Leftwich

On September 4, 2004, ROBERTMARSHALL LEFTWICH, SR., retired LTC US Army Reserve and retired Sgt. Baltimore City Police Dept., K-9 Unit, beloved husband of Joann G. (nee Bush) Leftwich; devoted father of Brenda Lee Ayd, Barbara Lee Hender, Belinda Lee Delcon, and Robert Marshall Leftwich, Jr. He is also survived by eight loving grandchildren, three brothers, and one sister. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the Schimunek Funeral Home, Inc., 9705 Belair Road (Perry Hall), on Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m., where funeral services will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. Interment Parkwood Cemetery.

Every week, blogger Matt Vensel breaks down a critical play, sometimes with the help of Ravens players, from that week's game. Today, he looks at Steelers QB Byron Leftwich's touchdown scramble against the Ravens. In the first minute of Baltimore's 13-10 win in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, Steelers backup quarterback Byron Leftwich did something that few people in Heinz Field -- probably Leftwich included -- believed he could do. The Steelers had the football inside Ravens territory after cornerback Cary Williams was flagged for a 42-yard pass interference penalty.

In retrospect, the worst thing the Ravens' brass could have done was to say out loud that it had been interested in Byron Leftwich. That seed, now that it has been planted, is going to grow like a weed in the minds of the Ravens' faithful for the rest of this week and right through Sunday's home opener against the New York Jets. If Steve McNair hobbles around the backfield like Fred Sanford, or Kyle Boller runs around as if his feet are on fire, it will be impossible not to wonder what might have been.

With injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger watching from the sideline in sweats Sunday, backup Byron Leftwich started against the Ravens, his first start since 2009. Leftwich hit the ground running - literally - on his first drive, running for a 31-yard touchdown to give the Steelers an early 7-0 lead. But he struggled in the air, completing 18 of 39 attempts for 201 yards and one interception as the Ravens beat the Steelers, 13-10, at Heinz Field. Leftwich got a chance to lead the Steelers on a late scoring drive in the game's final possession, but he missed an open Mike Wallace on third down and completed a short pass to Gilreath short of the first-down marker on fourth down.

It looks as if the Ravens are trying to use Byron Leftwich as leverage to get backup Kyle Boller to sign a contract extension. Boller's contract is up at the end of the season, and apparently the Ravens want to keep him around as a backup for Steve McNair for at least another season. As for Boller and Leftwich, I'm not too excited about either being the backup next season. I'm not that impressed with either, but I guess they are the best possible candidates in a league that has a quarterback problem.

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was sitting at his desk yesterday preparing for Monday's season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he kind of chuckled when asked about his interest in former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich. Newsome wasn't exactly buzzing about Leftwich, either an indication that he didn't have much of a chance of signing him, or that he just didn't care. Later in the day, The Sun learned that the Ravens did have contact with Leftwich's agent.

A decade ago tomorrow, Sid Fernandez won his first major-league game in Houston. In Lynchburg, Va., Phil Leftwich had completed his first year in high school.Ten years later, Sid Fernandez is second -- behind Nolan Ryan -- on the all-time leaders list for hits given up per nine innings and Leftwich is completing his first full year in the major leagues.The two pitchers will square off tonight as the Orioles go for their second straight win over the California Angels.Last year, Leftwich had a 3.79 ERA in 12 appearances.

A DAY FOR rumbling and rambling: Please send all sympathy cards for Byron Leftwich to the Jacksonville Jaguars, One Alltel Stadium Place, Jacksonville, Fla., 32202. Have the Jaguars no mercy? They're getting Leftwich, their rookie and franchise quarterback of the future, killed. Not only is their pass protection poor, but Jacksonville also might be the worst-coached team in the NFL. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio may have been a good linebackers coach in Baltimore, and a one-year flash as a defensive coordinator in Carolina, but his ascension was too quick.

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said yesterday that the team has had "a couple of small conversations" with Byron Leftwich's agent. The Ravens are believed to be one of seven teams that have had preliminary talks with Leftwich, a four-year starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars who was cut Saturday after the team decided to go with David Garrard. Like the other teams that have had conversations with Leftwich, the Ravens aren't expected to make a hard push for him, and they have yet to decide whether adding Leftwich would be a distraction for a team that has enjoyed a smooth preseason.

The Ravens provided an answer to their inexperienced receiving corps and removed a major question mark surrounding a franchise quarterback. Hours after Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich solidified his draft standing by passing the team's physical yesterday, the Ravens announced they reached an agreement in principle with receiver Frank Sanders. Slated to be the team's No. 2 wide-out, he is expected to sign a four-year contract, believed to be worth about $7 million, by the end of the week.

