. With his arms draped over two trainers, McClain needed to be helped off the field after his first training camp practice because he was out of shape. "It wasn't pretty scenery," Ravens running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery said. It's scenes like these that make it hard to see the big picture when it comes to McClain. There are times when he shows flashes of being a great fullback, bulling his way for a touchdown in the preseason opener and hammering defensive players with devastating blocks.

Le'Ron McClain was invited to the Pro Bowl in 2008 and 2009 as a fullback, but the yards and touchdowns he piled up when he wasn't blocking for Ray Rice or Willis McGahee played a big role in getting him to two straight Pro Bowls. Last season was up and down for McClain, though, and it could be his last with the Ravens. "Every time I go to Baltimore, I think about it," McClain, who is expected to be an unrestricted free agent when the lockout ends, told Jamison Hensley this week . "I think it might be the last few days I'm here.

Shortly before free agency opens on March 13 , Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome should send linebacker Ray Lewis on another recruiting trip and tell him to welcome back running backLe'Ron McClain. McClain and the Ravens are a marriage waiting to happen again. The Ravens need a backup to starting halfback Ray Rice, and McClain is about to become an unrestricted free agent after spending a season with the Kansas City Chiefs. All we need now is a pastor, a contract and couple of witnesses to make it official.

1 Eagles 0 Ravens 0 Both teams played cautiously in the first quarter. Except for a few nice runs by Le'Ron McClain, the Ravens did nothing on offense. The same held true for the Eagles, who finally got a drive started at end of the quarter that looked promising, with Philadelphia moving into Ravens territory. 2 Ravens 10 Eagles 7 It looked as if the Ravens had taken control of the game, intercepting the Eagles' Donovan McNabb twice and forcing him to fumble once. But with 1:37 left in the quarter, Philadelphia's Quintin Demps went 100 yards with the kickoff after a 1-yard touchdown reception by Daniel Wilcox had given the Ravens a 10-point lead.

JOE FLACCO'S DEBUT: The Ravens' rookie quarterback ran for a 38-yard touchdown and made the key block in Mark Clayton's 42-yard touchdown. Flacco was 15-for-29 for 129 yards and no turnovers. DEFENSIVE STAND: Returning to its dominant form, the Ravens' defense held the Cincinnati Bengals to 154 yards of offense and forced two turnovers. RUNNING START: Even with Willis McGahee out because of a coaching decision, the Ravens' running game churned out 229 yards behind Le'Ron McClain (86 yards)

From the practice field to the meeting rooms, the Ravens have their minds set on the Colts ... the ones from Indianapolis and not the ones who played in Baltimore. While some fans still fume over the thought of the Colts' relocation, Ravens players have not mentioned it among themselves. It's like that part of Baltimore football history is truly history. At least for the Ravens players. "A lot of these guys think that the Colts were always in Indiana," wide receiver Derrick Mason said.

3 reasons for optimism 1. Ravens' defense has controlled Steelers. Even with that controversial touchdown, the Ravens have allowed the Pittsburgh offense into the end zone just twice in two games. The Ravens' defense has limited the Steelers to an average of 274 yards, which is 37 below Pittsburgh's regular-season average. 2. Ravens have been able to run on Pittsburgh. In the first meeting with Pittsburgh, the Ravens totaled 103 rushing yards as a team. In the second one, Le'Ron McClain rushed for 87 yards.

When the Browns snagged ex-Ravens star Jamal Lewis as a free agent, Cleveland general manager Phil Savage bet that Lewis still had something left in the tank. Savage, Baltimore's former director of player personnel, was right. Lewis gained more than 1,300 yards last season and is on track for 1,100 this year. And while fans here might wonder whether the Ravens gave up too soon on Lewis - and got a dubious trade-off when they dealt for Willis McGahee - they should put those concerns aside.

Ravens fullback Le'Ron McClain is expected to tip-toe into the free-agent waters whenever the labor situation gets figured it out. For now, he has apparently been staying busy by launching a brand new website, which is "Alive and Winning" as the first post proclaimed , and it appears the site will soon have a web reality series featuring the two-time Pro Bowler . I also made another significant discovery while surfing the web on my...

Since declaring at the end of the season that his time in Baltimore was likely up, free-agent fullback Le'Ron McClain has changed his tune. Ravens fans on Twitter have seen a steady stream of Tweets from McClain, who has been letting the world know in 140 characters or fewer that he wants to remain with the Ravens. On Wednesday morning, McClain Tweeted out an video of him sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle and talking into his cell phone about meeting with his agent (that had to be uncomfortable for his buddy behind the wheel)

Play like a Raven. Act like a Raven, not like Le'Ron McClain. If Mr. McClain spit on a Dolphins player this past weekend, then I'd say he bought his ticket out of town. A few weeks ago, he had a very costly personal foul levied against him at a very critical juncture in the game. In the preseason, he launched a "give the ball to Le'Ron" Twitter campaign, which could have potentially been quite divisive among his teammates. If it's truly about developing character as well as developing football players, then this one is an absolute no-brainer.

Ravens run offense vs. Browns run defense: This is how the Ravens swept the Browns last season, running the ball a total of 85 times in two meetings. The Ravens gained 344 rushing yards against Cleveland, spreading the ball around to Ray Rice (175 yards), Le'Ron McClain (100) and Willis McGahee (64). In the first two weeks, teams have run the ball 55 percent of the time against Cleveland. The Browns have the NFL's fifth-worst run defense, giving up 5.6 yards per carry and five rushing touchdowns.

Willie Parker has been one of the NFL's young, emerging running backs - but not against the Ravens. In six meetings against the Ravens, Parker is averaging just 43.7 yards and has never gained more than 63 yards or scored a rushing touchdown. His ability to run the football against the Ravens on Sunday could determine whether the Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., next month. Free safety Ed Reed said the success of the Ravens' run defense is grounded in the unit's linemen and linebackers.

3 reasons for optimism 1. Ravens' defense has controlled Steelers. Even with that controversial touchdown, the Ravens have allowed the Pittsburgh offense into the end zone just twice in two games. The Ravens' defense has limited the Steelers to an average of 274 yards, which is 37 below Pittsburgh's regular-season average. 2. Ravens have been able to run on Pittsburgh. In the first meeting with Pittsburgh, the Ravens totaled 103 rushing yards as a team. In the second one, Le'Ron McClain rushed for 87 yards.

Another playoff trip to top-seeded Tennessee. Another meeting with Kerry Collins. Another Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Everything points to a repeat of the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl season. But there are just as many comparisons between this season's Ravens and - ahem - the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before Ravens Nation cries blasphemy, listen to why you want the Ravens to continue following in the footsteps of their division rival. The 2005 Steelers are really the one hope for NFL's No. 6 seeds.

Back on the road again, the Ravens will unleash Le'Ron McClain & Co. on the Miami Dolphins today and hope the path leads to Nashville, Tenn. McClain and the running game will carry the Ravens' best opportunity to advance past Miami in the 1 p.m. AFC wild-card playoff. A victory at Dolphin Stadium would earn the sixth-seeded Ravens a date against the top-seeded Tennessee Titans in six days. A grinding run offense has become an integral part of the Ravens' 11-5 success this season. They led the NFL with 592 rushing attempts in the regular season, 32 more than the team with the next biggest commitment to the run, the Atlanta Falcons.