Linebacker Ray Lewis

In the midst of trying to extend linebacker Terrell Suggs' contract, the Ravens secured the long-term services of another valuable member of the defense yesterday. Nose tackle Kelly Gregg agreed on a four-year extension with the Ravens that will run through the 2011 season, a team official confirmed to The Sun last night. The unexpected agreement could allow Gregg to finish his career with the Ravens. One of the most underrated players on last season's top-ranked defense, Gregg was the team's fourth-leading tackler and anchored the middle of the line.

Quarterback D Steve McNair wasn't comfortable in the pocket because the running game wasn't working. The Ravens' passing game is predicated on play-action passes. Even though Indianapolis played cover-2 to halt the long ball and big plays, the Ravens should have taken more shots downfield. Offensive line D Left tackle Jonathan Ogden played surprisingly well against Colts end Dwight Freeney, but it was obvious that Ogden's hyperextended toe was still bothering him. The middle of the line couldn't stop penetration on pass plays, and the unit had several penalties that hurt.

QuarterbackA-Tony Banks may have played the best game of his career. He called an excellent game, checked off more times than usual and threw the long ball well. He missed on a couple of passes that could have yielded more points, but that will get better in time. The only question: Why did coach Brian Billick wait so long to make him the starter?Running backsA-Starter Errict Rhett ran hard during the brief time he was in the game, and replacement Priest Holmes gave the offense a fresh pair of legs and a boost when Rhett was injured.

QuarterbackC-Tony Banks had his usual inconsistent performance. Some great throws. Two fumbles. An interception. On some plays, he looks great. On other plays, he looks like he just woke up. He may never develop the pocket awareness he needs to be a star in the NFL. If the Ravens could combine Banks, Scott Mitchell and Stoney Case, they would have a great quarterback. Instead, the Ravens have gotten below-average play at the position.Running backsC-The Ravens averaged 3.7 yards on 22 carries, and running back Errict Rhett had 30 yards on 13 carries.

Though the Tennessee Oilers have lost their last three games and the Ravens beat them twice last season, coach Ted Marchibroda has warned his players to be wary of a team desperate for a win.The Ravens (2-2) will meet the Oilers (1-3) today at the new Camden Yards stadium. A 1-4 record would almost eliminate any playoff hopes for the Oilers.Another loss and Tennessee might have trouble selling tickets in Nashville, their third home in three years.One more loss and Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, in his fourth full season, will be pushed closer to the exit door.

The "other" linebacker is still trying to find his fame.First, there is middle linebacker Ray Lewis, who was a Pro Bowl performer in only his second season. Then there is strong-side linebacker Peter Boulware, the league's 1997 Rookie of the Year and newly acclaimed sack artist. And then there is No. 55.It reads "Sharper" on the back of his jersey."That doesn't bother me. The recognition they've gotten just makes me work harder," said Jamie Sharper, the team's top pick in the second round of the 1996 draft out of the University of Virginia.

It's becoming a standard process now. Second-year player Ray Ethridge never seems in the mix of receivers who are going to make the team and then the preseason starts.Then Ethridge makes big plays.Ethridge, a native of Pasadena City, Calif., has no guarantee of making the Ravens again this season, but he impressed head coach Ted Marchibroda with four catches for 35 yards and two kick returns for 89 yards in the Ravens' 21-20 loss to the New York Giants on Saturday night.Ethridge was in a similar situation last season, but he had 12 receptions for 208 yards and an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in four preseason games.

PHILADELPHIA -- Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis lives to play football, and he prepared to take the field at Veterans Stadium last night with a renewed appreciation for his livelihood.Eleven days into his second training camp, Lewis suffered his scariest injury. He was involved in a collision with rookie fullback Kenyon Cotton, and suffered a severe neck "burner." Flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland Hospital's Shock Trauma Center, Lewis soon found out that his injury was not serious.

Middle linebacker Ray Lewis provided an unusual sight at yesterday's practice. One day after spraining his left ankle, Lewis missed his first workout of the regular season.Although rookie Tyrus McCloud replaced him yesterday, the veteran left no doubt about his availability for tomorrow's game against the Washington Redskins."It will be all right," said Lewis, who leads the team with 89 tackles. "The only thing that would hold me back is if this thing was broken. Even then, I'd just put a cast on it and get out there."

Starting middle linebacker Ray Lewis has eased his way back into the Ravens' practices after suffering a severe neck burner when he collided with fullback Kenyon Cotton in practice two weeks ago.He missed the first two preseason games against the New York Giants and New York Jets, respectively, yet managed to do a few non-contact drills last week. Yesterday, he returned to the field to practice on the first-team line."It was good to have Ray out there," Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda said. "He gave us a mental lift."