PITTSBURGH - Byron Leftwich completed less than 50 percent of his throws and earned a 51.3 passer rating in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 13-10 loss to the Ravens on Sunday night at Heinz Field, but the 32-year-old quarterback earned a measure of respect from a few Ravens defensive players. Asked if Leftwich is still dangerous in his 10th year in the NFL, Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata replied, “He definitely is dangerous. You saw him throw down the field. [He is] great at throwing that deep ball.

There was no Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward or Ray Lewis, but as both teams predicted all week, it turned out to be more of the same with the Ravens-Steelers rivalry. In a tense game dominated by both defenses, Ravens return man Jacoby Jones made the game's decisive play with a 63-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter. The Ravens' defense did the rest in a 13-10 victory over the Byron Leftwich-led Steelers in front of an announced 63,446 at Heinz Field. The Ravens improved to 8-2 on the season and now have a two-game lead in the AFC North.

Among the variety of reasons why prognosticators think the Ravens will have the advantage against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday is Byron Leftwich's long windup. Leftwich's passing motion has been compared to that of a baseball pitcher and may rival New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow's for its elongated windup. While critics question how Leftwich can release the ball quickly enough to execute offensive coordinator Todd Haley's scheme, the Ravens said they aren't giving much weight to that theory.

WMAR introduced two longtime station staffers in new roles as weeknight anchors last night. Kelly Swoope and Roosevelt Leftwich made their debut as replacements for Mary Beth Marsden and Terry Owens, who took buyout offers and left the station last week after 21 and 17 years, respectively. Swoope will anchor at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. weeknights replacing Marsden, while Leftwich will anchor the 5:30 p.m. news weekdays and 11 p.m. Sunday. He replaces Owens in the 5:30 p.m. weeknight slot.

Report: Leftwich, Bucs agree to deal nfl Byron Leftwich, a free-agent quarterback, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN.com reported, citing an unnamed source. Leftwich, 29, would become the fourth Bucs quarterback, joining Luke McCown, Josh Johnson and Brian Griese. Leftwich played last season as the backup for the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, and they, along with the Washington Redskins, had expressed interest in the Washington native, the Web site said.

Byron Leftwich has already shown the Pittsburgh Steelers he can finish. He might get the chance Sunday to prove he can start. With starter Ben Roethlisberger's status for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts uncertain because of his reinjured right shoulder, the Steelers (6-2) might give Leftwich his first start since last Nov. 18 with the Atlanta Falcons. Roethlisberger underwent magnetic resonance imaging yesterday, but the Steelers did not immediately release the results. He reinjured his separated right shoulder on a quarterback sneak near the end of the second quarter Monday night.

THEY JUST MIGHT pick a quarterback in Baltimore in the first round of the NFL draft on Saturday. The Ravens may even pick a guy who dragged his broken leg around the field in a no-huddle display of gridiron heroism - which is not an overstatement if you saw clips of Byron Leftwich last fall during his stellar senior season at Marshall, rifling passes from the shotgun on, basically, one leg. Yes, some bit of local history might soon be made. For the first time, the Ravens may draft a quarterback in the first round - at least that's what the spies, moles and tireless beat reporters in Owings Mills tell us. We believe them, despite access to classified reports that confirm NFL general managers and coaches spread almost as much disinformation about their draft-day intentions as former government spokesmen in Iraq.

Potter Willie Leftwich worked as an engineer and lawyer before taking up ceramics after his retirement at age 60. More than 50 of his three-color, wood-fired clay vessels, glazed in warm earth tones with accents of blue and green, are on view in the James E. Lewis Museum at Morgan State University. Leftwich sees his work as an expression of intuitively grasped "essential realities" that lie beyond the power of words to express. His pots, vases, bowls and other vessels are inspired by the shapes and proportions of the human body, and their tactile qualities are as much a part of their meaning as are their formal properties: These are works that beg to be touched.

In retrospect, the worst thing the Ravens' brass could have done was to say out loud that it had been interested in Byron Leftwich. That seed, now that it has been planted, is going to grow like a weed in the minds of the Ravens' faithful for the rest of this week and right through Sunday's home opener against the New York Jets. If Steve McNair hobbles around the backfield like Fred Sanford, or Kyle Boller runs around as if his feet are on fire, it will be impossible not to wonder what might have been.