Quarterback C- Joe Flacco has become a slow starter. He threw mostly short and underneath passes, and seldom challenged the Bengals deep. Flacco had chances, and he missed Mark Clayton for a possible late touchdown that would have sealed a win. Running backs C The three-headed monster has become a one-headed monster. Ray Rice played well, and that 48-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was sensational. But Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain were nonfactors. Receivers C- Did they play in this game?

SAN DIEGO - - The win was satisfying, but the number of big plays allowed by the Ravens was disturbing. The Ravens (2-0) celebrated a hard-fought 31-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, but there will not be a lot of joy this morning on the defensive side when the coaches break out the videotape. Stellar defense has been the trademark of this franchise since the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000, but that wasn't the case against the Chargers. The Ravens allowed Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to pass for 436 yards.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - -Steve Hauschka failed to finish off the Ravens' kicking battle. The favorite after two preseason games, Hauschka missed wide right on a 27-yard field goal on the Ravens' first drive Saturday night. It marked his first miss after making his first three attempts of the preseason. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens were ready to announce the winner after the game, but he now will wait until Thursday's preseason finale at Atlanta. "It was a little bit disappointing," said Harbaugh, who noted that he was displeased with Hauschka's kickoffs as well.

Free agency has broken up that old purple gang of ours. A handful of heroes from the Ravens' surprising run up to the AFC championship game - center Jason Brown, linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard - all hopped the Payday Express and are in other NFL cities. Even so, the Ravens will be better when they line up for Game 1 than when they trudged off Heinz Field after losing the title game. Linebacker Ray Lewis, after doing his best Hamlet rumination of whether "to be or not to be" a Raven, decided to stay.

QB D Joe Flacco played well to get the Ravens this far, but last night was not one of his better games. He stared down receivers and was intercepted three times. In the first half, he looked and played like a rookie. OL D This group got no push on the Steelers, and the Ravens had trouble running the ball. Pittsburgh was a lot faster than the Ravens, and the middle of the defensive line had problems trying to contain the pressure. WR C- Whenever the Ravens play good teams, the lack of a top receiver to complement Derrick Mason is there for everyone to see. Mark Clayton wasn't a factor, and neither was tight end Todd Heap.

QB C Joe Flacco had trouble getting in sync with his receivers. Sometimes he threw high, and other times they dropped a couple on him. Flacco needed to work short instead of going downfield as much, but the young man keeps delivering week after week. OL B Ravens guards Ben Grubbs and Chris Chester did a nice job of pulling and there were some holes in the running game, but Willis McGahee didn't hit them. The pass protection was good, but the Redskins did a nice job in coverage. Solid effort overall.

Marvin Lewis' primary concern is motivating his 1-9-1 Bengals to finish the season on a positive note, beginning with Sunday's contest against the Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. How much longer Lewis, the Cincinnati coach, will be entrusted with that responsibility is another issue. The Bengals are in the midst of one of their poorest seasons in recent memory and are in danger of having a worse record than the 2002 squad's 2-14, which stands as the worst mark in franchise history.

QB C Joe Flacco threw for one touchdown and ran for another but was inaccurate on several intermediate- to long-range passes. He'll have to play much better if the Ravens are to beat good teams. OL B+ The Ravens punished Oakland up front, and they didn't allow a sack. But left tackle Jared Gaither had four penalties and right guard Chris Chester was called twice for holding. The penalties negated some big plays. WR C The Ravens averaged 14.1 yards a catch, but a lot of those yards came after short passes.

They can change defensive coordinators and not miss a beat. They can even change head coaches and not lose their way. The brand of defense the Ravens have played for almost a decade - organized mayhem - has rarely been better, and perhaps never more dominant, than it has been in the first two games this season. It's a stifling, unremitting kind of defense that cuts opposing teams off at the quarterback. Exhibit A: Carson Palmer of the Cincinnati Bengals produced the worst passer rating of his six-year Pro Bowl career in Week 1. Exhibit B: Derek Anderson produced the second-worst passer rating of his four-year career with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and it almost cost him his starting job. Up next is the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

If Jamal Lewis really knows where to find the weak spot in the Ravens' defense, he'll stop for a nice brunch on the way to Sunday's game at Cleveland Browns Stadium and just show up for the fourth quarter. Surely, he doesn't think he's going to run through the Ravens' defensive line the way he did against the Cincinnati Bengals a couple of weeks ago, especially when he followed up that 216-yard performance with 56 yards against an Oakland Raiders team that might give up 3.7 yards per rush to Appalachian State.